“Miss Katy, remember, wooden planks that look this ordinary are actually quite dangerous. Often, the space beneath them is hollow. Especially those pieces in the middle; they are very likely hiding mana-circuit pressure plates or pitfall traps…”
Gray explained survival tips to the “newbie” behind him with a solemn expression as they walked.
Katy nodded seriously on the surface, but inside, she was struggling to hold back her laughter.
After all, they had indeed encountered some traps along the way.
However, Gray’s reaction was a bit excessive.
He was clearly suffering from severe psychological trauma caused by her 13th Dungeon.
For example, just a moment ago, Gray stepped on a slightly loose floorboard.
Before any mechanism could even trigger, he scooped Katy up over his shoulder like a sack of rice and sprinted fifty meters away.
He moved so fast that sparks and lightning practically trailed behind them.
Katy, feeling dizzy from being jostled around, patted his shoulder to remind him.
“Um, Mr. Gray? That just looked like an ordinary poison dart trap. And it seems like it was so old and rusty that the dart got stuck and never even fired…”
“Ah, sorry, Miss Katy. I overreacted a bit.”
Gray quickly set the girl down.
He scratched his eyebrow awkwardly while mentally cursing Noctiluca once again.
What the two of them did not know was that this scene had stunned the dozen or so viewers in the live-stream.
[Holy crap, what kind of reaction speed is that? Is this the raw power of an A-rank Hero?]
[Traps in Starshine-level Labyrinths are very devious. Usually, you need a Scout or a Mage to detect them, or a Heavy Warrior to tank them while a Priest heals from behind. Did they just… dodge it like that?]
[Reflexes like steel. Is this the limit of a human?]
Their surprise was natural.
To walk through a trap-ridden Starshine-level Labyrinth as if it were flat ground usually required someone to drink expensive Danger Perception Potions or maintain constant detection spells.
Gray’s performance, relying entirely on muscle memory and subconscious reaction, was hard to explain with just “experience.”
Of course, Katy, who had been carried on his shoulder, could explain it.
If the world’s total talent for placing traps in dungeons was ten parts, Noctiluca alone owned twelve, and the rest of the clumsy demons owed two.
Gray had been persecuted by her in the 13th Dungeon for nearly a year.
He had naturally learned exactly where traps might appear and how to counter them.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a walking encyclopedia of “One Hundred Ways to Die in a Dungeon.”
After sprinting through a corridor filled with chain-fire arrow traps, Gray swung his blade backward.
He precisely shattered a falling boulder with a single strike and landed steadily while still holding Katy.
“Phew, that wasn’t bad. The traps here are far less difficult than I imagined. Miss Katy, how are you feeling?”
“I… I’m fine.”
Katy adjusted her crooked hat, feeling lightheaded from the spinning.
“It’s just that I’m a bit dizzy.”
“There shouldn’t be any more traps from this point on. There is a bonfire up ahead. Usually, that represents a resting area.”
Gray pointed toward a pile of embers not far away.
“It should be safe there. That’s a safe zone where we can rest for a bit.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he struck the empty ground next to the bonfire with his sword.
He only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming there wasn’t a giant pit or four elite monsters hiding beneath the dirt.
As for why he took that extra swing… it was because that bastard Noctiluca used to do insane things like placing traps disguised as bonfires.
“Mr. Gray is so skillful. So cool!”
The girl smoothed her wind-blown bangs and offered sincere praise.
Gray gave a helpless smile.
Being able to gain some favor in front of Katy and show his reliable side was probably the only positive benefit Noctiluca and her damn 13th Dungeon had ever given him.
He never thought the day would come where he felt a shred of gratitude toward that black knight with the giant hammer.
“Um, Mr. Gray?”
The girl’s timid voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Can you put me down now? The camera drone is filming, and my skirt…”
Gray suddenly realized he was still holding Katy over his shoulder.
Because they had been moving so fast, the hem of the girl’s black trench coat had ridden up.
A section of her fair, snowy “absolute territory” was exposed.
“S-Sorry!”
Gray hurriedly and carefully set Katy down, his face turning bright red.
“I’m still not used to diving into dungeons with two people…”
Katy shook her head with a blush, indicating it was fine, and walked over to the bonfire.
She observed their surroundings by the firelight.
She realized this “Graveyard of Ghost Ships” was completely different from her 13th Dungeon.
Noctiluca’s dungeon was a classic academic style, progressing floor by floor.
But here…
There was the salty sea breeze, the endless thick fog, the decaying shipwrecks scattered everywhere, and pirate spirits that occasionally emerged from the mist to swing a blade.
It didn’t look like a dungeon at all.
She was a bit troubled. Is this really a Labyrinth? This is just a mass grave!
Noctiluca, the creator of the most difficult dungeon, was actually a shut-in who had never visited other demon dungeons for inspection.
She stubbornly believed that only her precisely designed structures were true Labyrinths.
She had originally planned to rely on her experience as the strongest creator to show off in front of Gray.
She wanted him to be shocked by her vast knowledge while also getting revenge for him carrying her like a sack of rice.
But now…
Aside from general trap principles, her experience was almost useless.
Not to mention, Gray was already a trap expert she had personally trained. He didn’t need her reminders at all.
Katy squatted by the fire, watching Gray busily check the environment.
She suddenly realized a serious problem.
If Gray cleared the monsters in this dungeon without even losing health, then she, as an E-rank Priest, seemed a bit useless.
Bad memories flooded back.
She was fired back at the Calamity Pillar post because she wasn’t making money for the demons.
If her only role in the Black Crow Squad was to be a cute mascot, she wouldn’t be a match for that wicked woman Lobelia at all!
After all, that pink-haired woman was a genuine A-rank Mage who could both tank and deal damage.
More importantly—
Katy looked down at her relatively flat chest and then thought of Lobelia’s fiery curves.
The stat difference was huge, in every sense!
How did the saying go?
Cuteness is trivial in the face of sexiness?
What if Gray preferred mature women over a girl who hadn’t fully grown like her?
What if Gray’s preferences had already been twisted while he was teammates with that woman?
Katy swallowed hard.
In order to prevent herself from being fired a second time, she had to make herself useful!
She had to make that guy Gray realize that small things have their own advantages!
“Mr. Gray,” the girl stood up and walked to his side, her voice soft.
“You ran for so long while carrying me. Your shoulders must be very sore, right? Let me help you recover your stamina.”
While Gray was still warily scanning the mist and thinking about their next route, he suddenly felt a wave of warmth on the back of his hand.
Katy’s soft, delicate fingers gently rested on his hand.
A pure, flawless golden light lit up.
The flowing mana was like a small stream, smoothing out the slightly restless aura in his body caused by the sprinting and fighting.
Gray turned his head and looked at the girl who was focused on her spell with her eyes closed.
He subconsciously held his breath, afraid of disturbing this beautiful scene.
The damp sea breeze in the dungeon had made both of their clothes a bit moist and wrinkled, especially Katy’s.
That originally oversized trench coat was now clinging tightly to her body because of the moisture.
Although she didn’t have Lobelia’s exaggerated fleshiness, the girl’s slightly developing, youthful curves and her white-stockinged legs contrasted against the black clothing…
The perfect balance of slenderness and charm was vividly outlined in this moment.
Gray felt a surge of heat deep in his nose.
Then, he silently closed his eyes.
Katy’s assumption was wrong.
He was actually part of the faction that liked them small.
What mature women?
I don’t even know them!
I, Gray, like this kind of size that I can hold in one hand… ahem!
He thought to himself that even the smartest animals only had the intelligence of a ten-year-old human child, yet they could take great care of their young.
Therefore, even a young girl could be a capable mother.
[You beast! Let go of that loli-mom and let me do it!]
[Waaaa, I want to be carried by an A-rank boss too…]
In a corner they didn’t notice, the popularity of the Black Crow Squad’s live-stream began to climb quietly.