Chapter 90: Rover, you’re not my dad

Nick couldn’t say another word. With one hand, he grabbed John by the collar and immediately bolted toward the other door.

John shouted, “Ack! Let go of me, I can run by myself!”

“Damn it! Are you stupid? At a time like this you’re still standing there talking about artistic value?”

“Hahaha… sorry, habit.” John scratched his head, then forced himself to sprint toward the door behind them.

KRIT! KRIT!

That bizarre monster charged at them, its body like a gigantic spider. Even though it looked huge and heavy, it moved at a speed that was hard to believe.

“This is bad! It’s too fast!”

Hearing that, John laughed and said, “Do you know spiders are very fast? The fastest speed a triangle-weaver spider can reach is 1,692 miles per hour.”

Nick: “…”

“Do you realize how insanely dangerous this is right now, and you still have time to give a science lecture?”

“Hehehe… sorry, habit.”

BAM!

The giant spider leaped high, lunging at them. Nick gritted his teeth and kicked John to the side, using the recoil to dodge the other way.

BAM!

The spider slammed all six legs down onto the spot Nick had just been standing. The whole room trembled.

Nick dropped to the floor, feeling lucky he’d dodged fast enough. Otherwise, if that monster had stepped on him, he’d have turned into a puddle of minced meat.

But… the next problem appeared.

The giant spider turned toward Nick. The arms in its chest stretched out and immediately seized his body.

“Damn it!” Nick shouted, struggling violently. It was pointless.

Most of his attribute points were in [Spirit], so his physical strength was only a little higher than an ordinary person’s.

Nick felt his throat being clamped by countless hands, choking off his breath. His face went from white to yellow, then slowly to purple.

His eyes rolled back, his body trembling uncontrollably.

’Help… damn it… don’t tell me… I’m going to die here?’

The thought flashed through his mind as a wave of unwillingness flooded his consciousness.

Right then…

“Ah! There’s a really big monster here!”

A familiar voice rang out, followed by a beam of light shooting in like a laser.

WHOONG!!!

A low-frequency ringing sound echoed out like a bell.

GRAOO!!!

The moment that light hit the monster, its body immediately hissed like flesh being seared by fire. The arms instantly let go of Nick, then writhed like octopus tentacles in agony.

Thud!

“Agh! Cough! Cough!” Nick crashed onto the floor, but he didn’t care how much his ass hurt. He just kept gulping air like someone who’d almost drowned.

GRA!!! GAA!!!

The spider-shaped monster roared, then immediately sprang upward, clung to the ceiling, and quickly melded into the darkness before vanishing.

“What the hell?” Seeing the monster disappear, Rover hurried after it, but all that was there was a wall. The massive monster was completely gone.

“Damn it! The food’s already been served on the table and I still can’t eat it. AGH!!!” Rover complained, his face scrunched up in obvious irritation.

“Go after it!” Rover barked.

The female ghost still stood there, unmoving. She just stared at the wall for a long while, then shook her head.

“Heh?! Why?”

She didn’t answer. Rover could only rake his fingers through his hair, annoyed to the extreme.

“Damn it! I’ve got to save up as many Omni Points as possible, so I can Upgrade the [Eye of Truth].”

Rover muttered, understanding that because this thing was still too weak, those monsters had a chance to escape.

What if he Upgraded the [Eye of Truth] one more time? Once it reached the next tier, it would definitely be ridiculously strong, enough to wipe out monsters like that spider from earlier.

It took Nick a long while before he could calm down. He shot a glance at Rover, confusion showing on his face. “Why are you here?”

Rover frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be here?”

Nick: “…”

“Alright.” Rover waved a hand. “I’m not gonna fight you for the job of hunting clues. Take your time.”

With that, Rover hurried off as if he were searching for something.

Nick quickly said, “Wait! You… how did you drive that monster off just now? What did you do?”

Rover shrugged. “Didn’t do anything. Don’t worry about me.”

After saying that, he turned to leave. At this point, Nick didn’t want to call Rover back either, out of pride.

But he still felt utterly baffled.

Why? Why was it that he and John had been so easily pushed to the brink of death by that monster, while Rover could drive it off without breaking a sweat? He’d even chased after it, looking like he genuinely regretted letting it get away.

’No way!’ Nick thought. ’It’s only been two days. How the hell could he get that strong?’

Even as he told himself that, he knew… he was just lying to himself for the sake of his pathetic little pride.

Nick drew a deep breath, glanced at the unconscious John, hurried over, and slapped his face repeatedly. “Oy! Wake up!”

John jolted awake, eyes wide, looking around before asking, “That monster… where is it?”

Nick let out a long sigh and said, “Gone.”

“Gone? You chased it off?” John asked.

Nick shook his head. “Rover chased it off.”

Even though it made him sick to say it, Nick wasn’t the kind of guy who’d twist the truth, so he told it straight.

“Heh?! Rover? He’s here too?” John asked.

Nick nodded. “Yeah. If you want to stay safe, you can stick with him.”

“And you?” John asked, confused.

“Me?” Nick shook his head, sighed, and said, “Me and him have beef. He’ll… ack!”

Nick didn’t even get to finish before John grabbed him by the collar and dragged him along like he was hauling a chicken.

“Oy! Rover!” John shouted.

Rover hadn’t gone far. Hearing John’s voice, he stopped and turned around, looking at him like he didn’t get it. “What?”

“Hehehehe…” Wearing a friendly smile, John walked up to Rover and said, “Let us tag along, yeah? You’re alone anyway. With us behind you, you can order me and him around for some small stuff. That’d be better, right?”

“What?!” Nick snapped. “Why the hell do I have to listen to him?”

John immediately swung his arm, clenched his fist, and knocked Nick on the head.

Cok!

“AGH!!” Nick hadn’t expected John to hit him, so he couldn’t guard in time. He could only clutch his head and yelp in pain.

“Alone?” Rover frowned, flicking a glance at the female ghost hovering beside him, her body trembling in that eerie way.

’They can’t see her?’ Rover thought. ’Good. If they saw a female ghost following me, I’d have to waste time explaining.’

Rover looked Nick and John over and said quietly, “Fine. You can come with me, but I don’t have many demands…”

He didn’t finish. He simply held out his hand, a greedy smile spreading across his face.

“Damn it! You… what do you want?” Nick roared. “Rover, even if you can survive this mission, don’t forget this: without the others, you won’t finish it easily either.”

Rover didn’t answer. He looked at Nick like he was an idiot, then turned to John and asked with a frown, “What about you?”

John scratched his head and said softly, “Me… I’ve only got thirty gold coins and some meds. Ah! I’ve also got an item. I can give it to you.”

He pulled a small handheld fan from his backpack and handed it to Rover.

[Handheld Fan]

[Type: Item]

[Grade: Low-grade]

[Description: Can cool you down. Its strength increases depending on the user’s [Spirit].]

[Upgrade requirement: 100 Omni Points.]

Rover didn’t think twice. He tossed the fan into his storage space and grinned. “Good. You can follow me. But I’ll say this upfront: I can’t protect you all the time. I can only let you follow me, that’s it.”

John smiled, nodded, and said, “Of course. I understand that perfectly.”

Rover ignored John after that, flicking his gaze toward the female ghost and signaling for her to lead the way.

She turned, then slowly drifted off into the distance.

Seeing Rover and John start moving, Nick followed behind them too.

“Hold up. Why are you following me?” Rover frowned.

Nick shrugged, acting like he had nothing left to lose, and replied flatly, “This place isn’t your home. Wherever I go, you can’t stop me.”

“Agh! So that means you’re scared those monsters will jump you, and you want to follow me for a little sense of security, huh?” Rover said with contempt.

Nick clenched his teeth. Even though Rover had nailed it, there was no way he’d admit it. “Looking down on me? I’m just heading the same way by coincidence. Don’t think so highly of yourself.”

“Fine.” Rover crossed his arms and smiled. “Then I’ll let you go first. Be my guest…”

He waved his hand, gesturing for Nick to take the lead.

Nick ground his teeth. There was no way he could walk in front. He wanted to live, not become dinner in some monster’s mouth.

He crossed his arms too and said, “Huh! I suddenly feel like standing right here. Not moving anymore.”

Rover’s expression twisted. He realized he’d underestimated just how shameless Nick could be.

“Then which way do you want to go?” Rover asked irritably.

Nick curled his lip, disdainful. “Rover, you’re not my dad. Why would I tell you which way I want to go?”

Rover shrugged. “I wouldn’t want a useless son like you anyway.”

Nick: “…”

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