The door of the secret chamber was yanked open.
Chen Yu, who was about to kick the door open, felt his foot connect with something. He didn't even glance.
His wizard's broom beneath his crotch immediately took flight.
Whoosh!
Hei Dou, clutching Chen Yu's trouser leg, shot up with him.
"Whoa!"
Chen Yu, sitting on the broom, felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest.
He had indeed kicked something.
The sensation from his foot was very real.
What the heck, neither his gluttony soul nor the dungeon prompt had warned him.
The door had been pulled open from the inside.
"What's the situation with you two?"
Chen Yu whispered in a low voice.
The glutton's sense of smell should have detected the presence of any creature, informing him beforehand.
But it hadn't said anything.
This led Chen Yu to believe there were no living beings inside, only natural hazards.
Even now, Chen Yu's heart was pounding.
[I don't know, I can't guarantee anything, I told you clearly, there's no point blaming me.]
[Mistake.]
[Oh ho ho, this mistake of yours is truly deadly.]
[Shut up (▼へ▼メ)]
[What, what, are you going to hit me? Come on, I'm not afraid of you.]
[Immature.]
[ヽ(#`Д´)ﾉ Who are you calling immature?]
[Tsk~]
Chen Yu felt a headache coming on.
Why were they arguing at a time like this? He had almost lost his life. It seemed he couldn't completely trust either of them; neither was very reliable.
That door had opened far too suddenly.
It had scared the life out of him.
Chen Yu, on the broom, looked down and saw Hei Dou desperately clinging to his trouser leg, kicking his legs to try and climb higher.
Chen Yu leaned down and scooped him up.
However, as soon as Hei Dou was pulled up, he began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Do you have to be so panicked? Are you entering battle mode again, with your combat engine revving up?" Chen Yu asked, holding Hei Dou, feeling speechless.
At this moment, Hei Dou seemed to have entered vibration mode.
The vibration frequency was comparable to a cervical massage chair.
"Brother, brother..." Hei Dou couldn't even speak properly, his body shaking, "I, I, I, I'm afraid of heights, I'm afraid of heights! Can you, can you, can you lower it a bit? I'm afraid of heights!!!"
"Huh?"
Chen Yu was stunned.
Afraid of heights.
He had thought his little brother was starting his engine again.
Looking down at Hei Dou's trembling body, Chen Yu couldn't help but chuckle.
"If you're afraid of heights, why did you come up?"
"Didn't I see you running away?" Hei Dou, curled up in Chen Yu's arms, seemed to feel a little more at ease. "I just grabbed your trouser leg and came up."
"Look at you, so cowardly."
"Aren't you running too?"
"This is a tactical retreat. I'm conducting aerial reconnaissance to formulate a battle plan. What do you know?" Chen Yu gave Hei Dou a sideways glance and then looked down into the pit.
He had to see what was hiding in the secret chamber.
Kuka, Jack, and Rosie were still standing in the pit.
The top two lieutenants had fled.
Leaving them here had left them all bewildered.
Kuka dropped his shovel and tried to climb up. In his panicked state, he kicked his legs several times but couldn't get up.
Jack displayed the spirit befitting a lion.
His eyes were fixed on the secret chamber.
Looking into the chamber, Jack's expression shifted from concentration to one of disdain.
A black donkey lay sprawled on the ground.
Having been inexplicably kicked, it also seemed a bit dazed. It sat on the ground for about half a minute, rubbing its belly, then narrowed its eyes and looked towards the entrance.
With wide eyes, it walked out of the secret chamber.
Jack also took two steps forward.
He was fearless.
It was just a black donkey. As the King of the Prairie, dealing with a black donkey would be a piece of cake.
"Rosie, don't be afraid, I'll protect you." Jack said proudly, baring his teeth at the black donkey and letting out a lion's roar, "ROAR—"
The black donkey standing before him stared at him expressionlessly.
What?!
It hadn't peed itself in fear. Jack was somewhat surprised.
He was an adult male lion.
A donkey wasn't even considered a wild beast; it was at most a little donkey used for grinding, and it should have been scared stiff by him.
Was that roar not enough?
He'd do it again.
Jack deliberately cleared his throat and opened his mouth wide.
"ROAR—"
The black donkey continued to stare at him expressionlessly until a drop of spit landed on its face.
"Mmm-hmmm—" The black donkey's eyes suddenly widened, and it raised its hoof to wipe its face. A faint golden light emanated from its hoof.
Thump!
With a powerful kick, Jack shot up into the sky like a shooting star.
Immediately after, the black donkey did the same.
Thump, thump.
Two afterimages took flight from the bottom of the pit.
The black donkey standing at the bottom of the pit raised its arm in a bodybuilder's pose.
"Mmm-hmmm—" (Reading Lava)
Hiss!
Chen Yu, suspended in mid-air, gasped.
This black donkey was fierce.
With just one kick, it had taken down Jack and the others. A smile slowly spread across Chen Yu's face.
He propped his chin on his hands and looked down at the black donkey.
Not bad!
He had been looking to capture slaves, but hadn't encountered any wild beasts all day. It seemed bringing this black donkey over would be a good idea.
"Heh heh heh—"
Chen Yu, sitting on the broom, wore a wicked smile.
It's you.
Black donkey, you've earned the right to join my Chen Yu's benevolent enterprise.
You're quite lucky.
After knocking Kuka and the others away, the black donkey ignored them and climbed out of the pit. It looked around the orchard, making "Mmm-hmmm" sounds.
It was clear its mood was quite good.
Chen Yu circled around.
He found a place to land behind some cover and peered cautiously at the black donkey.
The black donkey was wandering in circles in the orchard.
It was likely looking for some ripe fruit. Unfortunately, it had come out a bit too late; all the dungeon apples had already been collected by Chen Yu.
The door to the secret chamber was still open.
Chen Yu could actually enter the chamber now. However, considering the potential dangers within, if he could recruit the black donkey first, the exploration might proceed more smoothly.
His gluttony soul and dungeon prompts were unreliable.
They were probably still fighting each other.
He couldn't count on them.
He looked down at Hei Dou, who was lying on the ground as if utterly exhausted, and gave him a pat on the rear.
"Work time."
Hei Dou jolted awake.
He was still immersed in the lingering fear of his near-death experience. During that time in the air, he had been so terrified he thought he would faint.
He looked up blankly.
He saw Chen Yu nod towards the black donkey.
"Your big brother fancies that donkey. Take him down."
"Huh?"
Hei Dou was instantly confused upon hearing this.
"Boss, you have some really strange tastes. You... fancy a donkey?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Chen Yu glared and retorted, "I want to convert him to join my ranks. Didn't you see how fierce that black donkey is? It sent Jack and Rosie flying with one kick."
"How are you going to convert him?" Hei Dou frowned.
Chen Yu reached out and pulled out a brick.
"Are you sure that's 'converting'?" Hei Dou asked, confused, staring at the stone in Chen Yu's hand.
"Persuasion through virtue," Chen Yu said.
Hei Dou fell silent for a long moment, truly unsure how to respond.
"Persuasion through virtue," indeed.
"That black donkey looks tough. Jack and Rosie were knocked out. Can we do it? Besides, this place is too open, it'll be hard for us to sneak up on it," Hei Dou mumbled.
"Do you think this can stump your big brother?"
Chen Yu shook his head and smiled, then carelessly tossed out about ten apples with a clatter.
"Oh—"
Seeing the apples, Hei Dou glanced back at the black donkey, which was getting angry "Mmm-hmmm" sounds in the orchard for not finding any apples, and then his expression cleared with understanding.
"Boss, you're still the sharpest."