"Congratulations on clearing the first floor. The reward is 5 Twilight Apples. Claiming one apple costs 100 BP, will you make the transaction?"
The voice was heard after the blood of the large monster was drained from the floor, and everyone thought about whether to take the prize.
"I won't take them. Although those apples can fetch a hefty price outside the secret realm, I prefer saving my BP for something more relevant for my stage."
One of the male disciples declared and the others nodded in agreement. Since they already reached the peak of their stage, they were done with the process of expanding and condensing their cores.
"I will take them then."
Ken placed his token on a stone that appeared after the voice offered the rewards, and he felt a bit of energy flowing out of his token, signaling the deduction of 500 BP. 5 Twilight Apples appeared in front of him, hovering in the air. He stored them all and went back to the group.
"You're quite rich. I'd run out of CP if I tried taking all 5 apples."
One of the disciples said when he saw Ken walks toward them but didn't get a response.
"Why did you separate from Jane and Diana? I didn't see them enter the secret realm either."
Tiara asked Ken as the two of them did some catching up. He found out that those four were from the Divine Sword Sect, and Tiara was invited to venture into the secret realm by one of them after they met in the Outer Ring.
It wasn't hard to see that he liked her indifferent and aloof disposition, but Ken didn't know if Tiara shared the same feelings or was just taking advantage of him to get access to better resources.
"They're both dead now. They were killed in the war by someone from the Four Seasons Sect, that's why I lost my rational thinking and challenged their sect."
"I see. Well, do you want to travel together with us?"
The other 4 didn't have a problem with adding a powerful ally to their group. They also didn't consider attacking him despite knowing how powerful his bloodlust was.
He showcased might beyond their capabilities in his fight against the disciples of the Four Seasons Sect, and they didn't think they could do what the top 10 of the enemy couldn't.
"Sure, why not."
Ken didn't see a problem with joining them. He wouldn't lose any rewards, and if they tried to make him lose any rewards, he was strong enough to make them regret it.
They were traveling through the second floor now, and just like before, they stopped getting any BP after killing 10 of the monsters. The monsters in this room were the size of a short man, and their back was curved while they used their nails as claws.
Their faces were slightly more detailed than the creatures on the first floor; they included a vague nose, eyes, and lips, but that's where the improvement ended.
"So you are the famous Ken who butchered the Four Seasons Sect's disciples? I'd never guess that the owner of those scary red eyes had such a beautiful face under the mask."
One of the female disciples remarked after clearing another room.
"A dumpling's meat is on the inside, not on the folds outside. I wouldn't guess such a beautiful child can be so dangerous. I'm Tobias, ranked 190 in the combat power top list for Core Formation disciples, nice to meet you." (1)
The man wooing Tiara introduced himself. Because of Ken's young age, he didn't feel threatened by his presence, sparing Ken from the experience of traveling with a hostile young master in love.
"I'm Daisy, ranked 241."
The same woman that talked earlier introduced herself as well.
"I'm Adrian, ranked 242. But only because I don't want to hurt Daisy, we're close friends."
A bulky young man talked for the first time, eliciting a chuckle from the group.
"Don't believe him, he tries to spar with me every day but tries too hard for sparring. He just tries to check if he can defeat me before officially issuing a challenge."
Ken laughed with the group when Adrian tried to protest and deny her claims, saying he was just trying to get warmed up before fighting in the Outer Ring.
"And I'm Bryce, I'm ranked 764 in combat power, but I'm also ranked 132 in Formation Mastery."
The last man to introduce himself felt embarrassed when he mentioned his rank in combat power, and hurriedly explained his strength lay in another field.
"I'm Ken, unranked. Nice to meet you guys."
"Haha, you're quite shameless to introduce yourself as an unranked disciple."
Daisy's straightforward attitude reminded Ken of Jane, but he soon shook her off his mind and concentrated on their surroundings.
"Hey look, there are more apples here. Ken, I assume you want them?"
·?θm Tobias asked out loud after they found 2 apples in another room. The structure of this floor was the same as the one before it. Those were unlocked, and anyone could grab them.
"I do."
"Sure, we should distribute the rewards by usefulness rather than equally. Since the apples can only help you, I think you should get them. When we find treasures that can help us break through to the next stage, we will take them."
"We will see if I need them."
Ken wasn't na?ve enough to agree to this deal. The man simply tried to sell those apples to Ken in exchange for a promise not to get a share of the stronger rewards. Even if those other rewards were useless to Ken in his stage, he would reach theirs soon, so he didn't plan to give any treasure up.
Ken placed the two apples in his storage ring and continued to explore the place with the group.
"Let's find a place to rest, guys."
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A/N: (1) A dumpling's meat is on the inside, not on the folds outside – an idiom meaning you can't judge others based on appearances only.
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