[âŠ]
[After a long wait, the familiar footsteps gradually approached.]
[You tightened your grip on your spear and pressed yourself against the rock wall beside the entrance. When you looked over at Broken Horn Sharu, it too seemed very tense.]
[The footsteps drew closer and closer. The hybrid overseer was about to step insideâŠ]
[Broken Horn Sharu nodded to you, then lunged first, its spear stabbing straight toward the overseer!]
[You no longer concealed yourself either, leaping out with Broken Horn Sharu to join the ambush.]
[The hybrid overseer, caught completely off guard, was struck by the spear, but the scene of blood spurting everywhere that youâd imagined did not occur.]
[Perhaps Broken Horn Sharu was too nervous, and its spear ended up striking the overseerâs body right on those patchy, uneven scales.]
[The spear couldnât pierce the scales, and the ambush merely forced the hybrid overseer back a few steps.]
[And it was precisely this retreat that allowed the hybrid overseer to evade your fatal blow.]
[The hybrid overseer stared at you in astonishment, then began to laugh darkly.]
[It couldnât help mocking you, how could you two lowly mining slaves dare to ambush it?]
[As it spoke, its fangs were bared, and it raised its sharp claws.]
[Broken Horn Sharu suddenly stepped in front of you, bluntly declaring that the plan had failed, telling you to hurry and escape the canyon, it would hold off the overseer for you.]
[Valiant Apostle, what will you do?]
[1. With tears of gratitude, choke out, âBrother, Iâm really going to cry to deathâŠâ then immediately turn to leave the overseerâs cave and flee far away.]
[2. Shout with righteous fervor, âWeâre brothers, come cut me down instead!â stepping in front of Broken Horn Sharu to cover its retreat.]
[3. Sing resolutely, âWe walk the road ahead together, even if itâs a river, we cross it side by side!â and face death together with Broken Horn Sharu.]
Lin Xun twitched the corner of his mouth.
The first option could be ignored outright, it didnât fit the half-dragonâs persona.
The second option could be used to push Sharu aside, so Lin Xun could show his true strength and switch to the Earth Giant Shell to flatten the overseer.
Broken Horn Sharu seemed to be a quest-related character. If it died, it would be a shame.
But judging from Sharuâs current demeanor, if he picked the second option, theyâd probably stage some sentimental farce of âYou go first,â âNo! I wonât leave, you go first.â
Rather than dithering and giving the overseer an opening, it would be better to attack directly. After all, with the little half-dragon under his Possession, its strength was now worlds apart from beforeâŠ
Lin Xun ignored the jokey options and simply launched an attack.
[You, ruthless and decisive, chose not to take the ordinary path. Gripping your spear, you went straight for the kill!]
[You stepped past Broken Horn Sharuâs side. Under its stunned gaze, you launched your assault!]
[You raised your spear, driving it straight toward the hybrid overseerâŠ]
[The hybrid overseer was already prepared, swinging its claws up to meet you!]
[Claws and wooden spear clashed. Broken Horn Sharuâs eyes went wide, it had fully expected you to die with your weapon shattered, but instead, you deflected the claws in a single motion and drove the wooden spear clean through the enemyâs chest.]
[The point where the spear pierced was also covered in mottled scales, but even those sturdy scales couldnât withstand your full-force thrust.]
[The hybrid overseer clutched its chest in disbelief, then collapsed to the groundâŠ]
[You have defeated the Hybrid Half-Dragon Who Gazes Upward. Experience slightly increased.]
[You obtained: Large Chunk Spirit Essence of Steadfast Will x1]
[You obtained: Diagram of the Underground Storage Location (Item)]
[You looked down at the corpse at your feetâŠ]
[Hybrid Half-Dragon Who Gazes Upward: A half-dragon of somewhat noble bloodline. As the overseer who mixed-blood half-dragons, it had withheld many rewards from the mining slaves and possessed considerable wealth. It died to a fatal blow piercing its heart. Compatibility: 83% (+45%)]
[Would you like to Possess this Shell?]
Lin Xun thought briefly. He didnât rush to Possess the Shell and continued roleplaying as the little dragon, waiting for the event to unfold further.
[Broken Horn Sharuâs eyes went wide, its mouth agape, not even noticing when drool dripped down.]
[It asked you in disbelief how youâd killed the overwhelmingly strong hybrid overseer, when you were clearly so weak.]
[You paused for a moment, then explained that perhaps the hybrid overseerâs body was frail, and overexertion had left its legs unsteadyâŠ]
[Broken Horn Sharu tilted its head in thought for a long while, then nodded and sighed to you that it was fortunate the overseer had exhausted itself during its bout with the female half-dragon. Otherwise, todayâs outcome would have been at best one of you dead.]
[It urged you to check the Diagram of the Storage Location found on the overseerâs body. All the rewards the overseer had stolen over the years should be hidden there.]
[You quickly examined the diagram. Following the markings, you soon entered the living quarters and overturned the overseerâs bed.]
[A hole leading into the depths of the earth appeared before your eyes.]
[You stepped inside. The hole was piled with over a hundred pieces of jet-black ore, each about the size of a fist.]
[Upon closer inspection, you saw that even the lowest-quality Obsidian Venom Ore here was of Fine-Grade.]
[Broken Horn Sharu shouted with joy. It picked up a chunk of ore, caressed it, then put it down to pick up another and wipe it clean.]
[Broken Horn Sharu called out to you excitedly that with so much ore, you and it could both become Hybrid Half-Dragons, and never have to mine again!]
[You and Broken Horn Sharu were both immersed in your joy.]
[After a long while, it suddenly seemed to recall something. With a grave look, it asked you whether youâd found the secret rite needed to awaken the bloodline on the overseerâs body.]
[You snapped back to your senses at once and shook your head repeatedly.]
[Broken Horn Sharu looked at you skeptically, thinking perhaps youâd searched poorly and missed somethingâŠ]
[It led you back out of the underground storage and searched the corpse again, but still found nothing.]
[There were still a few more branching passages in the cave. Broken Horn Sharu gestured for you to split up and look. If the secret rite wasnât found, all the ore would be useless. Once the murder of the overseer came to light, you and it would have no choice but to flee for your lives.]
[You stepped into another passage to search. At the end of the passage, the chamber was filled with strips of dried meat. Overcome with hunger, you couldnât resist sneaking a few pieces to eat.]
[After rummaging through everything, you didnât find any item resembling a âsecret rite.â]
[You left that passage and entered another to continue your searchâŠ]
[âŠ]
[After a long time, you and Broken Horn Sharu met back up. From the disappointment on each otherâs faces, you both understood the answer.]
Following the flow of the event, Lin Xun was not in any rush. He still had another hypothesis.
Perhaps the secret rite was like a skill, something he would gain automatically upon Possessing the overseerâs Shell.
âShould I come clean with Sharu?â
Lin Xun deliberated for a moment but still chose to continue roleplaying.
[Broken Horn Sharu looked anxious. If the secret rite could not be found, the dreams you and it shared would never be realized, and once the matter came to light, your lives would be in grave danger.]
[It paced back and forth for a long time before finally calming down. It told you that as things stood, you and it could only quietly hide the ore, then destroy the corpse and wait for a chance to find the secret rite.]
[At this moment, there was still plenty of time before the end of the mining shift when the overseer would come to collect the ore, enough time to finish these tasks.]
[Once everything was done, you would return to the mine together and pretend you had been working all along, so no one would suspect a thing.]
[You returned to the underground storage again.]
[You took the blanket Broken Horn Sharu handed you and began wrapping up the ore. Behind you, Broken Horn Sharu busied itself gathering up the piecesâŠ]
[While you were working, you suddenly felt a sharp pain in your back, a spear thrust into your spine.]
[You turned your head and saw Broken Horn Sharu wearing an expression full of guilt.]
[It released the spear, staggered back a few steps, and covered its face, weepingâŠ]