Chapter 101: You think we’re weak

Chapter 101: Chapter 101: You think we’re weak

The forest gradually became denser as they continued toward the third floor.

Tolu walked beside Kenny while Titi remained a few paces ahead, following the trail.

"We should probably just look around the third floor," Kenny said. "We don’t need to stay long."

Tolu nodded.

"Agreed. We’ve already found enough to make the trip worthwhile."

"We can search the outskirts, collect anything valuable we find, then leave."

"That sounds—"

Four figures suddenly stepped out from between the trees.

Three men and a woman.

They spread out immediately, blocking the trail ahead and behind.

Weapons were already in their hands.

Tolu stopped.

Kenny’s hand went to his sword.

The four strangers didn’t bother hiding their intentions.

They had deliberately surrounded them.

Kenny looked toward Titi.

"Titi, get behind—"

Before he could finish, Titi turned around.

She walked straight toward one of the men.

Then she wrapped her arms around him.

Kenny froze.

The man grinned as Titi pulled him into a deep kiss.

His hands moved over her back and sides while she remained pressed against him.

Kenny stared.

For several seconds, he couldn’t process what he was seeing.

Then the pieces fell into place.

His expression changed.

He had little experience with women, but he wasn’t stupid.

Tolu’s eyes narrowed.

The man finally broke the kiss.

Titi looked toward Kenny.

She smiled.

"What’s that face for?"

Kenny said nothing.

Titi laughed.

"Come on. We’re just going to take everything you have and beat you up pretty badly."

She tilted her head.

"So why the long face?"

Kenny’s jaw tightened.

"You..."

Titi shrugged.

"You did get to see my skin, didn’t you?"

One of the other men laughed.

"She played you perfectly."

Another stepped closer.

"You two didn’t even question her story."

The woman among them folded her arms and smirked.

"You actually thought you were rescuing someone."

Kenny’s grip tightened around his sword.

"You knew."

"Of course I knew."

Titi separated from the man beside her and casually adjusted the coat Tolu had given her.

"I knew exactly what I was doing."

Kenny stared at her.

"The vines..."

"Part of the act."

She smiled.

"The clothes?"

She gave a small shrug.

"Also part of the act."

The men laughed.

"You should have seen your faces when you found her," one of them said.

"You two looked like heroes."

"Especially him," another added, pointing at Kenny. "He looked ready to throw himself in front of a monster for her."

Titi laughed.

"That was the best part."

Kenny’s expression darkened.

Tolu remained silent.

His eyes moved across the four people surrounding them.

Their positions.

Their weapons.

The distance between them.

Then he looked down the trail.

Something finally became obvious.

They had been led here.

The path behind them was narrow.

The trees were dense on both sides.

There were no other adventurers nearby.

No merchants.

No groups.

Nothing.

It was secluded.

Titi noticed him looking.

"Realizing it now?"

Tolu looked at her.

"You led us here."

"Exactly."

She smiled.

"When we started out, we were just like every other party."

She gestured toward herself and the others.

"Five people trying to make enough money to survive. We entered dungeons, searched for resources, fought beasts, risked our lives."

Her expression became amused.

"Then we realized something."

She spread her hands.

"Why bother?"

Kenny frowned.

Titi continued.

"Why spend hours searching for resources when someone else has already done the hard work?"

She pointed at them.

"People like you."

One of the men laughed.

"You enter the dungeon, fight the beasts, collect the valuable materials..."

Another finished.

"And then we take them."

Titi nodded.

"Exactly."

She looked at Kenny.

"You two already paid the entrance fee. You already explored the dungeon. You already found the resources."

Her smile widened.

"And all we have to do is take them from you."

Kenny stared at her.

"But why pretend to need help?"

Titi’s expression became almost playful.

"Because people think differently when they believe someone needs saving."

She gestured toward her torn clothing.

"A girl crying for help?"

She laughed softly.

"Most people stop thinking."

One of the men nodded.

"They lower their guard."

"They rush in."

"And they don’t ask enough questions."

Titi pointed down the trail.

"Like you."

Kenny looked around.

This time he really looked.

The secluded trail.

The lack of other adventurers.

The convenient cries for help.

The fact that Titi had somehow been found alone despite claiming to have been separated from a group that was supposedly heading toward the same destination.

He had never questioned any of it.

Titi saw the realization settle across his face.

"Now you understand."

She smiled.

"You didn’t rescue me."

"You followed me."

A quiet breeze moved through the trees.

The four attackers tightened their formation.

Tolu slowly shifted his grip on his hammer.

Kenny drew his sword completely.

Titi’s smile faded into something colder.

"Now hand over everything valuable."

She glanced at Tolu’s hammer.

"And don’t make this harder than it needs to be."

Tolu looked at the four of them.

Then at Kenny.

Then back at Titi.

"You made one mistake."

Titi raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

Tolu’s grip tightened around the hammer.

"You assumed we were weak."

Tolu’s grip tightened around his hammer.

"You assumed we were weak."

The smile on Titi’s face disappeared.

One of the men scoffed.

"There are four of us."

Tolu looked at him.

"Then this shouldn’t take long."

The man charged.

He was an Adept cultivator.

His sword came toward Tolu’s neck with enough force to kill an ordinary adventurer.

Tolu didn’t retreat.

He stepped forward.

The hammer rose.

CLANG!

The sword struck the thick metal head of the hammer and was knocked violently aside.

The man’s eyes widened.

Tolu twisted his waist.

The hammer swung.

It struck the man’s chest.

BOOM!

He flew backward, crashed through a bush, and rolled across the ground.

Before Tolu could follow up, another attacker came from his left.

A spear thrust toward his ribs.

Tolu turned his body sideways.

The spear passed within an inch of him.

He caught the shaft with one hand.

Then he pulled.

The attacker stumbled forward.

Tolu drove his knee into the man’s stomach.

The breath left him.

Before he could recover, Tolu slammed the hammer into his shoulder.

The man hit the ground hard.

"Two!"

One of the remaining men cursed and attacked.

The third fighter was faster.

A sword flashed toward Tolu’s face.

Tolu raised his hammer just in time.

The blade scraped across the metal.

The attacker spun and struck again.

Tolu blocked.

Another slash.

He blocked again.

The man was fast, forcing Tolu backward several steps.

Kenny watched from the side, sword still in his hand.

He had seen Tolu fight before.

But this was different.

Tolu wasn’t simply surviving.

He was controlling the fight.

The swordsman lunged.

Tolu suddenly stepped inside his range.

The man’s sword became useless at such close distance.

Tolu grabbed his wrist.

The hammer struck his abdomen.

Once.

Twice.

The man folded.

Tolu released him and let him collapse.

Three.

The last male attacker roared and charged.

He was stronger than the others.

His weapon was a heavy axe, and every step shook the ground beneath him.

Tolu’s eyes sharpened.

Finally, someone worth taking seriously.

The axe came down.

Tolu jumped sideways.

The weapon smashed into the earth.

Tolu swung his hammer toward the man’s exposed side.

The man managed to pull his axe free and block.

The impact forced him several steps backward.

He grinned.

"So you’re stronger than you look."

Tolu said nothing.

The man attacked again.

This time Tolu met him head-on.

Hammer collided with axe.

The sound echoed through the forest.

The axe came from the side.

Tolu ducked.

The hammer swung upward.

The man barely blocked.

Another clash.

Then another.

For several moments, neither gained a decisive advantage.

Tolu’s feet dug into the soil.

His earth affinity flowed through his body.

His next swing carried more weight.

The axe wielder blocked.

His arms trembled.

Tolu swung again.

The man’s knees bent.

Again.

The axe was knocked out of position.

Tolu stepped forward.

The hammer slammed into his chest.

The man flew backward and crashed against a tree.

He slid down the trunk and didn’t get back up.

Tolu turned.

Four.

Titi was staring at him.

The playful confidence was gone.

She took a step backward.

"You..."

Tolu walked toward her.

She immediately reached for a short blade hidden beneath her clothing.

She threw it.

Tolu tilted his head.

The blade passed beside him.

Titi turned and ran.

"Titi!" one of the fallen men groaned.

She didn’t stop.

Tolu looked at Kenny.

"Stay here."

Then he ran after her.

Titi was fast.

She darted between the trees, abandoning the trail completely.

But Tolu’s physical training had changed him.

His strides were powerful and controlled.

He caught up within seconds.

Titi glanced behind her.

Her eyes widened.

"No!"

She suddenly changed direction.

Tolu anticipated it.

He stepped across her path.

Titi tried to stop.

Too late.

Tolu caught her wrist.

She twisted, attempting to break free.

"Let me go!"

Tolu held firm.

She kicked at his knee.

He moved aside.

She tried again.

Tolu swept her legs from beneath her.

She fell onto the grass.

Before she could rise, Tolu planted the head of his hammer beside her.

The ground cracked beneath the weight.

Titi froze.

Tolu looked down at her.

"You should have chosen someone else."

Her breathing became rapid.

"I... I can explain."

"I don’t care."

Tolu turned away.

Behind him, Kenny had approached the others.

All four attackers were down.

Kenny stared at them, then at Tolu.

"You beat all four of them."

Tolu rested the hammer against his shoulder.

"They weren’t very strong."

Kenny looked toward the direction Titi had run.

"And her?"

Tolu glanced back.

"She wasn’t much stronger."

Titi remained on the ground, staring at him.

For the first time since they had met, there was no deception in her expression.

Only fear.

And perhaps regret.

Tolu looked at Kenny.

"Let’s collect our things."

Kenny nodded.

Then he glanced at the unconscious attackers.

"And what do we do with them?"

Tolu looked toward the deeper forest.

"They’re alive."

He turned away.

"That’s enough."