Chapter 92: A Risky Gamble

Huh!? Only 40%?!

Upon hearing the room’s lowest demand, everyone immediately turned their gaze toward Yenir.

Veiled by disguise gear, they couldn’t tell if Yenir was truly Third-Stage.

Meanwhile, whether it was the Military’s Third-Stage fighters or the two solo Third-Stagers, all six Third-Stage Awakeneds fixed their eyes on Yenir, clearly surprised to see a Third-Stage in this dungeon.

He wasn’t exuding any aura, nor was he sporting a Third-Stage Medal?

To prove their strength, most Third-Stagers display their aura or flaunt their medals. In their eyes, someone like Yenir only gives away hints of his true power.

Is this kid really Third-Stage?

Murmured in confusion.

In an instant, a few Third-Stagers tried to sense Yenir’s power, but under the cover of 30,000-point disguise gear and high spiritual reserves, they couldn’t get a clear read on his true potential.

Amid their confusion, the six also noticed several pieces of Blue Equipment on Yenir that were no longer concealed.

They couldn’t help but note how quickly he had awakened.

He appeared to have at least four pieces of Blue-Grade Gear—ordinary Second-Stagers rarely manage that.

With a double confirmation, despite lingering doubts, they reluctantly accepted that Yenir was indeed Third-Stage.

“Captain Wang, can you gauge his strength?”

Within the Military team, a Second-Stage Awakened asked in a hushed tone, for Huang Kai, the strongest leading this expedition, also possessed the sharpest perception.

“Can’t tell for sure, but he should be fine.”

“Unless you’re an idiot, there’s no point pretending to be Third-Stage. When you face the monsters, they won’t care if you’re genuine…”

Shaking his head, Wang Yangping concluded his assessment and said nothing more.

In his opinion, Yenir had stepped forward simply to grab a piece of the spoils.

The other Awakeneds, seeing that the Third-Stagers didn’t challenge him, though finding it odd, accepted that the newly emerged Yenir was indeed Third-Stage.

After all, what do they know?

By hiding his true strength so deliberately, Yenir must be one of those wandering Third-Stagers, always on guard.

Standing there, Yenir couldn’t help but breathe a slight sigh of relief as no one questioned him.

Before entering, he had planned to charge his followers a “protection fee.” Initially, he intended to pose as a Second-Stage Peak Fighter and, if necessary, upgrade to Third-Stage.

After all, a Second-Stage Peak Fighter was respected among Awakeneds, and earning trust wasn’t particularly challenging.

But he hadn’t expected this dungeon run to suddenly spawn six Third-Stagers and a cluster of Second-Stage Peak Fighters.

Had he impersonated a Third-Stager outright, probably no one would have been willing to let him exploit them.

“Who should we follow? The Military ones seem a safer bet… I’ve heard the Hell’s Gate is pretty tough, with a high death rate…”

“Let’s go with the Military Department; even if there are fewer of them, following a Third-Stager as they push forward is far better than going it alone.”

“I think following Huang Kai is a good idea. He appears defense-oriented, and sticking close to him wouldn’t be a bad move.”

“Not necessarily; Yun Ming is with the Demon Hunting Corps. I’ve heard of their track record—I think he’s even stronger than those in the Military Department, though the rewards are smaller…”

After much discussion, everyone quickly chose the leader they wanted to follow.

During the debate, hardly anyone mentioned Yenir.

To most, Yenir looked like a nimble fighter of the Agility Type with modest strength, average defense, and only hints of power. Compared to other Third-Stagers, he was notably inferior.

Had he not promised the lowest cut of the rewards, probably no one would have considered him.

Half a minute later, aside from seven Third-Stagers, 33 Awakeneds rushed toward the side of the leader they favored.

Those who hesitated too long had no choice but to settle for the Military’s Second-Stage Peak Fighter.

Soon, everyone had formed their teams, leaving only a few hesitant Awakeneds behind.

“Is anyone else still looking to team up?”

“If not, let’s split up and move on!”

In the Military unit, Wang Yangping eyed the last few unteamed Awakeneds, indicating that the Military still had Second-Stage Advanced leaders available.

Of course, he also noticed that no one was following Yenir.

Considered the worst option in everyone’s eyes, many preferred the Second-Stage Peak Fighter over him.

For a moment, both Huang Kai and Yun Ming, already leading full teams, cast curious glances at the solitary Yenir.

In the face of life-and-death battles, anyone still surviving was painfully pragmatic.

If you don’t display your power, who would risk their life with you? Still, the fact that Yenir hadn’t recruited a single follower made others pity him—a Third-Stage like him clearly wasn’t cut out to lead.

Standing his ground, Yenir felt little internal turmoil.

With no one choosing him, he was quite content on his own; at least he didn’t have to worry about taking a hit.

After all, the main reward was the kill credit on the 14th Floor, while the benefits from having followers were secondary.

Just as impatience was starting to spread and plans were made to head to the next floor, two nervous requests rang out:

“Um… Lord Ye Lin, may we follow you?”

Surprised, Yenir turned to see a Second-Stage Novice girl and a Second-Stage Intermediate young man looking at him nervously.

Raising an eyebrow and unconcerned with their abilities, Yenir smiled and said:

“Of course you can.”

After a brief hesitation, both decided to stand behind Yenir.

Before the team-splitting system kicked in, several members across the various three-person squads cast intrigued glances at Yenir’s group. They could tell that the two who chose him were typical low-powered lone players reluctant to part with their meager gains.

Such pairings were known to perish quickly.

Ignoring the onlookers, Yenir led the two straight into Tunnel 18.

Unaffected by external distractions and noticing the tension in his followers, he asked in a somewhat gentle tone:

“Why did you choose me?”

“Also, tell me what you’re good at.”

As soon as his words fell, the Second-Stage Novice girl, who seemed a bit self-conscious about her inexperience, hesitated before managing a wry smile and replying:

“Lord Ye Lin… I went over to the Military, but they rejected me… Only a Second-Stage Advanced was willing to take me on.”

“I figured you might be better… after all, you’re Third-Stage…”

“I’m of the Caster Type. I can use my skills up to three times, though two of my three skills were learned at First-Stage and might be a bit weak…”

Yenir: ….

Noticing the girl’s worry that her honesty might anger him, Yenir forced a nonchalant smile and nodded.

A caster, huh… Looks like she’s half Willpower Type. Making it this far with only first-stage skills, she’s probably both penniless and powerless.

Her combat ability was indeed concerning; no wonder the Military outright rejected her.

If it weren’t for the meager reward on offer, judging by her hesitant expression, she might have preferred to follow a Second-Stage Advanced.

After muttering a couple of sighs under his breath, Yenir heard another hesitant voice from a middle-aged man:

“Lord Ye Lin, I’m of the Willpower Type…”

“But I fight using ranged weapons… my combat strength is roughly equivalent to a Second-Stage, I suppose?”

As he spoke, the middle-aged man, fearing Yenir might kick him out, quickly unfastened the pouch on his back.

A blue-quality psychic weapon appeared in his hand—unmistakably an assault rifle.

“I bought this weapon at a high price! I can easily suppress enemies around the First-Stage level! And it makes quick work of zombies!”

Yenir stared blankly at the nervous middle-aged man, feeling utterly speechless.

Though he himself was Willpower Type, he knew all too well how pitiful its combat prowess could be!

A Second-Stage fighting with a blue assault rifle!?

What are the odds? I can’t believe I managed to gather two such bizarre generals!