Endless Leveling Done Right!

Chapter 41 - If You Are Going To Lie, At Least Make It Believable

”Dim Dim.”

”Really?”

”Dim.”

Alex frowned after hearing Dim Dimʼs report.

According to the Dim Sum God, the temple was located at the north of the second floor. Unfortunately, there happened to be a very dangerous presence lurking in that direction, which was more terrifying than the red-eyed zebra jumping spider.

The young man was shaken after hearing this information, and he wondered if this was part of the Clawford Tribeʼs trial.

”Is it some kind of a Boss Monster?” Alex inquired.

”Dim.” Dim Dim nodded.

Alex pondered a bit before arriving at a conclusion. ʼIt must be a Field Boss Monster. If thatʼs the case, then going to the temple alone is akin to suicide.ʼ

The young man wished to investigate what kind of monster was lurking near the temple.

But after Dim Dim said that it was more terrifying than the jumping spider he had fought, he decided that it wasnʼt worth taking a gamble just to see what kind of monster it was.

”We canʼt do this alone, Dim Dim,” Alex decided. ”Letʼs go find the exit that leads to the first floor. We will camp in that location and tell everyone of the dangers ahead.”

”Dim.” Dim Dim nodded in agreement.

Fortunately, the path that led to the first floor was in the opposite direction from the temple.

The two headed southward, fighting monsters along the way.

It didnʼt take long for Alex to understand that Dim Dim was purposely leading him to battles he could fight.

For this, he was very thankful.

With each battle, he was able to better understand his current strength, allowing him to plan his next moves better.

The boost in stats that he had received from scaling the stairs, as well as the hidden mission rewards, made him strong to the point that he no longer needed to fear fighting against a Rank 1 Monster in a one-on-one battle.

In fact, he believed that he could fight three of them at the same time.

But, not wanting to do anything reckless, he limited himself to fighting against one or two opponents.

Three hours later, Alex saw the stairs that led to the first floor.

Only then did he relax. To be fair, Dim Dim also assured him that there were no monsters nearby.

He then decided to create a make-shift camp and grill some fish that he had caught in the river earlier.

ʼI hope that some people show up soon,ʼ Alex thought.

Eight hours had already passed since everyone entered the domain. Although the first floor was vast, the young man believed that there would be people who would stumble down the second floor sooner or later.

As if the heavens had heard his thoughts, Dim Dim sensed someone descending from the stairs and informed the young man about it.

When Alex saw who the newcomer was, the smile on his face vanished completely.

”Are you the first to arrive here?” Lavinia asked.

”I think?” Alex replied.

”You think?”

”I mean, Iʼm not sure if Iʼm the first. But I havenʼt seen anyone aside from you reach the second floor.”

Lavinia nodded. ”Fair enough. But what are you doing here?”

But before Alex could answer, new guests arrived on the second floor.

The four Catkins, who were following Lavinia, also descended from the stairs and saw the human talking to their princess.

The leader of the group, who went by the name Lioren, frowned because he was one of the Catkins who didnʼt like the idea of having a human enter the domain that the Clawford Tribe monopolized.

”Princess, is this human bullying you?” Lioren asked as he approached the two teenagers, who were talking to each other just now.

”Who can possibly bully me in the territory of the Clawford Tribe?” Lavinia asked back before shifting her attention back to Alex. ”You still havenʼt answered my question. What are you doing here?”

”Actually, I came here to wait for people to arrive,” Alex replied seriously. ”According to Dim Dim, the temple is located in the north.

”However, there is a Field Boss wandering in that region. This monster is probably Rank 2 or higher. Thatʼs why I came here to wait for others, so that we can tea—”

”Impossible,” Lioren interjected before Alex could finish what he was going to say. ”Stop lying, human. There are no Rank 2 Monsters on the second floor. Also, there have never been any sightings of Boss Monsters here. If you are going to lie, at least make it believable.”

”Dim Dim!” Dim Dim glared at the teenage Catkin who was accusing Alex of being a liar.

The one who had given the information to Alex was the Dim Sum God itself.

This meant that Lioren was telling Dim Dim that it was a liar, which made the little one very angry.

Unfazed by Dim Dimʼs glare, Lioren even sneered in disdain before asking a question.

”Very well, letʼs say that what you say is true,” he suggested. ”Then what is the Boss Monster lurking in the north?”

”I donʼt know what it is.” Alex shook his head. ”I didnʼt dare to take a look. However, I trust Dim Dim. If it says that thereʼs a Boss Monster that is more dangerous than a red-eyed zebra jumping spider, then going there will be very dangerous.”

Lioren crossed his arms over his chest, not believing anything the young man had said.

”Princess, his words cannot be trusted. How about we all go to the north together? Even if there is a monster lurking there, we will be able to defeat it if we all work together.”

Lavinia didnʼt reply to Liorenʼs words because she was busy paying close attention to Alexʼs and Dim Dimʼs expressions.

Aside from her Swordsmanship training, she had also been taught the arts of Truth Sensing.

Just as the name implied, this was a way to check if someone was lying or not.

From what she could tell, both Alex and Dim Dim werenʼt lying.

Although she was confident that she could defeat a red-eyed zebra jumping spider, she took the young manʼs warning to heart.

”Then letʼs stay here for the night,” Lavinia decided after thinking of the best way to approach this problem. ”If what you say is true, then we need to warn the others coming to the second floor about the dangers waiting ahead.”

Catkins had excellent night vision, so they could see well at night. But, as a member of the Hartwell Clan, Lavinia thought that it was her duty to keep her people safe from any danger.

While she didnʼt believe Alex and Dim Dim entirely, she also didnʼt reject the possibility that they were telling the truth.

After all, according to her Truth Sense, both of them werenʼt lying.

As such, she would give them the benefit of the doubt.

”My lady, how about my group scout the north and confirm whether this human is telling the truth or not?” Lioren proposed.

”No,” Lavinia replied. ”Everyone will stay here for the night. We will all check the north together tomorrow.”

”If you guys really want to do something, you can head west from here,” Alex commented. ”There is a river there where you can catch some fish. Your young miss might be craving something aside from beef jerky.”

Lioren glanced at the young man because he thought that his words were sensible. However, he didnʼt utter any words of thanks. Instead, he simply gestured for one of his men to follow him.

”The two of you stay here to protect Young Miss,” Lioren ordered. ”I donʼt feel safe leaving her with a human.”

After getting the acknowledgement of his two companions, the Catkin and one of his friends headed to the river to catch some fish.

Alex understood that they had the right to be wary of him, so he no longer spoke to Lavinia and returned to grilling the fish he had caught earlier.

Although he didnʼt want to admit it, he felt a lot safer knowing that they would be heading to the north tomorrow as a group, allowing them to team up against whatever monster was waiting for them in the Etherion Temple.