8 Emily's Genius Sister
"Tenfold earnings, I don't understand what you're talking about. How is that possible?"
A woman in Leonard's team stared at Henry, questioning him intently.
Henry casually scanned the members of Leonard's squad and nonchalantly found a seat to sit down in.
"Let me introduce myself first. I'm a recently awakened hidden support class player. My unique skill allows me to increase the earnings of all players in my team by tenfold after a battle."
Tenfold!
This term hit the members of Leonard's squad like a sledgehammer.
Everyone knew how game-changing such a skill was.
The further an awakener progresses, the astronomical the experience needed becomes.
In the later stages, leveling up could take months of effort.
Not to mention the powerful monsters in high-level dungeons that could pose a real threat to life.
Powerful equipment was often needed for survival.
Currently, the members of Leonard's squad were equipped with only silver-tier gear, with only the team leader Leonard possessing a gold-tier wristband.
This wristband was the result of three months of hard work, acquired from a dangerous dungeon.
But now, just by staying with Henry, they could gain tenfold earnings, significantly increasing the chances of obtaining gold-tier sets.
After a few minutes of silence, someone in Leonard's team shakily raised their hand.
"If I leave this squad, are you sure you'd let me join?"
"What are you doing, Number Six? We are sworn brothers. Are you going to leave me?"
Leonard couldn't believe what he was seeing.
When Number Six first awakened, it was he who had guided him step by step to his current achievements.
"Don't blame me, Leonard. In the face of such benefits, no one can resist the temptation."
Number Six's stance was firm, showing no guilt for betraying Leonard.
"I choose to leave too!"
A well-shaped woman spoke up.
Leonard was stunned.
This woman had been his girlfriend, his companion for many years. Was she also going to leave him now?
"You've all gone mad, have you forgotten that we're a team? Have you forgotten the injuries I took for you?"
Leonard roared, his voice hoarse with desperation, his sanity fraying, his heart shattered.
Standing beside Henry, Emily's heart surged with emotion at this scene, tears even spilling from the corners of her eyes.
The pain of betrayal she had once suffered was now being repaid upon Leonard.
Seeing Leonard's agonized expression, Emily felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
Henry, witnessing this scene, couldn't help but smile slightly, even clapping his hands.
"Thank you for showing me this drama. I didn't expect that you would go to such lengths to join my team."
"But unfortunately, my team doesn't recruit beasts. None of you are worthy of joining my squad."
The members of Leonard's team who had expressed their willingness to leave were shocked, confronting Henry.
"What do you mean? Are you playing us?"
Henry laughed and nodded.
"You finally see. I am indeed playing with you, letting you, betrayers, feel what it's like to be abandoned."
"Let's go, we're leaving this place. I believe they don't have the guts to cause trouble in a busy area."
With that, Henry took Anna and Emily's hands and headed towards the exit of the shop.
As Emily was about to leave the shop, she paused.
Turning back with a complex expression, she looked at her former teammates.
"You abandoned me when I needed help the most, when I needed my teammates' care."
"And now I have to thank you."
"If it weren't for your abandonment, I wouldn't have met my current team, these true teammates."
Emily's words pierced the hearts of all members of Leonard's team like needles.
"What do we do now, captain?"
A member of Leonard's team, who had just been clamoring to leave, looked at Leonard, bewildered.
"What to do? Go to hell, all of you! Your lives are none of my business anymore!"
Leonard cursed viciously, no longer seeing these once comrades as human.
He also harbored a grudge against Henry for destroying the team he had painstakingly built.
With rifts between every member, the team was bound to fall apart eventually; it was better to disband it now.
"From now on, I am no longer your captain. Find someone better!"
Leonard decided to strike out on his own, planning to form a new team.
He approached the black market trader and asked,
"Do you have any suitable equipment for forming a new team, or any special items?"
The black market trader, still reveling in the drama he had just witnessed, pulled out the recently reclaimed Elder Relic.
"This is a treasure perfect for you. The bearer will attract the attention of a dungeon bigwig, which could bring considerable luck."
Huh?
Someone sold such a treasure?
Leonard's anger even subsided a bit as he hastily took out his savings.
"I'll buy it."
The black market trader narrowed his eyes and said,
"190 gold coins."
As a veteran awakener, Leonard had substantial savings.
Although 190 gold coins was a bit painful to part with, he still made the purchase.
Additionally, Leonard bought a significant amount of equipment, planning to lay the foundation for his future team.
These items in total cost him 700 gold coins.
With his purchases in hand, Leonard turned and left without a second glance at his former teammates.
Walking on the street, Leonard clenched his teeth, replaying the image of Henry in his mind.
"Henry, huh? I swear, this vendetta will be avenged, or I shall not count myself a man."
"Just you wait, there will be a time when no cameras can see us, or we meet in a dungeon."
"That will be your end!"
Leonard had already sealed Henry's fate in his heart.
Instead of resting, he plunged straight into a dungeon to gather more savings and recruit teammates.
This dungeon was related to magi, filled with relics from ancient times.
Despite its significant dangers, the potential rewards far exceeded those of ordinary dungeons.
Leonard, acting solo, was confident in his abilities.
With some luck, he could acquire high-level magi-related equipment in the dungeon, sufficient to attract new squad members.
Besides, he had ventured into this dungeon several times before without any mishaps.
Leonard proceeded deeper into the dungeon, following his experience.
However, something felt off this time, as if something was amiss.
He initially thought it was just his imagination and didn't pay much heed.
Suddenly, a corpse on the ground began to twitch and, after a moment, came completely back to life.
"Something's wrong here!" Leonard realized.
"Algado~"
A voice filled with hatred and complexity floated out from the darkness.
Leonard's heart raced as he saw more reanimated corpses rising from the ground, turning their gaze towards him.
"Algado!"
No, no, no!
Leonard sprinted towards the exit, thankful that the revived corpses were slow-moving and couldn't catch up with him.
Just as Leonard thought he had successfully escaped, seeing the light of the exit ahead, a gigantic hand emerged from the darkness, instantly enveloping him in its grasp.
With a squelch, a mist of blood burst forth, marking the abrupt and inexplicable demise of a captain of an elite awakener team.
He died without ever knowing why.
"Algado, all must die!"
The giant hand retracted back into the darkness, leaving behind a lingering, wrathful roar in the dungeon space.
...
In the Awakener Integrated Control Center, thousands of people bustled about, responsible for monitoring the detailed information of awakeners worldwide.
Suddenly, a green light turned red.
The researcher monitoring this light paused, displaying an incredulous expression.
"A level 45 elite team captain has fallen? How is that possible so suddenly, especially in a well-mapped, dangerous dungeon?"
