The Horde

Moke's singing... had the ability to attract monsters.

Though no one understood the exact mechanism behind it, the group still used him as a makeshift monster magnet, and Moke himself didn’t seem to mind.

After all... the results spoke for themselves. Thanks to Moke, Xia Lun’s team was raking in profits hand over fist. Honestly, this was far more lucrative than having Moke open treasure chests...

Of course, you needed the right skills for the job. If not for Xia Lun and Aina—two absurdly powerful outliers in their team—this would have been a disaster for any other group.

When Liyana had asked Xia Lun if he could handle it, she wasn’t referring to just one fire spirit, but the entire horde Moke’s singing would summon.

Moke began to sing.

Contrary to his delicate and frail appearance, his voice was deep and rough. With proper training, it might have carried a magnetic charm... but unfortunately, Moke was tone-deaf.

The moment he opened his mouth, everyone instinctively winced... though the thought of the incoming monster horde and the rewards it promised soon brought faint smiles to their faces.

Liyana often teased Moke about his singing, but that was just an exaggeration. While his voice was indeed unpleasant, it wasn’t so bad that it would knock out his teammates before the monsters even arrived.

"Xia Lun, due south, four hundred meters," Liyana called from the treetop, her sharp hawk-like eyes instantly locking onto movement.

Xia Lun vanished from his spot.

"Aina, due west, seven hundred meters. Multiple incoming."

Aina closed her eyes, and moments later, a pillar of flames erupted from the direction Liyana had indicated.

The surrounding trees were fire-resistant, so there was no risk of starting a forest fire.

Xia Lun hadn’t returned yet, and Aina allowed herself a smug smirk.

"Musen... southwest, seven hundred meters. One target. After you deal with it, collect the ones Aina just took care of," Liyana instructed from the branches.

"Got it!" Musen eagerly cracked his knuckles, clearly thrilled to have something to do—though he seemed to have completely forgotten he was supposed to be the team’s priest.

Xia Lun returned just then, sword in hand. With a casual flick of his wrist, he executed a smooth flourish—a habitual flourish when sheathing his blade, though today it seemed deliberately showy for someone’s benefit.

"Xia Lun, two kilometers ahead... huh?" Liyana suddenly sounded puzzled.

Xia Lun looked up. "What is it?"

"Doesn’t seem like monsters... looks like other adventurers," Liyana narrowed her eyes.

This was a labyrinth, so running into other adventurers wasn’t unusual.

"Are they just passing by?" Xia Lun asked.

"No... they’re heading straight for us," Liyana replied.

Xia Lun frowned.

In the labyrinth, most adventurer teams would avoid direct encounters unless necessary.

After all, competition between teams was fierce—poaching members, fighting over resources, undercutting commissions—all of it tied to their livelihoods.

If this group was approaching deliberately, they had to be on guard.

"Musen, hold off for now. Stay here. Moke, stop singing," Xia Lun began issuing orders.

Liyana leapt down from the treetop, landing as lightly as a cat, her bow already drawn.

Xia Lun stepped forward, positioning himself protectively in front of Aina.

The atmosphere grew tense. From the thicket ahead came the shrieks of fire spirits.

A group of about a dozen adventurers slowly emerged before Xia Lun’s team.

What was surprising was their appearance—they weren’t ordinary humans. Their bodies were humanoid, but their heads were covered in thick fur, more akin to beasts.

They were beastfolk.

Beastfolk were classified as demons by humans. Though tensions existed between demons and humans, it wasn’t so extreme that they’d fight on sight. Adventurers, in particular, were more open-minded, and the Adventurers’ Guild even allowed beastfolk to form teams within human territories.

"I’m Vic, leader of Savage Fang," a burly lion-headed man stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the group... he could sense an unusual pressure from them.

"Xia Lun, leader of Dawn Wing," Xia Lun replied, stepping forward. "What’s the matter?"

Vic glanced back, and a petite rabbit-eared girl stepped out.

Her attire was light—leather armor covering only the essentials, though much of her body was covered in pristine white fur, like a natural coat, so it didn’t feel overly revealing.

The twin daggers strapped to her long thighs marked her as a scout or assassin.

Compared to the other beastfolk, her face was far more human-like—clean, without the split lips typical of rabbits.

Liyana sneakily eyed the girl’s short, fluffy tail, then idly wondered if she got too hot in the summer.

"I... I heard someone in your group... being a pervert!" The rabbit girl’s long ears twitched slightly.

"Huh?" Xia Lun blinked.

"Shila doesn’t lie," Vic rumbled. "She’s not the type to make things up, so we’d like an explanation."

An explanation? Xia Lun had no idea what to say—this seemed like a baseless accusation.

Then his eyes landed on Liyana.

"Hey, why are you looking at me? Xia Lun, you actually suspect me? I didn’t do anything!" Liyana waved her hands defensively.

Well... Liyana was the most likely culprit. Xia Lun couldn’t think of anyone else who’d harass a young girl.

"Shila, what exactly did you hear? Could you clarify?" Xia Lun asked.

"Someone... someone was using monster language to say... really embarrassing things!" The rabbit girl’s face flushed.

Among beastfolk, a rare few could communicate with monsters—Shila was one of them.

Unlike human language, monsters didn’t rely on words but on frequency vibrations. Even roars from entirely different species could convey basic messages, though the information was limited.

Xia Lun was baffled.

No one in their team knew monster language.

"Shila, are you sure you didn’t mishear?" Xia Lun frowned.

Shila shook her head. "My ears don’t lie... that voice was definitely coming from here!"

"Liyana, since when did you learn monster language?" Moke whispered. "If it was you, just apologize. Captain Xia Lun won’t let anything happen to you..."

Shila’s ears shot up, and she pointed at Moke, her face burning. "That’s the voice!"