The light gradually became clear, and Riven's consciousness finally returned.
There were five people in front of Riven: three men and two women. Based on the current situation, Riven understood that it was highly likely these people had saved his life. He quickly stood up and introduced himself.
"Thank you for the help. I am Sora, a Level 5 Scout."
"I went down here with a friend to accept a commission, but we were separated by a teleportation trap."
The reason Riven claimed to be a Scout instead of a Thief was simple: the characteristics of these two classes were quite close, and a Scout was at least recognized by most people as useful, rather than being looked down upon like a Thief.
Sylvie stepped forward to introduce everyone. Her long platinum hair reached her waist, her curvaceous body was captivating, and her voice was as sweet as honey. It left Riven dazed, not paying attention to what she said, but only staring at her and nodding to show he understood.
However, it didn't matter much. The RPG Dungeon had altered Riven's vision, making everything look like a first-person RPG game, so he already knew the names and classes of everyone in the party.
The strongest reached Level 15, a full 7 levels above him. The weakest was a red-haired youth at Level 9. At least for now, he couldn't beat anyone in terms of level alone. As for a life and death battle, nothing was certain.
"My lady, I have a question."
Thinking Riven still had doubts, Sylvie waited patiently for him to continue.
"Haven't they taken you to the execution grounds yet?"
Hearing this, everyone frowned. The red-haired youth suddenly drew his sword and shouted right at Riven's face.
"You trashy commoner! If it wasn't for Lady Sylvie's mercy, do you think you'd still be alive right now?"
Riven ignored the red-haired guy's shouting and only looked at Sylvie. This made the man even more furious, and just as he was about to strike, the Level 15 man raised a hand to stop him. Although he was annoyed by Riven's words, he understood Sylvie's current situation. Seeing this, the red-haired guy stopped, only glaring at Riven with hostile eyes.
Sylvie also showed a slight look of discomfort at the rude remark, but she asked back as a natural reaction.
"Why should I go there?"
Riven flashed a faint smile and spoke in a mysterious tone. "Because beauty is a crime."
Hearing this, Sylvie lowered her face, her ears gradually turning pink. The rest were stunned. Even the Level 15 man who had stopped the red-haired youth couldn't help himself, preparing to step closer to teach Riven a lesson about the law of the right hand.
In this world, a man praising an unmarried woman's beauty was equivalent to harassment. With people from other families watching, seeing their lady insulted before their eyes made it hard even for a calm man like him to endure. He took two steps but was stopped by Sylvie.
"It is fine. Perhaps he does not understand our etiquette."
Riven observed her reaction. He was a modern youth living in an information explosion world. When it came to smooth talking and thick skin, how could the youth of this era compare? Out of a thousand cheesy pick-up lines from the internet, Riven knew at least eight hundred.
Riven knew the original owner's body was very handsome, and being handsome plus having a silver tongue made it impossible for young girls to resist. For the same sentence, if a handsome guy said it, it was flirting, but if an ugly guy said it, it was harassment.
Canis, a priest with a face so friendly that if he approached you with a knife you wouldn't feel guarded, stepped in to change the subject.
"Sora, you heard what Sylvie said. To save you, she used a skill that linked her life to yours. Her constitution has a very strong resistance to toxins, so the poison will take longer to take effect. At least until we find an antidote, you cannot leave."
Before losing consciousness, Riven vaguely remembered that Canis was the one who suggested helping him, so he had a good impression of the priest. He quickly accepted. He felt deeply grateful that a stranger like her was willing to give up so much to save him.
Besides, there were two beauties as fresh as flowers here, leaving now would be a waste. The other girl, Lan, though not as stunning as Sylvie, possessed a beauty of intellect.
Farrdin, the Level 15 man, suggested moving on because they had stayed there too long, and the campfire would attract monsters. The group quickly extinguished the fire and continued their journey. When the four people in front gained some distance, Baz, the red-haired youth, approached and walked parallel to Riven, his voice low and threatening.
"Lower-class half-breed, you should understand your place. There are some people you don't even have the right to speak to."
Riven had already written this name in his death book. He had felt the man's killing intent and understood that for a simp like this, he would definitely not let Riven go. It was better to strike first. As soon as there was an opportunity, Riven would handle the problem before it could happen.
"The dog barks, but the caravan moves on."
Hearing this, Baz took a few seconds to process it before furiously grabbing Riven's collar. Just as Baz was about to speak, he was hit by a punch reinforced by the [Snatch] skill.
Crack! The sound of a fracturing jaw echoed. Baz's front teeth flew out amidst a spray of blood, his lower jaw shifted completely to one side, and he fell face-first to the ground. The noise startled the four people ahead, who turned back thinking there was an enemy, only to see Baz struggling to stand. Riven stood beside him, acting surprised to see Baz fall, reaching out as if to help, but was shoved away by Baz.
Seeing the questioning looks from the others, Baz couldn't bear the humilliation of admitting he was knocked down by a pretty boy with one blow, especially in front of the lady. He could only force a smile and say.
"I was too careless. I didn't watch the ground and accidentally tripped on a rock."
He slowly ran toward the others. Seeing this, Riven thought to himself.
A mad dog will bite wildly when it bites a weaker animal, and it trembles with fear that the animal will keep bullying it. But when it hits a tiger and gets bitten back, the only thing it can do is feel helpless and silent rage.
Riven ran to the front quickly and spoke to Farrdin, because he understood that while Sylvie had the highest status, this man was the decision-maker.
"Please let me contribute. I am a Scout, scouting terrain is my specialty."
"Impossible. You are damage-linked with the lady. If anything happens to you, the same will happen to her. If you want to repay us, keep yourself safe until the poison is cured, then repay us later."
Scouting was inherently a very dangerous job. If he caused his benefactor to be affected, it wouldn't be good. Riven moved closer to the group.
Riven wasn't too afraid of Baz's revenge because he was linked to the lady. Even with ten times the courage, Baz wouldn't dare to attack. That was why Riven dared to punch him without fear.
"What is the purpose of this trip anyway?"
Canis smiled gently and replied.
"We are looking for the leaves of the Heavenly Heart Wood."
"That sounds like a type of herb, doesn't it?"
Hearing this, Riven relaxed a bit. At least this simple party wasn't preparing to fight a boss, but just looking for items.
The cavern shook once more, this time even stronger than before, forcing everyone to pay attention.
A roar echoed from the left, making them shiver.
"Don't worry. Before coming here, I investigated. The most dangerous thing here is a Level 20 Undead Wyvern. And even if that sound was really from it, it is still very far away."
Glancing at the map in Canis's hand, a mini-map of the current area appeared in Riven's mind, with detailed markers for items and danger levels. The dark areas were unexplored regions.
Riven noticed that Sylvie's group had explored almost all of that map, leaving only two dark spots in his mental map. After all, this was just one of millions of branches in the Creation Cavern.
Of course, they must have had information about the Heavenly Heart Wood growing here to dare come, as the Creation Cavern was so vast that it would be impossible to find it by luck.
[Side Quest: Gain the trust of any 4 members. Progress: 0/4] [Reward: 15 RPG Coins, Invisibility Potion, 1 minute in a Perfect State]
Secretly confused by the quest issuance mechanism, Riven realized he didn't have the trust of anyone in the group, at least just a bit of goodwill.
After a period of moving, the group finally reached the edge of the dark region on the map. Along the way, Riven had almost no chance to do anything to increase his level due to strict supervision.
Part of it was due to lack of trust in his strength. He secretly regretted declaring such a low level. He should have exaggerated a bit, like saying he was a Level 10 Scout.
Before them was a giant metal gate, over 20 meters high, with a strange triangular symbol in the center, tightly closed.
"Sigh, finally only this place is left." Farrdin sighed, speaking in a discouraged voice.
Riven asked curiously.
"What's wrong? Why don't we go further?"
Farrdin turned his head to look at Riven and replied.
"Our team has been here, but we couldn't open this gate, so we had to move to other places, hoping the Heavenly Heart Wood would be there. In the end, we were only met with disappointment."
Sylvie joined in.
"That's right, this gate simply cannot be opened by force. There is only a strange stone pedestal on the other side."
After saying that, she pointed to one side. There was indeed a stone pedestal emitting an ancient aura, with a hollow part on top, like a gem.
"We have tried putting everything in, but nothing works. It is likely a puzzle from the creator of this gate for future generations."
Seeing Riven and Sylvie discussing, Baz couldn't help but feel furious, tempted to rush out and interfere, but remembering Riven's punch a few hours ago made him stop that thought and silently hold a grudge. He opened his mouth to mock.
"My lady, why tell these things to this commoner? We couldn't even solve this puzzle, so how could someone like him?"
Hearing this, Sylvie frowned and said.
"Baz, we came here to find the Heavenly Heart Wood to save my father. More people means more hope. What do you mean by that?"
Hearing this, the guy was speechless, knowing he had gone too far.
Riven stood behind Sylvie, looking at Baz with a face full of mockery and provocation, making him turn red with rage, but he couldn't do anything.
"As long as it is what my lady desires, even if it is a star in the sky, I will pluck it for you." After saying that, he didn't forget to flash a faint smile, utilizing his looks to the fullest, making Sylvie embarrassed so she unconsciously looked down at her feet, but she couldn't see them because her chest blocked her view.
Approaching the stone pedestal, when looking at the hollow, Riven was a bit surprised, as if he had seen this somewhere before. And then he suddenly thought.
Holy crap, doesn't this fit perfectly with the gem on my necklace?