Chapter 12: Missing Pet

The smile gradually disappeared from Nick's face. With that little guy's clingy personality, it would definitely stick close to him when encountering so many people.

But now it was lost. If it had simply wanted to end their journey together, Nick wouldn't have minded. But if it had been forcibly taken, that was something he couldn't accept.

His face was serious. He took the hand crossbow from his waist and walked to the stall where he had previously traded for the seeds. Before he could even speak, the stall owner was startled by this display.

"I'm asking you..."

Before Nick could finish, the stall owner interrupted him with a mournful face. He hurriedly said, "I found these bags of seeds in a dungeon chest. I don't know if they can be planted..."

"If you want to return them, I'll give you the water back right now."

"..."

Nick's lips twitched slightly. Did he look like such a bad guy?

Without explaining further, he asked directly, "I'm not returning them. I have a question. Did you see the pangolin that was following me?"

After learning his intention, the stall owner breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Nick's appearance, holding a hand crossbow and approaching aggressively, was truly intimidating.

"Pangolin?"

"I remember it was right beside you just now. It looked at you for a few moments, and then it suddenly left."

He frowned slightly and finally pointed in a direction, explaining, "It went that way. Pangolins, you know... maybe it suddenly wanted to dig a few holes?"

"Thanks."

After getting information about Python from the stall owner, Nick didn't linger. He jogged in that direction.

This little guy was quite intelligent. Even if it really wanted to leave, it wouldn't have just left without a word.

Reaching the wall, Nick looked around. In just a short time, it was unlikely that this little guy's digging speed would have allowed it to reach the next dungeon.

As long as he found Python's digging trail, he could catch up to it.

"Here!"

When Nick saw the digging marks not far away, his eyes lit up. He took the shovel from the camp and, without hesitation, started shoveling forcefully along the direction the pangolin had dug.

He even ignored the hint that flashed before his eyes.

The shovel, empowered by the Dungeon Survivial Game with digging ability, was already fast. Moreover, he was digging with all his might, quickly digging through the first dungeon.

After entering the dungeon, Nick looked around. When he didn't detect any threat, he didn't even think about scavenging. He followed the trail left by Python and continued digging to the left.

Just then, a translucent light blue screen appeared in front of Nick.

[Dig 17 meters to the left, and you will obtain 1L of purified water.]

"Keep digging..."

Nick confirmed that there was no hidden danger in continuing to dig to the left and resolutely swung his shovel. The trail left by Python, the pangolin, hadn't disappeared, meaning it hadn't entered the next dungeon yet.

In this race against time, Nick couldn't afford to slack off.

This 17-meter-long digging tunnel was the longest tunnel Nick had needed to dig since arriving in the dungeon world.

It was also the most time-consuming tunnel to dig, taking Nick nearly fifteen minutes.

When he stepped into this new dungeon, he didn't immediately look for the water resources inside. Instead, he looked around. When he didn't find any more digging marks, he could confirm one thing.

It hadn't dug through the entire 17 meters yet.

"What it's up to..."

Nick's face showed a hint of helplessness. He stuck the shovel into the ground. The continuous, strenuous digging made his arms ache slightly.

He shook his arms, slightly relieving the fatigue, and then focused his attention on the faint glow in the center of the dungeon.

Before he could build the [Rune Water Purifier], purified water was still an essential survival resource that he couldn't do without.

He swung his shovel, and with just a few shovelfuls, he dug out the decaying wooden chest.

A 1L bottle of mineral water lay quietly inside the chest. Nick picked it up and took a big gulp, then patiently waited for Python to arrive.

With a slight loosening of the right wall, dry and cracked soil fell, revealing a small hole. The hole was constantly expanding.

A black figure crawled out of the hole. Its intelligent eyes, upon noticing Nick, immediately came forward and gently rubbed its head against Nick's leg.

"You little rascal..."

Nick rubbed the pangolin's head with his hand, a helpless smile on his face.

Python, the pangolin, seemed to enjoy this affection. However, it soon left Nick's side and went to the wall on the left. It didn't forget to turn its head and look at him.

Python didn't dig, as if waiting for Nick.

"You want me to follow you?"

"..."

Python seemed to understand Nick's thoughts. It gestured with its sharp claws on the wall.

"Then let's see where you want to take me..."

Nick quickly understood Python's intention. He picked up the shovel from the ground and went to Python's side.

When he looked at the wall on the left, the digging hint appeared before him.

[We regret to inform you that the dungeon on the left is empty. You will waste a lot of energy.]

There was no danger in the hint about digging to the left, not even any rewards. Nick didn't know what this little guy was thinking, but he didn't hesitate.

Since this little guy did this, it must have its reasons. The worst outcome was simply wasting some digging attempts.

"Then I'll play along with you..."

As the digging progressed, Nick quickly brought Python, the pangolin, to dig open the passage and enter a new dungeon.

To Nick's surprise, even though it was a small dungeon, it wasn't as stuffy as other dungeons. Instead, it was slightly cool.

"Did I come to a new dungeon area?"

Nick frowned slightly. After exploring the dungeon world for these days, the stuffy environment had become ingrained. But now, it was unexpectedly different, and the temperature was much more comfortable.

Python didn't stop. Its sharp claws continued to dig downwards.

"Down again?"

He was somewhat puzzled. But when Nick looked down, the digging hint that appeared made his heart race with excitement.

[What is a Chosen One? This is a Chosen One! Dig 9 meters down, and you will enter an abandoned palace ruin!]