Chapter 29: Escalating Crisis

Nick didn't argue with Sally. Exploring nearly 20 dungeons in a single day had taken a toll on his stamina, and using the Teleportation Rune had drained what little energy he had left.

After replenishing himself with enough energy, Nick retired to his tent for an early rest.

Sally, left alone beside the stone campfire with a strange expression, was surprised that Nick seemed completely uninterested in her.

While relieved that she was safe, a faint sense of disappointment welled up inside Sally, though she quickly dismissed it.

"..."

The next day marked their fifth day in the Dungeon Survival Game.

As usual, Nick woke up early. Python, his pangolin, was lying prostrate in front of the tent, guarding its master vigilantly.

When Nick emerged from the tent, Python, sensing his movement, instantly woke up, nudging Nick affectionately with its small head.

"It seems like Sally hasn't met Python yet..."

Nick glanced at Python and then looked towards the temporary camp in the distance.

Sally, sensing the movement outside, slowly emerged from her tent, still bleary-eyed. She stretched lazily without a care, right in front of Nick. This was the most peaceful night she had spent in the dungeon world.

She looked at Nick, still half-asleep, and mumbled, "Morning... Captain."

Nick nodded slightly.

He introduced, "I forgot to tell you yesterday, this is my pet, Python. He's the first companion I met in this dungeon world."

Upon hearing this, Python looked at Sally with its intelligent eyes, observing her with curiosity.

"Python?"

Sally looked at the pangolin nearby, her mouth twitching slightly. She had naturally noticed Nick's pet earlier, but since Nick hadn't mentioned it, she hadn't asked.

However, she couldn't help but feel unimpressed by his naming skills.

Nick didn't give Sally a chance to complain. He said, "We still have 20 exploration chances today, so let's not waste time..."

"Okay."

Sally certainly had no objections.

After a quick wash, Nick took out two bags of instant rice from his pile of survival supplies.

However, when he instinctively glanced at the pile of smoked python meat in the corner, he noticed a faint sour smell in the air, and his brow furrowed slightly.

He had previously smoked the meat from the red giant python to preserve it, expecting it to last for at least half a week. But now, just a few days later, it was already starting to spoil.

Nick knew exactly what was causing this: the Stone Gargoyle boss's [Calamity] buff, which increased food spoilage by 20%.

"That's really troublesome..."

"What's wrong?"

Sally, noticing Nick's expression, asked curiously.

Nick explained, "Check the survival supplies you gathered in the past few days. If there's any fresh meat, it's probably starting to spoil."

"Oh... okay."

Sally returned to the camp and opened a wooden box in the corner. The box containing the python meat instantly released a pungent, sour odor.

It was spoiled, but not to the point of being infested with maggots.

She tossed the entire box into the stone campfire to dispose of it, looking at Nick with a hint of heartache. After all, these were items she had traded for.

"If things continue like this, it's going to get complicated..."

Nick's face became more serious as he spoke. The survival supplies they had gathered from the dungeons were already showing varying degrees of spoilage. As time went on, the difficulty of exploration would continue to increase, and survival supplies would undoubtedly become scarce, leading to a sharp rise in prices.

Sally nodded gently. A rise in prices was a good thing for a competent merchant, but the speed at which food was spoiling was beyond her imagination.

She looked at Nick, waiting for her captain's decision.

Nick opened the black panel and checked the [Chat] function to get a sense of the current situation. Sure enough, things were unfolding as he had expected.

"I managed to hunt a jumping mouse the day before yesterday, and I even smoked it. How could it spoil in just three days...?"

"The danger level is already increasing, exploration is difficult enough, and now there's the [Calamity] buff. Is there really any hope of survival?"

"Clean water for a fine iron weapon! 300ml for a short sword!"

"1L of water for a water rune. If anyone wants to sell, come find me at the trading market..."

"Full set of equipment looking for an exploration team. I won't hold anyone back!!!"

The regional chat channel was filled with various messages, but Nick gleaned a lot of information from them.

Prices were soaring, and resources like water were becoming increasingly scarce. Soon, even basic food items would likely become highly sought after...

Moreover, with the increasing danger level of the dungeons and the riots of dungeon creatures, most survivors were starting to band together for better survival.

This had slowed down the decline in the number of survivors in the area. The small number next to the chat function had only dropped from 690 to 637.

"..."

Nick's expression became considerably more solemn. He closed the black panel without a word, a strong sense of crisis washing over him.

The regional danger level would increase in two days, and the Stone Gargoyle boss remained a looming threat. Moreover, if he didn't eliminate the gargoyle, the [Calamity] debuff would persist.

"Captain, what are we going to do?"

Sally quickly understood the severity of the situation through the chat channel. She looked at Nick, waiting for him to make the final decision.

"Today, we'll go to the trading market first... and trade off some of the perishable survival resources."

Nick pondered for a moment and quickly made a decision. With the large amount of survival resources they had on hand, they could easily survive for a month without the [Calamity] buff.

However, under the influence of this negative effect, it was better to make the most of these resources before they went to waste. He would go to the trading market and exchange them for resources that would be useful to them.

"Okay, Captain."

Sally certainly had no objections. She knew very well what kind of changes teaming up with Nick would bring to her life in the dungeon world. All she had to do was stick with him.

She brought all the unspoiled survival supplies from the camp to Nick and said, "These are the survival resources I've gathered these days..."

"We can trade them all together later."

Nick looked at Sally with a hint of surprise. After all, from what he knew of her, this girl was definitely a shrewd merchant and a bit of a money-grubber, but judging from the current situation...

It seemed more like her personality had been shaped by the harsh environment.

After all, this was a dungeon world where a single misstep could lead to disaster. When safety wasn't guaranteed, one would naturally do everything possible to arm themselves.

Nick didn't go directly to the trading market. After looking around, he finally said slowly, "Before we go to the trading market, let's explore the surroundings of this palace first..."

"Let's get you a set of equipment."