Chapter 33: Physical Fitness Improves Again!

Sally naturally had no objections.

As for the exploration gains in this library, she didn't ask. Even if they were to split the loot, the value of the [Shield of Sturdy Stone] in her hands far exceeded the previously agreed upon thirty percent.

How to get to the trading market now was Sally's main concern.

After a day of exploration, she had long forgotten the coordinates of the trading market. Helpless, Sally turned her gaze to Nick.

"Let's go."

Nick took the Teleportation Rune in his hand. Getting to the trading market was simple for him. He just needed to return to the abandoned palace, and he could use his blurry memory to find the way back to the trading market.

Seeing this, Sally instantly understood Nick's idea. Her face turned slightly red, and she didn't act as boldly as last time. Instead, she used her slender little hand to grab the hem of Nick's clothes.

"..."

The sudden and intense dizziness made Nick feel uncomfortable. When he and Sally opened their eyes again, the scene in front of them had changed from the enclosed dungeon to the extremely open and pleasantly temperate camp.

Along with the protest sounds from his hungry stomach came the aftereffects of using the Teleportation Rune, which consumed a lot of stamina. Perhaps because of the distance, this time it wasn't as intense as he had imagined.

After eating on a few pre-prepared compressed biscuits, Nick walked in one direction. He looked at the Python by his feet, a faint smile on his face.

If it weren't for this guy, he probably wouldn't have come to this place.

"Come on, just follow me."

Nick's tone was more forceful. He picked up the shovel in his hand and began to dig. The only thing Nick was curious about now was.

Would he encounter any dungeon creatures on the way to the trading market?

Nick looked at the digging direction in front of him, and a light blue translucent screen appeared before him, providing an accurate answer to his previous question.

[Dig 7 meters to the left, and you will encounter the dungeon creature Sand Wolf. After killing it, you might get an unexpected harvest.]

"Sure enough..."

Nick frowned slightly. He hadn't encountered any danger when he left the trading market and arrived at the abandoned palace. But now, a dungeon creature was blocking his way.

As for the origin of this Sand Wolf, he had a general idea. It was nothing more than the riot of dungeon creatures caused by the appearance of the regional BOSS Stone Gargoyle.

His face was calm. He picked up the shovel and started digging on the cracked wall. It was only 7 meters away from the next dungeon. Nick took less than ten minutes to dig through the abandoned palace and the next dungeon.

As the last layer of soil crashed to the ground, a brand new dungeon appeared in front of Nick and Sally. The dungeon, less than 30 square meters in size, and the Sand Wolf, which was extremely sensitive to sound, had already assumed a fighting stance.

"..."

Nick took the Rune Bow slung across his body, preparing to end this battle quickly. But just as he was about to make a move, Sally's figure walked out from the passage.

She was carrying the round [Shield of Sturdy Stone] in her left hand, and in her other hand, she held a not-too-sharp short sword. Sally had suffered a lot at the hands of the Sand Wolf last time.

If Nick hadn't intervened in time, her outcome would definitely not have been good.

"Let me do it!"

Sally said. As soon as she finished speaking, her figure rushed towards the Sand Wolf not far away. Her speed was only at the level of an ordinary person.

But the [Shield of Sturdy Stone] clearly played a significant role. When the Sand Wolf pounced on Sally to attack, Sally instinctively blocked with the Shield of Sturdy Stone.

The patterns on the surface of the Shield of Sturdy Stone instantly emitted a yellowish light, enveloping Sally's entire body. Facing the crushing disparity in size and strength, she still stood there, motionless.

Instead, it was the Sand Wolf that retreated several steps in this violent collision before stabilizing its body.

Its dark green eyes, filled with killing intent, showed some hesitation as it re-evaluated the strength of the person in front of it. Just as it was about to launch another round of attacks on Sally.

What awaited the Sand Wolf was only the wind arrow shot by Nick.

With a short, rapid whooshing sound, the wind arrow accurately hit the Sand Wolf's body. The moment it exploded, a bloody smell permeated the air.

Nick glanced at the remains of the Sand Wolf, and finally looked at Sally, saying, "At your pace, I could probably take a nap."

"..."

Sally pouted, but didn't say anything to refute. Strictly speaking, this was her first time using rune equipment, and it was already good enough that she could barely use it.

Moreover, Sally was quite satisfied with the defensive effect of the [Shield of Sturdy Stone]. Originally, she had no ability to confront the Sand Wolf head-on, but now she had more than enough.

"I did improve, okay..."

Nick shook his head gently and turned his gaze to the iron box beside the Sand Wolf. He had a trace of anticipation in his heart. He went forward, opened the box, and what greeted his eyes was a potion filled in a test tube.

[Gene Potion (Beginner)]

Just by looking at the light green appearance, Nick could identify it.

The joy in his heart was impossible to hide. There was probably still quite a distance before he reached the bottleneck of his physical fitness.

As long as he could reach the bottleneck stage, he could successfully enter the realm of Transcendent.

"..."

Nick looked at the potion in his hand, glanced at Sally, and said, "This Gene Potion is very helpful to me at this stage..."

"Captain, did you forget the resource distribution ratio?"

Sally looked a little surprised. She looked at the [Shield of Sturdy Stone] in her hand and continued, "The value of this rune equipment alone far exceeds the ratio you mentioned."

Nick nodded gently, poured the Gene Potion into his mouth. The indescribable taste made his brows furrow tightly. As for the pain, it was already minimal. From this, it was not difficult to see that the improvement of the Gene Potion to him was already minimal.

He gently swung his fist. His strength had obviously increased a lot, but it was not as significant as the first time he drank it. After Nick noticed the changes in himself, he quickly had a general idea.

"I guess after drinking another Gene Potion, the beginner Gene Potion will have no effect."

Nick collected his thoughts and was a little curious about his own strength. He looked at the Sand Wolf's corpse not far away. Although its head had exploded, its calf-like body definitely weighed no less than two hundred pounds.

He grabbed the Sand Wolf's hind leg and easily lifted it with one hand, using only his arm strength.

"..."

Sally, who witnessed all this, looked at Nick's easy lifting of the Sand Wolf, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

She even suspected that if they really fought, even if Nick didn't use the Rune Bow, he might not be Nick's match.