Neguro and his two bodyguards wore matg bck suits, giving off a suspiciously anized vibe—almost like gangsters. The two bodyguards had standard crew cuts and looked rather pin, but something about them felt off. Neguro, oher hand, kept his sungsses on, cealing his eyes entirely. Larry couldn't tell if he was hiding an injury or just didn't want ao read him.

  Then there were the three siblings. The eldest, the man with gsses, had a thin build, squinting eyes, and wold-rimmed spectacles. Dressed in an ordinary white shirt and gray leather shoes, he looked like any other office worker. But his sharp gaze hi something more.

  The woman iher stood out with her 1.7-meter frame and sharp, noble features. She carried a long, barbed whip that looked like it beloo a queen of some sort. However, Link’s trained eyes detected something more—this whip urely made of aura, a maion of her power.

  Finally, the you of the three, the hip-hop guy, had a darker plexion and thick eyebrows. He wore a bright red dayle tracksuit and carried a rge hiking bag. The heavy calluses on his knuckles told Larry that he was ner to hard work and physical bat. Neguro was the first to break the silence. "Alright, how about this? If you help us pass through safely, I’ll offer you 40% of whatever we find inside." His tone was calm and sincere, but Larry could sehe underlying schemes in his words.

  Larry smirked, his narrowed eyes filled with amusement. He could tell Neguro wasn’t as ho as he seemed. Still, siheir abilities were nothing special, he decided to py along. "Deal. Gardevoir, Use Misty Terrain on everyone.”

  With a graceful motion, Gardevoir released six translut bubbles that floated toward the group, eng each person in a protective aura. As soon as the shimmering shields settled around them, the oppressive death aura that had been gnawing at them retreated rapidly.

  A wave of relief washed over the group. The chilliion that had seeped into their bones vanished, repced by a f warmth, almost like soaking in a hot spring. Fatigue that had been weighing them down lifted, leaving them feeling refreshed. Larry observed quietly, making a mental note—‘Misty Terrain not only blocks the death aura but also relieves fatigue. That might e in handy ter.’

  Uhe hopeful gazes of the group, Larry signaled Gardevain. "Let’s test it on the door first. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try Heal Bell ."

  From his perspective, it was better to serve aura. He wasn’t about to waste valuable resources clearing the aura unless absolutely necessary. A cluster of shimmering nen bubbles drifted toward the door. As they made tact, the dark mist of death ging to the dan to recede—slowly at first, then more rapidly. "It’s w!" someone gasped.

  The others watched with admiration and gratitude in their eyes, all except furo. Hidden behind his dark sungsses, his gaze flickered with something unreadable. After a few mihe death aura had pletely dissipated, revealing the true surface of the door. Uhe finely carved reliefs outside the ruins, the artwork here was rough and almost crude. It was unclear whether the eerie aura had caused the deterioration or if the door had always been this way.

  The carvings were bizarre and abstract, depig strange creatures that resembled something out of an a myth. With a slight bow, Larry stepped aside aured toward the group. "All yours," he said, reminding them of their earlier agreement. He’d hahe death aura—now it was their turn.

  Even though the deadly mist was gohe massive stone door remained firmly shut. There were no visible meisms to open it, meaning brute force was their only option. Neguro and his bodyguards exged silent looks, clearly unwilling to make the first move. Sensing the hesitation, the you of the three siblings—the hip-hop guy—stepped forward fidently.

  Setting his backpack dowook a deep breath, adjusted his stance, and lowered his ter of gravity. His fists, rge as sandbags, ched tightly as a pale yellow aura surrouhem, crag with energy. Without warning, his eyes snapped open, fshing with determination. With a powerful roar, he unched his fist forward. A sharp whoosh cut through the air, and his Aura-infused punch smmed into the door with explosive force.

  BAM!!!!

  Crack after craed across the surface as he delivered relentless blows, eae heavier tha. ks of stone crumbled away, and before long, a dark passageeared behind the now-destroyed door. Sweat dripped from the hip-hop guy’s brow, his chest rising and falling with exhaustion, but the results spoke for themselves. The entrance was now wide enough for everyoo pass through.

  As soon as the door opened, a wave of strange, indescribable odors wafted out. The stench was overwhelming, heavy, and thick, as if the air inside had been trapped for turies. Without hesitation, the group quickly pulled out gas masks and strapped them on. They were seasoreasure hunters and knew better than to enter an a, sealed space without proper prote.

  Larry, however, made no move to equip any gear. The man in gsses, notig this, pulled out ara mask and offered it to him. “Here, take this. You never know what kind of toxic stuff might be inside.” Larry raised an eyebrow but accepted it with a nod of thanks. He could feel the shift in their attitudes. His earlier dispy had earheir respect, and treasure hunters like them uood the value of having someone like him around. To them, befriending Larry meant seg their future expeditions.

  As Larry and the group stepped into the cave, the lingerih aura was still present, though not as dense as outside. To ensure he could effectively elimi, Larry and Gardevoir positiohemselves in the middle of the formation—Neguro and his two bodyguards to the left, while the three siblings took the right.

  Despite the eerie atmosphere, the cave wasn't pletely shrouded in darkness. Along the stone walls on both sides, small glowing beads emitted a faint light at regur intervals, providing just enough illumination to guide their way. ‘These look like Night Pearls?’ Larry wondered, his gaze lingering on the softly glowing orbs embedded in the walls.

  As they ventured deeper, the silence was soon broken by the hip-hop guy, who swaggered over to Larry with a grin pstered across his face. “Hey, bro, what’d you think of my punches back there? Pretty cool, huh?”

  Though he tried to keep his voice down, the acoustics of the enclosed cave amplified his excitement, making it impossible for ao miss. Larry g him, his expressioral. “Yeah... they were pretty impressive,” he replied holy, though the hip-hop guy’s enthusiasm made it hard for him to keep a straight face.