Chapter 348: Prepare To Loot! [Part 1] Renard dashed through the dozens of Undead as he rushed toward the First Floor. His injuries had been treated by Lady Celestria earlier, so although still in pain, he was no longer bleeding. As he made a mad dash toward the surface, the dungeon shook faintly. It was as if the very ground itself was groaning at the tide of monsters surging upward. Theo followed Renard closely, his blazing sword cutting down stray Undead that tried to block their path. The last thing they wanted to happen was to be encircled, which would make breaking through that much harder. Fortunately, Renard wasn’t weak, so Theo didn’t have to worry about protecting him. Sparks of fire scattered with each swing of his sword, but even the Solar Knight could tell that unless they leave, they might soon join the Undead doomed to wander within the Orion Dungeon forever. "Renard, what do you think you’re doing?!" Theo yelled. "Teleport outside the dungeon now!" "You should take your own advice," Renard replied as he continued to run. "I’m going to find my club members on the First Floor. Knowing our president, he might have already predicted that a Dungeon Outbreak would happen." "What did you say?!" Theo couldn’t believe the words spilling from the young man’s mouth. "Alex already knew something like this was going to happen?!" "I’m not entirely sure, but he has made some preparations beforehand," Renard answered. "That’s why I’m heading back to the First Floor. I know for sure that he’s there, probably wishing I get beaten to death by the Undead." Theo’s flames flared hotter as his blade seared through a Zombie Monkey that had lunged at him from behind. "This is insanity!" Theo growled, sweat dripping down his temples. "If he knew this was going to happen, why didn’t he warn the Academy?!" Renard smirked dryly as he punched through a skeleton’s ribcage and shattered its body completely without breaking his stride. "Obviously, almost no one trusts him, President. You wouldn’t have believed him either." Theo clenched his jaw, unable to refute Renard’s words. Alex was not exactly the most trustworthy person. He had been the center of attention, especially during the Battle Royale, but that didn’t mean he was widely liked. Due to the blackmailing incident, the Crest Clubs had also started treating him like a honey badger that would not hesitate to bite them to the death if they even dared to poke its nose! ’After this is over, I’m going to have a long talk with him!’ Theo decided, panting. The Student Council President was strong, but he had to admit that he was out of shape. Continuously handling the affairs of the academy had given him very little time to train his body regularly. He hadn’t even been able to maintain his habit of jogging every morning, too sleep-deprived from preparing for the dungeon expedition. Fortunately, according to the report of the other Student Councilors, most of the students had already evacuated the Dungeon. In fact, only Alex’s team remained behind. Upon learning that, Theo wanted nothing more than to personally kick all these troublemakers out of the dungeon! "I can see the exit!" Renard shouted. As much of a loner as he was, he still bothered to inform Theo that they were nearing their destination. The Undead Monsters running after them from behind numbered in the hundreds. The last thing Theo wanted was to trip and get swarmed by them. The mere thought of that happening gave him goosebumps, so he focused his attention on running instead. After breaking past the last hurdle, the two found themselves on the First Floor, which was swarming with Undead Skeletons. Renard and Theo bulldozed their way through the monsters that were in their way as they retraced their steps. A few minutes later, Theo saw a very familiar face, which made the corner of his lips twitch. Why, it was none other than a little bun bouncing off the dungeon walls and whacking every Undead with its Toy Hammer. "Isn’t that Dim Dim?" Theo muttered when his gaze landed on the little guy, who seemed to be having fun smacking the heads of the Skeleton Soldiers and shattering them into oblivion. When the pair got closer, they immediately sensed the power of Holy Magic, which must’ve made the Undead Skeletons sluggish. "Dim Dim!" Dim Dim greeted Renard and Theo, who had finally arrived near the slaughter zone Endless Horizon had prepared. Renard smashed the Skeleton Soldiers that were still on his path before stopping near the little bun, who looked very proud of itself. "Ahem!" Dim Dim stood a little straighter, as if telling Renard to praise it for being a good gatekeeper. But instead of doing that, Renard asked the most important question of all. "Where is Alex?" "Dim!" Dim Dim pointed behind it. Renard hesitated before picking up the little bun and dashing down the corridor. Dim Dim wanted to protest that it still wanted to play, but decided that taking a break was also a good option. When they arrived at the spacious cavern where Alex, Cassandra, Charles, and Nessia were, Theo couldn’t help but gasp. The entire place was filled with talismans! All of them were radiating Holy Power, which made him hope that even the hordes of monsters that had been following them wouldn’t be able to get past their camp. "Ah, welcome back, Renard," Alex greeted. "Did you have fun?" Renard didn’t reply. Instead, he approached Nessia and asked if she had some potions he could drink to recover his strength and stamina. Instead of teasing him like Alex might have, Nessia gave the young man what he wanted. Renard’s fighting abilities was known to all, and he’d certainly be very helpful in dealing with the High-Ranking Undead. "President, you’re here." Cassandra immediately went to Theo’s side. "I’m glad you’re safe." "Cassandra, give me a report on what’s happening here," Theo ordered before accepting the potion that the young lady handed to him. Cassandra told him everything that she knew, including the Demon Worshipers and the Dungeon Outbreak. Theo didn’t stop her, carefully listening until she was finished. "Thank you for the report," Theo said as he shifted his attention to Alex. "Alex Stratos, the dungeon competition will be canceled. Please take your members outside the dungeon." Alex shook his head. "I’m sorry, President. We still haven’t recovered our investment, so we plan to stay here for a while." "Are you crazy?!" Theo asked, his eyes bulging in disbelief. "The entire dungeon is crawling with Undead, and you plan to stay here?!" "Yes," Alex answered. "You should go back, President. I’m staying here." Theo wanted to crush the young man’s teleportation crystal, but he quickly realized that it was not around Alex’s neck. Clearly, he was serious when he said that he planned to stay and recoup the investment he put into this dungeon expedition. Just as Theo was thinking of ways to convince him, they heard a rumbling sound coming from the other end of the corridor. Chuck, Princess Xenia, Professor Arabella, and Mary also returned to the sanctuary after sensing that fighting solo was no longer an option. "They’re here," Alex said with a smile. "Time to get rich." Theo, Cassandra, and Professor Arabella felt their blood pressures spiking after hearing this shameless declaration. Alex was probably the only student who would treat a Dungeon Outbreak as a moneymaking opportunity. But they didn’t have the time to rebuke him because the Undead that had been running after Renard and Theo were now charging through the corridor even though it was littered with talismans. "Prepare for battle!" Theo shouted. "Prepare to loot!" Alex shouted at the same time. The moment the swarm of Undead burst into the spacious cavern, all of their bodies exploded into black mists. Countless Monster Cores fell to the ground. The talismans that littered the corridor and the cavern were especially lethal to Rank 2 Undead Monsters and above. They would be vaporized the moment they entered Alex’s and Nessia’s killing formation. It was similar to stepping onto a field filled with landmines. Like moths drawn to a flame, the Undead died even before they could touch Alex and his club members. Meanwhile, Theo, Cassandra, and Professor Arabella could only gawk at Alex as he used a special artifact to suck up the monster cores lying on the ground because he couldn’t be bothered to pick them up one by one.