Chương 73: Trust Beside the Campfire

"It was the same for me. At that time, it was as if everything, physical strength, life, and soul, burned up and turned into strength. Extremely gorgeous," Tengen nodded and said. At that moment, he had felt as if he were surrounded by flames, burning everything.

"Namu Amida Butsu. It was the same for this monk. At that moment, I only wanted to protect everyone, so I did not hesitate to sacrifice everything. After that, my strength greatly increased."

"Same here."

"Me too."

"Same."

"It seems I am the only one," Shinobu suddenly felt a little out of place, because everyone else had awakened something and she had not.

"If my prediction is correct, everyone awakened a Skill and instantly improved their own strength," Cael said. After all, this was the activation of the Mark, which could greatly improve one's all-around strength for a short time. It was an extremely exaggerated Skill. However, there was also a price. It was strength gained by burning life. Because this Skill was too powerful, a mortal body generally could not support it, and those who awakened Marks usually did not live past the age of twenty-five.

Those over the age of twenty-five who developed Marks would not live until dawn. But that was the case for ordinary bodies. Everyone here had obtained the gods' Falna, and their potential had been fully developed. There should not be such an ending. At most, it would consume a great deal after use.

"So that is how it is. Awakening Skills really is good luck," Obanai said with some guilt.

"Could it be that our awakened Skills are all the same?" Sanemi asked in confusion.

"This is not luck. To acquire Skills, one needs to experience a real adventure."

"Only in a true adventure, in a battle of blood and fire, will against will, can one have the chance to awaken them."

"At that time, everyone's will exceeded its own limit, so Skills awakened. This is something that appears when adventurers break through themselves."

"This is true for Bell, Ais, and other adventurers as well. Even a timid person can receive a Skill that protects what they inherit." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Speaking of which, we were truly lucky to defeat the Floor Boss. At first, I only thought we might be able to do it, and if not, we could run away." At this point, Cael shook his head with some remorse.

"But I have to admit that I was reckless this time and did not think everything through. Moreover, this happened in the Dungeon. If even one unexpected thing had happened, or if we had not awakened those abilities, what would the consequences have been?" He stopped there. Even if he did not say it, everyone knew what he meant.

"So I am very sorry to everyone," Cael said, blaming himself. After experiencing so much, he had grown, but he was still the protagonist. Everyone looked at each other, then all smiled.

"Hahaha, do not blame yourself so much, captain. This was our own choice. Even if an accident happened, it would be our responsibility. There are rewards because we paid the price, right?" Rengoku laughed, his eyes full of respect for Cael. Whether strength, leadership, courage, or character, he fully recognized him.

"That's right. I gorgeously refuse your apology," Tengen echoed.

"If we ask others to apologize for our own choice, that is admitting our own weakness and narrow-mindedness."

"Yes. Without the captain, it is unknown whether we could have reached Floor 17 at all. I am glad I survived," Shinobu said gently.

"That's right. I do not need any apology. Apologizing when you have done nothing wrong is stupid," Sanemi said angrily.

"Mm." Giyu did not speak and simply nodded.

"I forgot. What happened?" Muichiro looked at the sky in confusion.

"The captain reflecting on himself looks so handsome," Mitsuri said softly.

"Namu Amida Butsu. This monk believes the captain has done the best he could," Gyomei said. Although everyone said something different, they all expressed the same meaning: trust. They were companions, so there was no need to apologize. He had already done his best.

"Everyone is really... touching," Cael said, moved. This was trust between companions. After this Dungeon trip, they truly saw him as their captain. Then he looked at Tanjiro, who was quietly eating and listening.

"I think Tanjiro was able to save the day this time."

"Huh? Me? I do not seem to have helped much," Tanjiro said, a little embarrassed.

"Have you forgotten your Skill? During the battle against Goliath, we were almost caught several times by wide-area attacks that covered the entire battlefield, yet we escaped them again and again."

"The first time could be said to be our own strength. Escaping the second, third, and fourth time without danger can only be attributed to luck." The corner of Cael's mouth rose slightly. Sure enough, bringing the koi Tanjiro had been the right choice. Tanjiro blinked in confusion.

"The key is that you thought it was already a crisis, right? Since it was a crisis, your Skill gave luck to the whole team. Do not ignore your own merit." Cael patted Tanjiro on the shoulder.

"Then we really owe a lot to Kamado boy."

"My Tsuguko certainly lived up to expectations."

"Although I disliked you at first, your performance makes me admit that you are excellent. Just this once."

"I did not expect that a guy like you was really amazing, Tanjiro," Zenitsu said, staring at Tanjiro with dead eyes.

"It seems I am the most useless one. I really want to cry."

"Zenitsu." At that moment, an innocent, lively figure ran toward them and waved.

"Crazy guy, hello."

"Hey, isn't that the girl who hugged the captain before?"

"She came to find the captain."

"It seems she has fallen for the captain. After all, the captain was extremely gorgeous then, and girls love that."

"Namu Amida Butsu."

"That Amazon is still chasing him. It is endless." Lili gritted her teeth in displeasure. Of course Master Cael had charmed her too. She would definitely keep chasing Master Cael in the future. Who knew when sparks would fly?