CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: DON’T COME ANY CLOSER!

Boom——

The sound of the explosion echoed through the forest under the night sky.

Vera knew that it was Fei Ling using the Thunder Bomb Arrow to hold back the flesh monster behind them.

"Don’t stop, it will catch up soon."

Hearing Fei Ling’s words, Vera, who was carrying Fei Yin, quickened her pace.

In fact, if it weren’t for that monster unwilling to part with the blasted flesh chunks, always having to pick them up again,

the three of them would have been caught long ago.

Even so, Fei Ling’s Thunder Bomb Arrows were already exhausted, and if they got caught again, they probably wouldn’t escape.

The reason the three of them ended up here was because the main gate had already been breached.

The collapse happened in an instant.

Right after the Branch President named Obel finished speaking, that terrifying monster emerged from the Underground City.

Vera still remembered how it looked when it came out.

The diamond-shaped scales glinted with strange colors in the sunset, oozing dark green venom.

The three serpent heads twisted and writhed in midair, greedily looking down at everyone present.

In its presence, Vera felt like a trapped prey, helpless to its devouring.

Luckily, the Three-headed Serpent didn’t target him, but instead aimed at the most ornately dressed Branch President.

Obel seemed surprised to be the first one targeted despite standing at the back.

Facing the venom spewed by the three serpent heads, he hastily summoned a Light Wall, but it was instantly corroded.

The venom splattered half of his body, and all the adventurers heard the sizzling sound of flesh being corroded, along with his inhuman screams.

In the end, it was Marshall who grabbed Obel and fled the battlefield.

With the two top managers fleeing in such a state, who among the remaining adventurers dared to fight to the death?

The barely maintained defensive line crumbled instantly; everyone scrambled for their lives, wishing they had grown extra legs.

Meanwhile, the demons seemed to have entered a buffet mode—as long as they could catch them, they could feast.

Luckily, Vera and her team had moved to the edge of the group early on, avoiding being killed in the first wave.

But before they could run far, a ten-meter-long tail of a Dragon Beast swept towards them after severing two adventurers.

Vera’s heavily nicked Curved Saber couldn’t possibly block it.

At the critical moment, Fei Yin cast an Impact Magic in place, knocking the three of them aside, barely escaping dismemberment.

But Fei Yin was slashed across her chest.

Although she quickly drank a Healing Potion, she remained unconscious.

Vera had to carry her to escape.

They didn’t flee towards Dumb Wind Town, as many adventurers headed there, attracting more monsters.

In the chaos, Vera could only flee into the western forest.

Fortunately, only one monster chased them.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t even deal with just that one.

The creature made of human and demon corpses, which Vera didn’t recognize, undoubtedly came from the Ninth Level.

The three of them at full strength might not even defeat it, let alone now.

They relied on Fei Ling’s five Thunder Bomb Arrows to buy time along the way.

But now, those special arrows were used up too.

Behind them, the sound of shrubs being crushed echoed again.

"It’s coming again..."

Fei Ling’s voice was filled with exhaustion and despair; they really had no way out.

This time, Vera spoke up: "Fei Ling, give me the bow and arrow, you carry Fei Yin and run."

"No!"

Fei Ling instantly understood Vera’s intention; he wanted to lure the monster away himself.

"If anyone’s going, it’s me. I’m faster, I might be able to get away."

"No one can outrun it," Vera bluntly exposed her lie, "You know I could never leave you behind."

"And you think I can just watch you go to die?"

"What about Fei Yin?"

"She wouldn’t agree either!"

"..."

Vera sighed deeply, stopped, and set Fei Yin down next to a tree.

He drew the tattered Curved Saber from his waist and turned to face the grotesque monster rushing toward them.

"Alright, let’s hope it mashes us together a bit closer..."

Fei Ling shot two arrows into the flesh, but they didn’t affect the monster at all.

It charged straight at them with its twisted body.

The breeze swept by, and Vera gripped the handle of the saber horizontally, assuming a Combat Technique stance.

Dying in battle was the last dignity for an adventurer.

The monster got closer and the wind grew stronger.

In the end, a whirlwind formed around it, making Vera wobble and struggle to stand.

Wind?

Could the monster control the wind?

In the raging wind, Vera couldn’t even make the final strike.

Resigned, he closed his eyes.

The roar of the monster grew louder in his ears...

Louder and... more pitiful?

Upon reopening them, he saw the flesh monster spinning in mid-air.

It struggled, howled, but was shredded into minced meat by the whirlwind, even the core was no exception.

Tier Eight Magic—Wind Tunnel.

"So even Sagas’ Blood has come out, seems I’m a bit late."

Unnoticed, an elder in a gray robe, leaning on a Magic Staff, appeared behind Vera.

"Young ones, can you tell me what happened over there?"

Having just narrowly escaped death, Vera came to his senses and glanced at the badge representing the Relic Association on the elder’s chest.

"The main gate defense was breached, the Branch President was gravely injured and escaped, I don’t know the rest."

"Thank you for the information, give this potion to your companion, it wouldn’t be nice for the young lady to have scars."

As he spoke, the elder retrieved a small potion from beneath his robe and handed it to Vera.

After Vera accepted it, another gust of wind picked up the elder, carrying him towards Dumb Wind Town.

After the elder left, Vera and Fei Ling exchanged looks.

Only then did Fei Ling’s legs give way as she leaned next to Fei Yin.

Covering her face, she cried and laughed simultaneously.

Vera crouched down and carefully fed the potion to Fei Yin.

The effect was immediate, Fei Yin’s previously mangled chest healed before their eyes.

"Limb Regeneration Potion..."

Vera knew the elder’s identity wasn’t simple, and the potion must be valuable.

But to think it was a top-tier magic potion like the Limb Regeneration Potion.

It seemed a bit extravagant.

The price of just this vial exceeded what the three of them earned in a year...

He awakened Fei Yin, now fully healthy and arguably in the best condition among them.

After a brief explanation of the situation, the three of them continued west, planning to traverse the forest.

Although the elder was heading to Dumb Wind Town, Vera didn’t want to take any more risks.

After some discussion, they decided to head to a nearby area to recuperate and reassess once the situation calmed down.

————

Hallucinogenic Spores permeated the entire cave, the successive sprays nearly draining Knight Puki’s entire stock.

That single-minded Dragon Man was indeed burrowing towards them with its burrowing technique, though Lin Jun no longer had time to watch.

Its claws could easily scrape through the rock, digging into the cave like a mole.

By now, it had probably reached halfway.

With no options left, Lin Jun prepared the highest level of reception for it.

Not only was there a dense toxic mist, but six single-use fungal cannons extended from behind Knight Puki.

At 200% additional skill power, it would receive a warm welcome as soon as it appeared!