âAlright, instead of pondering over those matters, weâd better focus on ambushing Shelley as quickly as possible. If we canât manage that, we might never get the rewards, and possibly never touch the Power of Law or advance to LV95 in our lifetime!â Solyes spoke with a grave tone.
âShelley is immensely powerful. Moving forward, I suggest we operate as a team. Letâs not act individually just for the sake of potential spoils of war.â
âAlone, whether you can even survive an encounter with Shelley is uncertain.â
Hearing Solyesâ words, the expressions of the other powerhouses also turned serious.
Having reached their level, they were no fools.
Even if they felt unconvinced in their hearts, or were unwilling to believe that they could be weaker than Athena, they wouldnât make foolish decisions at this moment.
After all, if they could successfully ambush Athena and seize what she was protecting, the rewards from those behind them would be substantial!
And if people from different forces managed to grab it?
Well, the battle would just continue!
In short, in an instant, they had all set Athena as their target.
Because Wales and his group had left in a hurry, they hadnât been able to cover their tracks.
Solyes and the others, after waiting for the people behind them to catch up, followed the traces and entered Medea Ruins as well.
Meanwhile, Howard and his party were already weaving through dense forests and intricate structures.
To call it a Ruins was an understatement; it was more like a cluster of Ruins!
The entire Medea Ruins was nearly the size of a hundred top-tier cities, stretching as far as the eye could see, with no end in sight.
According to legends, this place once hosted over a dozen kingdoms.
Although each kingdom was relatively small, combined they covered a substantial area.
After these kingdoms fell into ruin, the area almost entirely transformed into a place of worship for Medea, thus the entire region became known as the Ruins of Medea.
In such an environment, countless buildings stood, and with hundreds of years of evolution and development, lush trees flourished, creating a forest as primal as any, making the task of locating someone within extremely challenging.
It was only because Solyes and the others were of a higher level and had exceptional talents that they had the confidence to pursue their prey into this territory.
Under these circumstances, Wales couldnât afford to hand-hold Howard through the process.
He simply instructed Howard to follow closely behind, learning how to scrutinize monsters and explore unknown territories and maps by observation.
Due to the dense vegetation within the Medea Ruins, the scouting work proved to be particularly arduous.
Everything from the underbrush and leaves to the swaying branches and even the ground itself had to be checked for marshes, traps, or hidden tunnels.
Wales even went so far as to attack the plants and trees, investigating any peculiar-looking flora for toxins.
Just watching Wales go about his work was enough to give Howard a headache.
Of course, the benefits of such thoroughness were significant.
Many monsters that were lying in ambush were caught off guard and dealt with by Wales before they could even launch an attack.
Take, for example, a venomous serpent whose body is a vibrant green, indistinguishable from the grass around it.
Under normal circumstances, even if people saw it move, they would likely dismiss it as the rustling of leaves in the wind.
In such situations, if one were to be attacked by this venomous serpent, the repercussions would be severe.
However, with Wales on the lookout, these creatures stood no chance.
Before they could even get close to the group, they were swiftly swatted away by Wales, resulting in an angry hissing from the disoriented serpents.
Caught off guard by the sudden appearance of these strange monsters, the magi were seized by fear.
In a synchronized effort, they cast a Linking Magic, enveloping the entire group in a protective shield.
Thankfully, the archers were ready to fight back.
The moment Wales detected the presence of monsters, they were quick to draw their bows and take aim.
In no time, a flurry of arrows whizzed through the air, raining down upon the monsters and exterminating them.
Athena held the rear guard, ensuring that Solyes and his group could not catch up.
At first, everything went smoothly, and the group made rapid progress.
However, as the monstersâ strength grew, the archers found it difficult to eliminate them instantly, resulting in prolonged battles.
Consequently, the groupâs advancement slowed down.
Fortunately, Wales was smart enough to choose a route that eluded Solyes and his group, ensuring their safety, at least for the time being.
However, this did not guarantee their safety indefinitely.
Solyes and his group were merely the first to be attracted to their trail.
As other pursuers arrived, they too would enter the Medea Ruins.
With their numbers increasing, Wales could not be certain that his chosen path would remain undetected by all.
All he could do was frantically explore the unknown regions of the ruins.
After all, the already-explored areas were bound to be thoroughly searched by the other groups.
It was only because they could not match Walesâs speed in opening up new paths that Howard and his group had not been discovered yet.
However, the monsters within the Medea Ruins were gradually becoming a hindrance to Howard and his team.
The deeper they went, the stranger and more formidable the monsters they encountered became.
Under such circumstances, Athena could no longer afford to cover the rear; she had to step in, slaying monsters while ensuring they maintained their pace.
Howard watched with a sense of regret as so many high-level monsters perished before him.
The level gap was too great, resulting in minimal experience points gained.
If only he had ventured here after reaching level 60, he thought, the rich experience points earned along the way could have boosted him up by two or three levels!
HummingâŠ
Just as Howard and the others were delving deeper, a buzzing sound akin to that of mosquitoes suddenly filled the air.
At first, it was bearable, but the noise gradually grew louder, thundering in their ears like a storm.
Looking up abruptly, Howard, Wales, and the others were met with a startling sight.
Not far away, a swarm of black mosquitoes was approaching.
They were densely packed, converging into a dark cloud that emitted an overwhelming sense of oppression.
A dark cloud loomed over the city, threatening to crush everything in its path. And this was not just any cloudâit was a swarm of monsters!
âMosquitoes?â
âHisss⊠Even mosquitoes, such weak creatures, undergo mutations in the Medea Ruins?â
Witnessing this spectacle, the archers and magi immediately fell into a state of panic.
Wales furrowed his brows, speaking in a low voice, âAthena, it looks like we need to change our course. However, weâve been on the move this entire time. If we turn back now, thereâs a high chance weâll run into those chasing us. When that happens, we may be in for a fierce battle. You need to unleash your full power and swiftly eliminate anyone who comes into contact with us. Only then can we leave no trace behind and switch directions!â
Wales couldnât help but feel the tension rising.
Previously, he wouldnât have said so much to Athena.
âAlright, rest assured, I definitely wonât let you down,â Athena nodded, her words genuine. After all, if things really did go south, Wales wouldnât suffer too much; the one who would truly be in agony would be her.
If she failed in this escort mission, the entire Crimson Dragon City would face severe repercussions. đđŠ.đ€đđź
âThen letâs start retreating gradually, avoiding any contact with these mosquitoes,â Wales spoke sternly, âThe more ordinary a monster appears to be, the more terrifying it actually is. These mosquitoes are still at a distance from us, yet just their flight alone is producing such a sound, there must be something strange about them!â
Hearing Walesâ words, the others neither agreed nor disagreed, immediately turning slowly to tactically withdraw, intending to avoid a direct confrontation.
Howard also understood then, why the Medea Ruins had such a notorious reputation.
Back in the Mordun Wasteland, regardless of the monsters they encountered, Athena and the others had shown no fear, quickly dealing with any threat.
Who would have thought that in less than half a day since entering the Medea Ruins, they would actually be forced to retreat by monsters?
However, Wales and his teamâs retreat was too late.
Buzzâ
A sudden, thunderous roar erupted as the swarm of black mosquitoes accelerated, diving down with the momentum of dark clouds bearing down on a city.
From a distance, it truly looked like the storm clouds in the sky were about to fall!
âwhat the fuck! Counterattack, counterattack!â
These warriors, battle-hardened and experienced, naturally knew that showing their backs during a charge was the last thing they should do. .đ€đ°
They turned around, with some chanting spells and waving their wands, while others drew their bows and nocked arrows, all of them locking onto the swarm of black mosquitoes.
Even Athena swung her long sword, fiercely slashing out a blade of light.
However, with the Medea Ruins filled with trees, Athena chose not to activate her own Pyro to avoid exposing her location.
Her silvery blade light boldly sliced into the swarm of black mosquitoes.
Pfft!
A crisp sound rang out as a large number of mosquitoes were cut down, their bodies falling to the ground.
Yet before Howard and the others could catch their breath, they were shocked to discover that the mosquitoes, even with their bodies severed, were actually emitting light, restoring themselves to their original state as if they had never been injured at all!
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