Chapter 61: Mercenary Squad

I frantically kicked my legs, but unfortunately, I was still in a frozen state, and my speed had slowed down a lot. The distance between me and the black wanderer behind me was actually getting closer.

"Bang!"

Another arrow hit me, causing a splash of bloody ice. My body, which had gradually warmed up, became stiff again.

The small monsters around it also caught up, and 7 or 8 arrows immediately whistled and hit my back. Although the damage wasn't high, the momentum they brought made me stumble, and my frantic kicking became disordered, further reducing my speed.

At this point, I could only drink health potions while running as fast as I could. As long as I could run out of this passage and return to the narrow cave entrance, I would be safe.

The arrows kept hitting my back. The ordinary small monsters weren't a problem, given my high defense, but the small boss was different. Not only did it leave a bloody hole in my back each time, but the freezing attribute of its arrows was extremely frustrating.

Freezing? Right, in my panic, I had forgotten about this. I quickly activated the Ice Armor. This way, it could slightly reduce the damage from the small boss. To my surprise, after activating the Ice Armor, the cold sensation in my body was slightly alleviated. Could this be the legendary "fighting poison with poison"?

With the protection of the Ice Armor, I finally managed to run through this deadly path. Seeing the narrow entrance, I rushed over with great joy. Inside was a narrow, winding passage, which was very disadvantageous for archers. The black wanderer behind me seemed to know the danger and stopped, pacing around for a while before leaving.

"Damn."

Feeling safe, I immediately huddled up like a virgin who had just been raped, my lips, frozen purple, tightly clenched. Damn, I had never been so wretched since I started my training. The frustration of being unable to fight back almost made me vomit blood. Seeing that my health was less than a quarter, I broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, I finally made it; otherwise, the vitality potion in my belt would have been wasted.

Sigh, I was too careless this time. Curiosity really can kill a cat, as the old saying goes. But wait, after level 12, you'll know your mistake. I left with a full belly of frustration, planning to find a hiding place to warm up.

Finding a hiding place in the cave was something I was already very familiar with. Soon, I found a mark on the nearby wall. The mark was already very blurred, so I used my military knife to trace the engraving, making it clearer. Following the mark, I found this hidden hiding place. To my surprise, there was a fire inside!

I hesitated for a moment but decided to go in. There might not be other hiding places nearby, and whoever was inside was likely an ally, not an enemy, so there was nothing to worry about.

However, I still kept my wits about me and didn't put away the Venomous Flower Vine and the Crow, leaving them outside to be ready at any moment.

I didn't foolishly rush in immediately. The entrance to this cave was surely full of traps.

"Is anyone inside? Can I borrow a place to rest for a while?"

After a short while, there was a rustling sound at the cave entrance, as if they were dismantling traps. After a while, a young female voice came from inside.

"Sir, please come in."

I bent down and crawled through the entrance, which was only a little over half a person's height. Bright firelight immediately shone on my eyes, which had already adapted to the darkness, causing me pain. After a while, I could finally see the entire hiding place clearly.

It was a hiding place of about 100 square meters, with a tall bonfire in the middle. Six people were standing around the bonfire, and with the girl who had welcomed me, there were seven in total.

When I looked more closely, I realized that this group of seven were all mercenaries. No wonder their tone was so respectful, and they all stood up when I entered. In the Dark Continent, the status brought by strength was quite clear.

Seeing their cautiousness, I didn't stand on ceremony and eagerly moved my cold body close to the bonfire, sitting down and savoring the warmth that penetrated to my bones.

The other seven people also sat down when they saw me. The girl who had welcomed me spoke first.

"Respected Mage Sir, are you training alone in the cave?"

I glanced at her. This female Rogue was very beautiful, even among the handsome Rogues. However, she was wearing a tattered cloth armor, which made her look like a pearl in the dark.

"Yes."

I nodded awkwardly, "But I'm not a Necromancer; I'm a Druid, Wu Fan."

"Ah, I'm sorry, I..."

The girl seemed a bit flustered. Mistaking a class was a serious insult to a class changer.

"It's okay, don't worry about it. It's dark here, and it's easy to make mistakes, isn't it?"

I hadn't developed the superior attitude of a class changer, so I didn't mind and smiled at her, giving her a way out.

Actually, I couldn't blame her. Who wouldn't mistake me for a Necromancer with my current gloomy eyes? I bet nine out of ten people would have the same misunderstanding.

"Indeed, Sir Wu Fan, your tolerance is as vast as the sea."

The girl bowed and said happily.

After chatting with them for a while, I understood that among the seven, there were three men and four women. Two of the men were Level 6 Barbarians (Act 5 mercenaries), and the other was a Level 7 Desert Warrior (Act 2 mercenary). Among the four women, the one who spoke to me, Aigali, was a Rogue Archer, and another was a Level 5 Ice Sword Mage (Act 3 mercenary).

This was a very reasonable mercenary combination, and their strength was likely quite good, as evidenced by their ability to venture this deep into the cave.

"Why did you come here to train?" I asked curiously, as the narrow and rugged terrain of the cave didn't seem suitable for a large group.

"It's safer here."

Aigali said matter-of-factly, "In the Cold Plains, a group like ours is easily surrounded."

Then she added admiringly, "But Sir Wu Fan, you can venture deep into the cave alone, which is truly impressive."

"Ha ha, I'm already Level 11, so it's no problem for me to be alone. As for you, being able to get this far is already quite remarkable." For a Level 11 class changer, the monsters in this cave were no longer suitable for training.

"Level 11?"

Aigali's eyes sparkled, "Sir Wu Fan, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"May I ask, where is your mercenary? Are they not with you?"

"I can't afford to hire a mercenary."

After saying this, I felt the eyes of the seven people become more intense. Aigali was more perceptive.

"Sir Wu Fan, if you need a mercenary, I believe any of us can be your best helper."

Aigali said confidently. Indeed, although their levels were a bit low, their ability to venture deep into the cave proved that they were not weak. A good mercenary's level wasn't as important as their potential. Some excellent mercenaries, after rigorous training, were recognized by the gods and suddenly advanced to class changers, which was not unheard of.

"Sure, when I have enough money, I'll definitely consider you first."

I smiled, looking at the hopeful faces of the seven people. I didn't want to disappoint them—mercenaries were a burden to me at this stage.

"By the way, Sir Wu Fan, did you also encounter the Cold Raven?"

The petite female Sword Mage sitting opposite me suddenly said. Sword Mages were a unique type of Mage. Most Mages relied on staves to cast spells, while Sword Mages used swords, and the higher the sword's attack, the greater their damage.

"Yes, but did you also encounter it?"

This question had a hint of "Did you also hit a wall today?" from the previous world, but I was more puzzled and confused. In the state of Werewolf Transformation + Ice Armor, I barely managed to escape. How could they also do it? I wasn't underestimating them, but a small boss-level monster could almost one-shot a mercenary, especially a Rogue Archer like Aigali and a female Sword Mage.

"Yes."

Seemingly noticing my confusion, the young mage explained, "We discovered it early. It chased us for a while and then gave up. Kus was hit by the small boss's arrow and almost died. Fortunately, we had this and managed to escape safely..."

She took out a small yellow potion, still shaken by the experience.

I looked closely and was surprised to see that it was a Dissolving Potion. If I had one earlier, I wouldn't have been so miserable.

After that, I continued chatting with them, mostly about trivial topics. Seeing that they still maintained a cautious distance, I lost interest and got up to leave. I was already Level 11, and I only needed half the experience to reach Level 12. Although I wanted to stay and observe their combat style for inspiration, time didn't wait for me. I desperately needed the second-stage skills.

Before leaving, I traded 10 Health Potions and 10 Mana Potions for a Dissolving Potion from the Sword Mage. The value was more than enough, and although she insisted it wasn't necessary, I didn't want to owe her a favor.

Starting from Level 10, the experience from the cave monsters had significantly decreased. If I could leave, I would definitely choose to level up in the Stone Wasteland.

In the following days, I immersed myself in endless slaughter. My mind was filled with nothing but killing... The enemies in front of me were countless, and my hands were covered in blood. Unconsciously, my eyes had taken on a savage, blood-red hue.

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(End of Chapter)