Chapter 66 Return

The person opposite clearly noticed my presence. The figure flickered, and their already well-positioned stance instantly formed a combat formation. "May I ask if you are the Druid? We are the Snow Wolf Mercenary Squad from the Rogue Camp. We just saw the commotion here and came to check. Please don't misunderstand."

The slaughter I had just witnessed left a trace of brutality and bloodlust in my eyes. Coupled with the fierce face of the bear form, the mercenaries did not dare to relax at all. Incidents of job changers rebelling and killing people were not unheard of.

However, the moment they appeared, countless thoughts had already raced through my mind. For a split second, I had even entertained the idea of killing them—would they discover my secret?

But I eventually calmed down. A 12th-level job changer, if they had even stronger abilities, might be able to enter this place alone. Besides, there were too many of them. Although they were just mercenaries, I had no experience in player versus player (PvP) combat. If they decided to run, I was not familiar with the layout of the second floor and might not be able to stop them all. Weighing the pros and cons, I finally put aside my murderous intent.

To show that I had no ill intentions, I first canceled the bear transformation and tried to force a smile.

Fortunately, I wasn't discovered during the slaughter of the Cold Raven. Otherwise, even if it meant carrying the burden of harming my own kind, I would have killed them all, leaving none behind...

"It turns out you are the Snow Wolf Mercenary Squad."

The mercenaries relaxed when they saw me cancel the transformation, lowering their weapons and slowly approaching. When we could see each other clearly, we both exclaimed in surprise.

"It's actually you."

I smiled. The one standing at the front was none other than Kus, the desert warrior I had met at the hideout. The others behind him were presumably the other six members. I didn't expect them to dare come to the second floor. I wondered if it was due to their bravery or confidence. However, after so long, they were still intact, indicating they had at least seven-tenths of their strength.

The beautiful Rogue girl, Agali, stepped forward and bowed with a smile, her face full of surprise.

"What a coincidence. I didn't expect to have the honor of meeting you, Lord Wu Fan, again. This must be the will of heaven."

The will of heaven? I tugged at the corners of my mouth. If she knew I had just planned to kill them to cover my tracks, would she still call it the will of heaven?

"Lord Wu Fan, have you already reached the 2nd Tier Druid? And you're here alone, alone... Oh my God!!"

Agali noticed the Ghost Wolf and the Oak Sage behind me, then looked around the empty cave with disbelief. The bodies of the three elite bosses who had been killed first had already disappeared, leaving only the corpses of the Hungry Dead and Dark Wandering. However, she wasn't foolish enough to think there were no elite monsters here. Generally, places with golden treasure chests had at least one elite boss. They had come to the second floor hoping for a stroke of luck. If there was only one elite monster, and it was a slow-moving Hungry Dead, they might have a chance to get the golden treasure chest. But they were surprised to find that the monsters on the way had already been cleared, and they followed out of curiosity.

In the Dark Continent, heroes were in short supply. The beautiful verses recited by poets and the stories told by the common people were all about heroes. At that moment, the seven of them looked at me with fervent admiration, making me feel uneasy. Tired and unwilling to face their hopeful gazes, I decided to leave as soon as possible.

As I pulled out a teleportation scroll from my inventory, I replied casually.

"It's nothing, just good luck. There was only one elite, and I took care of it. And..."

"Right."

As the teleportation portal opened, I asked curiously.

"How are you going back? Do you have a teleportation scroll?"

Agali and the others looked at the portal I opened with envy.

"We can't afford teleportation scrolls. Lord Wu Fan, please don't worry. We know the way out of the cave."

In other words, they had to walk back. Even if they had the money, they might not be able to buy the scrolls. Job changers were always short on funds, and why would they sell to mercenaries?

I silently marveled at the complexity of the cave's passages, which were no less intricate than the Evil Caves. They had to find their way out, and I looked at them with sympathy. These mercenaries were the most pitiful. They had to constantly adventure to strengthen themselves, just like job changers, but their efforts often went unrewarded. They were like the hardworking farmers in the old world, toiling for a meager living, while we job changers were like the wicked speculators.

There was no fairness in this world. The path had to be walked by oneself. I wouldn't pity their situation because there were too many people to pity in this world. The two teleportation scrolls were a reward for their efforts and strength.

In the place where I had disappeared, Agali, with tears streaming down her face, bowed lightly. The two teleportation scrolls were equivalent to two lives. Although precious, she had already made the decision when she became a mercenary. What truly moved her was the residual warmth on the scrolls, a small but significant warmth.

Ah, I forgot to take the treasure chest. I was frustrated as I stepped into the teleportation portal...

Stepping out of the portal, I instinctively shielded my eyes, but the expected blinding light did not come. I slowly lowered my hand and looked up at the sky. It was already midnight. The stars and the blood-red moon cast a light veil over the earth. The runes on the teleportation array glowed faintly, adding a soft, mysterious touch to the quiet night. The cold and mysterious feeling made me feel as if I were floating in the vast universe.

"Lord, welcome back."

The two Rogue soldiers guarding the teleportation array said this, their voices respectful and strong, showing no signs of fatigue despite the late hour.

"Uh-huh."

I responded lightly, my voice unexpectedly cold, even to myself. I had intended to smile and compliment them, but why did my words come out so coldly? When had I become so indifferent?

I stood there in a daze for a while before leaving in a daze. The two Rogue soldiers didn't mind; to them, my attitude was already quite good.

"Lord, have a safe journey."

The voice from behind me made my heart ache. Perhaps it was just because I had been alone for too long and was not used to interacting with strangers. It would get better over time. I consoled myself as I walked, eventually reaching the Dream Inn. Many warriors returned late at night, so the lights in the Dream Inn were almost never turned off.

The next day, I groggily got out of bed and stood there for a while. The warm sunlight through the window reminded me that I was no longer in the hideout but back in the Rogue Camp.

What should I do now that I'm back? I thought dully. Practice archery, repair my equipment at Charsi's, ask questions at Akara and Cain's, and most importantly, practice the second-tier skills, especially the coordination with the five Ghost Wolves. They would be the main force in close combat, especially the aerial encirclement. If I could master it, there would be nothing in the Rogue Camp to fear, not even Andariel.

Hmm, no, perhaps there was one more monster. It would be best not to provoke it unless necessary. That was Bishibosh. Thinking of it, I couldn't help but laugh. It was quite amusing. Before learning the second-tier skills, I had already killed it once. After learning the second-tier skills, I could handle other bosses, but Bishibosh became the one I least wanted to deal with. The relationship was quite peculiar.

Of course, besides these tasks, I should also visit Lar and Doug to see how their hunt for the Countess went. I could also visit my little Sara...

It seemed that returning to the Rogue Camp wasn't as boring as I had imagined.

Oh, and I should also count the spoils from this adventure. They were piled up in my inventory, almost like a garbage heap. I opened my inventory and took out the items one by one.

The most valuable were the Golden Leather Armor and the six bottles of Vitality Potions. There was also the newly dropped necklace and two rings, one found in Bishibosh's chest with +11 accuracy, and the other dropped by an elite monster in the cave with a rather poor attribute—Craftsman's Ring: +1 maximum damage.

Next were the gems: 2 Shattered Blue Gems, 1 Shattered Diamond, 3 Shattered Green Gems, 2 Shattered Red Gems, and 1 Shattered Yellow Gem. I remembered there was a gem called Skull, but I didn't have any.

In addition, there was a rune: Tir.

Then came the equipment, scattered all over the floor: three hats, one damaged, one white, and the Skull Hat I was wearing; one set of clothes, including the Golden Leather Armor, a super-strong Leather Armor (the first one) with zero durability, a blue Cloth Armor (one I was wearing), and two white Cloth Armors; one pair of shoes, a white Leather Boots and a Heavy Boots; one pair of gloves and one belt, one blue and one white.

The weapons were numerous: 11 in total, including 7 white ones, 2 hand axes, 1 wooden club, 1 dagger, 1 long dagger (the one I was using), 1 short bow, 1 military knife, a blue short sword with zero durability, a +1 minimum damage hand axe with 4-6 damage, and a long bow and a double-bladed axe dropped from the three elite bosses.

There were also several potions, piled up in a corner, at least a few thousand bottles. Sweat...

And a considerable amount of gold, more sweat. This wasn't a game where gold was just a number; it was real gold, piled up in the corner. Although it felt very real, seeing the shiny gold every time made my eyes turn into two $ signs, but counting it was out of the question...

After a quick breakfast downstairs, I rushed to Charsi's blacksmith shop. Unlike in a game where a click of the mouse could repair everything, I was already satisfied if all the equipment could be repaired before my next departure!

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