Chapter 95: The Monster Invasion

Leading Xiao Xue and the others, we swept through the courtyards one by one. The outer corridor had many courtyards, intertwined like a maze. Of course, I wasn't there to admire the scenery, though it was indeed magnificent. I didn't have the leisure for such things. The teleportation station in the outer corridor was located in one of these courtyards, forcing me to wander around.

After searching for a long time, just when I thought I was lost, I finally found that accursed teleportation station. As usual, it was in an incredibly remote location—on the roof of a house inside a courtyard. If I hadn't happened to look up, I might never have found it.

Arriving at the teleportation station in the outer corridor, I found that there was already an adventuring party sitting there. Their faces were anxious, and they looked down with gloomy expressions. When they saw me approach, they all suddenly looked up, but then their eyes fell again with disappointment.

Watching the mage register my name, I leaned in and whispered, "What's going on with them?"

The mage shook his head. "Sir, I'm not entirely sure, but it seems that something happened to one of their team members. I've seen this team before, and now it seems they are missing one person."

Missing one person? My heart skipped a beat. After the mage finished recording, I immediately walked over to them.

"Excuse me..."

The five mercenaries, seeing me approach, stood up from their seats, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Druid sir, is there something you need?"

"No, nothing in particular. I just wanted to ask, you all look so anxious, has something happened?"

Hearing my words, the five mercenaries immediately lowered their heads with a look of sorrow. The leader, a Rogue Archer, began to explain.

The situation was as I had suspected. This mercenary team was training in the Tempest Highlands. As a scout, the Rogue Archer named Brown, due to a momentary lapse, led the entire team to be pursued by a group of elite Dark Stalkers. To make up for his mistake, Brown volunteered to be the decoy. Before leaving, he agreed that after shaking off the Dark Stalkers, they would meet at the teleportation station in the outer corridor.

"Please don't worry, sir. Brown will be fine. He is our team's best scout, with a wealth of experience."

The leader, a Rogue Archer, managed a weak smile. However, the risks of being a decoy were not something that experience alone could mitigate. The unknown dangers along the way were enough to kill even the most experienced scout. Everyone knew this, and the leader was merely trying to comfort his teammates, and perhaps himself.

Now, I had to be the one to shatter their last hope by presenting the harsh reality.

"Although I hope so too, I may have to tell you some bad news..."

I tried to speak as calmly as possible, then took out the hunting bow from my inventory and silently handed it to the leader.

It was just an ordinary white hunting bow, with no special features or markings. But at this moment, its significance was all too clear.

The leader's hands trembled as he slowly took the bow from me. He almost dropped it, but I hadn't let go yet. On the second attempt, he managed to hold it steadily.

Men may not shed tears easily, but only because they haven't reached the point of true sorrow. I watched them stand there silently for a while before sighing and turning to leave.

"Please wait, Druid sir."

The leader wiped his eyes and looked up, his gaze now firm. I was surprised by how quickly he had composed himself. If it were my teammate, I would have needed time to grieve or to swear revenge.

Perhaps they were used to it. Mercenaries lived in the gap between life and death.

"May I ask your name, Druid sir?"

I was taken aback by his question but quickly smiled and answered.

"Please don't be too formal. I am Druid, Wu Fan."

"Ah, it's Wu Fan sir. We have heard of your name before. We never expected to meet you here and receive your help. Please allow us to show you our highest respect." The leader's eyes widened when he heard my name, and he and the other four bowed deeply.

"Ha ha, no need to be so formal." I rubbed my nose, feeling a bit uncomfortable. When did I become a celebrity?

Then, I briefly recounted the scene when I found Brown. Of course, I omitted certain details. When I mentioned that Brown had died with a smile and that I had buried his body, their gloomy faces finally showed a hint of relief.

"Brown must have returned to the embrace of the gods."

They placed their hands on their chests and said solemnly. It seemed their minds had been thoroughly poisoned by those religious fanatics. But seeing that they had temporarily overcome their grief, I didn't bother to argue about such trivial matters.

"By the way, Wu Fan sir, are you planning to return to the Rogue Camp to participate in the village defense?"

Just as I was about to leave, the leader asked a question that caught me off guard.

"What, a defense battle?" I asked, puzzled.

"Yes, sir, haven't you heard? Akara is currently gathering adventurers who are training outside and urging them to return to the Rogue Camp. It seems that a large group of monsters is gathering outside the villages near the camp."

The leader was surprised that I hadn't heard the news.

"Oh, I see. I've been training alone, so I wasn't aware. Could you tell me more about it?"

"This situation dates back a few months. There were rumors of monster uprisings, but they were on a small scale, so they didn't attract much attention."

Hearing this, I recalled the rumors I had heard in the Rogue Camp's tavern, but I hadn't taken them seriously at the time.

"However, not long ago, they started to gather. Several villages outside the Rogue Camp have been surrounded by monsters. Although similar incidents have happened before, they were usually limited to one village. This large-scale activity is unprecedented. The elders in the camp are very anxious, so they are now gathering adventurers to return and assist in the village defense. It's a collective training exercise."

The leader's detailed explanation helped me understand what was happening. No wonder I hadn't encountered any adventuring parties recently; they must have already been notified and returned to the Rogue Camp.

Thinking about this, I couldn't resist. I had been out for several months, and it was time to return to the Rogue Camp. Although I didn't think the monsters' attack would cause much damage, it would be fun to join in.

After resting for a while, I entered the teleportation station with the mercenary team and returned to the Rogue Camp, which I hadn't visited in about three months.

After exiting the teleportation station, the mercenaries bid me farewell. They had to go to Brown's home to inform his family. Seeing their heavy expressions, I wondered how they would break the news to Brown's family. I shook my head, said goodbye, and headed straight for Lar's house.

When I left, the Rogue Camp was still cold and bleak, but now it was sunny and perfect for herding and planting. However, the people passing by, perhaps affected by the news of the monster invasion, didn't seem very excited. They all looked preoccupied.

Arriving at Lar's house, I found only Aunt Sally. I thought Lar and the others hadn't returned, but Sally told me they had been back for a while and were probably at the square, where Elder Kasha was gathering adventurers to assign tasks for the defense.

I realized I had arrived a bit late and hurried to the central square of the camp. Before I reached the square, I could already hear Kasha's distinctive voice.

"... The only path for us adventurers is to raise our weapons and cut our enemies to pieces, using their lives to defend our families, friends, and land. The blood of our enemies is our badge of honor, and their screams are our best congratulations. Let us use their bodies to cover the entire Bloodied Wasteland, and eliminate all who dare to challenge us. Kill, kill, kill..."

Kasha, who usually spoke lazily, now exuded a bloodthirsty aura of a seasoned warrior. The intense fighting spirit stimulated even me from a distance, let alone the surrounding adventurers, who were now highly motivated and full of energy. The entire square was filled with a fierce atmosphere as they raised their weapons and shouted. The roar of thousands of adventurers and nearly ten thousand mercenaries echoed throughout the Rogue Camp, dwarfing even Doug's loud voice.

Next, the tasks were assigned. The target villages for the monster attack were ten, so they had to be organized to avoid one village being overstaffed while another suffered due to insufficient combat power.

I had arrived late and hadn't registered, so my name wasn't on the list. But since I was there, I joined in and listened carefully.

The assignment was simple. The thousands of adventurers were divided into ten groups, each led by an experienced high-level adventurer. Whether to defend or attack was decided by the leaders. This was a rather lazy but effective method, as the chosen leaders were certainly not ordinary people; otherwise, their orders would not be followed by the temporary team members.

However, there were some special teams that caught my interest. They were the most powerful teams in the Rogue Camp, assigned as special action squads, essentially super special forces.

They had no specific tasks and could act freely. The monsters this time seemed to be organized, unlike before, and were gathering near the villages without launching reckless attacks.

Therefore, a special squad was formed to disrupt the monsters' ranks and gather useful intelligence. The monster attack was too organized and mysterious, and according to intelligence, Andariel was not involved. This situation worried Akara and the others.

Within an hour, the simple grouping was completed. Each registered adventuring party received their tasks and would head to their assigned villages, vigilant against sudden monster attacks and awaiting their temporary leaders' decisions.

After Kasha announced the meeting's end, the crowd dispersed. The dense crowd pushed forward, making me feel suffocated. I had wanted to talk to Kasha, but it seemed impossible now.

I moved with the crowd. In the crush, someone's head suddenly collided with my chest from the side. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and caught her as she fell. The soft, smooth sensation in my palm made me think, but I'm not that perverted. I just grabbed her waist, which was... well, quite... nice.

"Ah, I'm really, really sorry!"

A clear and shy voice came from the person in my arms. The voice sounded familiar.

Seeing the girl struggling to stand up, I was both amused and exasperated. I gently lifted her up.

"Thank you... huh?"

Standing steady, the girl lifted her beautiful face, looking surprised.

"Hi, Linya, it's been a while, no need to be so enthusiastic."

It seems the world is small. A random collision led to meeting an acquaintance.

"I... I wasn't... being enthusiastic... you... stop making things up...!!"

Linya pouted, her angry expression and tone always charming. I chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Okay, okay, it's my fault for holding you. Happy now?"

"Right, no, that's not it, you... you just like to bully me."

Linya answered, but then realized her response was inappropriate. She finally glared at me, stepped away, and said, annoyed.

"Alright, no more jokes. By the way, where are your other teammates? Why are you here alone?"

Seeing Linya's pouting mouth, I stopped teasing her.

"There were too many people, and we got separated."

As I chatted with Linya, I protected her frail body. Fortunately, my strength was decent, and we managed to get out of the crowd safely.

"By the way, Wu, which village are you assigned to defend?"

Linya bit her lip and asked softly.

Although I had played many dating games in my original world, I didn't catch the hint in Linya's words. I patted the back of my head, feeling a bit frustrated. "I just got back, so I'm not sure yet. I'll ask Kasha later."

"Is that so?" Linya blinked.

"My team is assigned to a village called Vitas, about 10 kilometers east of the Rogue Camp."

Linya's voice grew softer, her hands behind her back, fingers intertwined and twisting.

"Is that so? Okay, I'll ask Kasha if I can go to Vitas too."

I smiled and patted my chest, not very muscular. "Your team's safety is my responsibility."

"Hmph, don't underestimate us. Our team is strong too. Just take care of yourself, and we'll fight together."

Linya huffed, then covered her mouth and giggled.

As Linya and I chatted, someone suddenly bumped my shoulder from behind.

I turned around to see who the careless person was. It was Lar!

"See, I told you I didn't recognize you wrong. It's Wu."

Doug emerged from the crowd, smirking. Gav followed, and the three of us, reunited after a long time, looked excited and sweaty, probably due to Doug's mischief.

"You jerks, I've been looking for you in the Tempest Highlands. Where have you been?"

Seeing them, I was also very excited.

"Are you serious? You went to the Tempest Highlands alone?" Doug's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Of course. Who do you think I am?" I gave him a disdainful look.

They were surprised for a while, and then Lar answered. It turned out they had returned over a month ago. If not for the monster attack, they would have started training again a few days ago and missed me.

"Which village are you assigned to?"

Although Lar and the others had improved quickly, I didn't think they were strong enough to join the special squad.

"A village called Vitas. What about you, Wu?"

The world is indeed small. They were assigned to the same village as Linya.

"By the way, Wu, aren't you going to introduce your friend?" Lar had been eyeing Linya for a while.

Oops, I almost forgot about Linya in my excitement.

"She's my good friend, the sorceress Linya. Her team is also assigned to defend Vitas. Take good care of her."

I stepped aside and introduced Linya, who had been listening quietly.

"Linya Alder, Spraefel, nice to meet you all."

Linya bowed gracefully, exuding an elegant aura that commanded respect, a far cry from when I first met her.

"From the Alder family, our apologies. May I ask, is Lord Spraefel your...?" Lar and the others suddenly became respectful.

"She's my grandmother." Linya said proudly.

"O... Oh, I see... Ha ha, our apologies."

Lar was speechless. Wu had somehow connected with the direct heir of the Alder family.

Soon, Linya's teammates found her, and after a brief chat, they left, agreeing to meet in Vitas.

"Wu, you despicable guy, have you forgotten about my Sally? Unforgivable."

Lar suddenly grabbed my neck.

"Cut it out, really?" I shrugged off his not-so-strong grip and looked at him disdainfully.

"What do you mean, really or not? Do you think I envy you?"

Lar's eyes widened in denial.

"He he..."

I chuckled and whispered something to Doug and Gav. Soon, the three of us were grinning pervertedly.

"What are you up to? Don't you dare say anything to Sally. We're so close, she won't believe you."

Lar saw through our plan and looked wary, making us laugh even harder.

"Seriously, don't get too carried away. Keep Sally as your top priority..."

This was the nth time Lar had lectured me. I looked at him, amused and exasperated. I never thought this cunning paladin had such a gossipy side.

"Lar, how many times do I have to tell you? We're just friends. Besides, you said she's the direct heir of the Alder family. How could I possibly match up?"

A year of training had matured me. I was no longer the impulsive young man I used to be. I had no ulterior motives with Linya. As for the future, we'll see. Taking care of Sally at home was enough for me to be grateful.

"Hmm, true, a poor guy like you doesn't have much to offer her." Lar thought for a moment and finally relaxed.

Ugh, although that was my intention, it felt strange coming from Lar—after all, I was supposed to be his future son-in-law. He didn't need to belittle his daughter so much...