Chapter 14

This time, the three figures did not search for more traces, as the two figures crouching on the hillside were clearly visible targets. They just exchanged glances and quickly rushed towards the direction of the two people.

However, Rod's speed was not slow either.

His figure flashed, sliding down the hillside at an angle. Accompanied by a loud whistle, the soul bird that had been flying and circling in the sky seemed to receive some kind of command and swooped down, rushing towards the three black-clothed figures.

"——!!"

Faced with the sudden attack of the soul bird, the three black-clothed figures did not panic. They quickly formed a defensive formation. One of them swung his dual swords and charged forward, while the other two continued to rush towards Lige and Mace. Clearly, they had clear division of labor and were very professional. They would not stop for such a minor distraction. If the attacker were just ordinary birds, they would indeed be unable to stop them.

However, it was very unfortunate that it was not a physical entity.

Facing the cold sword blades, the greenish-blue bird showed no intention of dodging but charged straight ahead. The black-clothed figure's eyes revealed a hint of joy at this sight, but in the next moment, his expression turned to horror—because he clearly saw the greenish-blue bird penetrate the sword tip and charge straight at him!

Elemental creature!

The black-clothed figure was greatly alarmed. He hastily twisted his body, barely avoiding the attack. However, even so, the soul bird still passed through his shoulder. The black-clothed figure felt as if half of his body had instantly fallen into an ice cellar, losing sensation. His body, which had been trying to maintain balance, paused in mid-air and then fell heavily to the ground, his short sword flying out of his hand.

The other two were not much better off. When the soul bird passed by them, they did not pay much attention. But soon, a bone-chilling cold wind followed, blowing over their bodies. Both felt their bodies instantly become numb and stiff, and they had to stop.

Although this strange discomfort quickly dissipated, the few seconds of delay allowed Lige and Mace to reach the position of the white stone. Seeing this, the leader of the black-clothed figures frowned, gestured, and then took out a short crossbow from his waist.

"What, what's happening!"

The fat merchant, who had been exhausted from climbing halfway, stumbled to the side of the white stone under Lige's guidance. He leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily. But before he could complain, several black shadows suddenly flashed past him and hit the stone wall beside him.

"Ah!"

Mace quickly crouched down, covering his head, while Lige instinctively shrank back and also pulled the fat merchant, pushing him into the shadows to avoid another attack.

"We must hurry."

At this moment, Rod also appeared, following closely behind. He glanced at the three black figures not far from the bottom of the hill and said.

"Who, who are they! What's happening! Why are they attacking us?"

"Probably spies."

Although the distance was not too far, the clear weather allowed Rod to see that they were wearing the standard attire of spies under the protection of the Light Dragon Soul. The spy uniforms of various countries were mostly similar, and only after killing them would they know which country they were from. However, Rod did not have such strength now. The fact that even the special ability of the soul bird could only freeze them for a few seconds indicated that either their resistance to elemental attacks was too high or his level was too low to achieve better attack effects.

Staying here was futile.

"As for why they are attacking us, you can ask them yourself. Maybe they will tell you something before you die if they are in a good mood."

Although Rod rarely told a joke, the fat merchant could not laugh. As a merchant who had been trading for many years, he knew that spies were not easy to provoke. Just thinking about the not-so-pleasant rumors circulating among his peers made the fat merchant pale and sweat profusely. So, despite his legs trembling from exhaustion, he still forced himself to stand up and followed Rod, heading towards the small path behind the white stone.

The Zennar Mountain Road was once a very prosperous trade route, wide enough for two carriages to travel side by side. But now it had been completely abandoned, with various rocks from the cliffs on both sides rolling down and piling up on the road, making the once wide road rugged and narrow. The three of them stumbled forward but did not dare to stop. Rod often looked back, but the situation did not improve—the footsteps of the pursuers were becoming clearer. If it were not for the terrain restrictions, they would have been surrounded long ago.

"Mr. Rod! No way out!"

Lige's exclamation made Rod turn around. Indeed, the mountain road ahead was completely blocked by fallen rocks, making it impossible to climb over or break through.

As expected.

Rod shook his head slightly. He originally thought that the game did this to force players to follow the system's set route, but now it seemed that was not the case—regardless, this was not his original purpose.

"Go right."

"Right?"

Hearing Rod's command, both were stunned. They looked at the small path on the right, hesitating in their steps.

Although the main road was blocked, there was a small path nearby. The strangest thing was that despite the clear sky, the path was shrouded in thick fog. The sunlight passing through the dense fog created an extremely eerie atmosphere. Just looking at it made one feel that something was amiss, and now Rod wanted them to go there?

"Hurry, there's no time."

However, under Rod's urging, the two quickly entered the fog. Soon, their figures were completely obscured by the thick fog and disappeared from sight.

Seeing the two enter, Rod also breathed a sigh of relief. He looked back again and then extended his right hand.

"Cage!"

A card appeared in the center of his palm, turning from blue to white. Then, a snow-white sword blade reappeared. Rod gripped the long sword and swung it towards the cliff.

A bright white blade of light shot out from the sword, hitting the large rock on the cliff above. Soon, with a loud rumble, the broken rocks and dust rolled down. When the three black-clothed figures caught up, Rod's figure had already disappeared into the deep fog, hidden by the dust and rocks.

"Damn it!"

Looking at the devastated mountain road, one of the black-clothed figures gritted his teeth in frustration. The road ahead was completely blocked by rocks, making it impossible to pass. Not to mention, Rod's sword had triggered a chain reaction, causing the cliffs on both sides of the mountain road to tremble, making it even more dangerous to continue.

"What should we do?"

"There's nothing we can do."

Another black-clothed figure stared at the completely blocked mountain road.

"We can only report back to the captain and send people to monitor all the nearby towns. They must be trying to leave from the back, but I didn't expect these guys to be so resourceful."

"Elemental creature, are there any mages among them?"

"If they were mages, it wouldn't be surprising, but from our observations, there doesn't seem to be a mage among them."

As the two black-clothed figures exchanged opinions, another black-clothed figure, who had been silent and observing the marks on the cliff, spoke up.

"There is a very skilled swordsman among them."

After saying this, the black-clothed figure turned around.

"Let's go. These targets are indeed not simple, but we haven't lost yet. Pass the order to immediately monitor the surrounding towns. I believe they can't stay in the mountains forever."

For Rod and the others, the danger had not yet passed.

"This is... what place?"

The fat merchant stared blankly at the scene before him. He thought he had seen everything after traveling for so many years, but the events of the past few days told him that there was still much he did not know about the world.

After passing through the thick fog, what appeared before them was an abandoned, desolate town. The entire town was shrouded in dense fog, making everything blurry. Even looking up at the sky, all they could see was a gray haze. The world was completely different from the clear and bright sky they had just experienced, appearing dark and lifeless, as if it were a different plane.

"This is the Mist Ruins."

Rod, who had followed behind, answered casually.

"Once we pass through here, we can reach the Aragak Pass, and then we can leave."

"But, is this place... dangerous?"

Anyone with eyes could tell that this place was not peaceful.

"Of course, it's dangerous."

Rod did not elaborate. The Mist Ruins was the first ten-level five-man dungeon in the game, and it was the first dungeon for players. It was not particularly difficult, but it was not easy either. For their group of three, it was quite troublesome. Rod was only level eight, and Lige was only level six. The merchant, with a combat level of five, was not even considered. In the end, this was essentially a level eight summoner swordsman and a support class soloing a ten-level five-man dungeon—anyone in the game would consider this foolish.

Rod was not foolish. In fact, it was only after seeing Lige that he thought of this risky plan. Otherwise, Rod would not have chosen this path. In fact, this path was now the safest.

Comparing the danger levels.

"However, as long as you follow my orders, there won't be too much risk. So..."

At this point, Rod turned his head and looked at the blonde girl beside him.

"Lige, it's up to you here."