Chapter 172 171. Only One Person

Fifteen's face was as gloomy as water. Every time he swung his swords, it was more like he was venting his inner torment than digging.

He could almost imagine Solarin and the others falling one by one in the frenzy of Puchi...it was all his fault!

It was he who failed to kill the King of Puji!

Not only did he fail, but he was also trapped here!

If my sword had been faster...

Bang!

The two swords finally broke through the last layer of hard soil, rock and mycelium, and turbid air mixed with light fragments rushed in.

Fifteen, covered in dust, crawled out of the narrow gap in a panic, his eyes full of determination - he was ready to face the expected bloody hell with corpses everywhere, and then use his last strength to take revenge, or... be buried with his enemies.

He couldn't do such a thing as escaping in disgrace alone after all his teammates were wiped out!

However, the expected tragic scene did not appear.

There's no need to fight your way to the stairs, Solalin and the others are right outside the cave! ?

What caught my eye was a group of people who were stripped down to their underwear, lying on the ground in a crooked position.

Their chests were heaving, and it was obvious that they were just unconscious.

Fifteen really wanted to go forward and check on their condition, but he did not take a step - because the Pujis were still nearby.

A large number of Pooji gathered around this open space.

To say "surrounded" isn't quite right - it's more like they're each busy with something in their surroundings.

The cows and horses trampled over the unconscious people, carrying large and small pieces of Puji fragments and piling them together.

From time to time, I pick out one or two pieces and try to put them together.

And next to it are many Pujis that have already been "assembled".

Fifteen noticed at a glance that more than half of them were barely piled together and were not original at all.

What's this?

Puji also cares about keeping the corpse intact?

In any case, the Pujis are clearly more interested in the fragments than in their teammates.

Bigger than yourself.

Fifteen had been standing there for quite a while, but no Puji had taken the initiative to attack.

"This...what is this?" Fifteen muttered to himself, his voice dry and hoarse.

He looked at Solarin's furrowed brows in her coma, at Pastor Maine's inappropriate, dreamy smile, and then at the Pujis who were working diligently to become his "teammates"...an extremely complex and indescribable emotion surged in his heart.

Anger? Yes, but the subject seems blurred.

Fortunately? Yes, my teammates are still alive!

Frustrated? It's almost overflowing!

There is also a slight feeling of being choked by this overly realistic and absurd "ending".

He stood there like a statue, not knowing how to react for a moment.

Should I rush up and chop those puffs?

Or should I go check on Solarin and the others’ injuries first?

Or... continue digging a hole and bury yourself, pretending not to see this strange scene?

"Uh-huh……"

Just when Fifteen didn't know what to do, Soralin, who had been knocked unconscious, woke up first.

…

…

…

The long line moved slowly up the stairs.

The one leading the way in front is Puji, and the one guarding the rear is also Puji.

Caught in the middle were the captives who were empty-handed and about to be driven out of the dungeon.

The church warriors walked with heavy steps, their faces showing a mixture of luck at surviving the disaster and deep shame at being defeated, captured and at the mercy of others.

Ordinary adventurers, on the other hand, appear to be much more "pure".

The relief on his face could not be hidden, it was almost naked - he had saved a life!

In the entire team, only Fifteen's figure could be considered "decent".

Although he was also covered in mud, at least his clothes were intact and the Pujis did not try to confiscate his weapons.

Unlike Soralin, a commander, who is now only wearing shorts and a short shirt.

Forced to expose his waist and abdomen covered with muscles and scars.

"By the way, where is Lord Aidin?" Priest Maine, who was even more miserable than Solarin, with his upper body naked and only a pair of pants left, suddenly asked.

"Maybe... he escaped successfully?" Soralin asked uncertainly.

After all, he is a diamond-level illusionist. If we were to say who is most likely to escape in that situation, apart from Fifteen, Aidin is probably the one with the greatest hope.

Of course, being killed is not impossible.

Although Puji did not kill the captives in the end, more than one or two people died in the battle.

This question did not bother them for long.

When the team reached the second floor, they saw Aidin squatting with several adventurers who had long been "missing". He was also only wearing a pair of shorts - the Pujis even took away his earrings.

"Yo..." Aidin raised his head and saw this group of equally embarrassed companions. He forced an extremely awkward smile on his face and raised his hand to greet them.

Running away alone is not an honorable thing to do, not to mention... I haven't succeeded yet.

Fortunately, Solarin, Maine and others are not petty people.

In that desperate situation, anyone who could escape was a victory.

No one blamed him, and Fifteen just nodded slightly.

Solarin was more concerned about: "Why are you on the second floor?"

“My skills are not very good… My skills are not very good…” Aidin waved his hands repeatedly, with an expression that looked as if he couldn’t bear to recall the past.

When everyone saw him like this, they roughly imagined the embarrassing situation of his illusion failing or being intercepted midway, and tactfully did not ask any more questions.

Aidin rubbed his bare arms and raised the most realistic question at the moment with a bitter face: "By the way, does the reimbursement of the operation expenses promised by President Far include the equipment we lost?"

Aidin had a bitter face. Among everyone, he was the one who suffered the greatest loss.

A set of expensive mage equipment and jewelry, all gone...

For people like Solarin and Maine who have the support of the church, at least standard equipment will be issued to them.

As for Aidin, if Farr doesn't reimburse him, he will be in big trouble.

"Don't worry," Fifteen's deep voice sounded, with a hint of barely perceptible guilt, "I will help you explain to Farr."

He felt that he was responsible for the failure of this operation, and if it really didn't work, he should compensate Aidin out of his own pocket.

Hearing this, the sadness on Aidin's face finally dissipated a little, and he breathed a long sigh of relief: "Thank you very much!"

He continued to subconsciously rub the mycelium on his arms that was covered by the illusion, and finally he was in the mood to chat with everyone about other trivial matters.

——

The news of the Puji expeditionary force's complete defeat was like a huge rock smashing into the waters of Yafeng Town - nearly one-fifth of the troops died, and except for fifteen, the rest were stripped naked, and the only reason they were able to stay alive was due to Puji's "kindness"!

Not surprisingly, the entire Yafeng Town exploded instantly! On the streets, in the taverns and hostels, everyone was talking about this tragic defeat, and the Adventurer's Guild was once again pushed to the forefront.

President Far took the initiative to take full responsibility and increased the originally promised bounty by 50%. For the dead, the relatives of the deceased were given three times the bounty.

Two days later, in the Rotten Willow Tavern.

Aimee finally fulfilled the scene that appeared in her near-death hallucination - she generously slapped several large portions of fragrant catfish belly covered with thick honey on the table.

"Come! Eat! It's my treat!" She called out loudly to Horn, Old Hammer and Noah, trying to recreate the generosity and satisfaction in her dream.

However, the looks in the eyes of the teammates sitting around the table were completely different from the pure envy in the dream.

It was a complex and subtle look that was a mixture of disbelief, pity, and the feeling of seeing a fool win the lottery, all focused on Aimee.

"Why...why are you looking at me like that? Just tell me whether I have earned the bounty or not!"

(End of this chapter)