Small disagreements
Who is this?
Trapped people like them?
Or is it using the appearance of a corpse to let them down, but in reality, like those long-necked monsters, it is waiting for its prey to automatically step into its attack range?
Ruixia obviously didn't think so much. After the initial surprise, he looked carefully, then turned his head and whispered to Ximu: "...It seems to be a female priest."
Ximu nodded, agreeing with this preliminary judgment.
The corpse had very long hair and a slender figure, and the magic robe it was wearing was indeed a female style.
Upon closer inspection, her face was dry and withered, and she looked like she had been dead for a long time, with no sign of life.
Moreover, they were peeking around the hole in the wall, but she didn't react at all, so it didn't seem like an ambush deliberately set by the dungeon owner.
"Could it be that he was captured here before us?"
Ruixia naturally thought of this as well. He fiddled with his small lens for a while, and after confirming that there was nothing abnormal, he nodded to Ximu and jumped in first.
Ximu followed closely behind, but the corpse still showed no reaction until they reached the other wall.
It seems that this is really just the skeleton of a victim.
"If I stay here and don't go out, will it end up like this?"
Ruixia looked at the lonely figure curled up in the corner, and she might have felt a little emotional.
Ximu did not comment on this.
Death is a very common thing to her. People who have lost their lives are no different from objects. She really doesn't understand why there is any need to be sentimental.
Besides, rather than lamenting the passing of life, the cause of her death is more worthy of further investigation.
It would be fine if he was simply trapped to death, but I'm afraid that this dry and rotten state of death was not a natural result, but that his flesh and blood were sucked out by some unknown magic circle. That would be terrible.
Although it's not very obvious, if you look closely, you can still see that the degree of decay of her clothes is subtly inconsistent with her body... From this point of view, it is more likely that she died from that strange magic circle.
"Her magic robe is very new."
When she mentioned this, Ruixia, who had already looked away, looked back again and soon realized her intention.
But before he could finish his words, "It seems we can't delay any longer, let's go quickly," Xi Mu suddenly turned around and walked quickly towards the corpse in the corner.
Then--
She stripped the priest's robe off the corpse and put it on herself!
Ruixia was startled and opened her mouth, but before she could utter a question, she was shocked by the sound of fabric being torn apart, and swallowed it back.
After removing and adjusting the overly wide sleeves and hem, Ximu tried the movements and, after confirming that they would not hinder his movements, he nodded with satisfaction and picked up the priest's staff that had rolled to the side.
"Okay, let's go."
"...Actually, I can also give you my clothes."
Ximu did not quite agree with Ruixia's proposal.
The material of Ruixia's clothes does look good, but perhaps for the convenience of going out, the style is simple and neat. To change her clothes, I have to untie a bunch of hand guards and straps, which takes too much time.
Moreover, as a mechanic, he must have more than one or two scrolls and one or two small insects hidden on him... Since he is not an enemy, there is no need for her to take advantage of him to find out his background while he is tidying up his clothes. Why waste the time?
"The person is already dead, and the clothes will just rot if left alone. What's the point of using them?"
"Then...what are you doing with this staff?"
Ximu's previous reaction after using the scroll was more like the body's stress protection response after mental trauma rather than backlash from improper use... In this state, forcibly using magic power is very dangerous!
The boy's gaze shifted from disapproval to worry. Ximu had no idea what he was thinking, so she simply explained calmly, "To swing it."
“Ah…ah?”
A staff isn't just for casting spells. As long as it's a stick-shaped object, it can be swung, smashed, picked up, and struck. If she really encounters an enemy attack, she can't just fight the enemy with empty hands, right?
Although she did not use long weapons most often in the past, she could still make do with them in special circumstances.
Ruixia was speechless and it was difficult to comment.
But... this is in any way a disguised way of strengthening one's own combat power. There is no need to argue with one's only teammate at the moment for a person who has been dead for a long time.
After finishing this task, they followed the same method, blasted open the next wall with a cannon, and successfully entered the last cell.
The cell was empty, no victims were found dead inside.
Behind the next wall should be the stairs leading to the upper level.
The fateful moment finally arrived. The two of them looked at each other cautiously, both somewhat nervous.
"How about I fire a cannon into the empty space and use up the third one first?"
Ruixia's suggestion was not unreasonable. He had already used two magic crystal cannons. After the third shot, the machine would enter the charging stage, which would take about five minutes.
After all, the other side of the wall in the stairwell is considered "outside the prison". If they attract monsters to chase them, they will face the difficult moment of losing effective killing for a full five minutes.
Although Xi Mu appeared to be overly calm and seemed to have extensive combat experience, she had just recovered from a serious injury and the staff in her hand could only be used as a cold weapon.
Moreover, judging by her figure, she doesn't look like the kind of powerful warrior who can defeat ten opponents with her own strength...
Instead of being surrounded from both sides and wiped out immediately, it would be better to go out directly with three magic crystal cannons fully loaded, which would give you much more room to maneuver.
"Do you have enough energy for your magic crystal cannon?"
"Don't worry about that. I still have a few spare magic crystals on me. As long as we are not surrounded by more than six monsters, it should be enough."
Hearing this, Ximu nodded slightly, feeling that this approach was indeed safer.
"Do you have any speed-boosting items on you? Scrolls or magical tools, for example?"
Hearing this, Ruixia thought carefully, and then shook her head with regret.
No wonder.
Mechanics generally do not charge into the front lines. Except for full-time researchers, even if they join an adventurer's team, they mostly play roles such as providing support from the rear and disrupting the battlefield.
Auxiliary work that directly provides benefits to teammates is generally performed by priests.
Since Ruixia had formed a team and was going out, it was naturally impossible for her to bring all types of equipment...
Forget it, if there is no such thing, then there is no such thing.
The worst-case scenario was that the upstairs was still a prison, and before they could escape, they'd be blocked by monsters from the upper floor. If it was a similar monster, they'd at least have some familiarity with it and wouldn't be completely at a loss. But if a completely unfamiliar monster appeared...
After thinking it over again and again, Ximu spoke.
"After we break the wall, stay where you are and let me get out first."
Ruixia was stunned and didn't understand the reason for such an arrangement. She looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"Monsters won't attack the prisoners. If you stay put, all the monsters will target me. These magical creatures can't be mass-produced in a short period of time. As long as I lure them away, you can take advantage of the opportunity..."
"no."
The boy, who had always been very kind, interrupted her for the first time.
"What kind of solution is this! I took the opportunity to run away, what will you do?"
Faced with such a question, Ximu was a little confused for a moment.
What should she do?
He was the one who said that the entire dungeon was filled with magic arrays that absorbed energy, so he wanted to get out as soon as possible... Isn't the purpose of this operation to get him out somehow?
She was just helping him achieve this goal.
As for whether she can get out alive...isn't that something that should be considered together with the goal?
Actually, why did she use that healing scroll at that time?
Is it just because the pain is unbearable?
What is the difference between dying on the altar and dying in a dungeon?
Ximu was a little dazed by the series of questions in her mind. Looking at the boy's face which was already beginning to get angry, she didn't know why she felt a little insecure.
"I...will try to get out."
She didn't convince herself, but she tried to convince him.
"You just recovered from being covered in blood, and you're holding a stave you picked up. No matter how brave you are, you can't single-handedly fight a monster that heavy without using magic, right? And there's more than one of them—if you can't effectively kill them, how are you going to escape if they trap you?!"
Ximu couldn't answer because she really hadn't thought about this question.
If you get trapped to death... then just die.
She was all too familiar with death.
Ever since she could remember, she was either undergoing rigorous training or on her way out to kill people... She had taken so many lives and had brushed shoulders with death so many times that it was impossible to count them all.
Even ants try to survive, but after years of reinforcement and guidance, her will to survive is no longer strong.
What’s the point of living?
Going home?
The fact that she is still alive means that the ceremony must have failed, and the fundamental reason for its failure was not discussed with her in advance by anyone.
Should she go back?
Should I care about the life and death of my mother and brother?
If there's no need to worry... then what does it matter whether she gets out alive or not?
Wouldn't it be nice if I could just repay the favor of this young man in front of me?
But for some reason, looking at Ruixia's golden-red eyes filled with all kinds of disapproval, Ximu opened his mouth, but did not dare to say "If you can't get away, then you can't get away". He could only express his considerations from a different angle.
"Then, what if the way out from above is suddenly blocked by a new monster..."
"Then blast him!"
It seemed that he was really angry. The boy changed his previous cautious attitude and patted a place on his waist indignantly, thinking that there might be some other treasures hidden there.
"If the road is blocked, then just blast it away! If one shot doesn't work, then two. If two shots don't work, I'll just gather all the energy in the magic crystal and give it a big one, even if it means I'll destroy it! I don't believe it. As long as that monster is made of flesh and blood, there's no way I can't destroy it!"
The high ponytail swayed excitedly with his movements, vividly showing Ruixia's anger at the moment.
"So... stop talking about this so-called 'efficient' plan. Leaving your companions to take the damage while you escape safely, in our family, that's going to get you kicked out! Two people working together is always better than one person fighting alone. I never thought of abandoning you, so how could you give up on yourself first?"
This is not what she was taught since childhood.
But the girl, who had long been accustomed to fighting alone, suddenly felt a small ripple in her calm mood when she heard this.
It was like a beam of light, falling lightly and softly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
