CHAPTER 842: CHAPTER 656: DON’T KEEP THEM WAITING

At the same time, on the adventurer team’s side.

Reiger’s group, advancing through the burning flesh wall into the passage leading to the food storage, immediately surveyed the surroundings as soon as they exited the flesh wall to scout the terrain.

They discovered that the passage behind the flesh wall was no longer made of rock, but had entirely changed into green flesh wall.

Whether it was the walls, the ceiling, or even the floor, everything in sight was green, with a plump, fleshy surface.

A putrid smell filled the air, causing the beastmen to groan in agony. Although the others didn’t feel as uncomfortable as the beastmen, they too felt a sense of nausea, as if they had entered the body of some gigantic creature, making many people shiver and feel an impulse to turn and leave.

"This place is..."

Leading the group, Ais noticed some withered flowers blooming on the walls and ceiling.

The colorful exterior of these withered flowers reminded Ais of the man-eating flowers they had encountered at the Monster Festival.

"As expected... this place is related to those man-eating flowers..."

Ais confirmed this and turned around, ready to inform Reiger about it.

But as she turned, she saw Reiger gazing upward at a pale flower, inexplicably curling his lips into a smile.

"Reiger?"

Ais called out to Reiger in confusion, causing him to withdraw his gaze.

"What’s wrong?"

Reiger inquired of Ais calmly.

"...Did you discover something?"

Ais asked just for formality’s sake.

"Sort of." Reiger answered somewhat nonchalantly, "No need to worry about them for now. If we continue forward, they will show themselves."

Upon hearing this, before Ais could say anything, Asafi jumped in to ask.

"Who are ’they’?"

Asafi questioned directly.

"Who else? The ones behind all of this." Reiger’s reply was as casual as ever, "Let’s go, don’t keep them waiting."

Saying this, Reiger was the first to step into the green, fleshy passage that resembled the inside of a living organism.

The group hesitated for a moment, especially the members of the Hermes Clan, who genuinely resisted moving forward due to the sensation of stepping on decayed flesh beneath them.

In the end, Ais was the first to follow Reiger.

"...Let’s follow as well."

Asafi sighed in resignation and finally gave the order, forcing the members of the Hermes Clan to bear their discomfort and follow the two ahead.

As they walked through the green, stinky, fleshy passage where no one spoke, an eerie silence spread.

The tension continued to rise, affecting both Ais and Asafi, causing these renowned individuals to subconsciously grip the hilts of their swords or clutch some tool beneath their robes, their movements becoming more cautious.

Only Reiger remained calm and indifferent, as if all the bizarre circumstances were nothing but illusions unworthy of his concern.

It must be said, at this moment, Reiger’s composure indeed alleviated much of the unease within the team.

If the leader could remain so calm and composed, those following him would naturally be influenced.

Before they realized it, not just Ais, but even the adventurers of the Hermes Clan, led by Asafi, subconsciously regarded Reiger as the leader, following closely behind him.

However, before long, several forks appeared ahead in the green passage.

"Which way should we go?"

Asafi couldn’t help but consult Reiger’s opinion.

Reiger did not respond but directly activated his magic in front of everyone.

"[Magic Duration Extension·Three-legged Bird’s Guide]."

As the magic activated, a crow with three legs appeared.

This was precisely the magic Reiger had once used in the ancient ruins of the Reinnaier Clan, capable of guiding people towards the shortest route to the center of the labyrinth.

It was a type of magic unknown to this world.

Thus, when the three-legged crow emerged from the magic array, everyone was taken aback, and some members of the Hermes Clan even instinctively drew their weapons, thinking a monster had appeared.

"W-What is this?"

Though Ais and Asafi didn’t draw their weapons, they exchanged confused looks at the three-legged crow emerging from the magic array.

"Go."

Reiger paid no attention to the group nor provided any explanation, merely giving a command, prompting the three-legged crow to fly off.

The three-legged crow flew down one of the passageways, ignoring all other paths.

"Follow it."

Reiger called out, following the three-legged crow.

"......"

The group moved in silence, countless questions arising in their hearts, yet not daring to ask. They could only follow Reiger, walking behind the Three-legged Crow.

The flying speed of the Three-legged Crow wasn’t fast, even a Lv.1 novice adventurer could keep up if they put in effort, yet it traversed the complex passageways unerringly, always choosing a path even when faced with complicated crossroads, flying straight ahead.

Thanks to this, Reiger’s party approached the core area at an astonishing speed, the foul stench in the air growing more intense.

Smelling this stench, Ais and the others following behind Reiger had a sense.

They were rapidly approaching their destination, nearing the grain storage here.

Soon, they would reach the center of the anomaly and uncover the truth behind all of this.

As long as no one stops them......

"""""Roooaaarrrrr——!""""

When a clamor like broken bells echoed through the green passageway, breaking the eerie silence here, the enemy finally appeared before Reiger and the others.

Monsters slithering rapidly on the ground like giant serpentine creatures, dragging their long bodies, swinging their tentacles, emerged from the darkness one after another.

They were colorfully patterned, full of sharp teeth.

Their bodies were greasy, their roars and charges were quite imposing and full of momentum.

"Splat!"

The Three-legged Crow flying in the lead was targeted by those monsters first, becoming the prey of the leading monster, it was bitten to pieces.

"Man-eater!"

Ais halted abruptly, her foot skidding on the flesh-like ground, stopping her sprinting form, she unsheathed the Sword of Despair without a word, entering combat mode.

"The enemy has appeared! Prepare for battle!"

Asafi also raised her voice to order, instructing the Hermes Clan members to brake sharply and start forming up.

Only Reiger, seeing the Man-eaters charging one after another from the passage ahead, continued to charge forward with a smile, talking to himself.

"Can’t sit still anymore?"

Saying so, Reiger continued to rush forward, his hand slowly reaching for the hilt of his crystal longsword at his waist.

"Roaaarrr!"

The Man-eater that had snapped up the Three-legged Crow was still at the forefront, seeing Reiger charging towards it, it let out a ringing howl, swung its tentacles, lashing out like raindrops towards the front.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang...!"

Instantly, the whip-like tentacles lashed relentlessly against the ground and walls, creating continuous dull thuds.

Countless tentacles lashed the passageway, although they did not damage the flesh-covered walls, ground, and ceiling, they stirred up explosive booms and airwaves, scattering dust and wind.

Ais and the others were also attacked by the tentacles, each taking action.

"Splat!" "Splat!" "Splat!"......

Ais continually leaped on the ground, evading the continuous lashing tentacles, her silver dagger flashing, mercilessly severing the incoming tentacles.

"Thud" "Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!" "Thud!"......

The Hermes Clan formed a front line with shield-bearing members, blocking in front of everyone, allowing the tentacles to batter their shields, causing booming noise.

"Asafi! These tentacles can’t be smashed!"

Some adventurers holding warhammers or cudgels were dealing with tentacles that bypassed the front-line defense, only to find that no matter how they struck, they couldn’t stop the tentacles’ actions, causing them to panic a bit.

"Wow!"

A small humanoid magic guide started chanting magic, preparing to release magical attacks on the enemies, but immediately attracted the attention of the Man-eaters and was attacked by numerous tentacles, forcing them to stop chanting and dodge in a fluster.

"Don’t use blunt weapons! And don’t randomly use magic!"

Seeing this scene, Ais promptly reminded, her usually awkward speech sounded firm and strong.

"They have high resistance to beatings and blunt strikes, even first-level adventurers find it hard to harm them, only sharp weapons can damage them."

"Also, they react intensely to magic power, prioritizing attacking the source of magic power."

"Use bladed weapons to slash, their magic stone is in the head."

Upon making the reminder, Ais immediately leaped into action, her figure turning into an arrow, shooting forward, piercing through a Man-eater’s head, shattering the colorful magic stone located there.

"Rooaaarrr!"

That Man-eater monster let out a scream on the spot, its entire body turning into dust and blowing away, dead beyond any doubt.

"Swordsmen and rogues as the main attackers! Swap out blunt weapons! Magic guides don’t rush to chant magic! Stand by for now!"

Seeing this, Asafi straightaway ordered the members to change weapons without hesitation.

Now, the Hermes Clan members also began to counterattack, one after another piercing the Man-eaters’ bodies with their weapons, driving back the surging Man-eaters.

Ais continued to amaze, her form constantly leaping back and forth on walls, ceiling, and floor, like a fairy dancing in the wind, sweeping across with the Sword of Despair, weaving silver sword lights, forming a sword-storm on many Man-eaters, cutting them into segments.

"Boom!"

At this moment, an explosion-like dull sound appeared from the rear of the Man-eater monster group, drawing everyone’s attention.