“Raise shields!” The sharp command rang through the forest.
With [Truth Vision] active, Solarin had been sweeping the ground for suspicious traces as the team’s main mine detector.
But the mushrooms dotting the forest floor had muddled her focus. She hadn’t noticed the Fat Pujis lurking in the treetops.
The Church warriors proved their worth as a disciplined, battle-hardened unit.
The instant Solarin gave the order, their holy-shield wall interlocked into a dome overhead.
But they were a step too slow. The golden glow of [Holy Bastion] hadn’t fully fused when the three Fat Pujis were already plummeting down.
At the very back, Fifteen had moved even before Solarin spoke. Stepping on an adventurer’s shoulder, he vaulted into the air.
All three Fat Pujis were cleaved in two.
Some were cut down midair, others stopped by the barrier—but several slipped through and dropped into the crowd.
Instinctively, those nearby tried to dodge, block, or counterattack—triggering chaos.
A warrior raised his armored arm to swat one aside. The instant they touched—
A blinding green flash and corrosive sludge exploded outward! Like a signal, more blasts erupted among the ranks.
“Shields! Protect the casters!”
Screams, explosions, and the hiss of acid filled the woods.
The adventurers panicked. But the Church warriors showed discipline beyond compare.
Even with corrosive slime burning into their armor, they held firm, maintaining [Holy Bastion] to block most of the shockwaves and shrapnel from above.
Their superior equipment helped them endure what would have killed ordinary fighters.
But the Pujis weren’t finished. While the humans struggled, Pujis tunneled ahead and burst out from both flanks.
“Hold formation! Don’t scatter!” a Church captain roared.
He could control his warriors, but not the adventurers.
Some bolted back toward the entrance, others cloaked themselves, hoping to hide.
Such tricks might work elsewhere—but not here.
With Lin Jun’s multiple surveillance perspectives, there was no hiding in the dungeon.
Those who fled were snatched the moment they reached the first floor.
Those who cloaked themselves were “accidentally” stepped on by wandering Pujis—and vanished for good.
Sixth-tier psychic magic—Mass Pain Immunity!
With Aiden’s spell, the chaotic ranks quickly steadied.
But his face was pale.
The moment the ambush began, he had split off illusions to distract the Pujis—but they ignored the illusions, locking onto his true self.
Forced to retreat behind the Church formation, Aiden was shielded by Golds and Silvers, frustration boiling in his chest. He regretted coming down here.
Luckily, the crisis didn’t last long—because Fifteen unleashed his strength.
Humiliated at being fooled, he cut loose.
With near-max [Agile Step], Fifteen moved like a storm, weaving through the forest. Pujis fell like wheat before a scythe.
At first, self-destruct Pujis managed to trouble him, but once he realized the pattern, he switched to ranged [Sword Wind], carving them down from afar.
Nearly two hundred Pujis were annihilated in under eight minutes.
Honestly, Lin Jun hadn’t expected that.
He hadn’t planned to cripple the expedition at once, but he thought the harassment would last longer. Instead—barely ten minutes?
“How’s the situation?” Fifteen sheathed his blade, catching his breath.
Silence lingered before Solarin spoke, voice weary and heavy.
“Preliminary count—one Church warrior dead, one gravely injured. Among adventurers… five missing, three dead, three critically wounded.”
She shut down [Truth Vision] and rubbed her aching temples. The piles of Puji corpses muddled her vision, leaving only static when the skill was active.
She didn’t mention the lightly injured. With priests, they’d recover quickly. “Critical” meant injuries no ordinary healing spell could mend.
Blinded eyes. Severed limbs.
Those could be treated after leaving the dungeon—if one could afford rare potions.
But here and now, nothing could be done.
“Damn it!” Fifteen cursed under his breath, his face dark. There was no sense of victory.
He hadn’t imagined such losses from just the first contact.
The Pujis’ treachery exceeded expectations—especially the corrosive slime. For unarmored adventurers, it was a nightmare.
He saw warriors, flesh stripped to bone, writhing under emergency priest spells.
Even muffled, their twisted faces betrayed unbearable agony.
Aiden had to cast another Mass Pain Immunity.
“Now the question is,” Aiden frowned, “what do we do with the wounded?”
“We can’t abandon them. On their own, they’ll never make it out,” Fifteen answered instantly. “With Pujis setting traps and ambushes, the return path is surely compromised.”
“Then… send some back as escorts?” Aiden asked hesitantly, knowing it was a bad idea.
“How many?” Solarin cut sharply. “Too many, and we lose strength to advance. Too few, and they’re just feeding themselves to the Pujis.”
“The core of our strength is intact. The wounded are few. Carrying them won’t slow us down.”
Her voice was firm, but then she shifted, weight heavy in her words.
“But the Pujis’ combat power far exceeds all estimates.
From here, we must advance with extreme caution.
If the situation worsens, we retreat—no hesitation. Back out, then plan anew.”
Her eyes fixed on Fifteen as she said it.
Aiden was just a paid mercenary—retreating wouldn’t dock his pay. He’d have no complaints.
But Fifteen, their strongest blade—would he obey?
Fifteen clearly understood. He nodded, stepping back. “You’re the commander. Your word stands.”
Aiden added a quiet nod in agreement.
If Solarin did order a retreat, far from objecting—Aiden would be the first to cheer.