In an uncharted region of the underground world, a group of over a hundred people was slowly making its way forward.
Embedded in the cavern ceiling above were glowing crystals of various sizes, casting a hazy white light that barely illuminated the area.
The ground was made up of numerous gray rocks of varying sizes, rising and falling unevenly.
Knight John slowed his pace and pointed ahead. “My Lord, this is where we were attacked last time.”
It was a clearing surrounded by several massive gray boulders.
Shattered armor plates and broken weapons were scattered across the ground. A shield lay half-buried in the gravel, its surface pierced with several holes by something.
Dark brown stains remained on the surfaces of the rocks.
But there were no bodies on the ground.
Not a single one.
Rosie walked over, knelt down, and reached out to examine the holes in the shield.
The edges of the holes curled inward, bearing the marks of a conical puncture.
The Baron's choice of this route was a calculated decision after weighing his options.
In John's description, the beetles on the other path were comparable to heavily armored knights.
Meanwhile, the eight-legged spider monsters in this gray rock area were more like assassins.
The exploration team consisted entirely of infantry, so it was best to avoid a head-on clash with the beetles.
“Continue advancing in a state of high alert.”
Baron Weiss's voice rang out from behind her.
The team set off once more.
Leading the way were the shield-bearing infantry, followed by the spearmen, and behind them, the knights.
On both flanks of the column, squads of mercenaries fanned out, maintaining an interval of about twenty paces to guard the sides.
Rosie walked in the middle of the column, giving her a clear view of the front.
“We've got movement!”
The infantrymen at the front suddenly halted, raising their shields high.
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
In that instant, the sound of footsteps vanished, leaving only the sound of breathing and the faint clatter of armor plates.
Rosie followed the gaze of the lead infantrymen. At the edge of the crystal light, dozens of gray silhouettes were shifting out from the shadows of the rocks.
Their bodies were slender, each leg propping up their form high off the ground, the tips of their jointed limbs as sharp as spears.
“Form ranks!” the Baron's voice cut through the air.
The column quickly contracted, shields facing outward and spears thrusting through the gaps, forming a circular formation that resembled a ring of iron thorns.
Rosie was positioned in the inner circle of the formation. Beside her, the dwarf stood with his axe on his shoulder, trying to hop up to get a look at the situation, though it was clearly impossible for him.
“What's the situation? Can you fill me in?” the dwarf asked, looking at Rosie.
“Nothing much, just a few spider monsters,” Rosie replied.
The eight-legged spider creatures stopped in the distance.
The tips of their legs tapped rapidly on the ground, as if testing the waters.
The lead creature turned its head toward them, the pincers on either side of its mouthparts flaring slightly open.
“Their legs are very hard. Aim for the joints and underbellies.”
Knight John's voice rang out.
Rosie's gaze followed the movements of one of the creatures. Its erratic steps gradually fell into a predictable pattern in her mind. With each step, its underbelly would be exposed for a split second.
But that window was incredibly brief. Charging in blindly would easily lead to disaster.
Right then, an incantation was chanted from within the circle.
“O light of wisdom, grant me the source of truth, that I may discern and command all mysteries!”
The female mage's eyes glowed with blue light as she waved a short wand she had produced from somewhere.
As the wand traced profound patterns in the air, the temperature plummeted.
The creatures outside the formation seemed to sense the threat.
“Hiss, hiss!”
They let out a chorus of hisses, their eight legs springing simultaneously as they launched an assault.
“Brace for impact!” the Baron shouted.
At the exact same moment, the female mage cried out, “Frost Nova!”
Instantly, a wave of blue light erupted from the center of the formation, washing over the shields and spears to rapidly expand outward.
Upon making contact with the blue light, the eight-legged creatures stiffened violently as a layer of frost spread across their bodies at a visible rate.
Their movement speed plummeted, instantly dropping from a charging sprint to a sluggish crawl.
“Now! Take them down!” Anna's voice echoed from within the formation.
Rosie was the first to move.
She squeezed sideways through a gap between the shields, lowered her center of gravity, and executed a direct slide forward.
Sliding at high speed, her meteoric iron sword sliced through the underbelly of an eight-legged creature, tearing it open all the way to its rear. Green fluid and organs spilled out.
The creature let out a high-pitched shriek, its eight legs thrashing wildly before it rolled over, lifeless.
Rosie didn't stop.
She dug her heel into the ground, using the momentum to flip herself over, her blade sweeping in a wide arc to strike the leg joint of another eight-legged monster that was trying to turn.
The blade bit into the joint, severing the entire leg from its body.
The creature lost its balance and tilted. As it fell, Rosie stepped forward and brought her sword down, splitting it from head to abdomen in a single slash, spraying green fluid everywhere.
The dwarf's roar exploded from her left: “Hah!”
He swung his axe with no fancy flourishes, aiming squarely at the leg of an oncoming eight-legged creature.
The axe blade bit into the joint. With a sharp crack, the long leg spun away, coated in a thin layer of ice.
The creature stumbled sideways. The dwarf followed up with a second swing, splitting the carapace in the center of its body. Leaving a deep gash, the beast twitched a couple of times before falling silent.
The knights and infantry also charged out from the shield formation.
The knights used their shields to parry the clumsy leg thrusts of the slowed beasts, driving their longswords into exposed underbellies or joints before pulling them out, dragging arcs of splashing fluid in their wake.
The soldiers used their spears to thrust from multiple directions, cornering individual creatures before piercing their bodies with a coordinated barrage of spears.
The mercenaries swung their swords and axes, focusing specifically on the leg joints to cripple their targets' speed first before finishing them off at leisure.
The battle lasted only a brief moment before it was over.
Dozens of eight-legged creatures lay dead amidst the frost and their own bodily fluids.
Green fluid mingled with blue frost, and a pungent, metallic stench filled the air.
Meanwhile, the exploration team had suffered zero casualties.
Rosie flicked the green fluid off her blade, wiped it twice against a rock, and sheathed it.
Anna stepped out of the formation with a calm composure.
She walked over to Rosie, her gaze sweeping over the ring of eight-legged corpses around her, then looked at her with a hint of undisguised admiration in her voice:
“Miss Rosie, I didn't realize you were this capable.”
“You flatter me. I wouldn't have been able to do any of this without Lady Anna's magic,” Rosie replied.
It was the truth.
The strength of the eight-legged monsters before and after being slowed was like night and day.
Anna didn't deny it, offering only a slight smile.
Baron Weiss sheathed his longsword, walked up to Anna, and bowed slightly. “Thank you for your magic, Lady Anna. We owe this victory to you.”
Anna nodded slightly in acknowledgment, offering no further words.
The Baron didn't mind, turning to the column behind him. “Continue advancing.”
The team set off again.
This time, the formation was even tighter than before.
Rosie still walked in the middle of the column, the dwarf marching beside her with his axe on his shoulder. A trace of green residue still clung to the axe blade; he scraped it with his thumb and sniffed it.
Knight John stopped from time to time to identify the old markers on the ground.
As he walked, the Baron pulled a piece of parchment from his coat, sketching a few lines with a charcoal pencil before putting it away and moving on.
After traveling some distance, he stopped and scanned the surrounding terrain.
Pointing to a slightly elevated rocky plateau, he said, “The view is clear over there. Let's make camp.”
The column made its way to the plateau and halted.
The ground here was quite dry, suitable for lying down to rest.
Most of the men collapsed onto the ground to sit, with only a few soldiers forcing themselves to stay alert on the perimeter.
Rosie sat at the edge of the plateau, breaking a wheat cake into small pieces and chewing slowly.
“Today was certainly exciting!”
The dwarf sat nearby, pulling out a waterskin and taking a swig, a strong scent of alcohol wafting over.
“Want a sip?”
“No, thank you.”
Rosie politely declined. She never drank when she was out in the field.
Even in confirmed safe environments, she would only drink low-alcohol beverages that were barely different from water.
The dwarf said nothing more, taking another swig himself.
The underground world was exceptionally quiet.
There was no sound of wind, no chirping of insects—only the rustle of clothing when someone tossed and turned.
Rosie leaned her back against the solid rock, rested her sword across her knees, and closed her eyes.
Under the effect of Sleeping in Armor, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up, the team was already prepared and set off once more.
Whether it was because the Baron had chosen a good route or because luck was on their side, the exploration team encountered no further danger on the rest of the journey.
The column crossed a low range of rocky hills, and a vast sandy expanse appeared before them.
And within that sand lay a sprawl of grayish-white silhouettes.
It was a complex of grayish-white buildings, some still retaining their complete shapes, while others had mostly collapsed.
The team halted.
“Ancient ruins!” a mercenary shouted, his voice cracking with excitement.
“We're going to be rich!”
The crowd instantly erupted.
The mercenaries waved their weapons, the workers dropped the supplies from their shoulders, and even the soldiers couldn't help but grin, some even removing their helmets.
After all, who didn't love wealth?
The dwarf stared at the grayish-white buildings, rubbing his palms together as if he could already see ancient artifacts piling up on his shelves.
The Baron stood at the front of the column, studying the sandy ground before the ruins. Although the outermost buildings weren't far from the rocky terrain, there was still a distance of several hundred meters.
The Baron pondered for a moment, then turned to Knight John. “John, where is that worm you mentioned?”
John shook his head. “It moves underground, making its movements unpredictable. However... we felt the vibrations first before it emerged.”
Rosie also studied the sand before the ruins, murmuring thoughtfully, “Worm creatures are usually auditory hunters. Perhaps if we keep quiet, we'll be fine.”
“No.”
Anna walked over, her gaze also falling upon the sandy expanse.
“According to Knight John's description, this thing is very likely a subspecies of the desolate sandworm. It doesn't have ears; it hunts by sensing vibrations. Even the slightest tremor on the ground will attract its attention.”
Rosie looked at her. “Then what should we do?”
“Why don't we just lure it out and kill it?” the dwarf chimed in.
“How do we lure it?” Rosie asked.
“Isn't that simple? Just find a bait,” the dwarf said, patting his axe.
“Once the bait lures the worm out, everyone can strike together and finish it off.”
“The question is, who's going to be the bait?” Rosie pressed.
The dwarf waved his hand. “That's even simpler. We draw lots. There's bound to be one lucky winner!”
“That's a good idea. Let's do that,” Anna nodded.
“I agree,” the Baron nodded after a brief silence.
Rosie looked at them, temporarily at a loss for words.
The team set up camp on the spot.
The Baron announced the plan for drawing lots, excluding the key figures: Rosie, who knew the ancient tongue, did not have to participate; Anna, as a mage, was also excluded; and the Baron himself, who was directing the overall operation, naturally exempted himself.
The dwarf volunteered to participate. “You've all excluded yourselves! That's too unfair! As a professional, I should lead by example and participate fairly!”
The Baron glanced at him. Without saying much, he added another slip into the drawing.
Dozens of slips were rolled into identical shapes and mixed together inside a helmet.
Everyone gathered in a circle, taking turns reaching in.
The fair-minded dwarf decided to draw last.
Once everyone else had finished drawing, he stood on his tiptoes to pull out the final slip. He unrolled it, took a glance, and his expression instantly froze.
“We have our lucky winner!”
A nearby mercenary leaned over to take a look, then slapped the dwarf on the shoulder, desperately holding back his laughter.
Rate on N.U.
