Chapter 87 Assemble (1/2)

Not long after the undead retreated, Old Walker finally found a new clue.

”They left a trace!”

Old Walker and Sereck became excited once they saw a strange marking engraved on a nearby tree trunk.

”They're nearby... I think they should be over there!”

Old Walker pointed towards a dark cave not far away from them. Even if Old Walker didn't point out to them the similar symbols engraved on the cave surface, everyone could guess what happened from the undead corpses scattered at the entrance. A messy trail of footprints also revealed that there was some human activity though it was evident that something wasn't right.

”Let's go.”

Rhode didn't want to linger in this forest for too long so he quickly beckoned his group to move. While the journey had been fairly smooth sailing so far, they were only about two-thirds through Silent Plateau. They still had one-third more to travel once they rescued the mercenary group.

However, other than Sereck, everyone else appeared to be exhausted. The short rest from before couldn't recover much of their strength. Looking at their status right now, Rhode felt like they were similar to those NPCs that didn't want to hinder the player and would sacrifice their lives to help pave the way to conquer the final boss.

Rhode certainly didn't want things to turn out like that. Attempting to fight the final boss alone without teammates was just suicidal. Thus, he quickly prompted the group to follow closely behind him as he entered the dark cave.

Woosh! When Rhode entered the cave, all of a sudden, a dagger flashed in the darkness and ruthlessly lunged towards Rhode's neck. Clearly that attack was meant to kill.

If it were anyone else, perhaps their life would end right there without any resistance. Unfortunately, the hidden assailant didn't know that Rhode was different. As the top player in Dragon Soul Continent, Rhode often encountered sneak attacks from PKers. As such, the moment the hidden assailant attacked, his automatic reflexes kicked in.

He used his sword to parry the dagger and counterattacked immediately. The hidden assailant was slightly surprised that its attack was seen through and quickly attempted to retreat, but Rhode didn't give it a chance to do so as he thrust his sword towards the direction of the dagger, stopping directly before its throat.

”Stop! Rhode, it's an ally.”

Sereck quickly stopped Rhode when he recognized the dagger. Lize ran forward and illuminated the cave with Holy Light.

Finally, Rhode could see the appearance of his assailant.

Half of her face was covered in a black mask. Her tight, black leather armor accentuated her slim figure and emphasized her well-endowed chest which moved up and down due to her ragged breathing. Her long ears trembled as her eyes focused on the sword at her neck.

It was a half-elf.

”Are you the member of Victorious Wine mercenary group?”

Rhode retrieved his sword and asked emotionlessly as if the person who attacked him wasn't her.

”Yes, I'm a member of Victorious Wine. Are you guys from the Mercenary Association?”

”That's right.”

Sereck walked forward.

”I am Sereck. We've received a reinforcement request from one of your members and rushed here as fast as we could. It seems like we've arrived on time.”

”Y-you are Mr. Sereck!”

The half-elf girl's eyes lit up.

”You guys really came! Great!! Quickly save my comrades!!”

She grabbed Sereck's hand and pulled him towards the depths of the cave.

”We followed our leader's orders to flee here...”

As she led the way, she briefed the group about their current plight.

”Initially, our leader didn't plan to enter the depths of Silent Plateau because we know how treacherous this place was. But when we were at the outer borders, we were attacked and surrounded by the undead. We decided to flee — but by the time we realized, we were already in the depths. Although we did try to break through the waves of undead, we never succeeded. So... we had no choice but to venture deeper to look for a way out.”

”Well, you know the rest of the story. Many of us got injured and our leader had to send someone to ask for help. Fortunately, you guys arrived so quickly... otherwise...”

You guys sure know how to choose the most dangerous place.

Rhode frowned and thought to himself.

”Who is it?”

When everyone arrived at the end of the cave, a deep voice echoed.

”It's me. The people from Mercenary Association have arrived!”

”What?!”

That deep voice immediately went one octave higher.

”They actually came?! Quick, quick bring them in!!”

Soon, a deep, rumbling sound shook the cave slightly. A boulder at the end of the cave rolled to the side, revealing a hidden passage. At the same time, a tall and muscular man came out from the entrance. When his eyes met Sereck and the others, his face lit up with joy.

”Mr. Sereck? I didn't expect you to come here personally. We are eternally grateful...”