Be Cautious

With a Shield in his left hand and an Electric Baton in his right, Ethan's combat effectiveness increased dramatically. Although he still couldn't eliminate large groups of Dark Creatures with a wave of his hand like Zul and Isendra, he could now at least hold his own and not be a hindrance.

No longer needing to worry about Ethan's safety, the two Sorcerers completely unleashed their power, bringing an end to the lives of the Dark Creatures in the Den of Evil.

Frost, fire, and the pale glow of Rathma Cult Necromancy, accompanied by the various screams of the Fallen, made Ethan feel as if he were in a top-tier fantasy blockbuster.

3D movies were completely weak compared to this. The lighting! The special effects! The immersive feeling of being right there!

With a swing of his baton, he killed a charging Fallen. Turning back, he kicked over a Zombie that was getting close, then rushed up to finish it with a 'War Stomp', crushing its already decayed and fragile skull.

Looking around, most of the monsters had been wiped out by the combined efforts of the two Sorcerers. The remaining few were finished off by him, leaving the area around him surprisingly empty for a moment.

"Good thing I came along."

At this moment, he was incredibly grateful for the decision he had made earlier. After all, he couldn't think of many opportunities to level up while following two such powerful individuals.

With these two as his escorts, Ethan's combat ability improved at a visible pace. Fallen and Zombies might fight in a simple and brutal way, but all sorts of strange unexpected situations could arise. The complex terrain of the cave also created many sudden encounters and ambush battles. As a result, in just one day, Ethan already seemed like an experienced adventurer.

"Also, the Mental Power cultivation method Ancient One taught me is too important."

All of his current combat effectiveness was based on the significant increase in his Mental Power. Being able to think for 'longer' periods and react to various unexpected situations was the main reason he hadn't even suffered a single injury so far.

As the sounds of explosions — Isendra's Fireball — and screams — the Fallen would scream and scatter when attacked — gradually faded, the two Sorcerers' battle also came to an end. Only a few Fallen who had run too far and a small number of slow-moving Zombies remained.

Before, the two Sorcerers would have deliberately left these monsters for Ethan to deal with alone as a form of training.

However, they no longer did this. In Zul's words, "You've already passed this stage. Next, you need to improve yourself in more complex combat environments."

Only then did Ethan truly feel like their companion, a comrade fighting against the Dark Creatures alongside them!

Ethan cautiously observed the piles of Dark Creature corpses on the ground, making sure no monsters were playing dead and would suddenly attack him. This was the real world, after all, not a game where monsters were truly dead once they fell. Given the cunning nature of these Fallen, no one could guarantee they wouldn't feign death when they couldn't escape.

It was better to be safe than sorry, especially when his own life was at stake. And the current situation seemed to confirm how correct Ethan's actions were.

Just as he was carefully checking the corpses with the iron baton in his hand, a Fallen lying among the pile of bodies suddenly sprang up, shouting in Demonic Language that no one could understand, and raised the long knife in its hand, slashing towards Ethan.

Ethan, who had been carefully anticipating this scene, immediately raised the iron baton in his hand, steadily blocking the Fallen's strike. He then lifted his left foot and kicked the short red Demon.

Bang!

His thick-soled leather boot landed squarely on the Fallen's ugly face. The impact seemed to disorient the Fallen slightly. Ethan seized the opportunity and followed up with another strike of the baton.

This time, he deliberately activated the Lightning Magic contained within the baton. The flickering electric light illuminated the dark cave, and then, amidst a scream, the Fallen was killed by the powerful electricity that burst forth.

"Whew~ Good thing I was careful."

After checking again to make sure there were no more feigning death, Ethan quickly walked a few steps to catch up with the two Sorcerers who were doing similar things ahead.

"Well done, Ethan."

Everything that had just happened was seen by the two of them. Ethan's reactions were becoming more seasoned, gradually losing the awkwardness of a rookie. In fact, Ethan's growth rate surprised them both.

"I'm a little regretful now. Perhaps I should have insisted on inviting you to join our Rathma Cult."

Zul said this with a smile, though it was unclear how much sincerity was behind it. However, such words of praise always made people happy. After spending some time together, Ethan no longer deliberately acted modest and accepted the compliment with a smile.

"Alright, let's continue exploring. We've been in this cave for most of the day. Who knows how many Dark Creatures are still lurking in the shadows. We need to be more cautious from now on."

Isendra was getting a little annoyed by this dark, damp cave with its numerous branching paths. She felt like she had been walking in circles for half the day, but her astonishing memory clearly told her she hadn't passed through the same areas.

"I've roughly simulated it in my mind. Combined with the information we received from Akara and Kashya earlier, we've cleared most of this Den of Evil."

The Den of Evil was actually a recent name. Originally, it was just a very ordinary cave in the Blood Moor, with no mineral deposits or scenic views worth visiting. If it weren't for the recent surge in Dark Energy causing many Dark Creatures to hide here, it would have been just a very ordinary underground cave.

However, out of a desire to control everything in the surrounding area, the Rogues and the Priestesses of the Blind Eye Monastery had explored the Den of Evil and drawn detailed maps.

Although this map was also left in the monastery occupied by Demons during the previous chaos, Kashya, as a high-ranking Priestess and the Rogue commander, had a detailed understanding of the cave's situation. And before the few of them agreed to come and clear it out, she had given a detailed description of the Den of Evil's terrain.

"Next, we will enter the deepest area of the entire cave. Judging from the situation along the way, there should be a very strong Dark Creature hiding here."

As they walked, the strength of the Dark Creatures had been increasing little by little. It seemed the darker areas of the Den of Evil were more appealing to these evil creatures, and the most powerful ones naturally occupied the darkest areas.

Ethan thought of the first quest's small Boss in the first act when he played the game, an elite Zombie monster called Corpsefire.

But could he say these things? How would he know? Wouldn't he be treated as a spy for the Dark Forces who had infiltrated the human alliance and be killed?

Perhaps he could remind them to try not to get too close to that elite Zombie monster? Kill it with ranged attacks?

It seemed completely unnecessary. These two were experienced Sorcerers. When facing completely unfamiliar monsters, they wouldn't rush forward recklessly, and close-quarters combat was not their first choice anyway.

"These two are max-level characters. Am I worrying a bit too much?"

His worries were indeed unnecessary. As they continued into the deepest part of the cave, they noticed Corpsefire's appearance, which was completely different from the group of Zombies next to it, as well as the almost visible Dark Energy fluctuations from a distance. The two Sorcerers decisively shielded Ethan behind them.

"Step back, Ethan! This is not an opponent you can handle right now. Leave it to me and Isendra."

Zul did not summon his usual scythe. Instead, he took out a strange dagger that he hadn't used during this cave clearing. At the same time, he casually summoned a Bone Shield in his left hand for defense.

Isendra's movements were equally swift. She first cast a Magic Shield to protect herself, then cast a Frost Shield on Ethan, and immediately unleashed a huge Fireball at the group of Zombies.

By this time, Zul's spell was also complete. He held a pale Bone Spear in his right hand. Powerful Primal Magic Power was attached to the Bone Spear, emitting a dazzling white light that illuminated the entire dark cave as if it were daytime.

Coupled with the large Fireball unleashed by Isendra, everything in this dark space was revealed to them. Even the monsters hidden in the deepest corners were clearly seen by Ethan—dense crowds of Zombies, almost too many to count, and in the deeper corners, many Skeleton Archers were hidden. They had already drawn their bows and aimed at them.

The sound of arrows whistling through the air rang out one after another. Almost simultaneously, Zul had rushed to the front, raising the shield in his left hand. The clinking sounds were like continuous raindrops. The threat from these Skeleton Archers was much greater than it appeared.

"Take out these Archers first!"

Isendra didn't need Zul's reminder. She had already adjusted her attack direction. A huge Fireball arced beautifully through the cave, flying over the dense crowd of Zombies and plunging into the group of Skeleton Archers.

BOOM!

A massive explosion accompanied by a blinding flash of fire. The Archers engulfed in flames fell silent. With the biggest threat eliminated, the rest became much simpler.

First, they unleashed a barrage of area-of-effect magic. Once the monsters were no longer densely packed but scattered sparsely, Isendra and Zul simultaneously stopped casting their powerful area-of-effect spells. Instead, they opted for magic that consumed less energy and was more precise.

At this point, Ethan could join the fight. He moved along the edges of the Den of Evil, avoiding going too deep and getting surrounded by multiple monsters.

Using the terrain to ensure he only faced enemies head-on, he also kept his distance from Corpsefire, the elite monster. Perhaps for Zul and the others, dealing with that guy was just a matter of casting a spell. Similarly, that thing could probably take him down with a single hit.

"Don't take on a job you're not qualified for! There's a lot of truth to that saying."

Knowing his limits, Ethan stopped his actions once he saw that only Corpsefire and a few Zombies remained in the Den of Evil, waiting for the two Sorcerers to unleash their power.

Unfortunately, Dark Creatures of this level couldn't make the two of them use their true strength at all.

A single large Fireball, seemingly no different from the ordinary Zombies around it, and Corpsefire fell.