This was a tunnel that was not particularly deep. Its walls were etched with faint, indistinct magical runes. Yet even with the runes dampening sound, Punk's keen ears, inherited from the Primordial Elf, could still faintly hear the screams and howls of fleeing refugees being mercilessly slaughtered through the earth above. Those sounds, seemingly filled with endless grief and resentment, added another layer of heaviness and unease to the already dark, oppressive tunnel.
But no matter how unwilling they were to flee in such disgrace, no matter how guilty they felt toward their comrades in Konola City, all the soldiers rationally understood that there was no other choice. As the "elite" whose foremost duty was protecting the Princess, they could only firmly remember the humiliation of their defeat, grit their teeth, and secretly swear that one day they would return to avenge their fallen comrades. Then... they quickened their retreat and continued their escape!
Every soldier, including the old mage walking beside Punk, looked as though they were grinding their teeth in fury, their anger blazing. Yet Punk remained as calm and indifferent as ever. His concerns were entirely different from those of the Princess Guard. As he "strolled" through the long tunnel, Punk ordered the system to carefully analyze the obscure magical fluctuations embedded in the tunnel walls. Before long, the results showed that these seemingly plain and simple fluctuations faintly converged into a seemingly chaotic yet coherent "rune circuit" with a system of its own.
Closing his eyes slightly, Punk could vaguely sense that the magical fluctuations, battle energy fluctuations, heat, sounds, and even life signals emitted by the entire group were completely absorbed by that invisible "rune circuit." Not a single piece of information could reach the outside of the tunnel.
This interconnected arrangement of runes looks so much like a program flowchart from Earth!
Carefully studying the data analyzed by the system, Punk felt that this "retreat through a tunnel" had given him quite a few insights and ideas. If these rune combinations shared principles with computer programming on Earth, then perhaps... magical arrays could also be deciphered, or even... infiltrated?
Unfortunately, his Soul Level was still too low. Many of his ideas could only be set aside in his "future plans," unable to be tested or explored.
Time always passed quickly when one was thinking. Before he knew it, the cave exit was close at hand. Watching the soldiers ahead leave one after another, Punk had no choice but to temporarily set aside his curiosity and research into magical arrays, activating his full vigilance in preparation for the journey of "escape"!
The tunnel exit was located in a forest. That was right—the woodland south of Konola City that farmers called Old Muddy Woods. There was a reason this forest was named Old Muddy Woods. On one hand, it truly was ancient; it had existed long before the Kingdom of Kamos was founded. On the other hand, vast amounts of mud accumulated here year-round. A kind of tree known as the Sea Guest Tree grew abundantly throughout the forest. During droughts, it released the large quantities of water stored in its roots to nourish the soil, meaning this place was covered everywhere in old mud. The Sea Guest Tree was not a product of natural evolution. It had originally been created by some inept druid as an "environmentally friendly irrigation device." However, excessive irrigation caused troublesome conditions like the mud covering the ground in this forest, so this once "wildly popular" creation was soon abandoned by druids who advocated balance. Still, the highly resilient Sea Guest Tree remained scattered throughout certain humid regions, and Old Muddy Woods was one typical example.
Once they left the narrow tunnel, a stretch of ground almost entirely covered in moss came into view. The moss blanketed the mud everywhere, making the forest resemble a sports field covered with artificial turf. Looking out, several trees resembling coconut trees with enormous roots swayed back and forth across the "lawn." Their flexible trunks made one wonder whether they were made of rubber, bending repeatedly at angles utterly unsuited to a "tree." Besides those, several small flowers glimmering with pink specks of light quietly "took root" in the turf. The entire forest felt peaceful and warm...
Of course, this was absolutely not Old Muddy Woods' true face!
As Punk lightly stepped onto the muddy ground, nearly three centimeters of sludge rolled out from beneath his shoes, mixed with rotting leaves. It looked as though it could produce oil if left there for a few more decades. Still, he satisfactorily pulled his foot from the sticky, foul-smelling mud. He had to admit that Mainesi had chosen the retreat route well. This muddy terrain was no real obstacle for professionals, but it was an insurmountable "speed bump" for ordinary soldiers. Ordinary soldiers could not possibly conduct a search here, while the enemy's few teams of professionals could not search such a vast forest alone. Thus, this expanse of mud greatly reduced the chance of being discovered.
Safe as it was, though, the environment was truly difficult to endure. As the marching force churned up large amounts of mud, clumps of rotten stench that had been sealed away for who knew how many years all burst out at once. The reeking air made people wonder whether the entire forest was shrouded in foul odor. Princess Narsya, who had never endured such a harsh environment, repeatedly waved her delicate white hand before her small nose to drive away the stench. Of course, it was completely useless.
Punk did not find such insignificant smells difficult to tolerate. He was repeatedly weighing whether he should leave at once and make his own way.
He stroked his smooth chin, carefully considering the respective advantages and disadvantages of leaving and staying.
If I leave the main force now... there is a small chance I'll run into Prince William's troops, who are searching everywhere for the Princess. I had quite the "glorious" record on the city wall. Even if ordinary soldiers forget me, those professionals certainly won't. If I encounter alone the troops that have probably gone mad searching for the Princess... the danger will be extremely high! At that thought, Punk's brow twitched again. He was not Lü Bu; fighting three heroes alone would already be hard enough to win. Fighting a whole group of heroes alone... would simply be courting death!
But if he continued following this fleeing group until they reached the Kingdom of Dilon... admittedly, the odds of running into the enemy's tracking force would be greater. Still, he would at least have the Princess Guard's group of "utterly loyal" Journeyman Level meat shields to absorb the damage. As long as he hid in the back and unleashed everything he had... the danger would be greatly reduced...
For a moment, even Punk found it difficult to decide...
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