The four of them slowly climbed down along the edge of the basin—the slope was nearly sixty degrees, and it was covered in lush weeds full of sap. After just a few steps, the soles of their boots would be coated in slick juice... Despite the Fisherman's warning, Yano still slipped several times. Luckily, he was tethered to a safety rope; otherwise, he would have been the first of the four to reach the bottom.
Sun Hang never revealed his mycelium ability. He still held a measure of wariness toward these three teammates he had known for less than a day.
"Whew, we finally made it down." The Fisherman wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Only now do I realize how great it feels to stand on flat, solid ground with both feet."
"It was alright. The Imperial Guard Legion had cross-country training like this every so often," Huangfu Sha said. "Climbing steep slopes in heavy rain, swimming across swamps at night, things like that... I'd say this was on the easier side."
Sun Hang glanced at the two who could not even be bothered to use safety ropes, then turned to Yano. He carried the lightest load among the four, yet he was in the worst condition. At the moment, he could not spare the breath to speak. He could only bend over, brace his hands against his knees, and gasp for air.
Compared to the Fisherman and Huangfu Sha, who had only broken a slight sweat, Yano's clothes were already thoroughly soaked. The waterlogged fabric clung tightly to his skin, trembling along with his muscles.
"Have some." The Fisherman tossed him a bottle of sports drink. "Careful not to collapse from exhaustion."
"Th... thanks." Yano managed to thank him, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down more than half