Time ticked by. Just as Marvin was getting bored enough to yawn, several deep, rough, angry moos came from the other side of the stone bridge.
Then came a thunderous boom.
The massive tremor even traveled all the way to Marvin's feet, making the soles of his feet go numb.
"The battle has begun!" Marvin perked up and listened closely.
A dense burst of gunfire erupted like firecrackers, followed by several more moos. This time, however, they carried the shrill despair and unwillingness of creatures on the verge of death.
After that, shouts, curses, screams, clashing metal, and exploding spells all blended together, rising and falling as they reached Marvin's ears.
As time passed, the sounds from the battlefield grew sparser and sparser before finally falling completely silent.
Marvin immediately cast [Mage Armor] on himself and took out a [Grease] scroll, gripping it in his hand.
Once his preparations were complete, he kept a close watch on the far end of the stone bridge.
Before long, a group of wounded, stumbling adventurers staggered miserably onto the bridge. They were fleeing for their lives while cursing and complaining.
"Damn it! Why did the enemy have so many iron golems?"
"The Baphomet minotaurs charged in first, but three of them were shot down immediately. They didn't even disrupt the enemy formation!"
"The Harpers are far stronger than expected. The intelligence was wrong."
"Sudiman, you idiot! You nearly got us killed."
"I will report truthfully to the master and bear all responsibility," Sudiman said in a low voice.
Although they had suffered defeat, his authority remained. The others immediately fell silent and continued down the stone bridge with their heads lowered, focused only on escaping alive.
Suddenly, a flaming arrow trailing an orange-red tail streaked toward them.
"Enemy attack!" The cry instantly put