Cleanrot and Red Lion

"The enemy is strong, everyone must fight with full force!"

The adventurer captain shouted, and the adventurer team reacted immediately before the Cleanrot Knight could act.

"Since he's standing in the Swamp, then [Mud Binding] and [Hardening] are necessary!"

The mage waved his staff, Swamp instantly rose up, transforming into thick ropes that bound the Cleanrot Knight tightly. Hardening magic was also applied at the same time, but perhaps due to the special nature of the Swamp water, the hardening process was far slower than in the outside world.

The archer fired a triple volley of arrows, and the assassin threw a throwing Flying Dagger. Upon closer inspection, both the arrows and the Flying Dagger appeared to be products of the Zane Dungeon.

Because the Swamp is full of toxins, adventurers dare not approach rashly, and melee attackers cannot get close.

But at that moment, the adventurer captain rushed forward, wielding a straight sword in one hand and a magic staff in the other. He rushed to a spot some distance from the Cleanrot Knight but not yet touching the Swamp, and thrust his shimmering magic staff at the enemy. Azure magic suddenly ignited, and the long blade pierced the enemy!

It's actually [Caria Piercing]!

"Lure him over here!" the adventurer captain shouted. Caria Piercing vanished, and new magic began to gather on his staff—[Heimo Hammer]!

It turns out this guy is a melee mage who has learned quite a bit of Sion magic.

Te Pi nodded to himself. He had a good eye for people. This adventurer team had excellent teamwork and a good combination of moves. They were a qualified Silver Rank team. Moreover, the price of hiring them was quite reasonable, much lower than the market price a year ago.

These people aren't top-tier in skill, but they do have excellent teamwork, and they're the ones he can find and work with the fastest.

That said, it seems like the market price for hiring adventurers has been declining lately.

His eyes flashed. According to his intelligence network, a large number of adventurers with decent strength have appeared recently. They may be lacking in adventure time compared to veteran adventurers, but their strength is undeniable. Bronze Rank adventurers are rare, and most are above Bronze Rank but below Silver Rank. The number of Silver Rank adventurers is also on the rise.

The impact of these changes on the adventure industry is slowly becoming apparent, and it's certainly not limited to what it is now.

The culprit behind this phenomenon seems to be the Zane Dungeon, where he is currently located!

"Ah!"

Before he could even process what was happening, the adventurer's screams rang out, and scalding blood splattered onto his face the next moment.

He turned his head and gasped in shock.

The mage who had previously used [Mud Binding] and [Hardening] was actually cut in half at the waist!

His lower body remained standing, gushing blood like a fountain, while his upper body endured excruciating pain as he performed Emergency Treatment on himself.

What just happened?

The Cleanrot Knight had broken free of his restraints, wielding his scythe to hook the adventurer captain's body. Caught off guard, he flung the captain, who was immobilized by the charging Heimo Hammer, into the distant Swamp.

"Thump—"

The captain's body exploded in the Swamp, creating zero splashes. The Cleanrot Knight unleashed two deadly halos, charging towards the adventurers under their cover.

No one knew what had just happened, except for the adventurer.

When Caria Piercing the Cleanrot Knight, he sensed something was wrong. The sensation was not like that of a human being being pierced; instead, it was a kind of indescribable, chaotic feeling.

Just like the armor of the Cleanrot Knight, which no longer has a normal body, but instead has the feel of mud!

That's why the opponent broke free of the restraints in an instant with a movement that the human body couldn't make, suddenly bursting up and unleashing a halo that cut the mage in half at the waist.

Sure enough, how could one possibly deduce a monster that crawled out of this strange Swamp using common sense!

The Sword and Shield Warrior and heavy armored Warrior in the team rushed forward to defend against the Cleanrot Knight, while Te Pi used his Super Assembly to quickly piece the mage's upper and lower body back together and sprinkled a large amount of Healing Potion on him.

The wound healed instantly, and his life was no longer in danger, but the magician was currently unable to walk, and his lower body had turned into Stephen Hawking's.

"Bang!"

The Sword and Shield Warrior and heavy armored Warrior worked together to block the Cleanrot Knight, while the rest circled around the edge, keeping a close eye on the scythe and preparing to interrupt it the next time the enemy was about to unleash an aura.

The Sword and Shield Warrior unleashed his power, slamming his shield into the Cleanrot Knight, who staggered back half a step. Just as the heavy Warrior was about to attack, he heard a retching sound coming from inside the armor.

"Vomit!"

The Cleanrot Knight suddenly spewed out a large amount of foul-smelling liquid from the gaps in his helmet, instantly covering the heavily armored Warrior!

"Ughhhh!" The liquid seemed to contain a potent poison, and the heavily armored Warrior immediately collapsed to the ground screaming.

"What!?"

The Sword and Shield Warrior were shocked, while the Cleanrot Knight had already locked onto him.

"Don't just stand there, you idiot!" The assassin suddenly appeared in the air, his dagger coated with flaming grease, and thrust it at the Cleanrot Knight with the burning blade.

With a flash of light, the scythe in the hands of the Cleanrot Knight suddenly changed its appearance, transforming into a long spear that pierced towards the assassin.

"Not good!"

The spear tip pierced the assassin's abdomen, and a large amount of blood gushed out!

With a flick of his arm, the Cleanrot Knight sent the assassin, who had been pierced through the body, flying away. The assassin was not dead yet, but was bleeding profusely.

The sudden change resulted in casualties, with three people losing their fighting ability!

It was only then that the adventurer remembered something.

Even within the same dungeon, the strength of monsters varies from area to area. In Lake Liurnia, they can take on two or three Puppet Soldier single-handedly, but in Caelid, they struggle to even defeat one Puppet Soldier.

In other words, the requirements for adventurers' strength in this godforsaken place, Caelid, have exceeded their level.

Just as the Cleanrot Knight was about to attack the Sword and Shield Warrior, the adventurer captain, covered in blood-red Swamp water, jumped out, grabbed the Cleanrot Knight from behind, and shouted, "I'll hold him off, you guys get out of here!"

"Captain? How could I leave you behind!"

"I'm too poisoned to survive. You guys run first, I'll catch up with you!"

The adventurer captain was too poisoned to launch a sneak attack, so he could only resort to the most primitive method of delaying by grabbing the enemy. However, the Cleanrot Knight was very strong, and he was about to break free in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, Te Pi shouted, "Commendable courage! I'll give you extra reward!"

The adventurer captain instantly unleashed his full potential, clamping down on the Cleanrot Knight's body like a pair of pliers!

With the precious time he bought, Te Pi and the others quickly fled with the wounded.

Fortunately, the antidote they brought was effective on the Sword and Shield Warrior, the assassin's injuries were stabilized with the Flask of the Sacred Chalice, and the mage regained his ability to walk.

The bad news is that before they could run far, the Cleanrot Knight caught up with them again!

"Accelerate!"

In a life-or-death race, Te Pi and his group unleashed tremendous speed, engaging in a chase with the Cleanrot Knight.

They were now far from the Swamp, and the blood-red mist no longer lingered in the air, making their vision clear immediately.

But what made people feel a little better was the gradual appearance of the remains of man-made roads along the way.

The presence of man-made structures represents life to some extent, which is much better than a lifeless and gloomy Swamp.

In addition, there is another peculiar type of architecture.

It was a long, winding wall of fire, constantly burning, and you could feel the astonishing temperature when you got close.

This thing is very short; people can jump over it. It doesn't look like something that would be useful in war. What's the use of this thing?

People didn't quite understand, but just then, a crossbow bolt shot out from nowhere and hit Te Pi in the shoulder.

"They're the enemy!"

Several heavily armed Radahn Soldier suddenly appeared. They looked similar to the Godrick Soldier, except for the slightly different patterns on their armor, but they were definitely stronger.

"Just a few soldiers, take him out—"

Before the adventurer could finish speaking, surrounded by soldiers, a knight who stood out in both equipment and aura.

[Redmane Knight]!

"Never mind what I said!"

Immediately sensing the Redmane Knight's strength, the adventurer turned and fled.

"Buzz—"

The Redmane Knight drew his great bow, and purple Gravity Magic condensed on the arrow. The adventurers felt their hearts tremble with fear; the power was terrifying, and if they were hit, their bodies would probably be shattered in half!

"Stretch!"

The bowstring twanged, the arrow shot out, and the adventurers nearly closed their eyes in tension.

However, the arrows failed to hit them.

"Why?"

When Te Pi turned around, he saw an unexpected scene.

The Redmane Knight's arrow actually struck the pursuing Cleanrot Knight, shattering his shoulder armor with a single shot!

The Cleanrot Knight, as if the adventurers didn't exist, focused on the Redmane Knight, unleashing three beams of light to attack him. The Redmane Knight discarded his greatbow, drew his heavy Greatsword Greatshield, and blocked all the beams. He then dropped his Greatshield, grabbed his Greatsword with both hands, jumped up, spun in the air, and unleashed his attack on the Cleanrot Knight.

Lion Slash!

The effects of the Lion Slash were not seen by the people, because the Radahn Soldier had already pressed their faces against them and launched an attack, and they hurriedly tried to defend themselves.

"What's going on? Why are those two fighting?" someone asked, puzzled, as they continued fighting.

"I don't know, but this is a good thing!" someone shouted. "We can take this opportunity to slip away!"

Neither the Cleanrot Knight nor the Redmane Knight wanted to fight. The mage unleashed magic at maximum power to bind the Radahn Soldier in place, and then everyone immediately fled.

"Haha, this is what it feels like to escape from death!" the adventurer laughed wildly.

"Woof woof!"

It sounds like a dog is barking somewhere.

"Wow!"

An adventurer suddenly screamed in agony. People turned to see him being tossed around in the mouth of a giant monster that had sprung out from the roadside. The scream attracted even more monsters of the same kind.

That was a giant dog, comparable in size to Overlord!

Not only is it large in size, but the giant dog's forepaws are also somewhat atrophied, making it look like a real Overlord. However, with its ferocious head, it evokes a sense of horror.

The heavily armored Warrior Heavy Chop his sword down on the giant dog's head. The dog only let out a wail, and before it could even shake its body, it headbutted the Warrior, sending him sprawling on his back.

The beast-like enemies in the Zane Dungeon are all dung, a truth widely circulated among adventurers, and the giant dog before them is clearly dung as well!

The barking was incessant; at least three or four giant dogs had been attracted by the adventurers' cries. These things were impossible to fight!

At this moment, Te Pi desperately wished he had a mount to carry him to safety. Why didn't he go with You Fei? Then he would have had Torrent!

"Run back!"

He immediately shouted out. They had just seen the ruins of a building by the roadside. They could use the narrow ruins to entangle with the giant dog, instead of being chased and bitten on flat ground.

But when they ran back, they found that the group of Radahn Soldier had also caught up with them, and for some reason they were even more excited than before, even letting out War Cry.

With no time to engage the soldiers, the mage quickly cast a protective shield on the people, intending to charge through the attack in this way.

Chased by a pack of giant dogs, the adventurer charged toward the soldier.

They're getting closer and closer; they're about to collide!

A resolute glint flashed in everyone's eyes as they clashed with the Radahn Soldier!

Then the soldiers dodged the impact, seemingly ignoring the adventurers, and began fighting the giant dogs that followed.

The adventurers fell to the ground, hurriedly got up, and then saw the Radahn Soldier fighting with the giant hound. For a moment, the expressions on their faces could only be described as bewildered.

On the other side, the Cleanrot Knight and the Redmane Knight are locked in fierce combat. Although there aren't many special effects, the movements are powerful and quite intimidating.

Everyone found equally matched opponents, and the battles were incredibly fierce.

But the adventurer suddenly turned into an unwanted rotten egg, lying on the roadside with no one picking him up.

"What should we do now?" the adventurer asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Te Pi blinked, his eyes lacking their usual composure; he too found this bizarre situation incomprehensible.

Generally speaking, apart from the Ghrū and Soul Eater in Farron Keep, other monsters usually team up to fight adventurers when they meet, unlike Caelid.

"Or else..." Te Pi's lips twitched slightly as he said,

"Shall we take a look first?"