"Get out? Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm a three-year-old?"
Gustavo scoffed at Tula's words.
His repeated use of burst abilities has left him extremely weak, and his combat strength has dropped to the Tier Four.
Although the old Mage seemed even more pathetic than himself, Gustavo never forgot one thing: never let your guard down before the enemy is completely dead, because who knows if the other party might have a way to take them down with them.
Just like in his previous life, he carried a spatial bomb with him, so that he could take a few people down with him before he died.
Even if I die, you won't have an easy time.
Gustavo believed that there were definitely many beings who shared this idea, especially mercenaries, adventurers, and scavengers —Transcendent who lived on the edge of death.
He could simply lie still and wait for the humans to die from poisoning, then happily loot the corpses. Why put himself in such uncertain danger?
"Damn it! You cunning monster!!"
Seeing that Gustavo hadn't fallen for the trick, Tula's previously dejected look turned into one of madness.
Gustavo wasn't wrong; the old man also had a sixth-circle spell scroll with a Flame Explosion Spell inscribed on it, which was incredibly powerful.
If Gustavo does show up, Tula will not hesitate to deliver Fatal Strike with the scroll.
However, faced with the empty valley, Tula could only rage in vain.
Ultimately, he couldn't withstand the poison's effects and slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Is it over just like that?" Tula's eyes widened as memories of the past flashed through her mind, finally settling on a bright, radiant smile.
"Elia..."
"Is he dead?" Gustavo poked his head out, but quickly pulled it back in.
"That old codger is cunning, let's wait and see!"
A few more minutes passed before Gustavo tiptoed out of the cave.
After observing from a distance for a while, he released a spider silk thread, coated it with energy, and then released it.
The spider silk writhed on the ground like a snake, then came to Tula's side, crawled under his neck, wrapped around it, crossed it from side to side, and pulled hard.
Pfft!
The flesh, weakened by the toxins, became more vulnerable, and the spider silk easily severed Tula's head. The head rolled half a circle on the ground, blood flowing out and seeping into the earth.
After that, Gustavo beheaded all the human mercenaries without missing a single one, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Gravity Control was activated again, creating a small Black Hole in the center of the spiderweb cage. The poisonous mist then gathered around it, eventually condensing into a poison pellet the size of a little finger.
"That's all we have left. We'll make more if we have the chance."
Having tasted the sweetness of using poison, Gustavo became completely enamored with the feeling. He decided to increase his study of "The Complete Compendium of Top-Tier Poisons" and knowledge of potion preparation when he returned.
"A spider that can't use venom isn't a good spider!" Gustavo muttered to himself as he carefully put away the venom pills. He didn't approach the poisoned corpses, but instead used his silk to peel off their belongings one by one.
Armor, dagger, staff, money bag...
Soon, a large pile of valuable items was placed in front of Gustavo.
Among these items, Gustavo saw a scroll with a brownish-yellow background and flame patterns. After a brief examination, he discovered that it was actually a sixth-circle spell scroll.
"Old man, you were definitely up to no good!"
Upon seeing the scroll, Gustavo couldn't help but applaud his own caution and decided to maintain and promote this style in the future.
"Playing it safe? No, no, no, this is playing it safe!"
"Let's store these treasures away first, and come back for them after we're done!"
Gustavo wove a large bag out of spider silk, dragged his spoils for several kilometers out of the valley, found a secluded underground cave, threw the bag inside, covered the entrance, and then vanished.
The battle at Nirat Walled Settlement is nearing its end.
The Dog Demon Clan and the Nirat Clan had already suffered heavy losses in a major battle. This mercenary squad was an elite team with extensive combat experience, excellent teamwork, and members who were at least Mid-Rank Transcendent. They quickly wiped out the remaining Dog Demon and Cyclops.
Of course, the mercenaries didn't come without a price; they lost five men in the process.
After dealing with the henchmen, the remaining fifteen mercenaries, together with their captain Rig, successfully surrounded and killed the Dog Demon leader.
However, two more mercenaries were killed by the Dog Demon leader in a desperate counterattack.
Losing seven people in succession Rig heartbroken in the past, but when he saw the corpses of Dog Demon and Cyclops all over the place, the sadness that had just surged in his heart vanished.
The one-eyed creatures of the Nirat Clan, and the fur and teeth of the Dog Demon, are always in high demand and short supply in the market for Transcendent materials, commanding considerable value.
In addition, various resources collected by the Nirat Clan, such as furs, herbs, gems, and minerals, are now all in his possession.
"With so many Transcendent materials, they could fetch at least 3 million Ta Pound," Rig thought to himself.
And that's without even including Oduoka and the Dog Demon Leader.
If we include these two High-Rank Transcendent Lifeform, it could probably sell for 4 million Ta Pound.
With so much money, he could not only replenish his forces but also expand them significantly.
Night City has no shortage of mercenaries and outlaws; as long as you have money, you can always find a large group of henchmen.
Moreover, Rig was on the orders of the regiment commander to carry out this mission, so these losses can be reported directly and reimbursed by the regiment, saving them some expenses.
As he pondered this, Rig felt increasingly relaxed. He sat on the corpse of the dead Dog Demon leader, took out a cigar, lit it, and began to puff away. As for collecting Transcendent materials, that was naturally left to his subordinates.
"I wonder how things are going with Tula and Margaret. If we can capture that spider monster alive, we can definitely sell it for a fortune!" Rig pondered. He was an absolute money-grubber, and being shrewd and mercenary was the most prominent impression Rig left on outsiders, with strength being secondary.
However, as time went by, Margaret and Tula never returned, Rig couldn't help but feel a bad premonition.
"I hope nothing bad has happened."
He tossed away the cigar end in his hand, instructed the remaining mercenaries to guard the Transcendent materials he had collected, and then leaped into the air, disappearing into the vast forest.
A dozen minutes later, Rig returned with a grim face. The horrific scene he had just witnessed in the valley made his heart clench with fear, but even more so with bewilderment. Margaret and Tula had all died from poisoning.
The other mercenaries also noticed their captain's unusual behavior and wanted to ask him something, but none of them dared to be the first to speak.
"Grab your things and let's get out!"