One Shot Brick was shocked. Although Sacred Beasts had never been able to survey the inside of the chasm before, they had a reasonable estimate of how long it would take them to reach the other side based on the two points of entry.
According to those estimates, it should have taken them another fifteen to twenty minutes to locate the exit! Even with One Shot Brick using Rapid Currents and Unimpeded Charge to increase their overall travel speed, he understood it was not nearly enough to have already arrived so close to the exit. Nevertheless, One Shot Brick did not let his guard down.
"Did our Cartographers get the estimate wrong? No… This could just be another one of the blood mist tricks." One Shot Brick muttered to himself as he furrowed his brows.
One Shot Brick looked behind him to see a group of barely discernable silhouettes headed in his direction. Although the blood mist obstructed his vision, he was sure that these silhouettes belonged to the others from his Sacred Beasts.
"The path created by my Rapid Currents should last for another fifteen seconds. I want to check ahead before the others arrive to confirm that it really is the exit, but this place is too bizarre. Just in case anything unexpected happens, I should wait here until everyone catches up." One Shot Brick internalized.
He made sure to keep his guard up as what lied ahead was unknown. After all, there was no guarantee that the Scarlet Phantoms would stop chasing after their group; therefore, he had to be prepared.
…
A few moments later…
The rest of the group finally caught up to One Shot Brick.
Just like One Shot Brick, they were also taken aback by the sudden light that revealed itself a handful of paces in front of them.
'It's necessary to recognize when to advance and when to retreat. Facing those Scarlet Phantoms in a small group would not have been harmful, but there was no end to them. It's possible that whatever is behind this blood mist is also responsible for the never-ending waves of Scarlet Phantoms.'
Izroth, along with Meng Jiang, was the last to escape the pursuit of the Scarlet Phantoms. Neither of them made a move besides to protect themselves occasionally.
As they followed the path left by One Shot Brick, Izroth and Meng Jiang kept a close eye on the party to make sure that no one fell behind.
In the end, despite a few close calls, there were zero casualties among the group!
Of course, the most bizarre thing was that after moving just ten meters forward, the group reached the other side of the chasm and walked out of the blood mist.
"It truly was the exit…!" One Shot Brick uttered in slight disbelief.
"This doesn't make any sense. Judging from the surrounding terrain, even if we moved in a straight line from one end to the other, it should have taken us at least three times longer to escape." Passive Shield stated with a frown as he furrowed his brows.
"You're right; however, I reviewed the coordinates, and everything checks out. If the system isn't malfunctioning, then we're at our intended destination." One Shot Brick confirmed.
Meanwhile, the members of Sacred Beasts remained vigilant. The group focused on replenishing their lost health and mana while waiting for the blood mist's effects to end.
'Hm?'
Izroth narrowed his eyes as he looked back towards the chasm the party had just escaped from.
'Strange… the presence of those creatures disappeared the moment we passed outside of the blood mist. The bloodl.u.s.t and killing intent has also diminished, but I can't shake this feeling—it's as though we were being observed.'
Since his Energy Vision Sense was not working properly within the blood mist, Izroth could not confirm whether his suspicions were true or not; therefore, he decided not to bring it up to Meng Jiang and Sacred Beasts.
Regardless, Izroth believed that there was more to this chasm than the vicious blood mist and Scarlet Phantoms. In truth, he wanted to go back and investigate; however, he currently had his sights set on other matters.
'Forget it. I will revisit this place when I have time in the future. I'm not sure what secrets it's hiding, but if it has so many protective elements, the mysteries contained inside cannot be small.'
As this thought crossed Izroth's mind, the effects of the blood mist finally dispersed from the last few Sacred Beasts players.
After verifying that everyone recovered and setting up a few security measures in their immediate vicinity, Meng Jiang resumed command as she stood at the group's front.
"I am sure everyone here is aware that we are presently deep within enemy territory. Regrettably, we do not have the luxury of enjoying our travels together from this point on. As such, we must keep our wits near to our minds." Meng Jiang stated.
She then continued, "The good news is that the defenses at these outposts should be lax given how much control Tempest and their allies have established over the Demilitarization Belt. We will take this opportunity to split into three groups and strike three points with one spear. I, myself, will command group one. One Shot Brick will take lead group two. As for group three—I will leave it in your hands, Mr. First Place. Does anyone have any objections?"
The players from Sacred Beasts remained silent in response. Meng Jiang and One Shot Brick becoming group leaders were a given, but they did not expect their guild leader to grant an outsider the position.
Nevertheless, not a single player from Sacred Beasts raised any objections. Not only did they trust in their guild leader's decision, but the person in question was currently ranked first place on the event leaderboards by an unbelievable margin.
Furthermore, the members of Sacred Beasts knew that with her personality, Meng Jiang would never place her trust in someone unworthy of it. If she trusted Izroth enough to put their lives in his hands, then what was there to dread?
"It will be easier for me to move alone," Izroth stated calmly.
To the Sacred Beasts players' surprise, the one to object was not a member of their guild, but rather Izroth himself!
They knew that Izroth was strong, but this was enemy territory. In addition, there was no guarantee that some high-level NPCs would not be stationed at the three Tempest allied outposts they planned to target—even if the defense in the surrounding area was lax. Going alone was practically the same as delivering one's life into enemy hands!
One Shot Brick frowned, "I think you should reconsider. It's not that we doubt your ability, but the Headhunter Syndicate is hardly our sole concern. These may not be key Tempest allied outposts, but there's always the possibility of running into a Captain-ranked NPC or two. Their strength may vary, but it's not something we can afford to look down on. If our luck is bad, there's even a chance of running into a Commander. I'm afraid going alone is akin to a death wish."
Since One Shot Brick participated in the Failed Chimera world boss fight, he witnessed Izroth's strength firsthand. However, fighting a wild beast like the Failed Chimera and those players from the Headhunter Syndicate was different from going up against named NPCs. If it were a one-on-one battle, then it would be understandable if Izroth wanted to go alone. But, in the end, the Headhunter Syndicate was not the only enemy they would have to confront.
"Alright." Meng Jiang's voice sounded as she baffled her fellow guild members.
They could not believe their ears! Was she really going to let Izroth, a guest of their Sacred Beasts, go off on his own with no assistance this far behind enemy lines?!
Meng Jiang smiled and declared, "Be at ease. If Palace Master Izroth states that it is easier for him to move alone, then we shall take advantage of his generosity. Instead of splitting into three groups as we originally planned, we will form two groups. This will give us more leeway when we strike."
The instant Meng Jiang finished speaking, Izroth wasted no time as he removed the Moonlit Concealing Mantle from his inventory.
"Since it's settled, I'll be going ahead," Izroth said as he equipped the Moonlit Concealing Mantle.
"Remember to wait for our signal before you strike. After all, it would be quite the inconvenience if they were to warn the other outposts and cause them to reinforce their defenses." Meng Jiang noted.
