Guarding the Rear

The footsteps continued up the steps for a dozen paces before entering the chamber.

The newcomer was clearly extremely familiar with this space; even in the pitch-black darkness, his steps did not hesitate in the slightest.

Roger silently drew a second arrow and notched it on his string. The moment the figure stepped into the chamber, he released his bowstring.

Two arrows struck the newcomer squarely in each eye.

Before the cultist could let out a scream, Steinbeck closed the distance and knocked him unconscious with the haft of his hammer.

Steinbeck crouched down and checked the man's pulse. Confirming he was still alive, he gave a concise order:

“Bind him, gag him, and take him back for the interrogation.”

Lana pulled two bundles of rope from her belt pouch, expertly binding the captive's limbs before stuffing a handkerchief into his mouth.

Afterward, Steinbeck hoisted the captive onto his shoulder and gestured for the others to follow.

The four of them quickly left the chamber, retracing their steps up to the fork, and then moved rapidly toward the cave entrance without a moment's pause.

But before they could even spot the light from the entrance, Roger's Scout's Eye caught a danger signal.

In his bird's-eye view, several grayish-green figures were rapidly approaching along the passage they had just traveled.

Judging by their numbers and speed, this was a well-equipped combat squad advancing at a sprint, led by two elite units.

The others had clearly noticed the commotion behind them as well. Steinbeck quickened his pace without looking back, his voice drifting from up ahead: “Let's pick up the pace and shake off these green-skinned bastards. Once we reach the entrance, the camp can back us up.”

Roger interrupted him. “You guys take the captive and go first. I'll stay behind to cover our retreat.”

Steinbeck whipped his head around to look at him, opening his mouth to object.

“I'm not trying to be a hero.” Roger was already taking steps back toward the goblins, two glass bottles appearing in his hands at some point.

“I have plenty of ways to handle this. I'll hold off the pursuers on my own while you take the captive and put some distance between us. I'll retreat right after slowing them down; I won't linger.”

His primary reason, however, was that he wanted to farm some points.

With so many goblins pressing in, if he didn't kill a few before leaving, he would wake up in the middle of the night wanting to slap himself.

Steinbeck stared at him, swiftly weighing the pros and cons, before finally saying only:

“Then you'd better come back alive.”

He then barked an order to the others: “Keep moving toward the entrance! No matter what happens behind us, don't look back.”

The four of them reorganized their formation. Steinbeck continued to lead the way with the captive on his shoulder, with Lana following closely behind. Irene gave Roger a glance as she passed him before pressing forward.

Roger was left alone at the rear, his back to the fading light of the glowing crystal as he faced the passage where the goblins were swarming from.

Upon seeing Roger standing alone in the middle of the passage, the goblins actually slowed their pace, shifting from a rapid march to a cautious, gradual advance.

Roger pulled the corks from the two glass bottles and activated Water Control. The red liquid flew out of the bottle mouths, transforming into two thin streams.

At the same time, his Rune Ring glowed red, unleashing several fireballs that slammed into the goblin ranks now drenched in accelerant.

A bright orange-red fireball violently exploded within the narrow passage. The heatwave blasted back and forth between the cave walls, instantly swallowing several goblins at the front and raising a barrier of raging flames between the two sides.

Shrieks of agony rose from the goblins as their figures scrambled in panic amidst the flames.

Roger activated 【Iron Wall】 to negate the heat's effects on himself.

If only this fire could burn up all the oxygen and suffocate the goblins hiding in the cave, the thought flashed through his mind, though he knew it was unrealistic.

The cave was too deep, the locations of any ventilation shafts were unknown, and the scale of the fire was far from enough to deplete the oxygen of the entire cave system.

But at the very least, this wall of fire had successfully split the pursuing forces. Now, he only had to deal with the two elite warriors.

Joking aside, Roger warily watched the two elite warriors, who hadn't backed down an inch, while casting Windwalk. He watched as they infused their broadswords with Life Energy, unleashing two crossing slashes of blade qi that sliced the flames in their path in two.

Roger leaped backward. His Arcane Hand had already drawn his Fine Steel Sword, executing a Sword Qi Slash.

The two arcs of light collided violently in the passage, unleashing a shockwave that sent loose gravel cascading down from the cave walls.

The Sword Qi Slash was exhausted after neutralizing the first slash, and the second slash grazed past Roger's side, disappearing into the darkness behind him.

The two elite warriors charged forward across the burning ground, dancing flames still clinging to the edges of their armor, while the common grunts regrouped behind them.

Just as Roger was about to unleash another Chain Lightning, footsteps echoed from behind him.

A silver-white figure entered the vision of his Scout's Eye.

Irene had doubled back and quickly arrived by Roger's side.

“Why did you come back?” Roger refocused his attention on the goblins ahead, Chain Lightning already crackling in his hand.

“Steinbeck is almost at the entrance.” Irene stopped beside him, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him to block the center of the passage. “I can hold them off. Use this opportunity to cast your spells.”

“As expected of you.”

Roger said no more, raising his hand to blast Chain Lightning into the densest cluster of goblins. Arcs of electricity leaped between them, sending another row of goblins collapsing with agonizing shrieks.

Irene lunged in right behind the residual electrical current of the Chain Lightning, swinging her sword at one of the elite warriors.

Roger fired arrows and fireballs in rapid succession, picking off the grunts attempting to flank them around the sea of fire one by one.

Though they hadn't discussed any tactics beforehand, their coordination was as seamless as if they had practiced it countless times.

Irene kept moving at the front, keeping the goblins' attention firmly anchored on her, while Roger provided steady fire from behind, his every arrow striking enemies that tried to flank or ambush her from behind.

Under their alternating onslaught, the two elite warriors collapsed one other.

The grunts' charging momentum was finally shattered completely. The remaining few survivors dragged their smoking bodies as they fled deeper into the passage, but before they could run more than a few paces, Roger's fireballs caught up to them, turning them into charred corpses one by one.

A brief silence returned to the passage, broken only by the crackle of burning flames and the sporadic, distant shrieks of the fleeing remnants.

Roger lowered his bow and caught his breath, taking a moment to check his total points.

The panel displayed the number “8,000,” two thousand more than before.

A bountiful harvest. Time to get out of here, he thought.

But just as the two of them prepared to head back, the ground suddenly vibrated. The entire space seemed to shake violently, nearly throwing them off their feet.

Fissures were spreading across the rock ceiling above at a visible rate. Irene suddenly yelled to Roger, “Run!”

Both dashed toward the cave entrance, their figures blurring into two shadows in the passage.

But a crack spread from the ceiling to the side walls, and with a deafening crash, the ceiling caved in.

Boulders and loose earth poured down like a waterfall, sending a cloud of dust rushing into their faces. Roger and Irene were forced to halt abruptly. The tumbling debris piled up right to their feet before finally stopping, completely sealing off the path to the entrance.

As the sound of the last falling rocks faded, the path leading to the cave entrance was no more.

Roger stood in place, staring at the barrier of boulders and earth before him. In the bird's-eye view of his Scout's Eye, the thickness of the collapsed debris far exceeded its range.