Chapter 50: Lucky Escape

"Herbie, which way now?"

"Jump down, then turn left."

Herbie and Blaze worked in perfect harmony—one issuing commands, the other executing them flawlessly—as the three of them advanced rapidly through the tunnel.

"So there really are Foreigner assassins after us?" Given Audrey’s intelligence, she quickly understood why Blaze was acting this way.

"There are five of them. One is relatively weak, while the other four should be exceptionally strong," Chicken said. It stood on top of Herbie’s head, keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings to prevent any Monsters in the dark from launching a Stealth attack.

"How did they know? Have they been following us this whole time? Or is there a Detective among them? Could they have known from the very beginning that we were going to take the tunnel, hoping to make their move here where it’s convenient? Turn right!" Herbie pinched the bridge of her nose, her mind racing with Madness as she multitasked.

"Don’t overthink it. Just assume we have bad luck and they spotted us when we left," Blaze replied. He thrust his Twisted Greatsword upward, Piercing a Gold-Eating Ant right through the head. Chicken kept its gaze firmly locked onto the insect that had just attempted a sneak attack.

"Damn it. At the very least, I hope our luck isn’t so bad that they know we’re heading to the opposite side of the Hundred-Womb Ganges." Herbie cursed under her breath, then looked up to continue guiding them. "Jump down the pit ahead!"

***

"Damn it! These blasted bugs!" A little girl stomped her feet in exasperation. She stood at the center, protected by four followers, as a swarm of Gold-Eating Ants surrounded them.

[Golden Ant Queen Level 65]

[The mother of the Gold-Eating Ants, who usually stays in the nest to lay eggs. The Queen will not leave her nest unless absolutely necessary. Once she leaves, it means food is running low. The Gold-Eating Ants will pour out in full force to follow the Queen on a hunt.]

"Tch, it stinks." Wearing incredibly rugged Leather Armor, the Viking follower cleaved the Golden Ant Queen in half with a single axe strike. This hidden boss, which spawned randomly in the Broken Steel Mountain Mine Cave with a horde of minions, was as easy to slice as a vegetable for this group of Level 85 veteran players.

After clearing out all the Gold-Eating Ants, the little girl’s face looked exceptionally grim.

A follower wearing a brown trench coat and biting down on a pipe examined the area with a magnifying glass before shaking his head helplessly. "Boss, the clues have all been destroyed by the Gold-Eating Ants’ corrosive acid."

[Detective] was a Special Profession that required solving ten major cases to unlock, capable of significantly boosting Intelligence. Its unique Skill, [Reenactment], allowed the user to recreate a scene from a certain time frame according to their needs, as long as the environment had not suffered excessive Destruction. In theory, this Profession could even reconstruct and deduce how other people triggered special storylines.

"Why is this happening?! If they want to keep stalling for time in this Broken Steel Mountain Mine Cave, we’ll never be able to find them!" The little girl looked ready to cry, about to plop onto the ground and throw a tantrum. The Viking follower and another Berserker follower hurriedly linked their arms to form a makeshift chair, catching her before she fell.

"That’s impossible. Survival in the mine cave aside for the Singer, that Herbie Hermes is just an Ordinary Person. She wouldn’t be able to survive down here at all." The Detective follower flicked the brim of his hat. "Boss, they’re probably trying to use this mine tunnel to cross the Hundred-Womb Ganges."

"How do you know that?!"

The Detective follower tapped his forehead and shrugged, looking as if he didn’t want to explain basic common sense. His attitude made the other four grit their teeth in irritation, but there was nothing they could do about it. There was no room for luck or cutting corners; only pure Intelligence could unlock the Special Profession of [Detective].

"Besides, I happen to know a newer route. If those three are trying to use this tunnel to cross the Hundred-Womb Ganges, we can definitely ambush them at the exit.

"Of course, there are some uncertain variables..."

"Say no more. Lead the way!" The little girl excitedly tugged at the Detective’s ear, waving her arm boldly to issue the command.

The four followers obediently—or rather, indulgently—followed the little girl. The five of them sprinted all the way. As if to prove the Detective follower’s worth, they occasionally found traces of Blaze’s trio along the route.

"This should be the place." After the Detective follower confirmed their location, the five set up an ambush in a corner. The little girl occasionally rubbed the Detective’s head as a form of praise.

Right then, something approached.

"This sound... the weight, the height... The weight is a bit heavy. He must be carrying those two on his shoulders," the Detective deduced with narrowed eyes, making a hand signal to the other four.

It was the Black Beast Knight. Attack!

"Die!" The five grabbed their weapons and charged out of their ambush spot.

They came face-to-face with a Werewolf standing over two meters tall, its eyes glowing with a blood-red light.

[Werewolf Level 70]

"EEEEEEEEK!" The little girl screamed instinctively. Immediately after, more Werewolves emerged, surrounding them completely.

The remaining four followers also began screaming. Flame, water, lightning—all sorts of Magic Attacks and melee strikes erupted within the narrow tunnel.

***

"To think that the esteemed [Hermes’ Travel Hat] is actually using an outdated Map." Blaze’s dry, lukewarm tone verbally jabbed at Herbie’s back as she walked ahead of him.

"Heh, hehe, I got lost~" Herbie scratched the back of her head and turned around with a bright smile. "Forgive me, please."

Blaze and Audrey remained silent. Even though the tunnel was pitch-black, Herbie could feel their piercing gazes.

"L-look at it from another perspective. We’re pretending to be lost to disrupt their Tracking..." Herbie’s voice grew quieter and quieter until she finally lowered her head and focused obediently on finding the way.

Blaze kept a close watch on their surroundings. The Silver Needles never left his fingertips as he stayed on guard against any Werewolves that might appear at any moment.

However, for some unknown reason, it had been incredibly quiet along the way. Let alone the Foreigners hunting them, neither Werewolves nor even the insect Monsters in the mine cave had shown up. The tunnel was terrifyingly quiet, which kept his nerves constantly on edge.

"Ah, found it!" Herbie finally located the correct path, but then she kicked something, causing a loud CLATTER.

"Eek! It’s here!" Herbie shrieked and scurried behind Blaze like a startled monkey. Frightened by Herbie’s reaction, Audrey also grew tense, her hand trembling non-stop as it gripped the rapier at her Waist.

In the darkness, Blaze and Chicken, who both possessed clear night vision, stared speechlessly at the pipe resting on the ground. Chicken picked up the pipe in its beak and handed it to Blaze.

[Detective’s Pipe]

[Can only be equipped by a Detective. Emits smoke that dispels negative mental status effects.]

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—" Audrey coughed lightly and turned her head away, but Blaze could clearly see her bright red ears. Even a future Lady was helpless against darkness and horror.

Herbie, on the other hand, couldn’t care less. She simply clung to Blaze like a sloth.

"In the end, not only did we not encounter any Werewolves, but we also weren’t ambushed by the Foreigners. We passed through the tunnel with ease," Blaze remarked.

Blaze stood on the cliff, gazing at the roaring Hundred-Womb Ganges in the distance. It was his first time being so close to the main channel. It was so vast that it resembled a raging sea rather than a mere river, its surging waves crashing like a terrifying Beast Tide. Just seeing that deep, rich crimson made it feel as though the stench of blood was already hitting his nose.

"Hey, Blaze, hurry up and give me a hand!" Clinging to the edge of a rock crevice and looking like she was about to slip, Herbie wailed for help.

Blaze retracted his gaze, grabbed Herbie by the collar, and hoisted her up.