Rumble——

A familiar sound...

Norris rubbed his sleepy eyes, got up from the ground, and climbed to the top of the hanging cage with a stone stick in hand.

He inserted the stone stick into the hole and poked inside—it was his job to prod the newly split Slime into the exit.

If the Pukis were guarding, there was no need to worry about how long the newborn Slime stayed inside; they could deal with it after it emerged.

But now the job fell on him, and if three or four Slimes came out together, he'd be in trouble.

Although the Pukis would back him up, he would inevitably suffer some damage, so driving them out as soon as they split to deal with them was the right approach for him.

Persistence pays off. In no time, a red Slime squeezed out of the stone exit.

Seeing it was a red Slime, Norris breathed a sigh of relief.

[Wind Splitting Claw Level 4]

The Slime's body was slashed open. Norris, quick-eyed and quick-handed, reached out with his right hand to grab the Slime's core and pulled it out.

Luckily, it wasn't green. Whenever he dealt with green Slimes, his hands always got corroded.

Just when he felt relieved, the hanging cage was suddenly raised...

Not good!

Norris turned and ran to the farthest corner from the Rift, where he felt the least impact, enduring the burning sensation all over his body as he waited for the cage to be lowered again.

After it was all over, he lay on the Fungal Mat with the Puki guards to replenish his energy and heal his injuries.

Lying on the Fungal Mat, Norris would think of his Mushroom House. The comfort of the Mushroom House was incomparable to a Fungal Mat laid on rocks...

Norris continued his laborious life with a bitter smile, unaware that he was growing stronger.

[Skill Upgrade: Wind Splitting Claw Level 4→Level 5]

[Skill Upgrade: Corrosion Resistance Level 1→Level 2]

He was also unaware that outside his small mountain, the Pukis were planting mushrooms and the Tree Demons were planting tender branches to create an enhanced version of the Mushroom Forest.

Moreover, he missed the Vampire Hunt 2.0.

...

Nothing is more torturous than knowing a group of robbers is planning to raid your home, but not knowing when, forcing you to constantly watch your front door.

So when Lin Jun discovered that Vampire at the entrance, the whole 'shroom' relaxed—finally, they had arrived!

Honestly, after so much preparation, if the Demon Race hadn't come, that would have been truly frustrating!

[Name: Louisa]

[Level: 50]

[Title: Blood Race Viscount]

Merely Level 50, with Admiral Xiao Hai backing us up; there's nothing to worry about.

This Vampire Viscount, accompanied by seven human-looking individuals who seemed like cannon fodder to Lin Jun, entered the Underground City.

While Lin Jun mentally criticized how the Demon Race came to this Underground City, deep in the Human territory, as if it were their home, he unexpectedly noticed that the team had a "tail" following them!

Using the Fungal Mat extending from the Underground City, Lin Jun observed a team with the distinct insignia of the Bright Church arriving outside the grand gate of the Underground City.

-----------------

The leader of the Wing of Judgment, Solalin, trod on the dried branches, following the sporadic footprints on the ground through the forest.

In her eyes, one set of footprints exuded a nauseating dark aura.

Following her were Priest Mein and four fully-armored Church Warriors.

In this team, Solalin and Mein both possessed Gold Level strength, while the other warriors were all Silver Level.

Reaching the outskirts of the Underground City, the silver light lingering in Solalin's right eye dimmed with the flutter of her eyelashes. Maintaining the Realm of Truth took a considerable toll on her.

The Priest behind her examined two guards who had fallen by the campfire. "They're alive, it seems to be a Sleep Spell."

"As expected, randomly killing would only expose them more easily. Clearly, they don't know they're already exposed." Solalin glanced up at the magnificent gate before her, "Mein, you were right; their destination is the Purple Crystal Dungeon."

"Since there's nothing further south," Priest Mein appeared not at all pleased with being right and instead worried, "but we still don't know what they plan to do."

Thanks to Solalin's ability, they had discovered this group infiltrating the Kingdom's territory even before reaching the forest.

Lately, Demon Race activities in the United Kingdom had been frequent, but mostly involved solitary spies, whose capture didn't require much caution.

This time, however, they had traced an entire group, with strength unknown.

Out of caution, they didn't approach hastily but shattered a Communication Crystal, calling other patrols in the area. They themselves left two warriors at the spot to meet the reinforcements and continued tracking.

This group was clearly trained in stealth, covering their tracks deliberately along the way, even with a skill they could call clever.

Practically, even with Mein's ability, it was hard to discern, relying solely on Solalin to lead them here.

But Mein couldn't understand why they wanted to enter the Underground City.

Causing sabotage should target towns, so what could they do inside the Underground City?

Quietly kill some Adventurers?

How would that affect the Kingdom... Adventurers weren't counted among the regular fighting force anyway.

Could they be after something or someone?

Not understanding their purpose made Mein anxious, but Solalin seemed indifferent.

"Their purpose doesn't matter; now that they're in the Underground City, they're trapped like rats in a jar."

Solalin sat on a stump by the campfire, supporting herself with a sword.

"Not pursuing further?" Mein asked.

"No need. The Underground City has no other exits. Once we unite with other patrols here, we just have to wait, and they'll have nowhere to escape."

Solalin said, suddenly lowering her head in thought, then summoning a subordinate.

"Go contact the Adventurer's Guild here and have them gather Adventurers to assist in capturing the Demon Race.

We don't need high-level Adventurers; I don't require them to guard the door or participate in combat. Just have them disperse around the Underground City to prevent the Demon Race from using an Escape Scroll."

"An Escape Scroll?" Mein queried, "That's unlikely, isn't it? Those things are rare and dangerous..."

"Just as a precaution." Solalin didn't want to let this lot escape due to such a minor oversight.

"Yes." The Church Warrior, receiving the order, took the identity token of the Wing of Judgment's leader from Solalin and headed toward Dumb Wind Town.

Though Mein thought they should keep close to the enemy, with Solalin having made a decision, Mein chose to remain silent.

He and Solalin both had Gold-level strength, but as a Chanting Priest, Mein was ultimately just a strategic adjunct. Solalin, as the squad leader, occasionally consulted him out of respect for his strength, not out of necessity.

Moreover, Solalin's judgment seemed sound. Assembling forces to block the entrance indeed appeared a prudent approach.

The only issue was how long they'd have to wait...

If the Demon Race realized the situation outside and refused to come out of the Underground City, what would they do?

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