"Raise your shields!" The sharp command echoed through the woods.

Solalin, who had activated the "Realm of Truth", served as the main force for mine-sweeping, continuously searching the ground for suspicious traces.

Some mushrooms growing among the trees caused her quite a bit of trouble in distinguishing them, leading to her failure to notice the Fat Otaku Puki hidden in the trees.

The Church Warriors were indeed a well-coordinated and battle-hardened unit.

Moments after Solalin issued the order, the Holy Emblem Shield interlocked overhead to form a dome.

However, it was still a step too late; the golden light of the "Divine Barrier" had not fully closed, while three Fat Otaku Puki were already on the verge of falling.

Shi Wu, the last in line, rushed out before Solalin's voice, stepping on an adventurer's shoulder to leap into the air.

Slash!

The three Fat Otaku Puki were all cut into two.

However, before the people below could rejoice, more Puki erupted from the bodies of the Fat Otaku Puki.

Some of these Puki were caught and killed by the blast, some were stopped by the barrier, but some did fall into the crowd.

The people near the landing spots instinctively wanted to evade, block, or counterattack, which only triggered more chaos.

A warrior attempted to swat away a falling Puki with his arm guard, but at the moment of contact—

Boom!

A dazzling green light mixed with viscous, corrosive slime burst violently! As if it were a signal, more explosions then erupted throughout the crowd.

"Urgh—!"

"My eyes!"

"Shields! Raise shields! Protect the spellcasters!"

Screams, explosions, and the hissing of corrosion instantly filled the surroundings.

The adventurers were in chaos, but the Church Warriors displayed organization far exceeding that of the adventurers.

Even though the Puki exploded nearby and corrosive slime splattered on their bodies, they still managed to support the "Divine Barrier," blocking most of the shockwaves and splinters from above, preventing the situation from worsening.

Of course, this was also related to their better equipment, which allowed them to endure more damage.

The Puki's offensive did not end there. Taking advantage of the human formation's chaos, the Puki that had tunneled in ambush within the forest encircled from both sides.

"Hold your formation! Do not panic!" a Church squad leader shouted hoarsely.

Yet he could command the Church Warriors but not the adventurers.

In the chaos, although most adventurers stood with the Church Warriors, some chose to act smart.

Some relied on speed to flee in the direction they came, others used invisibility techniques, hoping to hide until the crisis passed.

Such measures might indeed allow them to escape in other scenarios, but in Lin Jun's domain, they were clearly the wrong choices.

Under multiple reconnaissance perspectives, ordinary adventurers simply could not truly hide in the Underground City.

Those fleeing were captured by the Puki waiting in ambush once they ran back to the first level.

Those invisible or disguised were found by a squad of Puki coincidentally passing by, and then they simply vanished.

Tier Six Spiritual Magic—Group Pain Immunity!

With Edin's intervention, the once chaotic team quickly regained its stability.

Still, Edin's face was terrifyingly grim.

At the moment of the ambush, Edin had split several illusions to disperse attacks, but those Puki ignored the illusions, focusing solely on attacking his true body.

Edin had to awkwardly hide within the Church's team, relying on a group of Gold and silver to protect him.

This frustrated and restricted feeling made him somewhat regret coming down with them.

Fortunately, the crisis did not last long—Shi Wu exerted himself.

Realizing he had been outplayed by the Puki, Shi Wu, in both shame and anger, displayed his strength.

With near full-level "Wandering Body Step" enhancement, Shi Wu moved like a gust of wind through the forest, leaving the Puki falling down in large numbers, like crops harvested by a scythe.

The self-destructing Puki initially mixed in the team still caused Shi Wu some trouble, but once he grasped the trick, Shi Wu no longer approached and defeated the Puki from afar with sword wind.

Nearly two hundred Puki in the field were completely annihilated in less than eight minutes.

To tell the truth, it was somewhat unexpected for Lin Jun.

Although not expecting to cripple this team at once, Lin Jun thought the Puki could harass them longer. Yet, it turned out to be less than ten minutes...

"How is the situation?" Shi Wu sheathed his sword, adjusting his breath while asking.

After a brief silence, Solalin's voice arose, with a tinge of exhaustion and heaviness, "Preliminary count: one Church Warrior died, one severely injured. Adventurers... five missing, three dead, three severely injured."

She closed the "Realm of Truth," rubbed her swollen temples, and the bodies of Puki scattered everywhere greatly interfered with her vision; opening the skills made everything a blur, better to close them.

Solalin did not mention the lightly injured, as injuries would quickly recover under the priest's healing. The so-called serious injuries referred to those wounds irreparable by ordinary Healing Technique.

Such as blindness, broken limbs...

These severe injuries might still be curable if they left the Underground City and spent heavily on special potions.

But at this moment, the team was still in the Underground City, powerless to help.

"Damn it!" Shi Wu cursed softly, his face dark, not at all feeling victorious.

He hadn't expected such heavy losses from just the first encounter.

The Puki's treacherousness was far beyond expectations, particularly the corrosive slime, which was disastrous for adventurers without heavy armor protection.

He saw several warriors injured by the corrosive slime, their bodies bloody and blurred, even exposing bare bones, receiving emergency treatment from the accompanying priest.

Though the warriors suppressed their voices, their distorted faces revealed their suffering.

Edin had to supplement another Group Pain Immunity at the right moment.

"The question now is," Edin came over, frowning as he asked, "what do we do with the injured?"

"We can't leave them behind. By themselves, they probably won't make it out of this Underground City." After a brief consideration, Shi Wu asserted, "The Puki already have a trap and ambush combination; there's likely more ambush on the way back."

"Then… do we spare some people to escort them out?" Edin knew it was unwise but hesitantly asked.

"How many?" Solalin bluntly pointed out the core issue, "If too many, we lack fighting strength for advancement; too few, and facing ambush means we're just serving them on a silver platter."

"What now then?"

"The core fighting strength of the team hasn't truly diminished, and the injured are few, taking them won't slow down the overall marching pace."

Solalin's voice was steady and powerful, but then she shifted her tone, exuding unprecedented gravity.

"However, the strength displayed by the Puki exceeds our prior estimates by far.

In the upcoming exploration, we must proceed cautiously, be extremely careful.

Once the situation changes, we must decisively retreat, regroup outside and draft a new plan."

While speaking, Solalin kept her eyes on Shi Wu.

In Solalin's view, Edin was just a mercenary doing his paid job; retreating wouldn't cost him pay; he naturally wouldn't object.

Her concern was that Shi Wu, the strongest, might not cooperate when needed.

Shi Wu clearly understood her meaning and conceded command: "You're the commander; you make the call."

Beside them, Edin nodded in agreement.

Actually, Solalin didn't understand Edin that well.

If she intended to retreat, not only would Edin not object, but he might even wholeheartedly support it...

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