Shi Wu's face was as heavy as water. Each swing of his dual swords was less about excavation and more about venting the torment within his heart.

He could almost envision Solalin and the others falling one by one in the frenzy of the Puki... It was all his fault!

He had failed to slay the king of the Puki!

Not only did he fail at the last moment, but he also got himself trapped here!

If only his sword had been a little faster back then...

Bam!

The dual swords finally broke through the last layer of tough soil, stone, and tangled mycelium, allowing murky air mixed with light specks to rush in.

Covered in dirt and dishevelled, Shi Wu crawled out of the narrow gap, his eyes filled with determination. He was ready to face the expected scene of a bloody hell, with corpses strewn everywhere, and then use his last strength for revenge, or... a burial.

The dishonor of being the only survivor while all his teammates perished was something he couldn't bear!

However, the anticipated horrific scene did not appear.

There was no need even to kill his way to the stairs, for Solalin and the others were just outside the cave!?

What met his eyes were the figures stripped down to their underclothes, lying sprawled on the ground.

Their chests were rising and falling, indicating they were merely unconscious.

Shi Wu wanted to step forward and check their condition, but he hesitated—because the Puki were still nearby.

A large number of Puki surrounded the clearing.

"Surrounding" wasn't quite accurate—they seemed more like they were busy with something on their own around it.

The Cow and Horse Puki stepped over the unconscious people, carrying large and small pieces of Puki fragments, piling them together.

From time to time, they would pick out one or two pieces, attempting to piece them together.

And beside them, there were many Puki that had been "assembled."

Shi Wu noticed at once that more than half of them were barely stacked together, far from being the originals.

What is this?

Do the Puki also care about having a complete body?

No matter what, the Puki's interest in the fragments was evidently greater than their interest in Shi Wu and his teammates.

Even more than their interest in him.

Shi Wu had been standing there for quite a while, yet not a single Puki had initiated an attack.

"What... what is this?" Shi Wu muttered to himself, his voice dry and hoarse.

He looked at Solalin's furrowed brow in her unconscious state, at Mage Mein's inopportune dream-like smile, and again at the earnest Puki piecing together their "comrades"... a complex, indescribable emotion surged within him.

Anger? Yes, but the target seemed vague.

Relief? Yes, the teammates were still alive!

Frustration? It was almost overflowing!

And a hint of... being choked by this excessively realistic and absurd "ending."

He stood there, frozen like a statue, not knowing what to do for a moment.

Should he rush in and cut down those Puki?

Or should he first check Solalin and the others' injuries?

Or... should he dig a hole and bury himself back, pretending not to see this bizarre scene in front of him?

"Hmm... hmm..."

Just as Shi Wu was at a loss, Solalin, who had been knocked out, was the first to awaken.

...

...

...

The long line moved slowly through the stairway.

The Puki were at the front clearing the way, and at the back as rear guards.

Sandwiched in the middle were the captives, empty-handed, about to be driven out of the Underground City.

The Church Warriors walked with heavy steps, their faces a mix of the relief of surviving the disaster and the deep shame of being captured and at the mercy of others after their defeat.

However, the ordinary adventurers appeared much "purer."

Their faces betrayed an unconcealable, almost naked relief—surviving without dying was a blessing!

In the entire group, only Shi Wu's appearance remained "decent."

Although he was also covered in mud and dirt, at least his gear was still intact on him; the Puki had not tried to seize his weapon.

Unlike Solalin, a dignified commander, who was now left with only her shorts and a shirt.

Forced to expose her muscled and scarred waist and abdomen.

"Speaking of which, where is Edin?" asked Priest Mein, standing barely clothed with only a pair of pants beside Solalin.

"Perhaps... he managed to escape?" Solalin replied uncertainly.

After all, Edin was a Diamond Level Illusionist, and if anyone had a better chance of escaping in that scenario, besides Shi Wu, it would've been Edin.

Of course, it wasn't impossible that he was killed.

Although the Puki ultimately did not kill them, more than one or two people had perished during the battle.

This doubt did not trouble them for long.

As the group reached the second level, they found Edin, who was with several adventurers who had "gone missing" earlier, dressed only in shorts—the Puki had even taken his earrings.

"Yo..." Edin looked up and saw the group of equally embarrassed companions, forcing a terribly awkward smile as he raised a hand in greeting.

Running off alone was uncommendable, and more so... when he hadn't even managed to escape successfully.

Fortunately, Solalin, Mein, and the others were not petty.

In such a desperate situation, anyone managing to escape was a victory.

No one criticized him, and Shi Wu merely nodded slightly.

Solalin was more concerned: "Why are you on the second level?"

"Lack of skill... lack of skill..." Edin repeatedly waved his hands, wearing a look of inescapable past fiasco.

Seeing his demeanor, the group could mostly infer his failed illusion or being intercepted midway, wisely choosing not to press further.

Edin rubbed his bare arms, grimacing, throwing out the most immediate issue: "Well, does Chairman Fa'er's reimbursement for action expenses include compensating us for this equipment we've lost?"

With a pained expression, Edin was undoubtedly the one who had suffered the most loss among them.

An entire set of expensive mage equipment and jewelry was all gone...

Solalin and Mein, who had the Church to rely on, would at least be reissued with standard equipment.

As for Edin, if Fa'er refused to reimburse him, he would be at a huge loss.

"Rest assured," Shi Wu's deep voice rang out, tinged with a faint sense of guilt, "I will explain to Fa'er on your behalf."

Shi Wu felt he bore significant responsibility for this failed mission, and if worse came to worst, he would compensate Edin out of his pocket.

Edin's face cleared of gloom as he let out a long breath, "Thanks a lot!"

He continued rubbing the mycelium on his arms concealed by illusions, finally in the mood to chat with the group about other trivial matters.

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

The news of the Puki Subjugation Squad's crushing defeat fell like a massive boulder into the pond of Dumb Wind Town—a mortality rate of nearly one-fifth, with survivors, apart from Shi Wu, stripped completely, surviving only due to the Puki's "mercy"!

Predictably, Dumb Wind Town exploded in uproar! On the streets and alleys, in taverns and inns, everyone was spitting with excitement discussing this disastrous defeat, and the Adventurer's Guild was once again thrust into the spotlight.

Chairman Fa'er took full responsibility, extending the originally promised bounty by a sheer fifty percent, while the families of the deceased were given three times the bounty.

Two days later, in the Rotten Willow Tavern.

Ai Mei finally fulfilled the scene that appeared in her near-death vision—generously placing several large portions of aromatic catfish belly smothered in thick honey sauce on the table.

"Come! Eat! My treat!" she called to Horn, Old Hammer, and Noah, attempting to recreate the boldness and satisfaction felt in her dream.

However, the gazes of her companions sitting around the table were entirely different in the dream; instead of pure envy, they reflected disbelief, pity, and the complex, nuanced look people give a fool who has struck it rich, all focused squarely on Ai Mei.

"Wha... why are you all looking at me like that? Just tell me if I earned this bounty or not!"

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