"Since the mission was released three days ago, only 25 Silver Level and 2 Gold Level participants have confirmed, with no Diamond Level personnel."

Listening to Mira Belle's report, Fa'er frowned.

The absence of Diamond Level adventurers was not surprising, as recently all major cities have issued missions to capture Demon Race spies, offering generous rewards.

For Diamond Level adventurers, dealing with spies who at most reach Gold Level poses no risk, the only consideration is how to find them.

It's normal that no Diamond Level signed up, even Edin was recruited through a special commission.

However, having only 25 Silver and 2 Gold Level participants is far below his expectations, considering the high bounty for this mission.

"Why are there so few people?" Fa'er's voice was emotionless.

"Based on peripheral information and casual conversations with some applicants," Mira Belle pondered, "there's common feedback that the historical heavy casualties are daunting. Moreover, many adventurers believe that the current threat of the target is questionable, and some even... some even think that the existence of Puki is beneficial, opposing the crusade."

"Understood," Fa'er nodded, "let's proceed with gathering people as planned and prepare to depart."

Although fewer adventurers participated than expected, this did not affect Fa'er's plan.

In fact, he would proceed even without any adventurers.

The essence of releasing this mission is to inform adventurers that the Guild is about to act, and those who do not want to be affected can choose to avoid it recently.

If Edin's Illusion Insects had not been discovered, Fa'er would have certainly chosen to rush in immediately to find the King of Puki.

But since it was discovered, and knowing that Puki has considerable intelligence,

descending to the fifth level takes at least half a day, and the King of Puki would have fled long ago.

So this matter is not urgent.

Fa'er even prepared himself mentally for not finding the King of Puki this time.

...

At the gate of the Underground City.

Behind a formation of forty Church Warriors, adventurers with bows, crossbows, and magic staffs followed.

Edin and Shi Wu were at the very end of the group.

Besides the team executing the mission, many adventurers gathered nearby to watch the spectacle.

Priest Noah even waved to Ranger Ai Mei in the team.

Seeing the personnel gathered, Solalin commanded, "Set off!"

As the Guild leader, Fa'er naturally wouldn't enter the Underground City.

With him not going, the ever-present maid Lillian would naturally not leave his side either.

Thus, the truly high-end combat power that could be relied upon for this deep exploration of the Underground City was only Shi Wu and Edin, with Edin being a supportive illusionist.

However, Fa'er felt little worry in his heart.

On one hand, the Holy Temple Warriors dispatched by the Church are well-trained and excel in fighting by forming formations.

When their Holy Emblem Shield Wall closes, the power they can unleash is far beyond what ordinary adventurer teams can compare with.

On the other hand, from Fa'er's perspective, having Shi Wu alone as the elite combat force for this mission is more than sufficient.

After all, he truly emerged from the blood-soaked storms at the border, an existence worthy of being called a "hero."

...

The entering team was immediately noticed by Lin Jun.

He thought there might be a group or two of Diamond Level adventurers, but instead—

a bunch of Gold and Silver Level from the Church?

Not even worth his attention.

As for the adventurers following behind, even less so.

Lin Jun didn't expect that the illusionist would come in person this time. He took a good look at the panel, and judging by the skills, he indeed looked like a sly guy.

Now Lin Jun was considering not whether he could win the fight, but to what extent should he fight to avoid larger conflicts.

After all, this is an official team, not to be handled like ordinary adventurers.

This relaxed and cheerful mood persisted until he pulled up the panel of the last person.

[Name: Shi Wu]

[Race: Human]

[Level: 61]

[Skills: Sword Mastery Level 10, Dual Wielding Mastery Level 10, Wandering Body Step Level 9, Parry Level 8, Trample Level 8, Wind Pressure Slash Level 8, Shrinking Ground Level 7, Qi Sensitivity Level 7...]

[Title: Demon Slayer, Breaking Army (Attribute boost during charge)]

Ss—!

Is this the confidence of that new Guild leader?

Level 61, higher than Xiao Hai!

And this row of skills is all complementary, far superior to Xiao Hai's wild fighting style.

Compared to him, Xiao Hai only has higher attributes.

No wonder they dared to come down like this!

Upon thinking it over, Lin Jun also sent Xiao Hai to the Deep Area, without calling up Little Pig and Norris.

In this kind of scenario, neither the Dragon Man nor the Vampire would do anything but complicate matters.

And if Xiao Hai lost, that would be even worse.

Let Puki handle the attack against Puki, and if it can't win, it can always play hide and seek. They can't possibly burn down the entire Underground City, can they?

...

The team of dozens was a bit too much for the size of the passageways in the Underground City, so the team was stretched into a long line.

Since they came to cause trouble, Lin Jun naturally wouldn't allow them to descend to the fifth level so easily.

At a corner on the first level, two Puki charged towards the center of the team.

From afar, adventurers spotted them, nocking arrows, showing no intent to give Puki a chance to approach.

However, as arrows were fired, both Puki leaped up simultaneously, avoiding the arrows and crashing towards the team.

[Divine Barrier Level 5]

In desperation, two Church Warriors stepped up with shields and simultaneously cast this skill.

The defense capability, similar to a Magic Light Curtain, of the simultaneously cast skills not only didn't interfere with each other but instead merged into a more solid Illusion Shield Wall, successfully blocking the aftermath of the Puki's self-destruction outside the team.

However, such small-scale harassment didn't stop with a single occurrence, and at every corner, every intersection, Puki would appear.

Some rush in for self-destruction, others keep launching Magic Cannons from afar, posing little threat but being quite annoying, and they can't be ignored, for they would follow and attack if not dealt with...

Three cannon-wielding Puki appeared behind the team, aiming their Mushroom Cannons at the front.

Shi Wu simply drew a straight sword, swung it backward without turning around, and the three Puki, despite being more than a dozen meters away, were sliced in half.

The Sword Qi left a deep mark on the ground after cutting through the Puki.

The convenience of [Wind Pressure Slash] left Edin in awe, though he still frowned.

Most of the harassment by Puki was quickly resolved by the raiding team, but their speed was significantly delayed.

Originally, they could complete the first level in two hours, but now it took a full half day.

Although there were no casualties, it was evident that a lot of energy had been expended.

Was this also Puki's intention?

The situation only improved when the team descended to the second level.

The second level's environment was a forest, and though Puki continuously appeared, the team was not constrained by narrow corridors as they were on the first level.

Everyone could take turns defending the perimeter, although the speed was still not fast.

The reason was the front needed to check for landmine Puki...

Considering similar monsters had appeared on the fifth level, coupled with the layer of rotting leaves on the soil of the second layer, which is excellent for concealment, even though landmine Puki had never been found on the second level before, Edin still advised the team to advance cautiously.

Fortunately, the journey was mostly uneventful.

Just as Edin thought he might have been overcautious, three Fat Otaku Puki that had been hanging from over fifty meters high leapt down from the treetops, plummeting towards the team below!

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