Chapter 242: The Mask of Desperation

“Let us push forward,” the captain gritted his teeth and swung his sword, cleaving one of the Siltbound Penitent’s arms into two pieces.

The others nodded without speaking, each going all out and using their hidden skills.

The slanted hall shook vehemently as if it was going to collapse at any moment, but it did not fall.

As the group pushed forward, more Siltbound Penitents emerged from the walls around them.

Ahhh! Ahhh!

The hunter cried out in pain as a sharp gash appeared on his thigh. He stumbled backward, gritting his teeth against the agony.

Quickly, the healer did not hesitate to cast her healing skill on his wound.

The gushing blood stopped immediately, and without hesitation, the hunter took out a healing potion from his inventory and drank everything in one go.

To the side, Neville had lost his previous confidence and calm demeanor. He pushed his sword speed to the absolute limit.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With each step he took, he would swing his sword a couple of times to keep the creatures at bay. Behind him, Cressida was also showing her true prowess in battle.

She cast one spell after another without any pause.

Her face was pale from overexerting herself beyond her normal limits. She gritted her teeth and took a potion from her inventory, drinking it quickly.

’Why are there such powerful creatures in this forsaken place?’ she thought desperately.

It was common knowledge that there were not any powerful beasts in the outer region of the Bleeding Desert, which was called the Scorched Outskirt.

As long as one was careful and did not fall into the hands of the Dune Scavengers, they would have an easier time surviving in the Bleeding Desert.

Thus, for this ruin, she expected it to be like any other ruin they had explored before. But she was completely wrong about that assumption.

Not only her, but every member of their party was now regretting coming to this terrible ruin.

This was no ordinary ruin at all.

This place was far beyond their weak party’s capabilities.

Their first encounter was already an Elite Beast of considerable power. This was only on the outskirts of the ruin, so what about the inner and core regions ahead?

They did not dare to think about those dangerous regions right now.

Right now, their only thought was to leave this hall in one piece.

But their luck seemed to be running out very quickly.

Ahhhhh!

A soul rending scream came from below, and everyone lowered their heads to look.

The sturdy, well-built Tank was completely gone. He had been dragged deep into the crimson sand below.

Huh!

Everyone sucked in a cold breath of fear, and their spines were drenched in cold sweat.

Thoren glanced at the crimson sand and creased his brow. ’Without overwhelming power, anyone that falls into that sand should forget about ever leaving.’

With his heightened perception, he had noticed hundreds of creatures inhabiting the depths of the crimson sand.

Although they did not surface to attack, they seemed to be monitoring the group’s movement through sound and vibration.

Even with that danger, he was not scared at all. He maintained his calm composure, watching his undead servant battle the Siltbound Penitents without pause.

Just then, he heard Cressida’s voice calling out to him.

“Thoren, can you ask your summon to help us?” she said with an urgent, pleading voice.

“If we continue like this, it is only a matter of time before we all perish together,” she added with genuine fear.

Listening to her words, everyone could not help but pay close attention to Thoren while they continued their desperate battle.

“This is the highest my summon can go. Any more pressure, and it will be destroyed,” Thoren replied flatly, showing no emotion.

Although the situation seemed to be getting dire, how could their little charade escape from his keen perception?

Cressida, Neville, and their captain were still holding back their true power. He could tell from their aura fluctuations.

Their Captain was a Level 25 Warrior, while Cressida and Neville were both Level 24. The hunter and the healer were the weakest at Level 23.

Thus, how could they be finding it so difficult to fight their way out of this hall?

Listening to Thoren’s response, the hunter could not help but become furious at his words.

“Dammit. What do you mean that is the highest?” he cursed loudly. “With how easily your summon is fighting the beasts, who is going to believe that lie?”

“I knew it. Bringing another person along was not a good thing,” he spat as he rolled to the side, evading another dangerous attack.

However, their captain did not speak a single word, but a deep frown appeared on his face.

Beside him, Neville could not help but look at Thoren, creasing his brow in confusion. No one could guess what he was truly thinking.

As for Cressida, her expression did not change at all. “Sorry for troubling you. I just hope everyone will work together so that no one else will die again.”

Her tone was filled with sorrow and helplessness, as if she could already see her own end approaching.

Listening to her sad words, the group could not help but think about their teammate that had been swallowed by the crimson sand. They could not help but direct their blame at Thoren for not helping more.

To them, Thoren was a selfish bastard who only cared about himself.

They had invited him to explore a ruin together, but instead of working together, he only cared about his own survival.

The healer’s expression darkened, and she gave Thoren a sharp, hateful glare.

“Pray that you are not injured,” she sneered with venom in her voice. “You can forget about receiving any healing from me.”

Seeing that everyone’s anger was now directed at Thoren, Cressida’s expression shifted with concern.

’This is not what I planned,’ she thought, gripping her staff tightly in her hands.

Unknown to her, Neville was also looking at her in puzzlement and suspicion.

’What is going on here?’ he thought for a moment before he shook his head and focused back on the battle.

Looking at the group, Thoren did not have any change in his expression as he continued to watch every single one of them carefully.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep