Li Wei and the Shadow Attendant walked through the dim, underground mine tunnels.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked down at the ground.
He asked, a little uncertain, "Haven’t we been here before?"
The Golden Anteater gave him a puzzled look, unable to answer his question.
Li Wei left a mark on the wall and continued onward.
Half an hour later, he was back at the marked spot.
"Damn it, I’m lost."
Li Wei scratched his head, unsure of what to do.
He looked at the Golden Anteater and asked, "Do you know the way out?"
The Shadow Attendant shook its head.
It only controlled the Golden Anteater’s body; it hadn’t received the creature’s mories.
If he let the Golden Anteater move on its own, there was a chance it could find its way out of the tunnels.
But it was only a chance.
The Golden Anteater might not obey.
With no other choice, Li Wei could only continue exploring, using his marks to search for an exit.
’Is this direction wrong? Why do I feel like I’m going deeper and deeper?’
In theory, heading upward should lead to the exit.
But the problem was that Li Wei had been heading steadily upward, only to find the path blocked.
He looked up, then glanced at the Golden Anteater.
"Can you dig a path for us?"
The Shadow Attendant directed the Golden Anteater to start digging.
After watching for a mont, Li Wei waved his hand dismissively. "Forget it. It’s too slow."
"It would take forever for you to dig a way out."
The Golden Anteater turned its head, giving him an innocent look.
Li Wei said, "Co on, let’s see if we can run into anyone else."
The underground was riddled with tunnels of all sizes, all dug by the Iron-Eating Ants.
The widest passages could even accommodate a horse-drawn carriage.
The narrowest spots could only be passed by crawling.
"Hurry! The Iron-Eating Ants are right behind us!"
Hearing voices ahead, Li Wei quickened his pace.
After running for a bit, he realized the voices were growing more distant.
He looked at the tunnel wall, realizing there must be a parallel passage.
"Shadow Attendant, dig through this."
The Golden Anteater rapidly swung its claws, digging through the earth and stone.
Solid rock was easily pulverized by its sharp claws.
SCRAPE! SCRAPE! SCRAPE!
Ten minutes later, the Golden Anteater had broken through the layer of earth between the two tunnels.
Li Wei hurried through the opening.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
The Golden Anteater was already hunting the nearby Iron-Eating Ants.
Li Wei glanced around, spotting nurous Iron-Eating Ants.
"Stop eating. We need to follow those people."
He set off in the direction the swarm was moving.
The Golden Anteater cleared a path with its tongue, allowing them to advance unimpeded.
Without the Golden Anteater, forcing his way through the swarm would have been an exhausting struggle.
Li Wei was secretly grateful for his earlier decision.
Before long, Li Wei spotted two Tier One Iron-Eating Ants.
"Ice Arrow Skill!"
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Three Ice Arrows struck one of the Tier One Iron-Eating Ants.
A layer of frost crept over the Iron-Eating Ant’s body, slowing its movents.
Li Wei was surprised; he hadn’t expected to run into Gu Ze.
"Frost Bone Piercing!"
The Magic Staff in Gu Ze’s hand glowed, amplifying the power of the Magic.
CRACKLE!
The internal temperature of the frost-covered Iron-Eating Ant plumted, its blood freezing solid.
Emitting a frosty mist, the Iron-Eating Ant’s body stiffened and collapsed, motionless.
"Rock Spike!"
Rota cast his Magic. A Rock Spike shot up from the ground, pinning the other Tier One Iron-Eating Ant against the wall.
CRACK!
The Iron-Eating Ant struggled, its imnse Power shattering the Rock Spike and breaking free.
But Rota had already cast a new spell.
"Mire Skill!"
The ground beneath the Iron-Eating Ant’s feet rapidly softened, turning into a sodden mire.
With the ground giving way beneath it, the incredibly heavy, iron-clad body of the Iron-Eating Ant began to sink rapidly.
The Iron-Eating Ant struggled, trying to escape the mire.
But it was completely unable to bring its imnse Power to bear.
Mire Skill wouldn’t work on a Tier Three Ant King, but it was extrely effective against a Tier One Iron-Eating Ant.
It was a perfect example of using softness to overco strength.
It rendered the Iron-Eating Ant’s terrifying Power completely useless.
The Iron-Eating Ant was trapped in the mire, unable to free itself.
Gu Ze shouted, "We have to go! There are more Iron-Eating Ants coming!"
The greater numbers of Tier Zero Iron-Eating Ants were actually harder to deal with than the Tier One version.
Without a wide-area attack, it was nearly impossible to fend off a massive swarm.
WHOOSH!
The Golden Anteater appeared, its tongue piercing the skull of the Iron-Eating Ant trapped in the mire.
Gu Ze’s face filled with horror at the sight.
"What is that thing?"
His heart seized when he saw the Golden Anteater.
Gu Ze recognized it.
He instinctively gripped the Magic Scroll in his pocket, preparing for a life-or-death struggle before making his escape.
"Hello there."
Li Wei stepped out from behind the Golden Anteater and greeted them.
Gu Ze looked surprised to see him.
Rota, stunned for a mont, collected himself and asked, "Is this your Summoned Beast?"
Li Wei nodded. "It is."
"I’m lost. Do you two know the way out?"
As he spoke, the Golden Anteater finished off the Iron-Eating Ant that Gu Ze had frozen.
Witnessing the Golden Anteater’s terrifying power, Gu Ze and Rota instinctively exchanged a glance.
Hearing Li Wei say he was lost, Gu Ze hesitated for a mont before speaking. "I know the exit. Why don’t we team up? It’s too dangerous to be alone down here."
Li Wei nodded. "Alright."
SKITTER, SKITTER, SKITTER!
Iron-Eating Ants sward toward them from behind, and the Golden Anteater sent a huge swath of them flying with a sweep of its tongue.
But there were too many of them; even the Golden Anteater couldn’t block them all.
Li Wei said quickly, "We need to get moving."
Seeing the situation, Gu Ze didn’t hesitate.
"Follow ."
With the Golden Anteater covering their retreat, the three of them hurried toward the exit.
As they fled, Gu Ze and Rota glanced at Li Wei, who was now separated from his beast.
They exchanged a look, their eyes filled with suspicion.
’He’s a Summoner. How can he be so bold as to separate from his Summoned Beast and travel with two strangers like us?’
’Does he have so other hidden ability?’
Both understood the other’s glance. Being cautious, they kept their distance from the mysterious Summoner.
Li Wei said, "My na is Timo. I’m traveling the world."
Gu Ze and Rota introduced themselves.
"I’m Gu Ze, and he’s Rota. We’re both Mages from Maple City."
"Welco to Maple City. If you get the chance, you should co visit the Mage Tower."
Having escaped the pursuing Iron-Eating Ants, the two Mages seed more relaxed.
They chatted and laughed.
"Alright, we’re here. The exit is just ahead."
A sliver of light appeared in the tunnel opening ahead.
Li Wei looked surprised. ’What’s going on?’
’We reached the exit this quickly?’
’And here I was wandering around for so long... Was I just going in circles right by the entrance the whole ti?’
WHOOSH!
Stepping out of the mine, Li Wei was stunned by the scene before him.
Gu Ze and Rota were also wide-eyed with shock.
The camp had been destroyed. Tents were burning, and the bodies of soldiers were strewn everywhere.
"What happened here?"
Li Wei was completely baffled.
"Halt! All of you, hands in the air!"
A group of soldiers rushed out from behind so barricades, while others in the distance aid enormous crossbows at them.
Those were Demon-Hunting Crossbows, powerful enough to kill Magic Beasts.
Gu Ze and Rota exchanged a look, lowered their Magic Staffs, and raised their hands. They didn’t dare move, fearing they would be shot.
Li Wei followed their lead.
A mont later, the three were surrounded by soldiers and led away from the camp.
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