41: So strong!

"Mr. Kane, how were your two subordinates polluted?"

Red Star asked timidly, "Was it by stepping on that puddle of unknown liquid on the ground?"

Although he was positioned near the front, there were two people between him and the Vice Commander at the very front, so he didn't need to worry about being suddenly attacked by the other party.

Therefore, Ronan felt that there was absolutely no need for Red Star to speak to the Mercenaries with such a respectful attitude.

It made him seem inferior for no reason.

More importantly, it made it easier for the other party to pull rank.

"Kid, why do you have so many questions?" the Vice Commander replied impatiently.

As expected, the other party didn't take him seriously at all.

"Your Excellency, in this environment, we are all one unit. It is better to share any information you have."

Although Annual Ring spoke with great cultivation, his tone was exceptionally cold.

If it were Evil Axe, given his strength allowed it, he would probably just spit right now.

"Old man, since you're all so concerned, this Commander will tell you what happened."

The Vice Commander obviously also knew that sharing information was the wise move.

"It's just as that kid said; one of my men unfortunately stepped into that damn thing and was polluted."

"But in fact, the other subordinate didn't even touch that damn thing."

Kane's eyes flickered, showing that his mind was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

"Then how did he..."

Red Star asked immediately, but when the other party glared at him, his voice gradually trailed off.

"From my observation, before the first pollution, that damn thing chooses a more suitable individual to act as the source of pollution, and only then does it begin indiscriminate pollution."

"Although my first subordinate stepped into the pollution, he was actually already dead."

"Only after that black liquid finished absorbing his life energy and grew stronger did it have the ability to transfer to the second subordinate and begin indiscriminate pollution."

The Vice Commander recounted the events and his observations in detail, his eyes showing not a shred of pity for his subordinate's life.

"Then why are you okay?" Evil Axe couldn't help but ask.

Unexpectedly, he gracefully twirled his spear and said indifferently,

"What do you think? Shorty."

He had almost forgotten that the other party was a Vice Commander of a mercenary group on par with Russell, so his strength should be roughly the same.

Evil Axe snapped out of it, realizing this; a Dwarven slang term almost escaped his lips.

"Vice Commander, did your first subordinate really die from having his life energy sucked dry by the black liquid?"

Drill Mouse couldn't help but shudder and asked boldly.

He was some distance from the rest of the group; Red Star's Glow Lamp could barely reach him, leaving only the flickering firelight to vaguely outline his figure.

"Little mouse at the back, if you're scared, hurry up and leave now."

The Vice Commander mocked him, and with a flick of his spear, he sent a stone blocking the way flying.

Surprisingly, after the stone flew out, there was no sound of it hitting the ground; instead, it returned a dull thud, as if it had struck a swamp.

Red Star realized something was wrong and adjusted the Glow Lamp to shine forward.

In the passage ahead, several distorted humanoid figures were standing.

They were pitch black all over, as if covered in a skin of asphalt. The stone the Vice Commander had flicked struck one of them, and it was now sizzling with white smoke.

"What is that?!" Red Star shouted, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

Among everyone, Ronan's trio could be said to have the most authority on this question.

black creatures, Polluters.

Annual Ring and the other Arcane Apprentice struck simultaneously once more, two fireballs hitting the two Polluters at the very front in an instant.

"Captain, there are some in the back too! We're surrounded!" Drill Mouse smelled a pungent stench from behind.

Annual Ring turned his head and said to Red Star and Ronan, "Prepare for battle!"

Red Star seemed to lack combat experience; he clumsily channeled his Spiritual Power and cast a spell on Annual Ring.

A burst of green light immediately emanated from Annual Ring's body, slightly nourishing his withered frame.

"Don't be nervous, Red Star. Save the 'Healing Spell' for when someone is injured."

Annual Ring's tone held no hint of blame, filled instead with the care of an elder for a junior.

This was the first time Ronan had seen a mage other than himself cast a spell. Through his Spiritual Power network, he could vaguely sense the strength of the other's Spiritual Power.

It was about one-third of his own Spiritual Power.

So strong!

One must know that Ronan's Spiritual Power was several times that of others; for Red Star to have a third of his was enough to crush ordinary mages.

Red Star just seemed to be bad at fighting, but that didn't mean he wasn't strong.

"Hmph, a kid is just a kid..."

The Vice Commander's eyes were full of contempt as he immediately labeled Red Star a 'useless trash' in his mind.

He brandished his spear, its shaft gradually becoming covered in a layer of eerie light, and he charged straight toward the group of Polluters.

"Vice Commander, you'd better change your method of attack," Ronan reminded him casually from behind.

The Vice Commander was clearly more receptive to advice during combat; he stopped in his tracks and began to retreat, looking as if he had feinted before the crowd of Polluters.

"Kid, spit it out."

"We've encountered these Polluters before. If you attack them in close combat, they will recklessly spray a large amount of black liquid at you."

"Hmph, that's obvious. Do you really need to tell me?" After hearing this, the Vice Commander immediately turned hostile again.

However, he changed his moves and no longer rushed forward alone.

With a horizontal sweep of his spear, the eerie light on the shaft formed a crescent-shaped slash that flew straight toward three Polluters.

If his weapon were a longsword, this would be a standard long-range sword qi attack.

The eerie slash sank into the Polluters' bodies, and the three Polluters were instantly split into six pieces, all cut in half at the waist.

But as the black liquid flowed, the Polluters that had been cut in half instantly mended their wounds, as if nothing had happened.

The Vice Commander's face darkened slightly. He singled out one Polluter and changed the slash to a vertical chop.

The next second.

The Polluter that had been chopped in half recovered in the blink of an eye.

"Pure physical damage is ineffective," Annual Ring said flatly, as if recording information for himself.

After glancing at the Arcane Apprentice beside him, he acted quickly.

Another two fireballs fired simultaneously, burning two Polluters to ashes.

"Magic resistance is extremely low; weak to fire."

"Note it down, Faros," Annual Ring said to the Arcane Apprentice next to him. "Inference: Ultra-high temperature flames can block pollution."

The Arcane Apprentice named Faros nodded.

"Captain, aren't we going to do anything?" Evil Axe leaned in and whispered to Ronan.

"Don't worry, we're responsible for the ones behind," Ronan pointed behind them and asked, "Do you remember our previous combo?"

"I remember, I remember. It was really satisfying to use." Evil Axe was eager to try.

"Then we'll wait until there are the most Polluters. In a moment, we'll follow the old rules," Ronan calmed the restless Evil Axe.

"What old rules?"

"The one where after I freeze them, you just go up and finish them off regardless of the consequences."

Hearing this, Evil Axe was clearly a bit resentful. "Then don't go and kill them directly with one arrow again."

"Don't worry, I'll try to hold back my strength."

Ronan looked up, just about to say that his team would handle the Polluters in the rear, when he noticed...

A surge of Spiritual Power suddenly erupted from Red Star.

He clenched his right hand, and a fireball the size of a washbasin slowly emerged in his palm, like a crimson star, brightening the entire passage.

Ronan instantly understood the origin of the other's title, "Red Star."