47: counterfeit goods

Ash Leaf had just woken up from her coma when the first person she saw was White Night.

She shook her head, suspecting she was hallucinating.

Her memory was still stuck at the moment the accident happened.

At that time, Team 408 had just arrived in Area 82 when they were informed that several caves related to the pollution source had been discovered.

Team 408, with only three members, could not handle so many scattered targets alone and immediately reported to the area supervisor.

Meanwhile, they were the first to enter the largest cave to investigate.

Who would have thought that after investigating all the way down, the three of them found no information related to pollution at all, but instead encountered a terrifying Four-legged Creature.

From the bits of cloth still hanging on its body, it was clearly a man-eating creature.

After wounding Savage Stone with a single blow, it took her and Red Hammer away... Recalling this, Ash Leaf couldn't help but break into a cold sweat.

She thought they were both dead, but to her surprise, they survived.

Perhaps because of this, she was having hallucinations of White Night appearing.

Ash Leaf thought to herself.

“Are you okay?” Ronan touched her forehead; her body temperature was normal.

It wasn't until this hand from her hallucination touched her forehead that Ash Leaf suddenly snapped out of it.

“Ah?”

She took two seconds to react and realized the person in front of her was not a hallucination; her entire face instantly turned beet red.

Why did her body temperature suddenly rise?

Ronan looked confused, but now was not the time for catching up.

Seeing her body was soft and weak, he simply turned around and hoisted the bewildered Grey Elf onto his back.

Ash Leaf immediately hugged him tightly, her curvaceous figure providing a bit of a cushion.

Ronan felt a bouncy mass of flesh firmly pressed against his back and was momentarily confused:

What's wrong with this person? Does she have strength or not?

“Take her and leave immediately.”

Ronan looked at the still-sleeping Female Dwarf nearby and said to Evil Axe.

Evil Axe nodded and, following Ronan's example, gently carried Red Hammer on his back.

During this time, in order to slow down the Phantasm's healing speed,

Ronan fired three consecutive Non-Attribute Flying Arrows at its head and chest.

Although it hindered the Phantasm's recovery process once again, it would have been great if he could just kill it like this.

He couldn't help but miss the firearms from his previous life.

Two shots to the chest and one to the head; even the King of Hell would shake his head at that.

So simple, yet so effective.

However.

Ronan's attacks seemed to hit the Phantasm's sore spot, causing it to writhe more and more violently.

The Altar was gradually enveloped in green light.

The group healing effect increased once again.

Red Hammer, on Evil Axe's back, even twitched her eyelids, a sign that she was about to wake up.

At the same time, as the green light on the Altar intensified, the sound of galloping hooves from an indiscernible direction drew closer and closer.

Then, a roar echoed from around the plaza.

“Quick, it's that Four-legged Creature,” Ash Leaf warned in Ronan's ear.

“Drill Mouse, lead the way!”

Ronan looked at the many cave entrances around them, having long forgotten which one they came from.

Without a word, Drill Mouse immediately rushed toward the largest cave entrance ahead of them.

Ronan and Evil Axe, each carrying someone, hurriedly followed.

But the next scene made him stop in his tracks.

He saw Red Star jump onto the back of an artificial puppet, and then the puppet carried him,

Actually rushing toward a cave entrance on the left.

And that wasn't the only one.

After the Shadow Mercenary Group's Vice Commander turned around in mid-air, he actually flew toward a cave entrance on the right.

Wait, is this right?

In this moment of hesitation, Ronan realized he had fallen quite far behind.

“Ash Leaf, you saw that just now, right?” Ronan asked.

“Wh-what?” Ash Leaf stammered.

She didn't dare say that her attention had been entirely on him.

“They all went through different exits.” Ronan had a persistent bad premonition.

“No, they didn't, right?”

Ash Leaf vaguely remembered that everyone went in the same direction.

But because her attention was drawn to Ronan, she wasn't very sure either.

“Follow Evil Axe and the others first.”

Ronan quickened his pace and ran toward the cave Evil Axe had entered.

Once inside the cave, Ronan carried Ash Leaf and held a torch, chasing wildly.

But something bad still happened.

He chased all the way but never saw the light from Evil Axe's torch.

In other words, the team was completely separated.

“Ash Leaf...” Ronan was panting; this body's physical strength had always been poor, “If your strength has recovered...”

As he ran, he could feel Ash Leaf gripping tighter and tighter, suggesting her condition was rapidly recovering.

“You're a bit weak... fine, I'll get down myself.” Ash Leaf reluctantly got off his back.

“That's not what I meant...”

“Eh? Can you still hold on? Then I'm going back!”

Ash Leaf made a move to climb back onto Ronan's back.

“I'm saying,” Ronan hurriedly waved his hand, “If you've recovered your strength, then it's your turn to carry me.”

“I really can't run anymore...”

He didn't care about the uneven ground and lay down directly in a spread-eagle position.

“Th-that's fine too...”

Blushing, Ash Leaf turned around and crouched down, signaling Ronan to get on.

Ronan climbed onto her back in one go, completely slumping himself over her.

Ash Leaf had indeed fully recovered.

Ever since she started carrying Ronan, she began a series of question bombardments, completely lacking the sense of urgency one should have when escaping.

“You said that mage is Red Star? He really does look like you...”

“You haven't told me your real name yet...”

“Haven't I already told you the story of how we got into trouble several times now...”

“I really didn't notice which direction the other two went...”

...Ronan lay on Ash Leaf's back, actively guiding the direction of the questions through their exchange.

He realized that Ash Leaf's many questions were simply because she was talkative.

As long as he kept chatting with her, she didn't really care what they talked about.

Just when he thought he had this Grey Elf figured out, she asked a question that almost choked him while he was lying on her back.

“How come you're answering all my questions this time? Are you trying to hit on me?”

Ronan: “...”

Why aren't you following the script?

“Captain, so you guys are here?”

Just then, Evil Axe's voice suddenly came from the darkness.

He was alone and looked quite disheveled, clearly having encountered some sort of accident.

Ash Leaf stopped and looked at the suddenly appearing Evil Axe, just about to ask what had happened.

In the next second.

A scorching Ray flashed past her ear, instantly piercing the skull of the dwarf ahead.

Ash Leaf turned back in shock and confusion.

She saw Ronan on her back with his index finger extended, the tip still holding the residual fluctuations of the Ray magic he just cast.

She hurriedly turned her head back; the fallen Evil Axe no longer looked like a dwarf, but had turned into a headless Polluter.

This was a special Polluter with camouflage abilities.

Ronan suspected that if it weren't for his strong Spiritual Power and the existence of the Divinity in his soul, an average person would never have noticed the discordant feeling of this camouflage.

The moment he first saw ‘Evil Axe’, he noticed that its entire silhouette was slightly misaligned.

It felt as if his eyes were seeing double.

However, when he looked at Ash Leaf, this was not the case.

Coupled with his understanding of Evil Axe... all signs indicated that the suddenly appearing ‘Evil Axe’ was not the man himself.

“How did you find out?”

If Ronan hadn't acted, Ash Leaf wouldn't have even considered that the person coming was an imposter.

“I could just tell,” Ronan said indifferently.

“Then...”

“Don't move!”

Ronan suddenly jumped off Ash Leaf's back and pulled her into his arms.

Immediately after, a shield emerged, protecting them both inside.

Boom.

In the darkness, an unknown attack hit the “Magic Shield,” letting out a roar.

Without a word, Ronan immediately counterattacked with a thick Ray.

The light of the Ray flashed by, revealing the attacker's appearance: Red Star.

Seeing that Ronan was capable of both offense and defense and was handling it with ease, this Red Star fled into the depths of the darkness without hesitation.

“How are there so many imposters here...”

Ash Leaf sighed, rubbing her forehead; this time, even she could see it.