Chapter 60: Chapter 56: Exit
"Cat Demons? Why would they show up here..."
Evan spoke with some confusion. They had never encountered Demons in the corridors before; the Demons were always gathered inside the sealed chambers.
However, he was only puzzled, not panicked.
After all, there were only four or five Cat Demons. They posed no real threat to the group.
"Don’t get careless. Face the enemy seriously."
Bain gave his customary reminder, his tone just as calm.
Lin Mo set down the Giant Axe he was holding, used the others as cover, and entered his Stealth state.
The next moment, he shot forward and unleashed a clean Cross Slash. In the narrow terrain, his incredible speed gave the Cat Demons no chance to dodge.
That single attack took out four Cat Demons.
The last one was struck by an arrow from Millian and then easily dispatched by Cody, who rushed in to finish it.
[Stealth] Skill Level +4
[Cross Slash] Skill Level +4
The fight was easy, but these Cat Demons appearing so suddenly...
As he watched Evan and Millian collect Cat Demon’s Claws, Lin Mo glanced back the way they had come, as if a realization was dawning on him.
"Hurry, over here!"
Cody, who had gone ahead to scout, suddenly called out. "There are two more paths up here..."
The party finished collecting their loot and rushed over. Just as he’d said, two new passages branched off from the sides of the corridor, forming a crossroads.
It seemed their earlier guess had been correct. This Secret Realm was a maze, and its layout grew more complex the deeper they ventured.
"Let’s stick to going straight."
After a moment of thought, Bain took out the charcoal pencil he carried and sketched their path on a sheet of parchment, marking the two new forks.
Taking detours could lead to more mistakes. In a maze full of unknowns, it was best not to deviate from their chosen path lightly.
The corridor seemed much shorter than the previous ones. Less than a minute after passing the crossroads, they reached the end of the passage.
"It’s just like the last one..."
Another large, slate-gray door stood before them.
No more needed to be said. Everyone remembered the terrifying Minotaur from before, and they all raised their weapons, preparing for the worst.
Bain was once again tasked with opening the door, with Lin Mo standing beside him in case of an emergency.
CREAK—
The seemingly ancient bronze door emitted a grating screech. As Bain retreated, the sealed chamber was revealed to everyone.
"That’s... the exit!"
Sharp-eyed Cody was the first to spot the rift at the other end of the chamber, his face beaming with delight.
He’d thought it would be a long time before they found the exit, and had even started to feel pessimistic. It seemed their luck was good; they had quickly found the point where the Magic Power of the two worlds resonated.
"Watch out!"
Lin Mo’s pupils constricted. He charged toward Cody, unleashing a diagonal slash without hesitation.
"Slashing!"
In the next instant, a blurry black shadow shot out from the chamber, its razor-sharp claws aimed at Cody’s face.
CLANG—
The Sword’s blade blocked the claws, stopping them less than twenty centimeters from Cody’s head.
Staring at the claws that had come within 0.1 seconds of piercing his skull, Cody broke out in a cold sweat.
The next moment, the Wolf Bone Sword, backed by immense Strength, sent the assailant flying backward.
The brief deadlock had given everyone a clear view of the attacker’s familiar appearance—it was a Cursed Cat Demon, the same kind they had hunted not long ago.
However, compared to the other two Cursed Cat Demons, this one was different.
It was noticeably larger, with longer, sharper claws and a terrifying speed that even Cody had been unable to react to...
This was clearly a fully grown Cursed Cat Demon!
"Everyone, behind me!"
Bain quickly snapped out of it, pulling the others behind him for protection.
Just as Lin Mo was about to pursue, a series of piercing shrieks suddenly echoed from inside the chamber.
The next moment, over a dozen Cat Demons swarmed out from every corner of the room, attacking the party.
So many Ordinary Cat Demons in addition to the Cursed Cat Demon?
The pressure on them instantly intensified. Even without the Cursed Cat Demon, a dozen Ordinary Cat Demons would be a tough fight.
"Stay calm! Evan, protect Millian! Cody, harass them from the flank..."
Bain barked out quick, short commands before raising his Sword and Shield, spreading his arms wide to block as much of the narrow corridor as he could.
The Cat Demons surged forward. While Strength is a weakness for these Demons—they’re not much stronger than Goblins—the combined force of several of them nearly broke Bain’s stance, causing him to stagger.
With a furious roar and a flushed face, he managed to hold firm against the initial assault.
But this left him completely tied up. Several other Cat Demons leaped high, flying over their comrades’ heads to attack Bain.
One or two of the attacks were blocked by his sturdy Iron Armor, but the rest left bloody claw marks across his neck and face. Luckily, as a Knight, Bain’s Constitution was high and his skin was tough. The Cat Demons’ claws only sank in a centimeter or two, failing to inflict any fatal wounds for now.
Lin Mo leaped, and with a precise slash of his Sword, he once again intercepted the Cursed Cat Demon as it tried to attack under the cover of its kin.
’I have to hold this one back.’ If it managed to launch a sneak attack on any other team member, it would be a one-hit kill. Not even Bain would be an exception!
An arrow flew from behind him. Millian had fired it past Bain’s armpit, piercing the abdomen of a Cat Demon that was clinging to him.
Even with the terrain advantage, Bain couldn’t block so many Cat Demons by himself. Two or three quickly broke through his defense line and charged toward the others.
Evan stood in front of Millian, swinging his Sword at an approaching Cat Demon.
Cody was being ganged up on by two Cat Demons. He was struggling, and several scratch marks had already appeared on his body.
Luckily, as long as they avoided hits to vital areas, the damage these Demons could inflict was relatively limited. They were all wearing Armor, so as long as they protected their necks, the superficial wounds wouldn’t be a major issue for now.
Lin Mo knew the others were in trouble. He couldn’t afford to focus only on the Cursed Cat Demon. After repelling it, he seized an opening to unleash a Cross Slash, cutting down three other Cat Demons.
But the Cursed Cat Demon used that same opening to attack again. Lin Mo barely dodged by turning his head, but its claws scraped his cheek, leaving several bloody marks.
Lin Mo’s counter-slash was, in turn, easily evaded by his opponent.
After a few direct clashes, the creature realized it was no match for Lin Mo in terms of Strength. It stopped engaging him head-on, instead opting for hit-and-run tactics, which put Lin Mo on the defensive.
But while it could retreat, its companions could not.
As the Cursed Cat Demon backed off, Lin Mo found an opening. He delivered an elbow strike that stunned a Cat Demon pestering Bain, then immediately followed up with a Cross Slash to repel the Cursed Cat Demon as it charged in again.
The narrow corridor made it much easier for him to hold it off by himself. As long as the Cursed Cat Demon didn’t dare engage him in a prolonged, head-on fight, Lin Mo could always find moments to pick off its allies.
With Lin Mo having taken out another four Cat Demons, the pressure on Bain eased significantly, finally giving him some breathing room.
If they kept fighting like this, they would likely suffer more injuries, but victory would undoubtedly be theirs in the end.
But just then, a somewhat familiar "drumbeat" sound suddenly started up from behind them...
