Aidan looked at the man clad in golden armor. "If you barged in, then nothing is stopping us from getting out, right?"
Feval crossed his arms. "It's not that simple. There is a fourth-level shaman in their midst. And through the guidance of fate, the shaman left the cave. And we use that chance to infiltrate this place."
Fourth-level shaman? That must be some kind of power ranking system in this world. And what did he mean by the guidance of fate?
"How strong is this shaman?" Aidan asked.
"Not sure," he replied. "All we know is that we will take huge casualties if we fight him."
Then getting out was harder than he thought. This burly man was seven times stronger than him. The man was level thirty-five and could crush him with a slap. But even he did not dare to fight against this shaman.
I'm still weak, he thought. His development of strength gave him the illusion that he could survive in this world. Reality proved otherwise. But he was thankful that he didn't earn this lesson the hard way. The golden man's appearance was a timely one. It seemed like fate was on his side. Though he didn't want to count too much on that.
"So what's our plan?" Aidan asked.
"We are waiting for our scouts to come back. And their only purpose is to find the shaman or any fourth-level entity that is blocking our way."
"And what if the shaman returns?"
"Then we will fight in the tunnel. The shaman's ability would be at a slight disadvantage within the narrow pathway. And if they employ a human wave attack, the shaman wouldn't use his wide area techniques."
"What abilities do shamans have?"
Feval sighed. "You ask too many questions, boy. Why don't you stay put and let the adults do the work? You're not strong enough."
Yes, he wasn't strong enough. That reminded him of his past self. The weak and fragile Aidan. A burden to his father and mother.
"The scouts have returned." Feval beckoned to the group of four that came from a tunnel.
The four of them jogged toward them. They wore tattered clothes stained with dirt all over them. Just like everyone else, their bodies were thin and malnourished. Using [Analyze], Aidan read their information and found out that they were children of fate. Moreover, their level was around twelve to fifteen.
"What have you found?"
"Good news." The man smiled. "There is no sign of a middle-tier enemy outside. Though they have larger numbers, their strength meant nothing compared to us. With the children of fate as the bulwark, we will get out of this hell-pit before the eels can wiggle their tails."
Feval laughed. "Perfect! You all heard that? We are getting out of here!"
"Yeah!"
"Let's get out of here!"
"I'm going to skin those cultists alive!"
"Rip them apart!"
"Kill them!"
"I have enough of dirty grains! I'm going home and tell my wife to cook some genie!"
"Or some basilisk!"
"Screw that stupid snake!"
Feval stomped and the commotion stopped. "We all want to go home to our family and friends. But arguing about snakes and genies won't help. Come on! Get in your formation! Grab your weapon and use your thin bone to work!"
They rushed to grab their spears and ran to the center of the cave to form a square formation.
"Aidan, get your men inside the formation and stay at the rear," Feval said.
Aidan bit his lips at that. "Alright."
"Come on, Hussav. Bring the others to enter the formation."
"Yes, sir."
Then he looked at Gomon and the others. "Let's go."
Entering the formation, he saw many Children Of Fate standing within the line. They gave him a smile and a nod when they caught his gaze. Aidan felt their impatience to go home and to be free.
And he was just like them. He also found his freedom by the effort of others. No! He couldn't let himself be useless.
Aidan slipped past through the line.
"Aidan where are you going?" Gomon asked.
"You guys stay there. I'm going to the front to take a better look."
He stopped when he neared the front where Feval and Ledrind stood.
The man in golden armor took out a long sword. It was as tall as men, as wide as an arm, and as luxurious as a king. The crossguard resembled a crown with pointy ends and a purple crystal at the center. He reckoned that this sword had the same ability to burst with power as Siraye's crossbow.
"Everyone's in place?" Feval asked.
"Yeah!"
"In that case." Feval took a deep breath. "Attack!"
Feval turned and dashed toward the tunnel. The rest followed with an ear-ringing battle cry. They stomped the ground, but the echoing scream muffled their chaotic footstep.
Their screams intensified when they saw light at the end of the tunnel.
"We are getting out!"
"Light! There is light!"
"Don't let the light blind you. We still have enemies to fight!"
The last one rang true. Outside the cave was a camp full of cultists. They stood with their weapons as they looked at them. Judging by their face, they didn't seem to expect the captives to rush out of the tunnel.
"Kill them!" Feval shouted and sprinted forward with his long sword.
The entire group started moving. The run was chaotic as some began yelling and roaring.
"Kill!"
"Kill them all!"
Aidan ran along with them. He shouted and yelled but he didn't know where to go. Everyone was running in different directions without a direct order from Feval. The cultists moved as well, they rushed out of their tents and sprinted toward them.
His group and the cultist crashed into each other like waves in the ocean. Men screamed in pain as spears, swords, and maces struck their faces. There was no order in their battle. They swung their swords, thrust their spears, and threw their punches at anyone they can see.
Despite the chaotic battlefield, Aidan saw no friendly fire among his group.
A cultist swung his mace and crushed his opponent's head. He moved around the rank and attacked an unsuspecting man. Aidan needed to stop him. This cultist was the only one who focused on helping his fellow rather than fighting his own battle.
Aidan charged. He used [Analyze] to find out more about his enemy and saw that he was just too weak. With that information, Aidan kicked the ground and slammed the man with his fist. That attack was enough to end the man's life immediately.
But he didn't stop with one kill. Aidan spun and found another target. A spear-wielding man with a bone stabbed into his nose. He didn't let the man react as he slashed with his [Energy claw]. The man fell, and Aidan was on the way to his next target.
One died. One saved. Every time Aidan killed an enemy, he indirectly saved his allies.
Aidan leaped forward and whipped his leg. Five men fell as he landed. He pounced forward, his claws glowed and slashed left and right before he jumped to the side. He moved around within the enemies' rank.
He confused and distracted them from his comrades. That strategy worked as the cultists sometimes looked behind their shoulders for him.
Aidan dodged a simultaneous strike. Even without activating [Perfect Defense], his improved reaction was enough to avoid their attacks. Aidan wanted to help as much as he could. But if he faced a stronger enemy, he would require strength to do so.
Like a dancer, he spun and turned among his enemies. Using his fist and claws, he felled a dozen men before he jumped back to his group. The cultists had put their focus on him. So he retreated for a moment to make them lose their target.
When they did, he jumped into their ranks and killed a spearman. Aidan knocked up the spear and kicked it. The spear shot through a few cultists before it lost momentum at the last man. The attack caught them off guard and made them charge toward him.
Aidan rolled and spun. He wanted to find a stronger enemy. Killing these weak cultists would help his group, but he felt he could do better with his power.
A burly cultist suddenly pushed aside the other cultists. The man stared at him before pulling a mace from his fellow. He bent his knee and leaped like a hulk toward him.
Internal user!
When the cultist was about to land, Aidan jumped backward. The beefy man slammed the ground with a powerful force.
Bang!
For a beat, Aidan thought there was a small earthquake as the ground caved in slightly. Was he stronger than him? His [Analyze] told him that the bulky man was indeed stronger than him by one level. This meant that he must not rely on strength alone.
HP: 700
MP: 70
Aidan leaped and slammed his feet into the cultist, throwing him backward.
The man gnashed his teeth and regained his footing. That kick did nothing to him. Seemed like he had to expend some energy to defeat this man.
The bulky man dashed toward him. Moving the mace over his head, he reached Aidan and swung his mace.
The mace almost seemed like a blur, yet for a split moment, he thought he saw it in slow motion. His instinct flared and he rolled to the side.
The cultist seemed to anticipate that as he changed his trajectory mid-swing and slammed him.
Damn!
The mace struck his shoulder, throwing him to the side. He rolled from momentum while the ground tore his clothes and bruised his skin.
Just as Aidan was about to stand, the burly man appeared and kicked his stomach. The attack rolled him away. He spat out blood and grabbed a handful of dirt before pushing himself off the ground.
Aidan activated [Dirty Trick] and threw the handful of dirt toward his opponent's face.
The bulky man closed his eyes, blinded, and Aidan took that chance to attack. He used [Perfect Uppercut] to disorient the man and followed it with a [Knockout Punch].
The man took a few steps back but was still on his feet. He roared like a beast and lunged toward him. Aidan stepped to the side to dodge, but the cultist kicked his jaw. His brain shook, dizzying his mind and blurring his vision. His enemy had more experience in fighting.
He had to think of something.
Then Aidan felt something grabbing his neck. He was like a chicken as he gagged for breath. Desperate for air, Aidan was about to kick the man. But before he could do that, the cultist slammed him to the ground.
The man pulled him and punched his jaw, knocking him into the sky. He was like a punching bag with no way to retaliate. After a few attacks, his stamina seeped out of him.
When he was about to fall to the ground again, the bulky cultist kicked him into the air. He leaped and slammed Aidan to the ground with his fists.