Never overestimate your own abilities.
Even the most powerful Blue Enchantress mercenary group in Juarez City was still in a state of disarray when faced with a group of level 3 monsters.
The mercenary group rushed out of the twenty-mile mountain road in one breath before they were completely out of the hunting range of the Demon-Eating Insect.
When Keynes gave the order to stop, the mercenaries fell to the ground one by one, too tired to even pay attention to the surrounding environment.
Arthur bent over and gasped for air, with streaks of sweat on his face. Even these third-level veteran mercenaries were all paralyzed by fatigue. Only second-level, Arthur relied on his strong perseverance to keep up with the team and set off. Shi's bright leather armor was already stained with blood and dust.
Although he was embarrassed, Arthur's overall condition was good, and his equipment was all in order. The leather armors of the mercenaries who fell on the ground were askew. Apart from their weapons and other daily necessities, they had long since disappeared. Many of them had... hurt. In the entire mercenary group, only Captain Cairns and a few leaders above the rank of captain can still stand.
Keynes looked around with vigilant eyes. As the leader of the group, he must be the strongest one. As long as he is still standing, the entire mercenary group will not fall.
But when his eyes touched the brothers lying on the ground one by one, there was a trace of unnoticeable sadness.
"Tony, count the losses."
"Boss, there are thirteen who didn't follow, and seven brothers were seriously injured. We suffered a big loss in this mission." Tony said with a sad face.
Keynes' chest seemed to have been hit hard. Although Tony didn't say it directly, everyone knew the outcome of the thirteen mercenaries.
Keynes closed his eyes in pain. Although this was the fate of a mercenary, and it was destined to end like this from the first day he entered this profession, no one could face it calmly when it was his brother who was lost.
When Keynes opened his eyes again, he had a new decision, "Angus, take the injured brother and find another mountain road back to the city. The others will rest for half an hour and set off. This is not a suitable place to stay for a long time."
Angus was stunned for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Let Tony led the team back. I am more familiar with the roads in the mountains, and we have lost all our supplies. With me as a hunter, it will be more convenient to supply food."
Tony jumped up immediately, "Angus, what do you mean? In terms of survival ability in the wild, how am I inferior to you?"
Keynes just pondered for a moment and then continued: "Our mission will continue. It is true that Angus is more suitable. Tony, please lead the team back."
"Boss!"
"Tony, this is an order. We have already lost more than a dozen brothers. I don't want anyone to have any more accidents. You have to bring them back alive."
Tony wanted to say more, but Keynes's stern eyes blocked the rest of his words, and he had no choice but to nod unwillingly.
Now that he had decided, Tony stopped hesitating and briefly discussed the route back to the city with Angus. Then he took the seven injured mercenaries and three people who were responsible for taking care of the road and set off first, supporting each other. . As Keynes said, this was by no means a suitable place to stop.
Tony walked a dozen steps and then suddenly turned back, walked straight to Arthur, and hugged him hard, so hard that Arthur was suffocated.
"Boy, be careful! Brother Tony has prepared drinks and girls at the Nightingale Bar and is waiting for you to come back. Don't lose your life while you are still a baby."
Tony's words caused the surrounding mercenaries to burst into laughter, which also diluted some of their sad emotions.
Arthur's face turned red, but he didn't know what to say, so he just nodded stupidly.
Tony waved his hand, turned around and left neatly, and the thin figure quickly disappeared among the rolling mountains and fields...
...
Shortly after Tony led the team away, the mercenary group was on the road again.
After this battle, the size of the team was reduced by nearly one-third. Having just experienced casualties, many mercenaries seemed a little depressed, and no one spoke along the way.
Cairns and Angus were more cautious than before. Even the elf Ilya, who had been wandering outside the team, began to participate in exploring the path. Every time the team stopped, they had to repeatedly reconnoiter and confirm the environment of the siege.
Fortunately, there were no surprises in the next few days. After discarding the materials and equipment, the mercenary group had some troubles eating and camping. Every meal consisted of grilling various freshly caught prey. At night, they could only find a sheltered place to lie down, wrapped in a cloak and clothes.
Only now did Arthur truly understand the suffering of being a mercenary.
In fact, this is the real side of a mercenary's life. Before, he had only seen the glamorous side of mercenaries, drinking and eating meat and hanging out in brothels and casinos. Few people know that the glory of a mercenary is earned with hardship and life!
When the mercenary group climbed over a low mountain covered with shrubs and plants, the pleasant sound of flowing water could be heard.
A clear stream several meters wide appeared at the foot of the mountain between the two mountains. Both sides of the stream were covered with purple-red reeds only about a foot tall. Several small furry beasts were drinking water by the stream.
All the mercenaries had a look of joy in their eyes, and the mental fatigue from the past few days of marching was gone. Even so, no mercenary broke away from the team and rushed over. Instead, he tightened his grip on the weapon in his hand.
Old mercenaries with many years of experience in wild survival know that not only humans, but almost all intelligent creatures like water, so there are often huge dangers lurking near the water, and many creatures even use the water's edge as their hunting grounds.
"Where are we now? How long will it take?" Keynes suddenly turned around and asked.
"The Solon Canyon is directly south of the Holy Sword Peak, the main peak of the Orlando Mountains. Legend has it that the Solon Canyon was split by the Holy Sword of God during the war between gods and demons. The source of the Donne River, the largest river in the Orlando Mountains, is the Holy Sword. Peak, the river flows down from the Holy Sword Peak, across the Sauron Canyon and flows south to the country of our human race. The stream in front of us should be a branch of the Donne River. Follow this stream towards the source, and there are about three more, You can reach Solon Canyon within a day's journey."
As an experienced hunter, Angus had a map of the entire Orlando Range in his head.
At this time, the clear and melodious sound of the flute came from the river. No longer waiting for Keynes' orders, the mercenaries rushed towards the stream excitedly. Some mercenaries pulled off their leather armor as they ran.
The sound of the flute is unique to the elf Ilya, who prefers water and cleanliness to human elves. When Ilya plays the flute happily, it means that the area must be safe.
The mercenaries jumped into the water one after another, using the clear water to wash away the stains accumulated on their bodies over the past few days and the mental fatigue of the past few days.
Looking at the mercenaries having fun in the stream, Keynes, who was standing by the river, showed a rare smile in recent days. At this time, only Arthur and Adeline were left beside him.
Keynes looked at Adeline, "Why don't you find a secluded place to wash up? I can help you stand in guard."
Adeline glared at the bearded leader. The female magician was obviously not interested in Keynes's dirty jokes.
Keynes, who was disappointed, pretended to be generous and laughed.
"Look! What is that?" A burst of exclamations from the mercenaries suddenly came from the stream at the foot of the mountain.
Accompanied by the exclamations, the ground beneath my feet shook...