Cedric contemplated Marcus's offer. He had already been hunting and living by himself in the forest for 3 days, and he knew how challenging it could get. He was also satisfied with the cleaning of his armor, so he agreed readily.
"Why don't you stay at my place for the night?" Marcus asked cautiously. He was a little disappointed when Cedric rejected his offer.
Cedric had no plans of staying. He took his leave for the night. He had already become used to sleeping in trees.
The next day, as the gentle rays of the sun fell, Marcus and Cedric met up. Even though Marcus was the one to propose the plan, Cedric had his own plans. He wanted to test Marcus and know his capabilities.
Cedric suggested that Marcus initially split up. If neither of them found anything, they would team up. Marcus readily agreed. It had been a long time since he had shown off his skills to someone.
A few hours later, a dark-faced Cedric looked at Marcus menacingly. Why not? This guy had thrown a hyena carcass from afar like a ball. When it landed near him, it did give Cedric quite a fright. He was on guard for who knows how long.
First, he was scared that some creature in this forest was strong enough to throw such a heavy carcass from afar. Now that he thought about it, the carcass landing in front of him was quite coincidental. He looked at the body; apart from some regions, it had already turned into minced meat. He had a suspicion in his heart, and that suspicion was cleared when he saw the grinning culprit in front of him.
"How can someone be so shameless?" he couldn't help but think in his heart. But deep down, he felt afraid of Marcus. His powers could be said to be on par with the officer mages of his homeland.
Marcus had the best meal of his life that day. He understood what a natural chef was after meeting Cedric. Never in his life had he thought that someone could make such delicious food with such minimal ingredients.
For the next few days, Marcus and Cedric hunted and explored the forest. Even though this place was vast, it was not endless. But before they left the forest, Marcus really wanted to explore the basilisk's lair completely.
After continuously nagging Cedric for two whole days, he finally agreed. Now Marcus could implement the strategy he had developed.
"What is the strategy, you ask? It's simple. While someone acted as the bait, Marcus would deal the final blow to the enemy. And who could be a better bait compared to Cedric?"
Cedric, who didn't know what he was going to be dragged into, was about to understand what true hell was.
In the labyrinth, Cedric followed Marcus as they navigated through it.
"How does this guy know this place so well? The eerie atmosphere is already giving me the chills. I used to hear from my uncle that several dungeon monsters like arachnithrax reside in labyrinths like these."
"Hey Cedric, have you been in a labyrinth like this before?"
"No, I have mainly heard stories from my uncle and a few drunk adventurers. In the military, we would focus on fighting humans rather than monsters."
"So, are you not confident in your skills? If so, you shouldn't have followed me here."
"Not having a prior education does not mean I am incapable of dealing with monsters. I have even killed a few before. I am fully confident in finishing off some mindless dungeon monsters. I am more concerned that if you are alone, you might end up dead."
"Have you not seen my powers? It's not like they can kill me easily."
"Having big mana reserves and the ability to do destruction magic does not mean you are undefeatable. After all, there have been several stupid ways in which a great mage has died in the past."
Marcus didn't give a reply. Instead, he took a direction and announced, "We have arrived."
Before Cedric could voice his thoughts, he was pushed into the nest by Marcus. He dumbly stared at the figures of two gigantic basilisks in front of him.