Chapter 43: Running on fumes

"Move quickly!"

At this moment, James was leading a group of people rapidly towards the foot of the mountain.

He had vaguely heard the sound of explosions earlier, and his anxiety was growing.

The guild members following him, seeing his urgency, dared not slack off any longer.

They were dissatisfied with being commanded by a player weaker than themselves, hoping that Irving would get into trouble first, but they never intended for anyone to actually die.

Boom!

Another violent explosion echoed from within the mountain.

As they drew closer, they began to hear the sounds of screaming.

"Something's really happened." one of the players said with a grim face, then glared at his companion. "Even if that guy is weaker, he's still here to help us. Do you really want him to die at their hands?"

"Alright, enough talking. Let's hurry over."

"This prank has gone way too far..."

When the guild members looked up, they saw that James had already run far ahead. They quickly picked up their pace as well.

However, when they reached the mine, the previous sounds had ceased, and the air was thick with the stench of blood.

At the foot of the mountain, the atmosphere was deathly silent.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot, their faces filled with disbelief as they took in the scene before them.

Lying among the piles of rubble were numerous broken bodies, some still smoldering and giving off a charred stench.

"It's those bastards!" exclaimed the player who had previously escaped. He recognized them immediately as the group that had taken the mine earlier, feeling his pent-up anger finally release. Sёarch* The NôvelFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Wait, were those screams not coming from that guy?"

As they regained their senses, they started to realize something, their emotions churning. Despite their reluctance to believe it, the evidence was right in front of them.

Only James seemed unsurprised. He had already anticipated this outcome.

"I've told you before, his strength far surpasses ours. Even I stand no chance in front of him." James said, glancing at the guild members behind him. "Let me reveal something else. Remember the first wave of the calamity and how we struggled to fend off the beast horde, losing so many lives to barely protect the shelter?

He, on his own, not only held off the beast horde but also killed all those beasts!"

This revelation left the others unable to stay calm.

They conjured up an image in their minds of one person fighting off thousands of beasts alone...

What kind of courage was that?

What kind of strength!

Reflecting on the things they had said when they first met Irving, they felt a deep sense of shame. Now, it was clear that the one overestimating their abilities wasn't Irving but themselves.

In this brutal Other World, everyone respected the strong immensely.

At that moment, a wail came from nearby.

James turned his gaze towards a rock, where a burly man in animal skins was struggling to climb up from the ground, looking utterly defeated.

His body was covered in wounds large and small, his face charred black by the intense flames.

"There's still a bastard who hasn't died!" The player who had narrowly escaped rushed forward, delivering a swift kick to the abdomen of the burly man clad in animal skins, then poised to continue the assault.

"Stop!" James hurried over, restraining the player.

"James, this bastard is the leader of that squad." the player said, glaring fiercely at the burly man.

Though the burly man had been blasted out by a[Fireball], he had awakened as a warrior and was clad in heavy armor. Despite sustaining severe injuries, the kick knocked him back to the ground.

"Which guild do you belong to?" James demanded sternly. Although most of the mine occupiers lay dead, he had a gut feeling that this matter wouldn't end so easily. "Where's the young man from earlier? And what about the mage among you? Why haven't we seen him?"

When James and his group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they found no trace of Irving, only charred corpses. According to the player who had escaped, there should have been a mage among the group capable of casting freezing spells, yet all they found were traces of[Fireball]...

The burly man spat blood to the side, then grinned maliciously. "You mean the little brat with the hunting dog? He's already dead!"

"Impossible! You lot couldn't kill him even if you tried!" James snapped. "Where did he go? I advise you to answer my questions honestly, or even if I spare you, they won't!"

The players from the Green Ivy Group glared fiercely at the burly man. If it weren't for James holding them back, they would have rushed forward to tear him to pieces.

"I never imagined that kid was a mage... But so what?" The burly man snorted contemptuously. "The news from here will spread sooner or later. Not only him, but all of you should prepare for ruthless retaliation! In my eyes, you're already corpses! Haha!"

A burst of maniacal laughter echoed through the air. The burly man, clad in animal hides, had withstood the attack of the Fireball Spell, but his internal organs had been shattered.

Next moment, he pulled out a dagger and swiftly stabbed it into his own heart.

Splat!

No one present had anticipated the burly man would act so decisively, without even a shred of desire to survive!

James tried to intervene but it was too late. As he looked at the lifeless body before him, a strong sense of unease washed over him for reasons he couldn't quite grasp.

Boom!

At that moment, a sudden explosion sounded from the mountainside, startling everyone, their gazes turning towards the source.

The sound emanated from a cave.

James suddenly realized something and hastily led his group towards the mountainside.

Inside the cave.

On one side blazed intense flames, on the other, bone-chilling ice.

Irving was exerting all his effort, casting[Fireball]to fend off the spreading cold from all sides. Despite Vicky's assistance behind him,[Healing Art]could only swiftly restore his spiritual power and didn't amplify the power of his skills.

"I didn't expect even Intermediate[Fireball]couldn't dispel the ice skills she's using..." Irving's deep gaze fell on the woman in the black cloak not far away, a hint of surprise crossing his face.

Across from him, Sophia's cold beautiful eyes were filled with complexity. She thought to herself, "How could this be happening? I've never seen anyone withstand my skills like this before. Ice magic inherently counters fire magic, indicating his strength far exceeds mine..."

Awakened mage skills also vary in attributes. Generally, under absolute suppression, unless one's strength far surpasses the other, it's impossible to endure for so long.

Just as the two were at a stalemate.

James arrived with the players from the guild.

Seeing the scene before them, they immediately understood that the woman in the black robe was the culprit who had killed their fifteen brothers.

"Damn it! It's her! She killed so many of our brothers!" one of the players who had narrowly escaped shouted angrily, bloodshot eyes bulging.

The rest of the guild members picked up their weapons, and James approached from behind, his face grim. "Irving, sorry for our tardiness. Leave the rest to us. Even if she's powerful, without the protection of those people, she's no match for us."

Although mages can cast powerful spells, they are influenced by their spiritual power and will eventually tire... And this mine shaft left no room for retreat, so in such a short distance, even if the woman in the black robe could kill a few more people, she had no chance against James and the others rushing in for close combat.

What awaited her was a dead end!

"Bro those words we said before... don't compare us with these people." The players who initially resisted following Irving's orders also approached, their faces showing regret. "Thanks to you killing all those people. Otherwise we would have lost even more brothers this time."

At this moment, they had completely changed their minds, looking at Irving with admiration.

"Irving, leave it to us." James said, waving to the people behind him. All of these players recruited into the Green Ivy Group had already changed to the warrior class. Some held broadswords, some held axes, and they all stepped forward into the cave.

After the battle with Irving just now, Sophia's spiritual power rapidly declined, and now she was at her weakest.

Her cold eyes watched as James and his group approached, a hint of resignation flashing deep within her eyes. Then, inexplicably, she let go of her staff.

"I know you're here to avenge those people, but this has nothing to do with me." Sophia gave up resisting, and for some reason, a sense of relief appeared on her face. She slowly closed her eyes, quietly accepting death's arrival.

Her words reached the ears of the players from the Green Ivy Group, sounding more like a defense before death.

The player who had luckily survived had images of his friends being killed flash through his mind, and he angrily raised the axe in his hand, heading straight for the woman in the black robe.

But the next moment, a figure suddenly stood in front of the crowd...