Izayoi continued to delve deeper into the cave, killing several more fish people and swamp crocodiles along the way.
She stopped and found a corner of the cave, hiding behind a rock on a high ground to rest for a while.
This journey had taken a toll on her stamina, and although she was still capable of continuing the fight, resting in this state would be the most efficient way to recover.
She took out a towel, dampened it at a dripping stalactite in the corner of the cave, wiped her neck, and leaned against the rock with her eyes closed, but remained highly alert.
After an unknown amount of time, suddenly, footsteps could be heard in the distance, accompanied by loud female voices, startling Izayoi. She had actually fallen asleep! If not for the excessive noise, if it was some cautious monster sneaking up on her... Of course, Izayoi's keen senses would have woken her up if she sensed danger!
But still, she couldn't help but blame herself for falling asleep!
At this moment, Izayoi's attention was once again drawn to the noisy voices.
It was the sound of metal armor and weapons rubbing against one another, mixed with various footsteps and voices. It seemed to be a group of adventurers approaching, probably three or four people. In this cave where dangerous monsters could appear, such excessive noise seemed highly unprofessional!
"Rousett-senpai!" a freckled boy with brown hair, slightly taller than Izayoi, said to a girl knight who was about the same height as Izayoi walking beside him, "Is there really dragon scales in this cave?"
"Of course! I said there are, so there are!" the girl knight named Rosette asserted confidently. She had shoulder-length milky-white hair with bangs in the front and a raised ponytail in the back, sparkling blue eyes that gave off an air of elegance, and a noble lady-like demeanor. She wore a set of milky-white armor that revealed her midriff, with a beautiful sword hanging from her waist.
"But this cave is so narrow, how could a dragon fit in here?" the brown-haired boy, Serot, who was slightly taller than Rosette, asked. He had a well-proportioned figure and wore a silver gambeson and green pants, with a round shield hanging behind his back.
Behind these two, there were two more individuals. One was a tall and big guy with small eyes and short hair, dressed in plain clothes, resembling a monk. The other was a pink-haired girl in a deep blue robe, holding a staff.
"Foolish! Who said you can only find dragon scales where dragons are? Legend has it that this place was a battlefield of the ancient dragons a thousand years ago. Countless dragon scales were scattered here. Although most of them have been taken by others over the past thousand years, there are still some dragon scales to be found in this area! The inhabitants of this cave are fish people, and fish people love collecting shiny things. It's very possible that they collected dragon scales and hid them deep in the cave!" Rosette claimed arrogantly.
With torches in hand, the adventurer group continued walking through the cave without a care in the world.
Izayoi frowned. From the sound of their footsteps, she could tell that these people were newcomers. If it were just an ordinary fish people cave, it would be fine, but this was the hideout of the Marsh Stalkers! However, Izayoi had paid 500 gold coins for this information, how could they possibly know!
"Strange, why are there fish people corpses all the way?" Haus, the brown-haired boy, asked.
"Who knows! Maybe someone came before us!" Rosette replied.
"Then what's the point of us going on like this?" Beck, the chubby monk behind them, said.
"Hmph, you guys think too simply! Why did we come this time? It's for the spring practical training of our academy! It's normal to encounter other adventurers in popular adventure areas! It's also part of our training!" Rosette said.
"Vice President is right!" Luny, the pink-haired female mage behind them, agreed.
Listening from behind the rock, Izayoi really wanted to go up and slap that Vice President's face. In outdoor adventures, sometimes other adventurers were more dangerous than the monsters! And newcomers like her were the easiest to be taken advantage of by people like Rosette!
However, Rosette and her group were completely unaware of Izayoi hiding there. They just continued walking deeper into the cave. Especially Rosette, her armor shining, her short white skirt made of silk, so pristine and clean. At first glance, she seemed like a noble girl, but her equipment was both exquisite and impractical! And she had quite an arrogant personality! Izayoi had initially wanted to remind them, but then decided against it. This kind of arrogant noble girl might just turn around and scold her instead!
The previous area was so calm because Izayoi had already passed through. Soon, this team of adventurers encountered the first batch of enemies in the cave!
Four or five fishmen emerged from a water pool in a cave and started attacking them.
"Don't panic! We are trained elite students from the Anzerol Knight Academy! These low-level creatures are no match for us!" Rosette shouted, raising her beautiful long sword and bravely facing the fishmen!
However, the warrior Hauss was a bit overwhelmed. In his panic, he couldn't even unhook the shield from his back and could only fight with the broadsword in both hands.
Luna began chanting spells, but due to the nervousness of her first real battle, she made several mistakes in a row, almost missing the opportunity.
It was Rosette who showed exquisite skills. Young and full of vitality, she engaged in a fierce battle with a fishman wielding a curved knife. Although her moves seemed somewhat formulaic, they were highly effective.
Rosette switched from defense to offense, and the fishman started struggling to parry her attacks.
"Hmph! Crawling creatures! Taste the power of this lady!" Rosette realized she had the upper hand, and her confidence soared. It turned out that all her diligent training in her family and school had paid off! She increased her speed, excitedly attacking the fishman with her long sword.
However, her overly excited continuous assault caused her stamina to rapidly decline. Soon, Rosette's sword swings slowed down. The fishmen were monsters who neither knew exhaustion nor fatigue. They would either fight or drop dead. Moreover, the fishmen had more endurance and combat experience than Rosette. They began to gradually counterattack!
Rosette realized the seriousness of the problem, but it was already too late! She had expended too much energy, sweating profusely, breathing heavily, and feeling a burning pain in her chest. Trying to cope with the fishmen's attacks while physically drained, she could barely catch her breath.
Meanwhile, the situation worsened for the others. Despite Rosette being a true elite, dealing with two fishmen was no problem for her experienced self. But her companions were just pampered nobles who neglected their training.
"Ahh!! It hurts!!" the big fat priest cried out as he was stabbed in the foot by a fishman's spear, causing his massive weight to topple over. The fishmen were cold and brutal, showing no mercy. Another fishman joined in attacking the injured priest!
Attacking an injured opponent was an animal instinct!
"Pu! Pu!" The two fishmen repeatedly stabbed the fat man. Despite trying to block with the wooden staff in his hand, he was still pierced in several places, blood gushing out! He became a towering figure of blood in an instant!
"No!!! Beck!!!" Rosette panicked upon seeing Beck's condition. She had only brought them along for training! The teacher even said that their strength was too much for ordinary small monsters! Why did the situation suddenly spiral out of control during real combat??
"Watch out, Rosette!!!" Hauss shouted!
Only then did Rosette realize that another fishman was attacking her from the side. Almost instinctively, she performed a rolling technique and barely dodged the attack. As she got up, she looked at Hauss and said, "That was close, thanks to-"
Because Rosette's evasive action had caught Hauss's attention, he made a fatal mistake of losing focus on the battlefield!
Right in front of Rosette's eyes, a fishman jumped up from behind Hauss, and a glittering curved knife swiftly severed Hauss's head!
"No—!!!!!!" In that moment, Rosette felt that the world turned into a somber color... Hauss's severed head, still unknowingly, stared at Rosette as it flew away from his body.
