The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Chapter 74: Not The Only One That Can Scale Walls

Elsewhere, Mervant and his group were taking a breather on an open-air skybridge within the labyrinth.

Beneath, several Earthwalker giants leading grunts were occasionally spotted, but none of them noticed the party above.

"Huu… Damn it, I can't locate their positions at all." Mervant exhaled sharply, his dragon pupils glowing gold as he scanned the surroundings.

His eyes could interpret the magic within objects, allowing him to see through darkness and obstacles. However, the dense magic within the layers of hemispherical structures created a light pollution effect, making it difficult for Mervant to see beyond.

Guoguo clutched her longbow, staring blankly into the distance, still worried about Yaine's safety.

"Blindly searching doesn't seem to be working." Calidora sighed. "Why don't we forecast their likely path?"

"They'd head for the exit, naturally," Mervant replied with a sigh. "The problem is, finding the way to the exit isn't easy."

The three fell into silence once more. Mervant was anxious too. He could search for the others without being detected, but with Calidora and Guoguo in tow, he couldn't risk leaving them alone; in the case of danger, Guoguo, an archer, couldn't protect Calidora if a fight broke out.

What now? Should we just stay here and wait for the others to find us? he thought to himself.

But that wasn't a reliable option either. Their current hiding spot was protected by an illusory veil. While it could fool the mindless soldiers, their comrades might overlook it as well.

As he pondered, Mervant noticed that something wasn't quite right. A group of Earthwalker grunts seemed to be repeatedly going back and forth in the area beneath them. Their numbers were growing and now included nearly ten giants, with countless regular soldiers.

Have we been discovered? That can't be… Mervant frowned, watching the soldiers reach the end of the passage and then turn back, passing underneath again.

Something was definitely wrong. While it seemed they hadn't been spotted, perhaps the overseer had detected their presence and was using the soldiers to determine their position.

But, even if privy to it, what were Mervant's party to do? Prepare to run? Or prepare for battle?

Fleeing was preferable since this was enemy territory. But if the overseer had pinpointed their location, they'd be pursued no matter where they went.

Fighting, however…

Mervant glanced at Guoguo. He had never been able to wholeheartedly place his trust in this unreliable-looking lass. In past battles, she often caused unexpected problems.

Yet, among their comrades, she was the second most offensive force.

They had the high ground. If Mervant acted as bait, they might just pull off a surprise attack.

Guoguo noticed Mervant looking at her. Instinctively, she wanted to avert his gaze but eventually met it. Softly, she asked, "Uh, Mr. Mervant, is there something you need me to do?"

Mervant took a deep breath, glanced at the returning patrol below, and was silent for sometime.

While he still couldn't wholeheartedly trust Guoguo, perhaps there was no other choice now.

"Alright," Mervant said solemnly. "Do you see that group down there?"

"Yes." Guoguo nodded.

"They've been circling under us for a while now," Mervant explained, placing his hand on his sword hilt. "If this continues, they'll eventually find us. We need to strike first. I don't want to pressure you, but this time…"

He took another deep breath and gave Guoguo a faint smile. "I need you to give them everything you've got."

————

————

Baam!

Liu Ji kicked a giant's head sideways, using the massive falling body as a springboard to leap high and forward. Below, Earthwalker giants and soldiers gathered into a dense mass.

Flurries of arrows were fired by the Earthwalker formations. Yaine, cradled in Liu Ji's arms, whispered an incantation, and an invisible vortex appeared below them, catching the arrows and flinging them back at the pursuing giants. One giant was turned into a pincushion and tumbled, crushing many soldiers beneath it.

"Continuously fleeing isn't going to be a solution. We have to find a place to take them down," Yaine said during a brief respite from casting.

"But there are too many of them! What kind of place works?" Liu Ji replied as he kicked another giant back to the ground.

"We can't fight on the ground; it's a concentric structure, and we'd be attacked from all sides. We need to get higher," Yaine instructed. "Can you climb walls in your current form?"

"Not really," Liu Ji admitted. "I could in earth elemental spirit form, but then I can't fight these giants."

"No problem, I'll handle the giants. Head 50 meters ahead, turn right, and climb the wall!" Yaine said, starting another incantation.

"Fifty meters…" Liu Ji calculated, his mind racing.

His strides covered several meters at a time in his current state. How many steps would that be? Ten? Fifteen? He lost count as another giant charged at him. He kicked its face, used the momentum to leap to the right, and started running up the structure's curved surface.

In his earth elemental spirit form, he could easily stick to or detach from the stone surface. Though initially awkward, he quickly adapted to the sensation of running along the wall.

Liu Ji felt that he would finally be able to widen a gap with the pursuers when Yaine fired a lightning bolt behind them, striking a giant about to catch up. The giant fell, its eyes rolling back as it tumbled down, crushing soldiers below.

That's right, the pursuing soldiers were also scaling the walls, which had transformed into stairs beneath their feet.

Looks like he wasn't the only one that could scale walls.