That despicable, scheming woman, she actually disguised herself as an elf lady!

The next day, early in the morning.

Liu Huan and Eric woke up early, quickly finished off the leftover roast chicken from yesterday, and continued their journey after a light meal.

Because of his injury, Eric could only move forward with difficulty, leaning on a wooden stick.

While the holy water of the Church of Life is miraculous, it is not a panacea for reviving the dead or restoring flesh to bones.

"Senior, I still don't know your name?"

Eric wiped the sweat from his temples and asked.

The depths of the swamp forest are completely covered by trees, and every step requires caution to avoid sinking into the swamp.

Liu Huan cautiously scouted ahead, and upon hearing this, replied, "My name? Heh, everyone calls me Derek, you can call me that too?"

"Derek? Could he be one of the Radiant Five of Maple Leaf Town, alongside William, Ophelia, York, and Cecilia?"

Eric was somewhat surprised and continued, "Could something be about to happen? Ophelia and William, two of the Radiant Five, are both at Camp Seven!"

"With you added, three of the Five Heroes are here!"

Liu Huan was somewhat puzzled, as he had risked going deep into the swamp forest to trade with the Gray Feather tribe.

Why did the other three people come in?

The reason I say three people is because wherever Cecilia is, William is bound to be there too; that guy has been pursuing Cecilia all along.

"Cecilia is most likely here too!"

Liu Huan was somewhat afraid of this female adventurer. She was a powerful magician skilled in shapeshifting, but she often took pleasure in teasing others.

I have been tricked by the other party and embarrassed in public several times.

"Forget it, it's none of my business anyway!"

"What's your name?"

Eric was quite excited upon hearing this. He had thought that someone as insignificant as him would not be noticed by his seniors at all!

So this is what it feels like to be valued by the powerful?

"S-senpai, my name is Eric! I joined the Adventurers' Guild last summer."

At this point, Eric felt somewhat ashamed. Strictly speaking, he had joined earlier, but his strength was far inferior to that of his predecessors.

In the special group of adventurers, seniority is first determined by strength. Only when the strength difference is not significant will the length of time they joined the guild be considered!

Most adventurers are well-versed in this, and are staunch feudalist warriors.

I cower before those of higher seniority, but strike hard against those of lower seniority.

After all, what if someone says, "Damn it!! You think the barbecue will magically cook itself and end up in my bowl?!"

Things will then become difficult.

However, as an outstanding young person of the new era, Liu Huan doesn't have such strict rules and regulations in his mind.

After hearing this, he nodded slightly, "There's no need to be so reserved. We're about the same age."

After saying that, the two continued on their way.

Before they knew it, after a day's trek, they finally arrived at Camp Seven just before dusk.

A squad of guards was stationed at the entrance of the camp. Liu Huan did not approach rashly, but said a brief goodbye to Eric from a short distance away.

He then turned and headed deeper into the swamp forest.

However, before leaving, Eric heard Liu Huan mention that his weapon had been damaged in a battle, so he generously gifted him his two-handed greatsword.

Eric watched as Liu Huan's figure gradually disappeared into the woods before he limped toward Camp Seven.

"Adventurer, please stop!"

The guards carefully checked the situation and inquired about the reason for Eric's late return. After hearing Eric's explanation, they promptly reported to their superiors.

Only after receiving a reply were Eric allowed in. "Your identity is fine, but you need to see the administrator after entering the camp."

"He's very interested in the mysterious person you mentioned!"

Eric showed no change in expression and nodded to indicate that he understood.

Inside Camp Seven, tents were scattered about, and adventurers gathered in a circle, drinking, making merry, and chatting.

Because of the harsh environment of the swamp forest, warhorses could hardly move around, and most caravans used thunder rhinoceroses to pull their wagons.

There were also some fierce-looking hunting dogs, some as tall as a person, lying dozing at their owners' feet, with gleaming weapons and mud-covered armor hanging on the wooden racks nearby.

Inside and outside the camp seemed like two different worlds.

The camp is bustling and vibrant, like a small society, while outside the camp are man-eating monsters and deadly traps, a cruel world where one can easily fall into mortal danger.

"Eric, is it really you?!"

Luca and his two companions stood not far from the camp entrance, watching incredulously as Eric returned to the camp unharmed.

Actually, he wasn't completely unharmed; at least his leg was severely injured, and now he can only walk with a limp, using crutches.

Eric wasn't blind, but when he saw the three of them, he felt a mix of emotions.

His will to survive was truly ignited when his life was in danger.

Although they knew that without Derek's help, the three of them would only face certain death if they stayed.

Although he knew that he had deliberately let Luca and the others abandon him and break through the encirclement.

But this matter was like a thorn, deeply embedded in Eric's heart, causing resentment.

Eric didn't know how to face them; his complex emotions were a hundred times more intense than a spilled bottle of mixed flavors.

Finally, he swallowed hard, his voice hoarse, and said, "Yes, it's...it's me!"

"Thank goodness! You're really alright!"

Lani's eyes were brimming with tears, and she tried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed.

Luca and Gerdwin, their eyes also red, each stepped forward and gave Eric a big bear hug.

Seeing this, Eric's lingering resentment dissipated!

We are all adventurers who live on the edge, there is no need to treat them from the perspective of ordinary people.

Even though I desperately wanted to live, the reality was that I was still in a state of certain death.

It's understandable that my teammates did what they did!

Having pulled out the thorn in his heart, Eric felt much more at ease, and even his breathing technique became several times more efficient than usual.

In a corner of Camp Seven, an adventurer wearing a veiled mask sneered upon seeing this scene, "Even novice adventurers know that unless in dire straits, you should never abandon your teammates!"

"But some people, just to save their own lives, are willing to betray their teammates and cling to life!"

Felix's words were like a wooden spear, piercing the hearts of the other members of the squad and completely tearing away the veil of pretense that the squad usually maintained.

Seth was very unhappy after hearing this. Everyone had agreed to and tacitly accepted this approach, but afterwards they kept making sarcastic remarks about him.

If you were really against it, why didn't you say anything back then?

Now they're so eager to be wise after the event!

"Who are you openly or subtly mocking?"

Seth glared, his eyes bulging like copper bells, and his body emanated a terrifying and coercive aura.

"Whoever jumps the most enthusiastically, that's the one I'm talking about!"

Since Liu Huan left, Felix has become less taciturn and his tongue has become increasingly sharp.

Nisha then stepped in to mediate, saying, "Okay, nobody wants this to happen."

Felix scoffed at the thought that Nisha could have escaped alone but had instead risked her life to come back and inform them.

Seth was furious; this little brat always seemed to be trying to disgust him, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

If given the choice, who would want to abandon their teammates and kill the enemy?

He felt wronged too! Everyone agreed, but he ended up being the scapegoat.

Now, an adventurer team that had encountered the same situation has met with them, and the person responsible for covering their retreat has successfully returned safely.

But their team members perished in this swampy forest, turning into fertilizer somewhere.

Gareth pursed his lips. "Stop arguing. This is the last period for the temporary team. What's the point of all this bickering?"

"I take full responsibility for what happened to Liu Huan! If the guild investigates later, you can push all the blame onto me!"

To be honest, Gareth also had some regrets.

The Poison Fang Squad's strength on paper wasn't as overwhelming as the Leap Forward's; he was simply terrified by that swamp serpent.

Gareth was so focused on escaping that he was completely consumed by the thought of running away. If it were any other day, he would have definitely shown those bastards what it means to be a hero!

Seeing that Gareth had said that, everyone had no choice but to remain silent.

"Eric, sit down first, I'll treat your wounds!"

Lani, looking tired, took out her staff. Because of her status as a priest and her work in exterminating monsters, many injured adventurers would seek her out to treat their wounds.

After closing his eyes, a faint white light emanated from the magic crystal on the staff, gently licking Eric's wounds.

A sticky, itchy sensation came from the healing granulation tissue at the wound site, and Eric resisted the urge to scratch it.

"That's incredible! You'll make a full recovery in a few more days!"

Lani opened her eyes and said incredulously.

Eric saw Lani's shocked expression, scratched his head, and didn't dare to tell her that his senior had used the Holy Water of the Church of Life on him.

The Earth Church, to which Lani belongs, seems to have always been at odds with the Church of Life. This is probably because the deities of the two churches have some overlapping powers, which leads to tensions between the believers of both sides whenever they meet.

After talking with a few old friends, Eric followed the guard's instructions and went to meet the camp's administrator.

To his surprise, besides the administrator, there were also the mayor's bodyguard, a priest from the Church of Light, and two monks by his side.

Eric recounted the entire incident in detail, but he still concealed the fact that Liu Huan was Derek.

After learning what had happened and discovering that the mysterious man was merely at the Bone Forging Realm, Richardson, the actual manager of Camp Seven, and Fran, the mayor's bodyguard, immediately lost interest.

The current situation at Camp Seven is not something that a mere Bone Forging Realm cultivator can change. They thought it was a mysterious and elusive professional, which is why they summoned Eric.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be an overreaction!

After Eric finished speaking, he bowed slightly and took his leave. Only the priest of the Church of Light showed a barely perceptible regret when he heard that the mysterious man had not entered Camp Seven.

"The great Lord, worthy of praise, now has one less tribute."