Warriors will die if they charge.

Leaving the second treasure vault, what came into view was a dilapidated palace bathed in the red glow of the setting sun.

Broken walls and ruins, collapsed pillars, and ceilings fell to the ground, turning into scattered bricks and tiles.

Marcus bent down and tried to pick up a stone, only to find that it seemed to be stuck to the dusty ground and he couldn't move it no matter how hard he tried.

The environment cannot be destroyed, and all we have at hand are the things we can take from the treasure vault. It seems this is the rule of the devil's game.

The obsidian necklace conveyed a new message to the mind—the end, the end, the third treasure trove.

"Alright, dwarf brother, it seems this game must continue."

Bardin nodded, then scrambled up a broken pillar, using the height to observe the condition of the shattered palace:

"We need to find a high vantage point to observe the puppies' situation. Once they get the armor and magic scrolls from the vault, we'll retreat and settle accounts with them after this game is over."

Marcus had also considered taking the magic scroll, but the magic-related items in the vault were all thick books of knowledge. Even if the two magic idiots from Ryebe got them, it would only add to their burden.

He wasn't sure if the stray dogs had found the magic scroll in their treasure vault; who could guess what the devil was thinking?

As they walked along the corridor filled with large, broken bricks, they saw statues covered in dust from the passage of time, silk dresses of women in pine trunks, glass bottles with only a few dried wine stains at the bottom, and withered flowers.

This place is very similar to the palace we just visited, but the former was filled with treasures, while this place is now just a desolate wasteland.

Marcus was walking close to the wall when he suddenly heard a faint sound of sand rubbing against each other. The sound was very subtle.

Hiss~

Hiss~

The sound of Oha's trousers scraping the ground was heavy, indicating that they had carried quite a lot of things.

Marcus nodded to Badin and pointed to the crossroads ahead. The dwarf ran over first to attract attention and assess the threat level of the stray dogs. If it was feasible, they would launch a surprise attack; if not, they would run away.

In the treasure vault they had just been in, they had determined that the focus of this game had shifted from revenge to how to survive the devil's manipulation.

Just as Bardin took a step, a huge, ugly head appeared in the middle of the intersection.

The sound was deliberately muffled, and the stray dog ​​was much closer than it had been estimated!

Marcus and Oha, who was crawling on the ground, stared at each other, both seeing a cold hatred in each other's eyes. Marcus swung his longsword downwards, while his battle axe, which shimmered with magical light, drew an arc upwards from the ground.

"Duncan!"

"Bardeen!"

The two called for their teammates at the same time, and the battle was about to break out. Bardin wanted to rush in directly. He didn't see any armor on the orcs, so his fists and feet could still be effective.

But as he stepped into the crossroads and looked toward the stray dog, he saw a repeating crossbow with its arrowheads burning with flames, already cocked.

bang bang bang~

A string of crossbow bolts, resembling rockets, burst forth from Duncan's hand. The flames flew with incredible speed, making it difficult for the dwarf to dodge.

But Duncan seemed overly nervous, subconsciously believing that the first person to appear would be Marcus, who was speaking.

Raise the crosshair slightly, and the rocket, which was originally intended to depict a human chest, flew past Bardin's head, scorching his hair and sending up plumes of black smoke.

Bardin rolled forward, turning into a solid ball of flesh on the ground, and slapped his burning hair with his palms to extinguish the flames.

He heard the explosion of the crossbow bolt hitting the statue at the end of the crossroads, and knew that he was at a disadvantage in this skirmish.

The dwarf, hiding behind the wall on the other side, shouted to Marcus, who was locked in combat with Ohar using a longsword, "Hard man, get out of here! That guy has a repeating crossbow!"

Marcus nodded, skillfully deflected Oha's axe strike with a single sword stroke, and turned to run without looking back.

The rye wine was easily defeated, but Kelly showed no joy. She shoved Duncan, who was pulling the crossbow, and angrily berated him:

"You can't even hit a mouse? I could shoot more accurately than you even with my eyes closed!"

Their load was too heavy, and they didn't have enough strength to sustain the chase.

Duncan remained silent with his back to the wall, offering no explanation for his earlier mistake. He used all his strength to resist the weight pressing on his shoulders and pulled back the heavy crossbow in his hand.

It's too heavy. Both the repeating crossbow and Kelly's trust are far too much for a thief who isn't known for his fighting skills.

He sighed inwardly, bent down, and pulled back the heavy crossbow bolt with both hands: "Next time will be better."

"Because it couldn't get any worse!" Kelly seemed to be grinding her teeth to powder as she angrily denounced the two of them as useless, always failing to live up to her expectations.

It is all because of your weakness and incompetence that stray dogs are forced to rely on betrayal and lies to gain more benefits.

If I had chosen someone who would let me speak standing up, I wouldn't be standing here dragging this limping good-for-nothing and this thief who can't even hit a mouse.

The silent Duncan suddenly remembered the limb-regenerating potion he had just seen. If he only took the potion and got rid of Kelly, what would Marcus and Bardeen do if he encountered them here?

Will you let me go and hunt down Kelly and Oha?

He didn't know that in Duncan's world, there was no such choice. Ever since Kelly took him away six years ago, he had never had the power to choose.

She was his captain, teaching him how to survive in adventures; she was his sister, teaching him how to use sweet words to win over the girl's heart... and she was also his mother, the only one who was willing to scold him.

Seeing Duncan's silence, Kelly raised her heavy, trembling hand and gently stroked his cheek, gazing into those eyes that had always avoided her, and whispered:

"Duncan, we have to survive. You're a good boy, more obedient than anyone else, and you understand my feelings. We've been wandering around, and we can't stop just when we're about to find a home."

Duncan sighed inwardly, looking into Kelly's sincere and pure eyes, thinking, "Every time you touch my face after you're angry, I know what you're trying to do."

But he didn't say it, instead picking up the repeating crossbow that was in front of him: "I understand. Once you become a duke, the stray dogs will have a home."

"Yes, stray dogs now have a home."

-

Meanwhile, in the empty square of the palace, Rye Wine and Rye Wine were analyzing the recent skirmish.

"That woman didn't have anything in her hands, maybe she had some kind of...knowledge?" Bardin leaned against the corner of the wall, tidying his thick hair that was missing a few pieces.

"Not necessarily. That bitch is very controlling. She definitely made Duncan and O'Ha sacrifice their urge to take things to satisfy her own desires. It could be money, or it could be force that she can't currently use, or perhaps..." Marcus frowned and offered a rather strange deduction:

"that power."

"Power? Haha, tough guy, that's a strange guess. You mean that woman chose a worthless piece of paper? Even if she becomes a duke, without enough warriors and wealth under her, no one will listen to her. The devil only promises what is literal."

Marcus nodded in agreement, looked around, and saw that the third treasure vault was at the end of the square. There were almost no obstacles here, and if he encountered Duncan with his repeating crossbow, he would definitely be riddled with bullets.

"How's that guy's aim? Do we still have a chance to ambush him?"

Bardin touched his hair, which had been chewed by a stray dog, and in the tense atmosphere, he was unusually humorous: "You were the one who rushed out just now, and you've already turned into roast chicken."

"Then let's go. Let's get out of this hellhole as soon as possible, and then we'll figure out a way to settle this score."

"A wise choice. We can't become those stubborn old men in the mountains who only know how to settle scores."