Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Lance walked to the fire, sat down, took the bowl, and took a sip.

"How is it?" Dulac asked expectantly.

"Not bad, good soup," Lance nodded, "even better than last night's soup."

Drucker was so happy his beard trembled.

Logan leaned closer: "Lord Lance, why were you standing there without moving?"

Lance put down his bowl: "I used magic to investigate the kobold's lair."

Several people stopped what they were doing at the same time.

"How is it going?" Greta asked.

"Indeed, around a thousand," Lance said. "There's a level 4 kobold warlock leading them."

Finn frowned: "Level 4 warlock? Level 4 kobold warlocks are very rare."

"There's something even rarer," Lance said, looking at him. "Deep inside the cave, there's something level 8."

The air was silent for two seconds.

The spoon in Dulac's hand fell into the pot with a "clatter".

"Level 8?!" He stared wide-eyed.

"right."

"This...this..." Durak stammered, "A level 8 kobold? I've never seen one before!"

"It's not a kobold," Lance corrected. "It's just an eye monster."

"Beholder!!!"

Everyone gasped in disbelief.

"Don't be nervous," Lance said calmly. "It's not an adult, it's just a juvenile."

"But……"

"Don't worry," Lance interrupted him, "I have a way to deal with it."

The group of people looked at each other in bewilderment.

Logan muttered to himself, "An 8th-level Eye Demon... a level 5 or 6 mage probably wouldn't be able to handle it..."

Greta glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Finn's fingers unconsciously traced the bowstring, his eyes darting around.

Sielsa remained calm—she had witnessed Lance kill a level 6 priest, a divine projection, and a mere level 8 beholder…

We will surely defeat them soundly!

It's not a big deal at all.

Drak took a deep breath and stroked his beard: "Lord Lance, are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Lance nodded. "The mage won't put himself in danger."

"However, your cooperation is needed."

"How can we cooperate?"

"It's simple." Lance stood up. "Just like we said before, I'll be in charge of dealing damage, and you guys are in charge of protecting me. Don't let any monsters get within five meters of me."

He paused, then looked at Drucker: "Can you do it?"

Drucker patted his chest and said, "Absolutely!"

"Greta?"

Greta nodded.

"Logan?"

"no problem!"

"Finn?"

Finn was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

Lance looked at Cielsa: "You stay by my side and shoot arrows. If any escapees get within five meters of me, you deal with them too."

"yes!"

Lance nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, let's eat. We'll set off after we finish eating."

……

After finishing their meal and packing their belongings, the group of seven headed towards the mine.

Morning light filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The dew hadn't dried yet, and the grass crunched underfoot.

Little Black perched on Lance's shoulder, its eerie green eyes fixed ahead, its tail swaying back and forth.

Logan leaned closer to Finn and whispered, "Hey, why do you think Lord Lance, that level 8 beholder, is in the kobold's lair?"

Finn ignored him.

"Can't you just guess?"

"cannot."

Why?

"It's embarrassing to guess wrong."

Logan choked.

Hearing this from the side, Drucker couldn't help but laugh out loud: "I like Finn's personality!"

Finn glanced at him expressionlessly and continued walking.

The mine entrance is getting closer.

The stench was already strong, a mixture of the putrid smell of rotting flesh that made people wrinkle their noses.

The two kobolds were still squatting at the cave entrance, one dozing against a rock, the other rubbing his eyes.

They were completely unaware that someone was approaching.

Lance cast the spell from thirty meters away.

[Magic Blast!]

A pale green light shone out, and a kobold fell asleep.

The other kobold hadn't even noticed yet and was still dozing off.

[Magic Blast!]

Another pale green light shone through, and the other kobold fell asleep.

[Killed 2 level 0 kobolds, gained 2 experience points!]

Lance glanced at the panel and his lips twitched.

"Tsk, that experience..."

Oh well, even a mosquito's leg is meat.

He walked to the cave entrance and peeked inside.

The passage was pitch black, the air reeked of a foul stench, and a faint hissing sound could be heard from afar.

"Dulak and Greta stand in front, and I'll stand in the middle," Lance said. "The rest of you follow behind me, keeping a meter's distance."

Drucker nodded: "Understood."

Lance took a deep breath and stepped into the cave.

Darkness instantly engulfed him.

But he still has vision in the dark—though not as clear as in the daytime, it's enough to see his surroundings.

After walking about fifty meters, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

Lance closed his eyes.

[Summoning scout mosquitoes!]

Mosquitoes emerged from the void and flew to the left.

After flying thirty meters and turning a corner, a group of dog-headed people appeared ahead—seven or eight of them, forming a circle, doing something unknown.

The scout mosquito took a closer look—

They were devouring a half-grown dog-headed human cub.

Bloody chunks of flesh, stark white bones, and several kobolds gnawing on a leg bone with relish.

Lance frowned.

He'd seen plenty of disgusting things, but this thing...

Oh well, I'm going to die anyway.

He retrieved the scout mosquito and flew to the right.

The passage on the right was longer than the one on the left. After walking for about a hundred meters, the path suddenly opened up in front of us—it was a small cave, about twenty meters in diameter.

There are at least fifty kobolds in the cave.

Some were lying down sleeping, some were squatting eating, and some were picking lice off each other.

Lance went to the left first, used [Magic Blast] to take out the few enemies, and then returned to the fork in the road.

He stopped and looked back.

The Iron Fist team and Sissa stood a meter away, cautiously surveying their surroundings.

"There are fifty ahead," Lance said in a low voice. "After I make my move, some might slip through and escape. Don't let them get away and report back."

Drucker, gripping his battle axe, said, "Understood!"

Finn drew his bow and aimed at the cave entrance.

Greta drew her two-handed sword, Logan drew his dagger, and Cielsa gripped her scimitar.

Lance turned around and took a deep breath.

Then he raised his hands.

[The Art of Being Greasy!]

A pale yellow light emanated from his fingertips, silently spreading across the entire cave floor.

Before the kobolds could react, their feet were already slippery as if they were covered in oil.

"Hiss hiss hiss?!"

A dog-headed man tried to stand up, but as soon as he lifted his foot, he fell back down with a thud.

The other one tried to run, but after taking just one step, he slipped and fell, hitting his head on a rock.

[Upgraded Ring Casting - Burning Hand!]

The power and attack area of ​​this spell have been greatly increased.

Lance pushed his hands forward, and blazing flames erupted from his palms, sweeping across the entire cave in a fan shape!

The moment the flame licks the grease—

"boom--!"

The entire cave instantly turned into a sea of ​​fire!