The Takins clenched their fists, their faces clouded with ill intent. Lance, however, simply gripped his longsword and remained silent.
After the brief exchange just now, Lance had realized that the strength of these few Takins was not to be underestimated.
The leader’s strength, in particular, was only slightly inferior to his own.
“I am an Adventurer. I have no intention of making enemies of you; I merely wandered here by mistake.”
“If I have offended you, I shall take my leave.”
Zaen, who had been dazed by Lance’s Wind Bullet earlier, finally regained his senses. He hurried to the leader’s side and whispered, “Maji? What should we do?”
The Takin named Maji pondered for a moment before commanding, “He isn’t too powerful. Capture him first and take him back to the village.”
“Huh? Why?”
But the leader offered no further explanation. He made a gesture, and the crowd of Takins behind him immediately understood.
They fanned out to surround him from both sides. Their excellent explosive power allowed them to form a perimeter in an instant.
Lance’s heart sank at the sight. It seemed the other party had no intention of letting him go so easily.
However, after completing the encirclement, the leader did not order an attack. Instead, he spoke loudly, “The current situation is unique. I apologize, but I cannot let you leave just like this.”
“Please lay down your weapons and stay in Takin Village for a while. You will be released when the time comes.”
Lance remained silent, his grip tightening on his longsword.
In this Underground Labyrinth fraught with danger, how could he possibly lay down his weapons? Not to mention placing his life in the hands of others!
There was absolutely no reason to agree to such an unreasonable request…
“Agree to it…”
A soft woman’s voice suddenly rang in Lance’s mind. It was lazy, sounding as if she had just woken up.
In the mental world, virtual sunlight streamed into the room, soft and bright—a stark contrast to the tense confrontation in the real world.
The Witch Falia stretched, the drowsy look on her pretty face slowly fading.
By virtue of the Master-Disciple Contract, Falia’s sensory system, which had been lost for a long time, was reactivated.
It was especially sharp during this initial period of activation.
Waves of comfort surged through her body, putting the Witch in an excellent mood.
However, the voice ringing out of nowhere made Lance jump. He looked around in a panic, seemingly not yet realizing where the voice was coming from.
Since she shared Lance’s senses, Falia also felt a jolt. A tingling sensation suddenly spread from her chest and abdomen to her limbs, causing the Witch to let out a soft hum… Her body leaned forward, nearly falling off the bed.
Lance: ?
‘What was that sound?’
Sensing Lance’s thoughts, the Witch forcibly suppressed her body’s feedback and chuckled with feigned ease.
“Hehe… have you forgotten your beloved Master so quickly?”
Hearing this, Lance repeatedly apologized in his heart, fearing he might upset the Witch who possessed such heaven-defying methods.
Feeling the caution and fear rising in Lance’s heart, Falia didn’t mind.
She slowly explained why he should follow the Takins back.
“The little girl you pinched has already arrived at Takin Village. She is safe, so don’t worry.”
Lance was stunned. He couldn’t quite understand how this just-awakened Witch knew about this.
“How do you know that?”
In the mental world, the corner of the Master Witch’s mouth curled up slightly, feeling a bit proud.
The moment she woke up, she had secretly borrowed Lance’s Soulfire to cast a Detection Magic.
At this moment, let alone Takin Village, the entire 59th Floor was within her detection range.
She hummed twice, her mood improving further.
However, she clearly had no intention of answering Lance’s question, simply instructing him, “Just listen to me. Also, leave quickly; real trouble is coming.”
‘Danger?’
Just as the question formed in his mind, a violent gale suddenly erupted within the canyon.
The airflow was so powerful that it made the Takins—who weighed 300 or 400 pounds—struggle to stand.
Maji’s expression changed as horror filled his heart.
He looked into the distance, where a ball of crimson flame had indeed risen.
Lance was nearly swept away as well.
He was startled and quickly plunged his longsword into a nearby boulder, immediately releasing a Wind Element Field to counteract the impact of the gale.
Within the gale, Maji repeatedly made the gesture to retreat, though even he didn’t know where they should go.
Worse still, the eyes of the nearby Takins were blinded by the dust and ash kicked up by the wind. No one could see his instructions at all.
Seeing this, Maji grew extremely anxious and shouted loudly. But his voice was also swallowed by the howling wind; the other Takins still heard nothing.
“Follow me!”
A crystal-clear voice echoed in the minds of the group.
Realizing that the Takins were lost and helpless, Lance changed the manifestation of his Universal Persuader, establishing the dialogue directly on a soul level.
Following that, Lance resisted the impact of the wind and touched the Takins scattered around him as fast as he could.
Those Takins weren’t stupid. They gathered together of their own accord and followed closely behind Lance.
When he reached Maji’s side, the leader hesitated for a split second before joining the line as well.
After walking slowly for a while, the ground beneath them gave way, and they tumbled into a small hollow.
The wind instantly weakened significantly, allowing everyone a chance to catch their breath.
The Takins crouched down and wiped the dust from their eyes. Lance took this opportunity to proactively put some distance between himself and the group.
At this moment, the Takins could only be described as pathetic.
Their fluffy white fur was a mess from the wind, and some even had small twigs stuck to them.
Lance ignored them, offering sincere praise in his heart. ‘Lady Falia is truly amazing! You found a place to shield us from the wind so easily!’
‘But… why did a ball of fire rise over there? Did someone cast a High-Tier spell?’
Falia, in the mental world, felt even more triumphant.
However, she suppressed her urge to laugh and said with feigned indifference, “That wasn’t magic. What rose up was the thing’s true body—just a Fire Element Lord that has just woken up.”
‘A Fire Element Lord?!’
Lance was shocked. An Element Lord was no joke! It was different from the Pseudo-Element-grade Poison Flame Dragon on the previous floor.
An Element Lord was a genuine Element-grade powerhouse! Moreover, their understanding of the Elements far surpassed that of humans; their strength was far beyond that of an Element-grade human.
Seeing Lance grow panicked, Falia comforted him, “Don’t worry. It’s not coming for you. It has already left, so there’s no need to be nervous.”
Hearing this, Lance’s heart settled slightly. He poked his head out to look; the surging wind was indeed gradually calming down.
The Takin who was clearly the leader also looked out. Seeing that the Element Lord had moved away from the area, he let out a long sigh of relief.
Then he regained his senses and began discussing something with the other Takins.
Seeing this, Lance grew alert and shifted his feet, preparing to make a run for it.
However, the Witch in his head spoke again, stopping his movement.
“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave. Follow them back to Takin Village; there are benefits to be had.”
‘Benefits?’
Just as Lance was about to ask further, the Takins seemed to have reached a conclusion. The leader turned around to face Lance.
He gave a deep, solemn bow and said, “Sir! Thank you for your help! On behalf of our team, I would like to invite you to Takin Village as our guest to express our gratitude!”
“Is this mandatory?”
Lance looked at the Takins warily, both asking a question and expressing his dissatisfaction.
At his words, the Takins looked apologetic.
The leader quickly waved his hands and explained, “No, no, no! This time it is a sincere invitation. You have the right to refuse!”
“Our previous actions were rude. It was mainly because the Elder’s orders required us to eliminate potential dangers, which is why we were forced to restrict your movement.”
“It is clear now that you bear us no ill will. I hope you can forgive our offense!”
‘Hiss—’
Lance found this interesting.
These Takins were actually quite polite! This series of apologies and explanations immediately lessened the many grievances Lance had accumulated.
This was quite rare among Demi-humans, especially Beastmen!
At that moment, Falia also spoke up, “The little girl you pinched is in Takin Village. Don’t you want to reunite with her?”
‘The little girl I pinched?’
Lance was stunned for a moment, not immediately understanding who the Witch was talking about.
He thought about it for a second before it clicked… the Elf lady, Astrid?!
Was she captured by the Takins?
Thinking of this, Lance no longer hesitated and immediately replied, “Fine! I am willing to visit Takin Village, but I will not hand over my weapons.”
The Takins let out a collective sigh of relief. The leader looked up and said, “That is only natural!”
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