## Chapter 61: Mercenary Squad
I desperately flailed my legs, but unfortunately, I was still in a Frozen State, significantly slowing my Speed. The Distance between me and the black Wanderer behind me was actually closing.
Thwack!
Another Arrow struck my Body, kicking up a spray of bloody ice. My Body, which had been gradually warming, stiffened up again.
The Mobs around it also caught up. Seven or eight Arrows immediately whistled and struck my Back. Although the Damage wasn't high, the impact caused me to stumble, my flailing Footsteps became erratic, and my Speed dropped considerably again.
At this point, I could only desperately chug Life Potions while running for my Life. As long as I could get out of this Passage and back to the narrow Opening of the Cave I just left, I would be safe.
The Arrows behind me kept hitting my Back. The regular Mobs weren't much of a problem; after all, my high defense was there. But the Mini-Boss's was different. Not only did it leave a bloody hole in my Back every time, but the most frustrating thing was the Freeze attribute attached to the Arrows.
Freeze? Right! Damn it, in my panic, I even forgot about this. I quickly activated Frozen Armor. This way, I could slightly Weaken the Mini-Boss's Damage. But what I didn't expect was that after activating Frozen Armor, the Feeling of being cold all over was slightly alleviated. Could this be the legendary 'fighting poison with poison'?
With the Protection of Frozen Armor, I finally finished running down this Death's Path. Seeing the narrow Entrance, I rushed towards it in ecstasy. Inside was a narrow, winding Passage, very disadvantageous for Archers. The black Wanderer behind me seemed to know this disadvantage as well, stopping and lingering nearby for a while before leaving.
Damn it.
Seeing that I was safe, I immediately curled up, hugging my Body tightly, like a violated virgin. My lips, frozen purple, were clenched shut. Damn it, since starting my Trial, I'd never been this pathetic. The frustration of being beaten without any ability to fight back almost made me vomit Blood. Seeing that I had less than a quarter of my Life left, Cold Sweat immediately broke out. Thankfully, I finally made it in time, otherwise, that full rejuvenation potion on my Belt would have been used up.
Sigh, I was too careless this time. Curiosity killed the cat; the old saying is indeed true. But just you wait, you'll regret it after I reach Level 12. Filled with frustration, I left this place, planning to find a Hiding Place to warm myself up first.
Searching for a Hiding Place in a Cave was something I was already more than Proficient at. Before long, I found a mark on a nearby Wall. The mark was quite faint, so I used the Saber in my hand to trace along the Engraving a few times, making it much clearer. Then, following the mark, I found this hidden Hiding Place. But unexpectedly, there was fire Light coming from inside!
I hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to go in and take a look. There might not be any other Hiding Places nearby, and besides, whoever was inside was definitely a friend, not an enemy, so there was nothing to worry about.
However, I still kept a Caution. I didn't put away my Poison Creeper and Raven; instead, I left them outside, ready to be summoned at any moment.
Then, I wasn't foolish enough to just rush straight in. This Opening was definitely full of Traps.
"Is anyone inside? Could I borrow a place to Rest for a while?"
Not long after I spoke, there was a distinct rustling sound from the Opening. They were likely disarming Traps. After a moment, a young female voice came from inside.
"Your Excellency, please come in."
I bent down and squeezed into the Opening, which was only about half a person's height. A bright fire Light immediately shone out, stinging my eyes, which had grown accustomed to the dimness. It took a while before I could clearly see the situation inside the Hiding Place.
This was a Hiding Place roughly a hundred square meters in size. A Campfire was burning brightly in the center. There were six people around the Campfire, all standing up at the moment. Including the woman who welcomed me in, there were a total of seven people.
When I looked closer, I realized that this group of seven were all Mercenaries. No wonder their tone was so respectful, and they all stood up when I entered. In Sanctuary, the Status brought by Strength is quite distinct.
Seeing how reserved they were, I didn't stand on ceremony. Impatiently, I leaned my cold Body towards the Campfire and sat down, savoring the warmth that seeped into my bones.
Seeing me sit down, the other seven also sat down one after another. At this point, the girl who had welcomed me in spoke first.
"Respected Sorceress Lord, did you enter the Cave for Trial alone?"
I glanced at her. This Female Rogue was very beautiful, even among the good-looking Rogues, she could be considered above average in Appearance. However, she was wearing tattered Cloth Armor on her Body, giving a feeling of a pearl cast into darkness.
"Yes."
I nodded somewhat awkwardly. "But I'm not a Necromancer, I'm a Druid, Wu Fan."
"Ah, I'm sorry, I..."
The girl seemed a bit flustered. Mistaking a Class Changer's Class is, strictly speaking, an insult to a Class Changer.
"It's alright, you don't need to mind. It's so dark in here, misjudging is a common Matter, isn't it?"
I hadn't developed the superior temper of a Class Changer yet, so I didn't take it to heart. I said to her with a Smile, giving her a way out.
Actually, you can't blame her. My Gaze is so gloomy right now that I believe nine out of ten people would make the same Mistake.
"Indeed, Lord Wu Fan, your generosity makes me feel a vastness like the sea."
The girl bowed to me and said happily.
I chatted with them for a while before understanding the situation. Among the seven people, there were three men and four women. Two of the men were Level 6 Barbarians (Act V Mercenaries), and the other was a Level 7 Desert Warrior (Act II Mercenary). Among the four women, the girl who just spoke to me, named Aijiali, was a Rogue Archer, and another was a Level 5 Ice Sword Mage (Act III Mercenary).
This was a very reasonable Mercenary combination. Their Strength must be decent; the fact that they could venture in here at their Levels is the best proof.
"Why did you come here for Trial?" In my opinion, the narrow and rugged Terrain of the Cave isn't very suitable for Parties with more people, so I asked out of Curiosity.
"Because it's a bit safer."
Aijiali said as if it were obvious, "In the Cold Plains, a Party like ours is easily spotted and surrounded."
Then, with a face full of admiration, she added, "But Lord Wu Fan, you were able to venture deep into the Cave alone. That's truly impressive."
"Heh heh, I'm already Level 11. Being here alone is naturally not a problem. As for you, being able to get this far is already quite remarkable." For a Level 11 Class Changer, the Monsters in this Cave are indeed no longer very suitable for Trial.
"Level 11?"
Aijiali's eyes sparkled. "Lord Wu Fan, may I be so Presumptuous as to ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"Excuse me, where are your Mercenaries? Aren't they with you?"
"I can't afford to hire Mercenaries."
After saying that, I seemed to feel the Gaze of all seven people become much more fervent. Aijiali was still the most quick-witted.
"Lord Wu Fan, if you need Mercenaries, I believe any one of us could be your best Helper."
Aijiali said with full Confidence. Indeed, although their Levels were a bit low, the fact that they could venture deep into the Cave was enough to prove that their Strength was not weak. For a good Mercenary, Level is not the most important thing; Potential is. Some excellent Mercenaries, after arduous Trials, have even had their Strength recognized by God and suddenly advanced to become Class Changers. Such things have happened.
"Okay, when I've saved up enough Money, I'll definitely consider you first."
I squinted my eyes with a Smile, looking at the seven people full of hope. I really didn't want to dampen their spirits—Mercenaries are just a burden to me right now.
"Oh, right, Lord Wu Fan, seeing your Appearance just now, did you perhaps also encounter the Cold Raven?"
The petite Female Sword Mage sitting across from me suddenly spoke. Sword Mages are a type of Other Species among Mages. Most of a Mage's Magic relies on a Staff for enhancement, while Sword Mages use Swords. The higher the Sword's Attack, the greater their Damage.
"Yes, but did you encounter it too?"
My reply had a bit of the flavor of a phrase from my previous world, "Did you hit a Wall today too?" But what I felt more in my heart was doubt and confusion. I had only Reluctantly escaped under the effects of Werewolf Transformation + Frozen Armor, yet they managed to as well? It's not that I look down on them, but you have to understand, a Minor Boss Level Monster could almost instantly kill Mercenaries like them, especially Rogue Archers like Aijiali and Female Sword Mages, with a single blow.
"Yes."
Seeming to notice my confusion, the little Sorceress explained, "We spotted it earlier, and it chased us for a while before giving up. Kusi was hit by one of the Mini-Boss's Arrows and almost died. Fortunately, we had this, and were able to escape safely..."
Saying this, she took out a small bottle of yellow potion with a lingering fear.
I took a closer look. Damn it, it was a Dissolving Potion! If I had had a bottle just now, I wouldn't have been in such a sorry state.
Afterward, I continued chatting with them for a while, mostly about irrelevant topics. Seeing that they consistently maintained a reserved distance from me, I lost interest and immediately got up to leave. I was already Level 11, and only needed half the Experience to reach Level 12. Although I wanted to stay with them a bit longer to observe their Operation methods, hoping to gain some inspiration, time waits for no one. I desperately needed the Tier 2 Skills.
Before leaving, I used 10 Life Potions and 10 Mana Potions to trade for a bottle of Dissolving Potion from the Sword Mage. In terms of value, it was more than enough. Although she kept saying it wasn't necessary, I didn't want to owe this Favor.
Starting from Level 10, the Experience gained from Monsters in the Cave had already begun to decrease significantly. If I weren't unable to leave, I would definitely choose to Level Up in the Stony Field.