"Attack!" The soldiers, with their sharp spears, fiercely lunged at the bandits who fearlessly charged back. With each combatant above level 10, the outnumbered soldiers were quickly overwhelmed.
As the battle commenced, Xia Lu picked up her delicate magic wand, chanting a spell for a powerful tier-three fire magic, "Inferno Column," creating a pillar of fire among the bandits, eliciting screams of agony. Magic was always one of the most lethal forms of attack.
"Arcane Missiles!" The maid, also a level 15 magician, launched basic arcane missiles. As an apprentice magician without a formal title, she could only cast the most fundamental magic.
"Target the magicians first!" Realizing the threat of Xia Lu and the maids, the bandits, lacking magicians of their own, immediately charged through the soldiers' defense towards them.
Just as Xia Lu and her companions were in peril, another warrior, a level 33 intermediate swordsman, rushed in, felling several bandits with his sword and urgently telling Xia Lu to flee, as they couldn't hold off much longer.
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As the bandit leader's roar commanded, archers released arrows, striking down several of Xia Lu's magically inclined maids.
The battle was brutal. The guard captain, outmatched by the bandit leader, could barely hold his ground, and the soldiers were quickly diminishing under the bandits' assault. Only about twenty soldiers were left standing.
As the situation grew dire, the guard captain, bloodied but resolute, urged Xia Lu to escape for her life.
"Romo..." Xia Lu, seeing her bloodied and struggling guard captain and the fallen soldiers, knew they were losing and, biting her lip, turned to flee.
"Stop her!" The bandit leader, noticing Xia Lu's attempt to escape, ordered a charge, and nearly a hundred bandits broke through the defensive line.
"Consider this returning the favor..." Seeing Xia Lu struggle to mount a horse and remembering her earlier efforts to urge him to flee, Lin Chen couldn't leave her behind. Though unsure about defeating the bandits, he was confident in escaping with someone. Without hesitation, he threw an unstable potion into the bandits' path, creating a devastating explosion that halted their pursuit.
"Boom!" The epic-grade unstable potion exploded with the force of a sixth-level magic, stunning everyone on the battlefield. As the bandits were obliterated, Lin Chen received a series of experience notifications, suggesting he was gaining levels from the kills, a shocking revelation in this real-world scenario.
With no time to dwell on the implications, Lin Chen and Xia Lu fled on horseback, narrowly escaping as the remaining bandits pursued them.
The bandit leader, enraged and shocked by the powerful explosion, rallied the remaining two hundred bandits to chase after Xia Lu and Lin Chen, leaving behind a trail of dust and fury. The pursuit continued, with the bandit leader determined not to let his targets escape.