The shadow of death loomed over the mercenary troop.

Although being a mercenary is a high-risk profession, the Blue Orchid had not lost any members on a mission for a long time. The loss of two brothers this time plunged everyone into sorrow.

But death had only just begun...

The mercenary troop's retreat was swift. Groups of five mercenaries maintained a distance of two to three steps from each other, cautiously moving forward, always on guard for attacks that might come suddenly from underground.

The troop had only moved a few hundred meters when the attack followed.

The ground at the rear of the formation suddenly collapsed, and a gray giant worm burst out.

Thanks to their vigilance, the mercenaries spotted the attack immediately. A mercenary at the back, who had been watching, sounded the warning whistle and pulled the trigger of his steel crossbow to the limit.

The three crossbow bolts, fired at close range with great force, flew towards the demon-eating worm.

Three dull sounds were heard in succession, each bolt hitting its mark!

However, the speed of the demon-eating worm's charge did not decrease at all.

Years of burrowing through the earth had made the skin of the demon-eating worm as hard as rock and covered in wrinkles, rendering pure force weapons like the steel crossbow ineffective against it.

The other four mercenaries in the group turned and fired upon hearing the warning, the sounds of their shots ringing out continuously.

But the continuous firing only slightly slowed the worm's charge. Several bolts were stuck in its body, yet it still targeted the mercenary at the rear.

Trained by the Blue Orchid, seeing that crossbow attacks were ineffective, the mercenaries almost simultaneously discarded their crossbows. A mercenary with a shield stepped forward to block the front, while the other four quickly drew their blades.

The shield-bearing mercenary had only just managed to lift his round shield slightly when the demon-eating worm crashed into it.

To the mercenaries' surprise, as the worm hit the shield, it opened its massive mouth even wider, almost splitting its head open, and swallowed the shield whole, along with the mercenary's entire arm.

The tremendous swallowing force pulled the mercenary's body towards the mouth of the worm. A quick-reacting mercenary next to him cut off his arm at the root with a single stroke and forcefully pushed his body aside.

This fully revealed demon-eating worm, over four meters long and as thick as a barrel, was then attacked by the three surrounding mercenaries who hacked at its head with their swords and axes.

The full-strength strikes of the three mercenaries hit the worm.

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However, for the hard skin of the demon-eating worm, the attacks of third-level warriors did not inflict fatal damage. Each strike only left a shallow wound on the worm's body, but the pain completely enraged it.

The worm twisted its body and suddenly turned its head to strike at one of the mercenaries with a movement akin to a venomous snake lunging.

The targeted mercenary staggered backwards, but how could his speed compare with the demon-eating worm? He only saw a blur before a large mouth full of small sharp teeth was in front of him, and in that moment, death had arrived, freezing him on the spot.

Just as he was about to be swallowed, the massive head in front of him suddenly exploded, splattering his face with yellow-brown blood.

Saved from the jaws of death, the mercenary collapsed to the ground.

It was the elf Ilaya who had intervened, his arrows uniquely swift.

Ilaya's early intervention was not a good sign!

The death of this demon-eating worm also marked the beginning of the worm horde's attack.

Giant worms would suddenly burst from the ground to attack the mercenary troop, sometimes even two or three at a time.

The attacks became more and more frequent, and despite the Blue Orchid mercenaries' caution, casualties inevitably increased.

Third-level mercenaries were no match for beasts of the same level. Only Cain, Ilaya, and Angus, warriors above the rank of War Officer, could inflict effective damage on these worms. Even Adeline's fire magic was significantly less effective against them.

The worms' attacks were too unpredictable, rapidly burrowing through the ground and using the heat emitted by living bodies to locate their prey, thus always managing to surprise the mercenaries.

Sometimes, holes would appear directly under the mercenaries' feet, and they would feel the ground give way beneath them, falling into the mouths of the demon-eating worms the next second.

Cain and the others had to dash left and right to protect the entire troop, rushing to kill any worm that surfaced, even a second's delay could mean a mercenary's life.

The mercenary troop struggled forward, having killed thirty to forty worms along the way. Tony and Angus were starting to pant, Adeline's fireballs were getting smaller, but the attack of the demon-eating worms showed no sign of weakening.

musks were always protected in the very center of the formation, closely guarded by the entire mercenary troop. At the start of the battle, Arthur had shot two arrows at a worm that was close, but the damage inflicted was even less than that of the close-range crossbow bolts.

Seeing familiar mercenaries getting injured or swallowed by the demon-eating worms from time to time, Arthur felt a profound sense of powerlessness. It was as if he was back at the orc camp, watching helplessly as his companions were selected and slaughtered, only praying that he would not be the next one chosen.

Arthur clenched his lips, the veins on the back of his hand holding the bow exposed.

Tony thrust his sword through the lower jaw of a demon-eating worm, pinning its split mouth back together, then turned his head to shout at Cain, "Boss, think of something fast. The swarm seems to be following us. At this rate, we'll never escape their hunting ground."

Cain leaped over, severing the head of the worm Tony had impaled, below its mouth.

Cain planted the tip of his greatsword into the ground, leaning on the hilt, his gaze fixed on the musks protected in the middle of the troop.

Due to concerns over mission items, equipment, and the constant threat of attacks, the mercenary troop had been unable to accelerate their pace. However, if they abandoned these things and fled with all their might, the demon-eating worms moving underground could not catch up with warriors running on the surface.

Cain bit his lip and made a decision instantly, "Tony, Angus, the two of you take the box on the back of the musk in the middle, and let's break out quickly."

"What about the rest of the stuff?" Adeline couldn't help but ask.

"Forget them, let's break out first! I'll lead the way, Ilaya will cover our rear, everyone follow me and run with all your might!" Cain issued the retreat order.

The attack of the demon-eating worms continued, but the entire mercenary troop started running. It was a race against death, and for those who fell behind, there was only one outcome!

On that running mountain path, the corpses of many worms were left behind, occasionally mixed with the remains of mercenaries...