This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 599, Section 598: [Just Listen to Me]
"Circular formation! Circular formation! Surround the truck!"

"Use the trucks as cover to hold off the attack!"

"No way! If this shipment is ruined, do you think the employer will let us off the hook?"

"Damn it... they have over twenty explosive crossbows! The mage's shield won't last long!"

Shouts of killing, roars, and screams mingled from not far away. Cruma, who had still chosen to return, was now hiding behind a thick, ancient tree, his face pale and his body stiff as he peered at the hellish scene on the road.

The once orderly caravan had fallen into complete chaos.

Clad in gray-brown camouflage, the attackers, moving with the speed of wolves, swarmed out from the dense forest on both sides of the road and surrounded the caravan. At first glance, there were two or three hundred of them, almost three times the number of the caravan's guards!
The first wave of arrows and magic left the outermost guards lying in pools of blood.

The horned demon senior who had been so enthusiastic about taking Cruma to see the world not long ago was now a charred corpse lying by the roadside.

Under the command of the guard captain, also known as Brother Cruma, the guards suppressed their initial panic and quickly moved towards the core of the heavy trucks, forming a defensive formation and beginning their counterattack.

To be fair, the average strength of the caravan guards was even greater than that of the attackers, and their combat experience was also more seasoned.

However, the overwhelming numerical disadvantage, coupled with the equipment gap brought about by the enchanted weapon, the Explosive Crossbow, still put the guards at a clear disadvantage.

"What to do... what to do?" Kruma clenched his fists, a surge of blood rushing to his head. He wanted to rush out regardless of everything and fight to the death alongside his older brother, but his legs felt like lead, pinned to the spot by a deeper fear.

He's just a greenhorn, and although having silver-level strength at his age is quite impressive, in the current battle, he's at best cannon fodder.

Let alone helping the convoy, even if we rush out now, we might not be able to get through the enemy's encirclement.

He suddenly remembered the book again, quickly opened it, and sure enough, there were a few more lines of writing on it:
[I told you not to come back, why wouldn't you believe me?]
[Judging by this, you don't seem inclined to get involved, do you?]
"You...you have a way? A way to save my brother?"

Even if it's dangerous?
Cruma watched as the defensive line teetered on the brink of collapse under yet another volley of explosive crossbow bolts, his elder brother's figure swallowed up in the rising dust.

His heart was pounding, but he still nodded firmly in the end.

[HAHAHAHAHAHA]
A large, flamboyant handwriting suddenly burst open on the page, as if it had seen some strange and unusual toy.

[Look what I've discovered! Selflessness?]
[Boy, are you really a pure-blooded Imperial Demon? Or is it some strange creature that's infiltrated?]
"Enough with the nonsense!" Cruma growled, his eyes bloodshot. "If you have a plan, tell us now! They won't last much longer!"

[What's the rush? At this rate, they can hold out for a while longer.]
[So rude, acting like I owe you something.]
But what can I do? I'm kind-hearted.
[Now, turn around and head west. There's a cliff, and at the bottom of the cliff is a large cave covered by vines.]
[There are some good things inside that can save you... that can help you]
"West, a big cave?" Cruma looked west but didn't see any cliffs.

Believe it or not, it's up to you.
The writing ends here; no more will be added.

After hesitating for a moment, Cruma gritted his teeth, abandoned the shouts of battle behind him, and rushed westward.

With his fairly agile skills, he soon found the cliff.

“This is it…” he gasped for breath, using both hands to roughly tear apart the tough plants.

A dark, gaping hole was exposed, and a cold, damp atmosphere mixed with a strong smell of blood and decay hit us.

Without thinking twice, Cruma bent down and crawled inside. The cave was more spacious than he had imagined, but the sight that came into view almost froze his blood.

Several enormous trolls with dark brown skin were sitting around in the center of the cave.

In the middle of them was a small mountain made up of the remains of various monsters. Cruma even recognized with horror that there seemed to be one or two demon corpses mixed in with the pile of food.

The trolls were engrossed in their feast, the sound of their fangs tearing through chunks of flesh echoing through the cave.

The commotion caused by Krumah's intrusion made the diners stop what they were doing and stare intently at the fresh food that had been delivered to their door.

"Roar—!" A roar filled with greed and excitement rolled out from the throat of a troll.

The half-leg bone of an unknown monster in its hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Clearly, the young horned demon's fresh, living body was far more appealing to it than these already decaying stockpiles.

"No!" Cruma was terrified and turned to flee.

The vines blocked the trolls, but not for long. Soon, they violently tore apart a large area of ​​vines along with the attached rubble, and five trolls came out in pursuit!

"This...this is the 'good stuff' you were talking about?" Kruma roared hoarsely towards the direction in his arms as he ran, his lungs burning with pain. "How can there be a wild troll tribe here, so close to the Beast Bone Field?!"

[Who said they're wild?]
[Don't you know that many noble lords in the empire have the habit of keeping small pets near their territories?]
Kruma no longer had the energy or inclination to refute or question.

He focused all his will on driving his legs, the roars behind him growing ever closer, mingled with the excited murmurs of the trolls. Luckily, Cruma was agile enough to barely manage to scramble back to the edge of the battlefield before being grabbed by the trolls' fan-like hands.

When he led the five moving mountains of flesh-like trolls behind him crashing into the battlefield, the chaos he caused far exceeded expectations.

Those who attacked from the periphery were the first to suffer.

These attackers, who were originally focused on besieging their prey, never expected that these ferocious predators would suddenly appear from behind.

The troll charged forward without stopping, like a boulder, directly smashing two crossbowmen who were firing at the caravan's defenses, breaking their bones and sending them flying with screams.

The other troll stretched out its long arm, grabbed a startled attacker who turned around, and shoved it into its gaping maw without even looking at it. With a sickeningly crisp "crack," only half of its body remained, hanging limply.

"Behind us! There are trolls!"

"How did these beasts end up here?"

The attackers' formation was thrown into chaos instantly, and some of them began to fight back against the uninvited guests.

The explosive crossbows burst open in bursts of fire and blood on their thick skin.

The troll, in pain, let out a deafening roar, slowing its charge and even causing it to stagger backward from the force of the explosion.

Swords and blades struck them, leaving wounds, but the trolls' vitality was astonishing, and the wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The pain only fueled the ferocity of these enormous creatures, and after a brief retreat, they began to slaughter them even more brutally!

"Now! Everyone, take the wagons and charge out! Forget about formation, charge!" The caravan's guard captain, Cruma's older brother, was equally shocked by the appearance of the trolls, but he would not let go of this fleeting chance of survival.

He roared and charged ahead, his warhammer swung like the wind, smashing down an attacker who was bewildered by the chaos.

The guards, having escaped their desperate situation, mustered their last strength and, instead of holding their ground, swarmed around the core trucks and charged desperately toward the gap torn open by the trolls.

However, in the chaos, a bloodthirsty troll seemed to find the wagons blocking its way in the way. It roared and swung a thick tree trunk it had picked up from somewhere, smashing it hard against one of the wagons that was fully loaded with goods. Wood chips mixed with scarlet wine flew everywhere.

lost heavily!

However, the remaining guards dared not linger and fought their way out of the encirclement.

Watching his elder brother's figure disappear into the dust at the end of the road along with the remaining caravan, Cruma leaned against a tree trunk and slowly slid down to the ground.

Only now did the exhaustion from surviving the ordeal surge up like a tide. With trembling hands, he pulled out the yellow book that had saved him from his pocket and slowly opened it.

"You actually... saved me..." His voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief and disorientation. "What... exactly are you?"

Even with Cruma's limited experience, he clearly realized how extraordinary this book was!
Not long ago, he was thinking of taking it back and having his experienced older brother identify it.

But for some reason, that thought vanished quietly at that moment.

Only one vague, almost instinctive thought remained: this book cannot be given to anyone.

On the pages, the words emerged stroke by stroke:

What am I?
I am your chance to change your destiny, and a friend who will help you realize your dreams.
“Fate…wish…friend…” Kruma murmured repeatedly, his eyes somewhat glazed over.

Not far behind, the roars of the trolls, the curses of the attackers, the sounds of clashing weapons and tearing flesh could still be faintly heard, forming a cruel background soundscape.

But all of this seemed to be separated by a barrier; his attention was completely captured by the handwriting on the pages that seemed to suck away his soul.

Yes, my friend.
The handwriting on the pages became softer.

[What you crave is far more than just surviving today, isn't it?]
[Your wealth is enough to fill the treasury, your name will resound throughout the empire, and your power can protect everything you wish to protect... including your elder brother's safety and happiness!]
[As long as you follow my instructions... all of this will be yours.]
The contents of the Yellow Book were like the sweetest poison, dripping into Cruma's heart. Faced with so many desires, the little vigilance and resistance he had left melted away like spring snow.

He looked at the words: "I... will listen to my friends."

The moment the words left his mouth, an invisible force connected with Cruma's spirit.

[Charm - Moderate (Complete trust in the target)]

[HAHAHAHAHAHA]
[Okay, my good friend, let's seize the future together!]
Cruma closed the yellow book, leaped a few times, and chased after the departing convoy. Further away, an invisible knight, puji, perched atop a treetop, quietly observed everything that was happening.

(End of this chapter)