Warriors will die if they charge.

As a civilized man, Marcus disliked physical fights.

He believes that most problems can be solved through bridge. You might win some benefits, but as long as you play your cards cleanly and beautifully, without resorting to tricks, and it's a wonderful game, he'll accept it—like Lorra's game in the tavern.

The mage won cleanly, though that was just his guess, since Marcus didn't have any means to check if the mage was cheating.

Stray dogs, however, are inherently deceitful and secretive, using betrayal to gain greater benefits—a survival strategy purely driven by evil motives.

He punched away Kelly, who was covering Duncan, and kicked the orc beast carrying the heavy gold in the stomach. At the same time, the dwarf emerged from the shadows.

Without hesitation, the dwarf charged first at the most despicable orc among the stray dogs, his muscular arms thrashing like a giant python: "Die, you orc beast!"

Kelly wanted to stop the charging dwarves, but without her longsword, she was just a rather agile woman. Seeing the tunnel, which resembled a low, collapsed rock formation, she hesitated for a moment and took a step back.

"Damn it!" Oha growled, it was unclear whether he was directed at Kelly or the dwarf.

He tensed up, focusing intently on the dwarf's charging steps, and bent down to stare at Bardin's head.

The orc swung his fist much slower than usual, the heavy weight of the gold pressing not only on his shoulders but also across his entire body.

Bardin dodged the punch aimed at his cheek, and the iron fist slammed into the orc's knee.

The sound of Ohar's bones breaking was far more distinct than when he was slapped by the troll on the cave platform. The orc knelt down on one knee and saw an increasingly large fist approaching his cheek.

The back of his fist was covered in dark blue tattoos—triangles, doorways, pillars—the abstract symbols becoming increasingly clear to him.

"Kelly!"

Kelly strained to lift her leg and kick the dwarf's muscular shoulder. It felt like the muscles of iron were making her instep ache, but this cover did cause Bardin some trouble.

His fist landed on the orc's cheek, but instead of smashing it, it knocked Ohar unconscious and caused him to fall backward.

"Hey bastard, your beard stinks more than Oha's dick!"

Duncan's sudden lame joke brought the chaotic tunnel to a standstill. Bardin, who was about to break the orc's other leg, suddenly looked up, his eyes blazing with an unquenchable fury:

"What did you say, you little brat?"

"I'm telling you, all you can do is aim for O'Ha's knees, since you guys are so short."

"Don't let him influence you, Bardeen!" Marcus whispered a reminder, repeatedly punching Kelly's pretty face. He had long disliked this mentally ill woman.

"Hey, dwarf, you live in a human kingdom, you must not need many things, after all, tables and chairs aren't this short!"

Duncan rubbed his aching chest and kept provoking Bardin with his words: "I gave you an inch, but why did you have to take two?"

"Ramdin's helmet, I'm going to twist your head off and shove it into the gate!"

Enraged by the dwarf's mockery, Bardin charged at Duncan, stepping over the orc's body.

Seeing that the plan had worked, the severed finger did not hesitate. He turned around and ran to the other end of the tunnel, continuing to tell jokes that made the dwarf even angrier.

Kelly's gaze remained fixed on Marcus's limp left arm. She did not let her guard down, kicking and blocking as she retreated, leading him to the other side of the tunnel.

Ohar lay on the ground, his left knee, shattered by the dwarf, felt like a scorching gold nail stuck in his thigh. He was not unconscious; in fact, he was extremely lucid, enduring the excruciating pain in his knee without uttering a sound.

He lay on the ground, watching Kelly being pushed back by Marcus's punches and kicks.

As the dock warriors drew near, he braced his weight on his right leg, and his heavy, powerful hands suddenly spread out, grabbing Marcus's waist.

"Left hand, Kelly!"

Kelly seized the opportunity, a flash of scarlet ferocity in her eyes. In the brief moment when Marcus was striking the orc's head with his elbow, she raised her right foot high and swept it across his left hand.

Marcus didn't dodge; he was pinned down by the orc and couldn't dodge the whip kick either. But just as Kelly's leg was about to lift, his left arm rose up, his five fingers gripping her ankle, his knuckles turning white from the force, like an iron clamp.

"You!" Kelly's face showed surprise for the first time.

"Got you, you slippery bitch." Marcus laughed, pulling his body back and bending his right hand, which had elbowed the orc's head until it was a bloody mess, as he threw a hook punch at Kelly's head.

"Oha!"

The orc gritted his teeth, pushed forward with his right leg and hands at the same time, and with his weight of about two hundred pounds and the weight of the heavy gold, he shoved Marcus against the rock wall with bloodshot eyes, making a dull thud.

But the left hand that was gripping Kelly's ankle didn't let go. He shifted his body dramatically, making Oha's left knee feel as if two hot nails had been driven into it again. The orc could endure that blow; it was a chance to turn the tide.

But this time, he raised his head and saw the savage glint in Marcus's eyes. He loosened his grip, ripped off the leather backpack filled with gold, supported his weight with his right foot and hands, and spread his left leg on the ground, transforming into a moving, dark gray worm, crawling towards the end of the tunnel.

Marcus ignored the fleeing Oha, a coward, and said he'd deal with him later, taking care of the leader of the stray dogs first.

He grabbed Kelly's right leg and swung it around as if he were manipulating a blanket, his right hand forming a fist and elbow strikes, repeatedly hitting the nimble female swordsman.

Suddenly, Kelly pushed off with her left foot, using the force of Marcus swinging his right leg to lift her body into the air, hooking her left foot around his neck.

The experienced Kelly hooked her left foot behind her neck and tightened her hands around his head to maintain her balance, gripping Marcus's face like a facehugger, seemingly trying to suffocate the dock warrior.

"Marcus, we can talk..."

"I'll talk about you, you bitch!"

Marcus held his breath as Kelly elbowed him on the back of the head. The force wasn't heavy, but it hit a vital spot, making his head buzz.

He released his left hand, placed both hands on Kelly's waist and abdomen, and with a forceful pull, threw the facehugger off her head.

The nimble female swordsman flipped in mid-air and landed steadily on her feet. If she had a sword, she was confident that she could take down Marcus, who was fighting with brute force. But now, her most effective weapons were only her lips and elbows.

Kelly glanced at Oha, who was fleeing alone, and watched the man who had been elbowed in the back of the head but recovered quickly. She then chose the safest option – a tactical retreat.

She retreated into the shadows of the tunnel, moving quickly, her footsteps refracted by the rock walls into a series of indistinct sounds.

Marcus didn't chase immediately. He shook his head violently. If it weren't for theropod breathing, which made him extremely resilient to pain, he might have fainted instantly from that bitch's vicious elbow strike to the back of his head.

Don't underestimate this stray dog ​​that's pretending to be dead in front of the troll.

He spat angrily on the ground and noticed that the leather backpack that Oha had thrown away was slowly disappearing.

There's something wrong. That orc beast's weight couldn't have pushed me directly against the wall. The sound of his footsteps walking in the tunnel was even heavier than in the mine.

How much gold did he actually store in his vault?