Our Family Has Fallen

The filth was naturally hardest on Lance, who was already somewhat of a clean freak; this environment was the greatest torture for all of them.

Lance realized that the others weren’t like him; they couldn’t withstand this kind of pressure, so he lifted the Map and pointed to a marked spot ahead.

”We’ve almost completed the mission. We just need to explore the area ahead to confirm the accuracy of the Map, then we can head back,” Lance said.

He also understood that their mental exhaustion couldn’t be erased by Supernatural Power and that they needed to relax properly after returning.

But such comforts were currently unavailable. So Lance, as their boss, employed his innate ability: [Painting a Big Picture].

”By then, the bathhouse should be built. Everyone can go back and have a thorough wash, then soak in the warm water until you feel like you’re melting, all the fatigue draining out through your pores.

”After the bath, you’ll gorge on good food, then gulp down ice-cold beer freshly hauled from the deep well, letting all the pressure release with a satisfying burp.

”Finally, you’ll return to a safe room, free from enemy night raids. You’ll lie not on fetid dirt and grime but on a clean, sturdy bed. No matter the time, just hit the hay and let everything evaporate in your dreams,” Lance concluded.

With just a few words, he painted a blissful future, providing them with the motivation to keep moving forward.

Lance, torch in one hand and Map in the other, led the way and soon stopped in the corridor, even though there seemed to be nothing ahead.

No enemies or crumbled bricks, so why stop?

”The Map indicates there might be a trap around here. Everyone, be careful,” Lance cautioned as he raised his torch forward but couldn’t spot where the trap was. However, he didn’t dare to gamble with his people’s lives. What if the trap were real? So he remained cautious.

”Let me handle this. I’ve learned a bit about how to deal with it inside,” Tadiff finally spoke up.

A task like this, requiring strong observational skills to trace clues, was indeed well-suited for Tadiff.

But his statement made Lance laugh. You and Dismas learned far too much inside, didn’t you?

”All right, I’ll hold the torch for you,” Lance said.

Lance stepped aside to make space, and Tadiff directly approached, finally having his chance to shine.

As he advanced slowly and carefully, Tadiff spotted something unusual on the ground and quickly identified the precise location.

”Found it, right here,” he declared.

Without wasting any words, Tadiff took out his axe and scraped away a thin layer of filth on the ground, revealing a wooden grid covering a recess.

He pried open the wooden grid with his axe, exposing a circular saw blade: many irregular sharp iron pieces riveted onto a circular iron ring, held tight by taut ropes, its power source a twisted metal spring.

Should someone step on it, the saw blade would spring up instantly, and the spinning blade would slice through any intruder.

But now, Tadiff swiftly dismantled it, and the evil-laden, dangerous object was rendered harmless.

”This doesn’t seem like something the Pigmen could set up. Why would those Heretics set these traps here? To protect the Pigmen?” Lance pondered, looking at the trap and asking the others.

”Of course traps are for catching prey; even I know that,” Boudica blurted out, accustomed to using traps in her tribe.

”But…”

Lance began to object instinctively but then realized something and could only smile helplessly. The relationship between the Pigmen and the Sect of Ascension might not be the alliance he thought it was. It wasn’t strange for them to fight each other; after all, Pigmen ate humans, and the Heretics ate pork. Only the Flesh and blood after death were needed by the ancestors, for which they would constantly provoke slaughter. As for what or who died, they didn’t care.

Lance let go of his inner conflict. With the trap confirmed, it also indirectly proved the Map’s authenticity.

Naturally, this made them even more curious about the place that was marked as important ahead.

”Let’s go, keep moving.”

Lance put away the torch and continued through the dark, narrow passage. Just as marked on the Map, there were no enemies and no messy traps.

According to the Map, just by traversing this passage they would be able to reach the marked room, and then they could return, leaving this disgusting place behind.

Everyone understood that once they arrived at that place...

”Enemy!”

No sooner had Lance stepped into the room connected to the passage and taken a few steps than he became sharply alert, spotting a giant shadow moving in the darkness ahead. He couldn’t help but cry out.

At the same time, his body instinctively experienced a tremendous sense of crisis; his scalp felt as if it were electrified, and the hairs on his body threatened to stand on end.

Forgetting all skills and techniques, almost as an instinctive reaction, the moment the words left his mouth, he pulled out his Great Shield to guard himself.

But the enemy’s attack was just as swift, striking the Shield before Lance could fully brace himself.

In an instant, the powerful attack transmitted through the Great Shield and into Lance’s body, sending him flying, Shield and all.

Lance only felt an overwhelming force before he experienced a brief sensation of weightlessness. Before he could react, he slammed hard onto the ground, the Great Shield nearly ripped from his grasp.

”My Lord!”

”Boss!”

Although his cry had alerted Dismas and the others, in such dim lighting they had only seen their Lord sent flying but hadn’t even caught a clear glimpse of the enemy.

The intense sense of danger and the sudden turn of events created enormous pressure on them. No one had expected such a situation when they were about to leave.

This wasn’t the first time Lance had been thrown through the air. His brutish constitution was no joke; his mind cleared almost instantly.

Feeling his body, his left arm, which had held the Shield, had borne the brunt of the force. It had surpassed the limits of his muscle endurance, resulting in strains and internal injuries.

Fortunately, the Shield held up, and his bones, sturdy as they were, didn’t suffer any severe damage.

”I’m fine, hold the line!” Lance heard their calls and immediately got up from the ground. In the space of a breath, his injuries had already healed.

This was his most formidable attribute. Unless someone could kill him in one hit, they would be dragged into a war of attrition with him.

As long as [Tribute] wasn’t depleted, Lance would only grow stronger with each battle. But the enemy—what was their identity? Their background? What could they possibly use to fight him?

Lance knew what the team needed right now, so he stood up, shouting to them and bringing them what they needed most at that moment—light!

A torch was raised high by Lance, its blazing flames instantly illuminating the spacious room.

The sudden appearance of the torchlight caused a flurry of pig squeals, unexpectedly driving back the enemies and giving the squad time to regroup.

Only then, aided by the light of the torch, did Lance and the others understand why they had been unable to see anything clearly before.

Because their vision was limited in the dim light, and the monster’s sheer size was beyond what they could initially make out.

It was an indescribable monster, with a body structure much like a centaur’s, only this one should be called a pig-centaur.

Its lower half was that of a pig, while its upper half was the grafted torso of a man.

It stood at least two meters tall. Its bulky and obese body resembled a Meat Mountain. Like the other Pigmen, its body was covered in tumors and cysts, especially on its front, where various non-uniform shields were strapped to its body as makeshift armor.

The monster’s arms were abnormally long. Its right arm, fitted with a shoulder guard, had been heavily modified; the entire limb was embedded with an assortment of indecipherable metal pieces, looking as if an entire suit of arm-armor had been disassembled and then forcibly reattached in a grotesque fashion.

Its left arm, less modified, wielded a heavy metal lance. The muscles on its forearm bulged visibly.

This ensemble, combined with a metal knight’s helmet, gave the monster an overall appearance strangely resembling that of a Knight.

Having seen it, Lance instantly recognized it, because this enemy was a Beast Lair Elite—the Pigman Knight!