Chapter 221: Abandoning Spoils
Adventurers' strength varies greatly.
Some are unlucky enough to be killed by kobolds.
While others hunt legendary creatures or even slay dragons!
Out of 100 adventurers, only about one can become a high-tier adventurer.
Their gear may not be top-notch, their skills might be lacking, and their legacies may not be deep or profound.
However, their experience and insight are unmatched among Professionals of the same level!
Matthew, with seemingly casual ease, cast Ice Lance, killing several Sky-Splitting Lizard with every spell.
These seasoned high-tier adventurers gleaned much from Matthew's unreserved actions!
The first thing they noticed: speed!
Whether it was the formation of the Ice Lance in the air,
Its flight speed,
Or the immediate casting of the next spell,
It all far exceeded their expectations.
In the Netheril Empire, spellcasters hold high status, and while adventuring spellcasters are common elsewhere, they are rare here.
However, high-tier adventurers don't limit themselves to just the Netheril Empire, so many have seen other spellcasters in action.
Some had even been hired for official missions by the Empire.
Most had witnessed the battles of exalted Arcanists.
Yet, even among high-tier spellcasters, few displayed such astonishing casting speed.
Casting quickly means it's almost impossible to dodge—targets must simply take the hit!
Before the attacked could react, they were often already struck, or even killed!
Besides the speed of casting, what horrified them more was the power of Ice Lance!
After overcoming their initial panic, these high-tier adventurers confirmed it.
The Rift Lizard was a mid-tier dangerous magical creature.
Its camouflage is exceptional, its ambushes lethal, and it lives in groups, making it extremely dangerous for most adventurers.
For a standard third-ring single-target offensive spell to kill five Sky-Splitting Lizard at once?
The damage was staggering!
These two features alone erased any "ideas" these high-tier adventurers had.
This man was not only of high status and immense power, but his soldiers were also well-equipped—he practically had "Do Not Mess with Me" written on his forehead.
The battle continued for another half-hour.
Hundreds more Sky-Splitting Lizard were killed or injured.
Matthew alone killed over a hundred Sky-Splitting Lizard himself!
The berserk Sky-Splitting Lizard even climbed up the wall in the most dangerous moments.
Before they could unleash their deadly force, the heavily armored soldiers slashed down with their great sabers!
Then, two Fireballs from Matthew swept the Sky-Splitting Lizard off the middle and rear sections.
The Sky-Splitting Lizard, once advancing relentlessly, seemed to finally reach their limit.
They stopped climbing and retreated into the cave at astonishing speed.
Exhausted soldiers, momentarily stunned, broke into cheers:
"Victory!"
It was indeed a victory.
Through the well-prepared defenses and the sheer investment of resources by Bay Territory, they had repelled these terrifying magical creatures.
But soon, they noticed something strange about the Sky-Splitting Lizard!
As they retreated, they began tearing at the corpses of their fallen comrades hanging on the walls.
Unable to bite off much flesh, they resorted to gnawing at the claws embedded in the walls, snapping them off.
One by one, the Rift Lizard corpses fell from the walls and tumbled into the entrance of the ruins, under the gaze of soldiers and adventurers.
"They're eating their own comrades!"
"They're stealing our spoils!"
The soldiers felt a wave of disgust, and out of frustration, continued attacking to vent their frustration.
Watching a third of the Rift Lizard corpses being carried away by their comrades, the soldiers felt like crying over their lost spoils.
However, the adventurers who had contributed in the latter half of the battle took it in stride.
On their adventures, they often had to abandon spoils that couldn't be retrieved in time, either leaving them behind or ignoring them altogether.
So, they were more accepting of the loss. After all, no one had died in this fight.
In fact, to make up for the loss, they focused their fire on the greedy Sky-Splitting Lizard that lingered behind, unwilling to leave.
They even managed to shoot down a few more Sky-Splitting Lizard, saving a few more corpses.
Still, most of the Rift Lizard corpses were carried away.
Seeing this unfold, Schroeder couldn't help but laugh.
The other noble scions, realizing what Schroeder meant, also started to smile, and many began to mock:
"Hah, they fired over ten thousand arrows, spent thousands of gold, and got nothing in return."
"Haha, right? Thank goodness we pulled out in time, or we'd be fuming right now."
"Bay Territory's battle strategy is nothing special—just throwing gold at the problem."
"Exactly, if every battle costs this much, they'll go bankrupt if they fight a few more."
"Seeing so many spoils get carried off, they must be so frustrated."
"Thanks to them killing so many monsters, it should be much safer for us when we explore."
"They cleared the way for us, hahaha..."
"..."
From fear to panic, from panic to fleeing, from fleeing to frustration, from frustration to relief, from relief to satisfaction—these noble scions were riding an emotional roller coaster and were eager to vent.
Even though they were dozens of meters away, Matthew, with his enhanced senses, could hear their words clearly.
Glancing at the retreating Sky-Splitting Lizard, Matthew sneered:
"Bay Territory would abandon spoils?"
Impossible!
"Roar...!"
A deafening roar reverberated within the circular walls.
The terrifying dragon's might descended like a mountain.
The retreating Sky-Splitting Lizard instantly froze, their minds overwhelmed, and their limbs gave out, causing them to tumble down the walls.
The Sky-Splitting Lizard that fell into the ruins entrance scattered in panic like a frightened flock of sheep.
Matthew keenly sensed that as soon as the Sky-Splitting Lizard encountered the dragon's might, they went berserk and fled deep into the ruins.
Leaving behind a dense pile of corpses!
It wasn't a pile of bodies; it was a glittering mountain of gold!
The others on the wall were left in awe, staring at the majestic and beautiful figure.
Yaya gave them a cold, emotionless glance before vanishing into the mist.
She still had to direct the Murloc to dig pits...