Leon was filled with disbelief. He was now in so much pain that he could barely continue fighting, while Ed seemed completely unaffected, as if nothing had happened.

How was this possible? Shouldn't that guy be in an even worse condition, more desperate and uncomfortable than he was?

Leon's mind was consumed by one thought: Ed must be faking it.

With this in mind, Leon's eyes flickered, and he thought of a plan to draw the nearby Undead Monsters toward Ed. He was certain that Ed couldn't keep pretending for much longer, and maybe, just maybe, Ed would even beg him for help!

Just as Leon was about to carry out his plan, a sudden change occurred.

Eng's body was sent flying toward him, blood spraying from his mouth and splattering onto Leon's face.

It was only then that Leon realized—Philoctetes, now empowered by the blood sphere, was no longer a mere Elf Undead. Previously, Eng and the other three Morton Family guards had been able to suppress Philoctetes.

But now, it was Philoctetes who was overwhelming them!

At this rate, their only end would be death.

As that thought crossed his mind, Leon's legs began to feel weak. He recalled Ed's carefulness and caution throughout their journey, and a deep sense of regret washed over him. If only he had listened to Ed, they wouldn't have fallen into such danger.

He shouldn't have accepted the mission from Finniel to make up for Arya's mistake.

In this moment, compared to life and death, Finniel didn't matter anymore!

Leon staggered to where Eng had fallen, trembling as he extended his sword glowing with golden light toward him.

Eng understood Leon's intent but shook his head, wiping the blood from his mouth. He said, "Switching weapons at this point won't enhance my strength; in fact, it might even hinder me."

Leon's lips quivered as he stared intensely at Eng, asking, "What should we do now? That guy has gotten so strong. If this keeps going, I'll die!"

"Why didn't you trust Ed's words? This place is dangerous!"

"Why?"

Leon, from the Holy City, had lost his composure. He had really thought this mission would be simple, believing that Ed's caution was simply because Ed was afraid.

He never expected Ed to be right!

Leon instinctively turned his gaze to Ed, but before he could say anything, he heard Ed speak up.

"What if I could reach the blood sphere and destroy it?"

In an instant, both Leon and Eng locked their eyes on Ed, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope. Their gazes were filled with shock.

Leon urgently pressed, "Ed, is that true? You're not joking, are you?"

Eng nodded and gritted his teeth as he replied, "If you're truly confident, then I, along with the other guards, will do our best to hold off Philoctetes!"

"The Undead Crystal is crucial. This mission was originally meant to have more and stronger people involved, but Holy City can't spare many of its forces right now."

"Ed, if you really manage to do this, Holy City will definitely treat you like a VIP, and they'll give you..."

Upon hearing Eng's words, Ed waved his hand dismissively. What Holy City would offer him didn't matter at all. What truly mattered to him were Philoctetes' earlier words.

The moonlight energy near the red blood sphere was the densest, and even a high-tier Gold Hunter couldn't resist it.

This meant that by staying near it, his progress would increase at an unimaginable rate!

However, in order to avoid revealing that he could absorb moonlight energy and cultivate using the Moonlight Meditation Technique, Ed pretended to hesitate for a moment before finally stating firmly, "I have a very rare spiritual treasure, but it can only be used once..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Leon immediately handed his longsword to Ed, anxiously saying, "Use it! Don't hesitate. Consider this sword as compensation!"

"Ed, do you have confidence in reaching there and destroying the blood sphere?"

Leon stared at Ed with wide eyes. He knew that, in the current situation, the only chance to find a way out was to rely on Ed.

No wonder Ed had refused Finniel's blessing—he must have some other spiritual treasure.

Ed took the longsword from Leon without hesitation, nodding firmly in agreement.

Then, Eng returned to the battle with Philoctetes, supporting the other three Morton Family guards, while Leon covered Ed, silently shifting their position.

As Leon fought off the surrounding lower-level Undead Monsters, he said, "Ed, I'm sorry. I apologize for my previous stupidity. If we make it out of here alive, I will never treat you disrespectfully again!"

"I swear this on the honor of the Torilard Family!"

Ed suppressed a smile, knowing he would suffer no losses. As long as he could reach the area near the blood sphere, the moonlight energy there would actually serve as a reward for him.

Where others feared and avoided the moonlight energy, it was for him an essential power-up.

This was perfect—soon, he would not only break through from mid-tier Silver Hunter to high-tier Silver, but he would also gain the longsword from Leon, glowing with golden light.

If only this kind of thing could happen every day.

Though Ed thought this to himself, he didn't let his guard down. After all, besides the Torilard, there were several other strong Undead Monsters around. If they discovered him, there could be unexpected consequences.

However, the other Hunters were unaware of what Ed was about to do. They watched in despair as they observed the Undead Monsters around them and the battle between Eng and the Torilard.

One person broke down and screamed, "Who can save me?!"

"No, I don't want to die! I haven't even become a powerful Hunter yet! I'm still a virgin!"

"Damn it, stop talking nonsense! Grab your weapon! If we don't fight, we'll die!"

"A Hunter doesn't die empty-handed! Are you really giving up like this?"

Some were breaking down, but others, even in their despair, refused to give up. They shouted loudly that a Hunter doesn't die empty-handed, trying to motivate the other Hunters to keep fighting.

However, the situation had become so hopeless that no one could see a way out. Once Eng and the others were defeated, everyone would die here.

At that moment, Leon and Ed broke away from the Dorey City Hunter team and began to slowly move toward the center of the basin, where the blood sphere was located.

Though they were doing their best to avoid drawing attention, there were always fools who didn't understand the gravity of the situation.

A Black Iron Level Hunter, a mid-tier one, spotted Ed in his desperation. He froze for a moment, then instinctively wanted to warn his companions, but suddenly realized that Ed and Leon were likely headed to destroy the blood sphere.

So, he covered his mouth, but he didn't realize that another Hunter next to him noticed his abnormal behavior and saw Ed and Leon.

Then that Hunter shouted, "It's Ed! Ed is going to..."

Before he could finish, the Black Iron Hunter who had first noticed Ed's movement covered the other Hunter's mouth.

Nevertheless, the commotion still caught the attention of the other Hunters from Dorey City, and of course, the Undead Monsters, as the enemies, also sensed the disturbance.

As a result, Leon and Ed's actions were completely exposed.

Leon immediately yelled angrily, "Idiot! Damn fool, is your brain the size of a walnut?!"

The Undead Hunter Knight, the giant white bone spider, and the massive skeletons that were five to six meters tall, along with Philoctetes, all glanced in Ed and Leon's direction.

Philoctetes remained expressionless, indifferent. He merely smiled and turned to look at Eng, saying, "A mid-tier Silver Hunter and a high-tier Silver Hunter, expecting them to change the situation? That's foolish."

Eng kept his composure on the outside, but inside, he was overjoyed. Even as an Undead, the Elf remained as arrogant as ever. This would be incredibly beneficial for the upcoming actions!

However, the Undead Hunter Knight hesitated for a moment before riding his Skeleton Warhorse toward Ed and Leon.

Leon gritted his teeth, not looking back as he spoke to Ed, "Go! Just keep moving toward the blood sphere. I'll cover you from behind!"

As soon as Leon finished speaking, he saw the giant white bone spider following closely behind the Undead Hunter Knight.

The momentum he had built up was instantly shattered, and despair quickly spread across his face.

Ed took a deep breath, without saying a word. He turned and sprinted toward the direction of the blood sphere.

If it hadn't been for that foolish Hunter exposing their movements, Ed might have been able to make it a bit farther.

The Hunters from Dorey City saw the Undead Hunter Knight and the giant white bone spider chasing after Ed. Their expressions were filled with tension. One of them couldn't help but curse, "Which idiot exposed Ed's position? If Ed fails, I'll make sure to kill you myself!"

The Hunter who had exposed Ed's actions responded defiantly, "What does that have to do with me? Even if I hadn't said anything, Ed still wouldn't be able to reach the blood sphere and destroy it."

"Didn't the Elf Undead just say that even a high-tier Gold Hunter wouldn't be able to resist the moonlight energy there? Ed is just..."

His voice grew quieter as the Hunters from Dorey City glared at him in anger. Some even clenched their weapons, ready to teach him a lesson.

One of them gritted their teeth and said, "Ed's strength is only mid-tier Silver, and he obviously heard what Philoctetes said."

"Even so, he still chose to try for our sake!"

"You wait. If we make it out of here alive, I'm going to knock your teeth out one by one!"

Meanwhile, behind Ed, the Undead Hunter Knight on the Skeleton Warhorse had caught up, raising his longsword and locking in on Ed!

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