The dungeon has been parasitized

Chapter 86 Tribal Crisis

Fishman tribe.

The merman priest looked solemn. His severed arm had been treated and bandaged with special aquatic plants.

The other young and strong fishmen were also injured or crippled, and they lived in the ruins of buildings that originally existed in the lake.

The lake was originally their dwelling, but after Marion was injured, the priest, who was also their chieftain, ordered everyone to move out so that Marion could recuperate.

"Haven't they come back yet?"

Perhaps because of the injured Marion, a strange horde of monsters surrounded the tribe. After a fierce battle, the merman tribe suffered a crushing defeat and could only hide inside the barrier to catch their breath.

The monsters had no intention of letting Marion's injured dragon go and continued to guard outside the barrier, attacking relentlessly.

They fled here in a sorry state, without food or enough medicine... They could only send out fishmen to explore the passages beneath the lake leading to other caves.

However, it's impossible that they haven't returned after so long; they must have suffered some misfortune.

"Haa...haa...chieftain!"

The chief priest turned around and saw that it was the merman who had been sent to find the two people in front who had returned.

The clan chief was initially delighted, but when he realized he was all alone, his heart sank.

"Where are the others...?"

"Sorry... I haven't reached the forest yet, but I encountered a Thunder Crocodile in the passage!"

"A thunder crocodile?! Why would there be a thunder crocodile there?"

"I...I don't know..."

The messenger fishman was panting heavily, his expression still showing fear. After all, the Thunder Crocodile was a killer in the swamp, and even fishmen needed several people to be careful to catch it.

He encountered the Thunder Crocodile in that narrow passage, and he could hardly believe that he had actually returned to the tribe alive. If that Thunder Crocodile had unleashed its lightning there, he would have had no way to escape.

"Since there are Thunder Crocodiles in the passage, then they might—"

"No, Chieftain... there's no smell of blood in the water, so I think they didn't encounter the Thunder Crocodile."

"Um……"

The patriarch pondered for a moment, then gently tapped the ground with his wand and sighed.

"Perhaps their way back has been blocked by the Thunder Crocodile... We must send people to help them, but we don't have many warriors left."

The merman chieftain looked at the other merman warriors, all of whom were already covered in wounds. The two who had been sent out were among the few remaining able-bodied warriors in the tribe. They had been hoping that the two would bring back good news... but they never expected that even their retreat would be in danger.

The passage at the bottom of the lake was originally an escape route for the fish-man tribe, and it has always been regularly inspected for potential dangers.

But ever since Marion was injured and recuperating at the bottom of the lake, the fish have never gone to that passage again in order to give it a quiet environment.

Unexpectedly, not only is Marion trapped in the lake due to his injury, but his escape route has also been cut off.

And all of this... is because of the humans who hurt Marion!

What should we do next?

Should we send some wounded soldiers to investigate?

Or should we let them rest for now and wait for them to find a chance to return? But we have no idea if they are safe...

"Chief! The communicator fish is back!"

While the clan leader was still pondering what to do next, a sudden new message made his heart tighten once again.

"Bring the fish..."

Soon, a merman brought a slender, silver fish, a magical pet bred by the merman tribe, which is usually only used in emergencies.

The fact that they can use this suggests that the two fishmen who went out to explore are likely in trouble and unable to get away.

The clan leader's finger emitted a faint glow as he gently tapped the little fish's head.

hum...

The information contained within the small fish appeared in his mind, and the merman chieftain's expression collapsed, a trace of pain flowing through him, his last glimmer of hope extinguished.

"Chieftain... what's wrong?"

"They...are not coming back."

"What?! What on earth happened over there?!"

The other wounded fishmen gathered around, their faces filled with pain and despair, not only because their escape route had been cut off, but also because of the safety of their companions.

"Two warriors, one dead... the other captured. The other side of the passage has been occupied by a human who can control monsters, and a shadow wolf under his control guards the cave there."

"Controlling monsters? Could it be that the Thunder Crocodile was also controlled by that human?!"

The fishman who had been frightened away by the Thunder Crocodile suddenly realized this.

"Humans again! Damn humans! If it weren't for them...!"

"Kill humans!"

Upon hearing this news, the fishmen were filled with righteous indignation, clamoring to devour the humans they had always hated alive, but the chieftain remained silent.

"Chief! Let's go together and wipe out humanity, and save our people!"

"That's right! We fish-men are not afraid of humans. There's only one human, let's go and take back the cave together!"

The merfolk chieftain frowned and remained silent for a long time, as all the merfolk awaited his reply.

Finally, the chieftain sighed deeply. The choice he made would determine the safety of the tribe. As the leader of the tribe, he could not be driven by hatred.

"Sigh... the underwater passages lead to more than one place, and we can't afford to lose any more of our people. So, unless absolutely necessary, we should avoid it—"

"Chieftain—! Are we to abandon our people?! There's still one merman alive! Are we just going to watch him be tortured by humans?!"

"No--!"

thump.

The chieftain roared and slammed his magic wand, a symbol of priesthood, into the ground. Everyone was stunned into silence by his imposing presence, and half of the tribe's previously high fighting spirit was extinguished.

"Of course I want to avenge our warriors! But what about our tribe? You're all wounded, do you all want to go and die?! Are you confident you can defeat the Thunder Crocodile in the tunnel?!"

"But……"

Everyone was speechless because of the clan leader's questioning. Even though they were full of anger, it was as if they had been doused with cold water.

But some merfolk still refused to give up, believing that it was because of human tribes that they had become so weak.

Their hatred for humanity had long surpassed their reason, even when facing their revered patriarch.

"Then let's ask Lord Marion's opinion! If it's Lord Marion, he'll surely have a solution!"

"No! Lord Marion is suffering a backlash from the seal; we cannot disturb him!"

Buzz... Suddenly, a dizzying sensation came, accompanied by a powerful pressure.

"Are you... calling for me...?"

The bronze dragon Marion emerged from the lake, its words, imbued with dragon might, resonating in the souls of every merman.

"Lord Marion!"

All the merfolk prostrated themselves on the ground, respectfully facing the merfolk's guardian.

But one of the mermen, after bowing his head, raised it again. It was the merman who was confronting the chieftain, and he was the chieftain's successor—Raphael.

"Lord Marion, it is I who am calling for you!"