"Listen up. I get it, you're nervous, out beyond the safe zone for the first time without escorts, but no need for the circus. Just vote: who for the tunnel, who against. Don't count our votes. And if you want to know, I wouldn't advise it." After a short clarifying speech and warning the students, I stepped aside.
The girls gave me odd looks, finding my words... too soft. They'd trained under Lin Lin and absorbed my experience from countless Hunter missions. So even without knowing the exact monster type, they sensed something inside the tunnel. And it wouldn't mind food walking into its mouth.
In that light, my advice looked downright bland, not like I was really trying to dissuade them. But... I wasn't. If these kids didn't get proper combat baptism, they wouldn't become real mages. And with their connections and resources, I didn't want incompetent people commanding China's armed forces during a sea monster invasion.
Too many civilians would die before they accepted reality. So, to save piles of people in the future, these kids would go through a mini-hell... but they'd summon it themselves; I had nothing to do with it. Sigh, I'm such an altruist. Keeping all these klutzes from dying would be exhausting.
After my reminder, a few snorted angrily at me, but realizing it wasn't a sneaky leadership grab, just a warning, they switched back to bickering among themselves, forgetting me. In the end, Liao Min Xuan shone again. The guy had a talent for persuasion.
"Trust my years of experience as a mid-level Hunter. My pet – the Silver Mouse – can detect danger. If she isn't squeaking at the tunnel entrance, no need to fear." He proudly showed off the cute white mouse peeking from his breast pocket.
Nah, plan's solid as Chinese condoms. Rely on an animal not even reaching low Servant magic density to check a tunnel hundreds of meters long. What could go wrong?
And damn, seriously? City Hunters mainly use these mice to check suspicious rooms for anomalies, sending them ahead. Who taught this idiot to scan huge wild areas with one? Give the man a prize for trying to cleanse humanity's gene pool!
Everyone seemed to agree with Liao Min Xuan after his convincing argument. A couple girls even approached to pet the cute mouse, puffing him up with pride.
Only Zhao Manyan and Mu Ning Xue, heeding my advice, watched and noticed my faint condescending smile while listening to the group leader's "plan," deciding to stick close to me just in case. They're not dumb; they knew if I warned against the tunnel, students wouldn't pass unscathed. Which was confirmed soon enough.
Feeling like the big shot, Liao Min Xuan started barking orders, assigning Zhao Manyan and Xiao Feng as portable lanterns... ending his stream of actually useful, if limited, commands.
To the rest, he just offered support and advised using their strongest element right away in danger. Which might've worked... if he'd assigned even a couple for defense. Otherwise, they'd all get wrecked when monsters reached their pampered, tasty bodies.
Leading the student crowd like a shepherd with sheep, Liao Min Xuan entered the tunnel. When light orbs rose, illuminating around, the pitch darkness revealed vines hanging from the ceiling everywhere!
If a plant monster at Pack Chieftain level were here, they'd all drop right there. But it passed, and we safely continued to the tunnel's light. The girls and I literally; someone metaphorically.
Halfway to the exit ahead, a monster with a goat head burst from under vines on the wall, smashing its bone club full force into Min Kong's leg before he could dodge the surprise attack. In a split second, the guy's knee shattered with a nasty crunch, a hellish wail bursting from his mouth. Mu Ning Xue instantly froze the attacker.
"Squeak-squeak-squeak!" Mocking the dumb humans frozen in fear and confusion, Liao Min Xuan's Silver Mouse finally warned of danger... Either a max-level troll sent to bury the guy, or the dumbest sensor I'd seen.
The vine monster was just a low Servant-level Bone Imp. Its deer-skull head with branching antlers struck fear into our inexperienced group. The rest of its body was fur-covered, thickest around and on the neck.
"Uuuuuh!" Min Kong kept whimpering, glaring hatefully at his teammate's Silver Mouse.
Bai Tingting snapped out, rushed to the wounded guy, and started healing him immediately. That's exactly why she took Song Xia's spot despite being weaker. Healing mages get tons of perks domestically just to keep them from emigrating. Having a portable medkit on hand is super effective and cool.
"This is all your fault and your mouse! Who said there's no danger?! Speak!" Jing Jing bellowed, eyes bloodshot, chewing out Liao Min Xuan. She could've been the unlucky one.
As Liao Min Xuan drew breath to reply, mid-level first-tier fire spell "Fiery Fist" lit the tunnel darkness for moments.
Mo Fan had struck hidden monsters in the vine shadows and roots, raising a wave of beast cries. As a shadow mage, listening and spreading senses, he could feel odd movements or presences in shadows. But used to hiding his true power, he didn't think of shadow right away.
After five more like the first burned instantly, red glows lit across the tunnel. A couple girls cooed at the sight for a sec, but drop the rose glasses and it's clear.
Hundreds of tunnel-dwelling monsters eyed our group – especially Mo Fan – with glowing red eyes, anticipating a tasty meal. Wonder how they'll handle it?