Chapter 153: Benjamin's Life-or-Death Decision
Upon hearing Irving's words, the Night Blades member standing at the true entrance of the Smith family ancestral home turned back to look at Elder Seville.
Indeed, he saw a very frightening expression on Elder Seville's face.
The member thought to himself that Elder Seville was extremely angry, and if he continued to stand there, Elder Seville might just kill him on the spot.
Driven by fear, the Night Blades member continued forward.
Following the railing at the entrance of the Smith family ancestral home, the Night Blades member successfully entered the mansion.
The moment he stepped inside, a relieved smile spread across his face.
"I haven't encountered any danger! You all can come in quickly!"
He shouted back to the others.
However, as he turned around, he saw a look of horror on the faces of those behind him.
Which left him utterly confused.
He hadn't faced any danger, nor had he seen any monsters. Why then were those behind him showing such terrified expressions?
At that moment, Elder Seville was staring wide-eyed in the direction of the Smith family ancestral home.
He saw very clearly that the moment his subordinate entered the mansion, he had transformed into a creature crawling on all fours. read more at mvle_mp,y,r
Just moments ago, this creature that had been his subordinate emitted an unintelligible roar.
"It seems there is indeed danger at the entrance of the Smith family ancestral home. Elder Seville, you should take care of the monster your subordinate has become."
Irving said coldly to Elder Seville.
Irving was not mocking the situation.
He knew very well that the Smith family ancestral home harbored tremendous dangers.
This mission was not only a risk for the members of Night Blades; his own companions could also potentially lose their lives.
Upon hearing Irving's words, Elder Seville clenched his teeth and cast a dark spell straight ahead.
The blade, entirely composed of dark power, directly killed the monster that the Night Blades member had transformed into.
After the creature was slain, its body gradually merged into the ground.
It seemed as though the ancestral home of the Smith family had completely absorbed and digested the monster.
Elder Seville watched all of this unfold, his expression turning even grimmer.
He felt he had somewhat underestimated the challenges of the Smith family ancestral home.
"Now that my subordinate has completed the scouting task, it is time for one of your companions to do the same."
Elder Seville said, his tone no longer as warm as before.
He turned to Irving with a cold gaze.
"It's your decision. Decide which one of your companions will scout next."
Elder Seville's approach was clearly designed to sow discord between Irving and his companions. However, he slightly underestimated the solidarity among Irving and his team.
Just after Elder Seville finished speaking, three different voices spoke up from not far behind.
Aron, Anna, and Benjamin almost simultaneously said, "I'll scout ahead."
After speaking, the three glanced at each other, each feeling that the others were trustworthy partners. Although all three were willing to scout ahead, Irving was not in agreement.
He addressed Elder Seville directly, "I only have a few companions, while you have many members in Night Blades. Why can't one of your members continue to scout? My companions are all very strong, and keeping them for later would be the most beneficial to us. Do you really think the dangers deeper inside the Smith family ancestral home are less than here?"
Initially, Elder Seville was slightly shaken by Irving's argument.
After pondering for a moment, he realized he needed to consider the sentiments of his Night Blades members too. He could not just sacrifice his own people.
"Your argument differs completely from our initial agreement. One of my subordinates has already been sacrificed, so now it must be one of your companions' turn."
Elder Seville's stance was very firm, and he used a spell to pull Vicky to the front.
"If you are unwilling to let your companions scout, then let Vicky do it. As a descendant of the Smith family, she shouldn't face too great a danger."
This action infuriated Irving.
"If you proceed like this, don't blame me for not being courteous! Even if it results in mutual destruction, I will eliminate you here." Irving was indeed enraged by Elder Seville.
Irving's weapon was tightly gripped in his hand.
If Elder Seville attempted to force Vicky into danger again, Irving would not hesitate to launch an attack against him.
Just then, Benjamin's voice came from behind once more.
"I've said it before, let me scout ahead. I am a loyal servant of the Smith family and also the manager of the security department at Ocean Group. It's only right that I should take the risk on behalf of President Vicky."
Benjamin's words captured everyone's attention.
Anna and Aron found themselves momentarily without a rebuttal.
After all, as members of the Angel Guild, it seemed somewhat unreasonable for them to replace the manager of Ocean Group's security department in assuming this responsibility.
At this point, Irving also hesitated slightly.
He saw no major issue with Benjamin's proposal.
And felt that Benjamin likely had the capabilities to avoid danger.
Elder Seville appeared indifferent, as he merely needed a sacrificial scout, and it didn't matter to him who that was.
Vicky, however, found this somewhat hard to accept.
"You've already proven your loyalty sufficiently. You don't need to do this to prove it again. Doing so would only put you in great danger." she said directly to Benjamin.
Benjamin shook his head.
"Your safety is what's most important right now. There's no need to persuade me further. I'll just go ahead."
With that, Benjamin shrugged off the Night Blades members behind him and moved towards the true entrance of the Smith family ancestral home.
At the edge of the entrance, Benjamin took a deep breath.
He first checked the exact spot where the last Night Blades member had stood before dying.
Then, he sprinted towards the direction of the Smith family ancestral home at full speed.
Benjamin felt that if he could move quickly enough, he might be able to leave the danger behind.
All eyes were fixed on Benjamin. Everyone was acutely aware of the great danger he was in. It was certain that Benjamin would encounter many unexpected challenges ahead.
If Benjamin couldn't adapt quickly to danger.
He might end up like the Night Blades member who died at the entrance of the Smith family ancestral home.
Benjamin was unaware of what others were thinking.
His focus was entirely on the action he was engaged in. He moved swiftly across the first section of the floor at the entrance of the Smith family ancestral home.
Just as he stepped past the first section, he suddenly felt something grab his foot.
At that moment, Benjamin faced a tough decision.
He could stop to see what was grabbing his foot, or he could ignore it and continue moving forward. Benjamin was acutely aware that his choice was a matter of life and death.
Any mistake in his decision could lead to his demise.
Instinctively, Benjamin trusted his gut.
He did not stop to investigate what was grabbing his foot; instead, he continued forward at top speed. His decision proved successful.
He no longer felt anything tugging at his foot.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Benjamin felt that the choice he had just made was not the hardest he would have to face. perhaps even tougher decisions lay ahead.
Although Benjamin himself did not perceive his recent actions as highly dangerous, to the others, it appeared as though he had been on the brink of death.
Irving and the others could clearly see that the entity that had grabbed Benjamin's foot was the deceased member of the Night Blades.
It seemed the fallen member had transformed into a malevolent spirit, attempting to kill anyone who came near.
"Your companion is really lucky; he managed to make the only right decision in an instant." Elder Seville said, slightly disappointed.
Irving replied, "It's not about luck. It's because my companion is highly capable. If your subordinate had been as strong, he wouldn't have died there."
Elder Seville was slightly angered by Irving's words.
But he decided not to continue the argument.
For him, Benjamin's successful arrival at the Smith family ancestral home was also a positive outcome.
"Let's see if he can indeed bypass all the dangers at the entrance as you claim." Elder Seville remarked, then coldly watched Benjamin's progress.
After crossing the second section of flooring near the entrance, Benjamin stepped onto the next section where he felt his movement speed had significantly slowed compared to before.
"Why have I suddenly slowed down? Could there be a slowing magic array hidden beneath this section of the floor?"
Benjamin wondered about this possibility.
After a brief moment of thought, however, he dismissed the likelihood as very low. He possessed a specific passive skill that allowed him to detect hidden magic arrays.
"If it's not a slowing array, then it means the flow of time around me has been tampered with. I should use an item that can counteract the time dilation."
Realizing the danger he was in, Benjamin quickly pulled out an item from his pocket. The item was a rather unimpressive-looking pocket watch.
He gave the watch a shake, and almost immediately, the flow of time around him began to accelerate.
With the help of the pocket watch, Benjamin escaped from the time-slowing trap. This action enabled him to safely reach the Smith family ancestral home.
By choosing the right solution in a life-or-death situation, he successfully arrived at a place of safety.