More than ten minutes later.
Everyone finished collecting their spoils and hurriedly buried the lizard carcasses to prevent the smell of blood from attracting other, more dangerous monsters.
The dense mist had still not dispersed, but the smell of blood in the air had finally faded a bit.
Matthew stood up, carrying a backpack full of carapaces, feeling the heavy weight of the pouch at his waist.
He carefully reached inside, his fingertips brushing against three cold, slightly elastic pouch-like organs—the venom sacs of the three viper lizards.
A complex mix of emotions welled up in his heart.
Fortunately, these three venom sacs were completely intact and had not been pierced by his arrows. This meant a potential income of nearly two hundred and forty silver coins was safely in his pocket.
On the other hand, he worried because the venom sacs themselves were extremely fragile, and the corrosive venom stored inside was incredibly dangerous. If they ruptured for some reason, not only would their value be ruined, but they might also injure him.
Fortunately, Sierra had mentioned that the venom sacs were quite sturdy; unless punctured, there wouldn't be any accidents.
‘For now, I can only keep them hanging from my waist like this. If a crisis arises, I'll just toss them aside,’ he thought.
‘If only I had a space ring...’
Just then, Instructor Calm's low voice broke the silence of the forest, interrupting Matthew's thoughts.
“Something was off about that battle just now.”
“It's true that viper lizards are pack creatures, but they usually don't wander too far from their familiar nesting areas where magic is relatively dense. They seem more like... they were disturbed or driven out by something.”
Flynn's expression grew a bit more serious, and he nodded slightly, clearly agreeing with Calm's assessment.
Hearing this, Brody was delighted. The tension on his face, which had been tight due to the forest's eerie environment and the recent battle, was instantly replaced by an irrepressible excitement.
“Driven out?”
He blurted out, his voice filled with the urgency of someone who had discovered a major clue.
“Does that mean there's likely a more powerful existence in the depths of the forest, or... some kind of disturbance forcing these viper lizards to migrate to the outskirts?”
He looked eagerly at Instructor Calm and Flynn, as if he could already see the dawn of completing his mission and gaining his family's recognition.
“This is exactly one of the sources of the 'unrest' we're supposed to investigate! Mr. Calm, Flynn, we must trace where these lizards came from and find out what drove them out!”
Listening from the side, Matthew's heart sank.
In his eyes, Brody's excitement was a bit too optimistic, even reckless.
Tracking the source of the driven-out monsters meant taking the initiative to head deeper into the forest, into more dangerous territory.
The battle just now had already proven how troublesome these lizards were; the existence that had forced them to migrate would only be far more terrifying.
This rich second-generation kid had bodyguards, didn't fear danger, and wouldn't even have to put himself on the line.
Calm knew this well too, so he naturally wouldn't head into the depths. However, since it was still early, returning to the village now would hurt morale. Thus, he spoke up, “Tracking them deeper rashly is too risky.”
Hearing this, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief. They were all here for the money and didn't want to throw their lives away.
If it weren't for the substantial final payment Brody had promised, those mercenaries would have already returned to town to enjoy themselves.
“We'll first patrol the area where we encountered the goblins last time to see if there are any signs of abnormality. After that, we'll return to the village immediately to make a long-term plan.”
The excitement on Brody's face instantly froze. He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue, but when he saw Flynn give him a slight shake of the head, he ultimately swallowed his words.
As Matthew listened, the feeling that something was wrong grew even clearer in his mind.
“‘Let's go check out the goblin area first, then return to the village’—why does that sound so much like a classic line from a game NPC delivering a ‘final safe quest’?”
Usually, after such words were spoken, the team would run into trouble far exceeding their expectations on this ‘final safe stretch.’
However, he could only accept Instructor Calm's decision. After all, there was no concrete evidence that something would definitely go wrong, and as a young team member, it was even more impossible for him to directly object to Instructor Calm's decision.
As for retreating directly?
That was even more impossible...
Matthew took a deep breath, quickly suppressing the unease in his heart.
All he could do now was be more vigilant and stay close to Instructor Calm.
The group set off, heading toward the area where they had encountered the goblins last time. The dense mist followed them like a shadow, and the forest was so quiet that only their footsteps and the occasional chirp of insects could be heard.
Matthew followed closely by Instructor Calm's side, maintaining a ‘perceptive’ marching state where his breathing technique synchronized with his steps, raising his vigilance to the absolute maximum.
He could feel that Instructor Calm's steps were also steadier and more cautious than before, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword at all times.
Meanwhile, another figure appeared on Matthew's other side—it was Sierra.
Sierra was tall, her curves well-defined under her hunting attire, and her wheat-colored skin looked exceptionally healthy and vibrant in the dim forest.
She carried a longbow on her back, her quiver swaying gently at her hip with each step, her movements light and agile.
She turned her head and whispered to Matthew, “I can't help but feel this mist is getting weirder and weirder. It's giving me the creeps.”
Matthew nodded slightly, his gaze still sharply scanning the dense mist ahead and to both sides as he whispered back, “Be careful. Stay close.”
Sierra gave an appreciative hum and said no more, tightening her grip on her bow and staying on high alert with a focused expression.
The two followed behind Instructor Calm, one on his left and one on his right, forming a small triangular formation.
Calm noticed their approach but said nothing, his gaze only growing sharper as he scanned the path ahead.
An hour later, they arrived at the area where they had encountered the goblins last time.
The atmosphere here was even more oppressive than before.
The trees were twisted and tangled, their thick roots protruding from the ground like monster tentacles, wrapped in thick, dark moss.
The mist here was so thick it was almost tangible, weighing heavily over everyone's heads. They could barely see about ten meters ahead; beyond that was only a blurry, pale white.
Instructor Calm's sharp gaze swept the surroundings, finally locking onto the trunk of a thick ancient tree—a triangular symbol was carved there, with a scratch indicating the date next to it.
“This is it.”
Hearing this, everyone's tense nerves relaxed for a moment. Finding a clear landmark meant they hadn't gotten lost in the dense mist.
It also meant they didn't have to keep wandering around the forest.
Even though this was only the edge of the forest, traveling through it was still nerve-wracking.
However, at the very moment their tension eased slightly—
“Boom!!!”
A muffled explosion suddenly erupted without warning from deep within the dense mist, about fifty meters to their left!
Almost at the exact moment the loud boom shattered the forest's dead silence, Matthew's heart clenched. The ominous premonition that had been lingering in his mind instantly became a cold reality.
“Am I really that unlucky?!”
Matthew gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, thinking to himself that things were going south.
Rate on N.U.
