Chương 48: Getting Serious

The team continued deeper into the forest. At the end of the cavern, they finally found what they were looking for. On a rug pieced together from animal hides lay several pieces of relatively well-preserved human equipment. A chestplate that had been torn nearly in half. A fine steel longsword snapped cleanly into two pieces. Fragments of armor scattered around the ground. Dark stains of dried blood covered the surfaces. It wasn't difficult to imagine what their owners had gone through.

"I recognize this sword. It belonged to Rhode…" Grey crouched down and picked up the broken hilt, his voice unusually heavy. Everyone fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts. This was what being an adventurer meant. Even if they could earn generous rewards from one dangerous commission after another, death could come at any moment. To be killed by a group of goblins like this… Who knew what kind of despair they had faced before the end?

"Alright… keep searching. See if there are any other relics." Marcus spoke quietly. The group began searching through the goblin nest. Grey found three copper adventurer badges belonging to members of Rhode's Squad. In a corner, Zelier discovered a pocket watch. When he opened it, he found portraits of a man and a woman inside. After asking Grey, he confirmed that the man was one of the rangers from Rhode's Squad. Beyond that, there were only scattered personal belongings. No bones were found.

They had most likely already been eaten by the goblins. These were all the remaining relics of Rhode's Squad. After carefully packing everything away, the group left the cavern. The sun hung low in the western sky, already sinking behind the distant mountains. In just a few hours, darkness would completely cover the land. The group began their journey back. The forest was eerily quiet, with only the occasional cry of a bird breaking the silence.

"Say… have you ever imagined what your future would look like?" Zelier suddenly asked. Vaelis silently shook his head.

"Future…" Marcus thought for a moment.

"Probably retire in some quiet little town once I'm too old to keep adventuring." Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. A simple wish. Nothing extravagant.

"Assassins don't think about useless things like that." Cyr smiled faintly.

"If you think too much, your hand shakes when it's time to kill."

"I'm the same as Marcus." Gark grinned.

"I'll return to my homeland and spend the rest of my days there."

"You guys really have a lot of energy." Grey looked as carefree as ever.

"You're all planning to keep fighting until you're old enough to retire." He shrugged.

"As for me, once I make enough money, I'm done. I'll travel around the world with Marianne."

"Are you serious?" Vaelis frowned.

"You really like that tavern waitress?"

"Of course." Grey puffed out his chest proudly.

"My sincere feelings are as clear as the heavens themselves." Cyr casually tossed a small stone into the air while walking. Then suddenly, her footsteps stopped.

"There's something ahead." Her gaze locked onto the forest in front of them. The others immediately stopped talking and became alert.

"Monsters?" Marcus instinctively reached for his shield.

"No…" Cyr narrowed her eyes.

"Humans. Six of them." …

"Damn it!" Drake slammed his foot into a tree trunk, sending a shower of leaves fluttering down. His face was twisted with irritation.

"Where the hell is the place marked on the map? Did you actually find the right location or not?"

"It's definitely here, Captain." A short, skinny man with a monkey-like appearance hurried over to Drake, a flattering smile plastered across his face. His name was Richie. He was the assassin of the group and was mainly responsible for navigation.

"Captain, I swear on my life, this is absolutely the right place!"

"Then where's the treant?" Drake glared at him. After Marcus's team accepted the goblin extermination request in the Mist-veiled Caverns, Drake had no choice but to settle for another commission—a treant hunting request. The reward was much lower. But it was still better than nothing. Unfortunately, their entire team had wandered around Ashwood Forest for the whole afternoon without seeing even a trace of a treant. The longer they searched, the more irritated Drake became.

Recently, everything had been going wrong for him. A massive bounty mission finally appeared, and someone else snatched it away. Not only that, but the assignment had been personally arranged by Hogan himself! What exactly made that team better than his? A damn ranger and mage team? Pathetic. One strike from his blade would put them down.

"The treant might have moved somewhere else…" Richie forced a laugh.

"You know how it is, boss. Monsters like these tend to wander around." Then he suddenly stopped talking. He tilted his head, listening carefully. A look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Wait…"

"Boss! There's something ahead!"

"Oh?" Drake immediately perked up.

"Is it the treant?"

"Not sure… but we'll know once we check it out!" The six-man team immediately entered combat formation and advanced carefully. After pushing through the bushes, they arrived at a clearing. But when they saw the source of the disturbance, Drake's team froze.

"Well, well…" Drake recovered first and let out a cold laugh.

"Look who it is." His smile widened.

"Isn't this the elite team that stole our commission at the Adventurer's Association?" Marcus hadn't expected to run into Drake and the others either. The situation instantly became troublesome. He had absolutely no desire to waste time here.

"I'm not interested in talking right now." Marcus's voice was cold.

"We're leaving." He turned and prepared to lead his team around them.

"Hold it!" Drake stepped sideways and blocked their path. His eyes swept over everyone like a predator examining prey. The exhausted expressions. The bloodstained armor and clothing. The bulging backpacks. That was it. There was no mistake. They had already completed the goblin extermination commission in the Mist-veiled Caverns.

"Looks like you gained quite a harvest." Drake's expression became strange.

"How much did you make this time?"

"Fifty gold?"

"Or sixty?" The moment the huge reward was mentioned, the breathing of Drake's teammates behind him noticeably quickened. So much money! The treant commission Drake had accepted only paid a little over ten gold coins. After splitting it among the team, each person would only get two or three gold.

"Not your concern. Move." Marcus's voice dropped.

"Hah!" Drake laughed.

"You think this is the Adventurer's Association?"

"You think that old bastard Hogan is here to protect you?" He no longer bothered hiding his intentions. His expression became increasingly arrogant.

"You won't be so lucky this time…" Gark stepped forward and stood beside Marcus, his massive frame radiating hostility.

"Didn't you hear our captain?"

"Move." The Mid-tier swordsman behind Drake also stepped forward, refusing to back down.

"You don't get a say here, half-breed freak." Marcus's expression turned completely cold.

"What exactly do you want?"

"What do I want?" Drake pulled his broad blade from his back and rested it on his shoulder.

"If you hadn't stolen my commission, would I have wasted the entire afternoon running around for nothing?"

"Could you stop saying things that make you sound like an idiot?" Grey sneered.

"The commission was assigned by Guild Master Hogan."

"If you have a problem, go complain to him."

"And besides, we're all adventurers."

"Who here hasn't wasted a trip before?"