“A Mage!?”
Abby stared at Xia Nan beside him, his face filled with uncontrollable astonishment.
The "Green Blood" squad had already left River Valley Town and was currently in the open wilderness between the town and the Misty Forest.
It was daytime, which was relatively safe, and monsters rarely appeared.
Along the way, they occasionally saw adventurers returning from completed missions, their expressions weary and their gazes wary of the group.
During this final stretch of relaxed time before entering the forest, the members of the squad chatted idly.
Xia Nan had no intention of hiding anything and didn't think much of it, treating it merely as a topic to pass the time. He took the opportunity to tell Adeline and the others about what he had seen at the Association.
—That high-level adventurer squad from the second floor of the Association, suspected to be composed of Professionals.
“Was it really a mage?” Abby acted exceptionally excited, leaning in close to Xia Nan to ask curiously.
“Did he have a light orb over his head?”
“I remember a bard who visited the village once performed with one the size of a fist; it could light up the entire barn!”
Because of the extremely high requirements for talent and wealth, "spellcasters" were not common on the continent of Efara.
Perhaps those who spent years soaking in the Adventurers' Association, or those whose own strength had reached the Professional level, were accustomed to seeing spellcasters due to their environment being highly connected to supernatural powers.
But if one expanded that scope to the entire continent of Efara—especially for the commoners who had lived their entire lives in rural gullies—they might not even be able to distinguish the difference between a "Sorcerer," a "Priest," and a "Mage," let alone the names of schools like "Evocation," "Conjuration," or "Enchantment."
Their only understanding of a spellcaster was likely the white-bearded old man in stories who conjured fireballs and wore a pointed wide-brimmed hat, or perhaps some shabby bard who had accidentally passed through the village a dozen years ago.
To some extent, both the original owner of the body before Xia Nan transmigrated and the Abby before him were like this.
However, because of the numerous anime and novels he had consumed in his previous modern life, as well as that diary of a wild mage, Xia Nan had already demystified the profession of "Mage."
He knew that the "Archmages" who sat high in mage towers and looked down even upon the gods in the heavens were a tiny minority.
The vast majority of ordinary mages were actually no different from anyone else; they had to eat and sleep, would hesitate because of a restaurant's high prices, and even had to worry about making a living.
But Abby was, after all, a rookie who had just entered the trade, someone who would brag about killing a few goblins for days.
Hearing from a teammate that a legendary "Mage" had actually been in the same room as him, the excitement on his face almost overflowed.
Not only did he pester Xia Nan to ask about the mage's appearance and attire, but he also frowned and concentrated, trying hard to recall the scenes from the Association, attempting to fish out the figure from his mind.
The result, naturally, was nothing.
But perhaps because he thought too much, Abby discovered a point of suspicion
“Professionals... Mages...”
“Would adventurers of that level actually participate in 'Hunting Day'?”
“I bet they wouldn't even earn back their equipment maintenance fees.”
Abby could not imagine a noble mage—one who contemplated mysteries and stars and controlled magic particles—enduring the stench in the air and stepping through muddy ground mixed with feces and urine to delve into a nest, just like himself and the others, all for the sake of a few green-skinned goblins.
“How do you know they went to clear goblins just like us?”
Beside them, Berg teased with a laugh.
“The Association's mission wall doesn't only have goblin-related tasks.”
“It's normal for Hunting Day to last a month or two. No matter how strong those Professionals are, they still have to eat. Are they not allowed to go out and take other missions?”
“Hehe.” Hearing Berg say this, Abby realized he had been overthinking. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, but stubbornly insisted
“Who knows? Maybe they just have some special mission and came here to join the fun.”
Adeline consciously ignored this scene, which likely occurred a dozen times a day.
She simply referred to Xia Nan's description, recalling the appearance and dress of those Professionals.
After a moment, she shook her head
“I don't have a strong impression, but the income from these 'Hunting Day' activities is indeed too low for them.”
“They probably took some other mission.”
Since it was only mentioned in passing, and hearing his teammates say so, Xia Nan stopped thinking about it.
He shifted the topic and joined Abby and Berg in their discussion about the income of high-level adventurers.
...
The target of the "Green Blood" squad's mission this time was also a goblin nest located on the outskirts of the Misty Forest.
However, the journey was longer than usual, taking about four to five days round trip.
Twenty-odd goblins were relatively easy for their four-person squad.
Unless there were special circumstances, there generally wouldn't be much danger.
“Rest for a few minutes, then we'll pick up the pace. We should be able to arrive this afternoon.”
With a stroke of her blade, Adeline cut through the stubborn thorns blocking the path. She straightened her back, her keen gaze alertly scanning the surroundings as she spoke in a low voice.
The three behind her nodded slightly without speaking, simply breathing quietly, drinking water or taking out simple portable food to replenish their energy.
Compared to their high spirits on the way here, the group was clearly much more cautious after entering the Misty Forest.
Unless necessary, they hardly spoke, focusing entirely on the journey.
Even the rookie Abby consciously shut his mouth under the shroud of the mist in the air.
For a time, in the dim forest permeated by pale fog, only the chirping of insects and the "shasha" sound of swaying branches remained.
His nostrils flared.
Mixed within the damp, cold air, Xia Nan suddenly smelled a faint scent of decay.
Just as he was about to ask, he saw Adeline at the front of the line frown and look back at the same time.
The two locked eyes and nodded slightly, clearly having made the same discovery.
They had no intention of inviting unnecessary trouble; all sorts of strange things existed in the forest. Minimizing curiosity about one's surroundings was one of the survival rules for adventurers.
But strangely, as the squad advanced, this scent of rot grew stronger.
It was as if it were blocking their path.
Eventually, even Abby noticed the stench in the air.
“What is that?”
He wondered, his expression not very pleasant.
And right at that moment, Adeline, at the very front of the line, suddenly stopped. She raised her left hand, signaling everyone to be careful.
Xia Nan followed her gaze.
What came into view was a mutilated corpse, completely dead, lying quietly on the grass.
It appeared to be an adventurer.
The body was clad in leather armor stained with mud and blood, the surface pitted as if it had been struck violently by some blunt object. The leather at the chest and abdomen was completely torn open, revealing the blue-grey skin beneath.
The right foot lay on the ground in an extremely twisted position, with pale bone shards piercing through the skin at the break. The left leg was severed below the knee, and coagulated blood had stained the nearby grass a brownish-red.
A small scavenger beast was feasting beside it. Hearing the noise from the squad, it lowered its head, snatched a piece of a severed limb, and vanished into the dense surrounding grass with a "shoo."
There was nothing to be surprised about.
The entire "Green Blood" squad, including Abby, felt no strong emotion toward this corpse.
The Misty Forest was extremely dangerous; even the relatively safe outskirts were filled with various ferocious monsters.
Adventurers being injured or dying was the most normal thing in the world.
They were long accustomed to it.
By contrast, figuring out what this adventurer had encountered before death and determining the specific cause of death was the most important thing, so they could judge if there were dangerous creatures nearby that could threaten the squad.
Lacking the relevant skills and experience, Xia Nan consciously stepped aside to help Abby keep watch over the surroundings.
Adeline and Berg stepped forward to examine the corpse.
Similarly suffering from heavy blunt-force trauma, the corpse's facial features were nothing more than a bloody mess, allowing them only to determine that it was a male.
The weapon, backpack, and supply pouches at the waist were all gone, clearly taken intentionally as loot by a human or some other intelligent creature.
There were jagged tear wounds on the neck, as if it had been bitten by a beast. Judging by the size, it wasn't the small scavenger beast from before...
“Strange.” Berg looked perplexed.
“Judging by the blunt-force wounds on the body and the missing equipment and supplies, he should have encountered 'gap-toothed' types of adventurers.”
“But the fatal wound on the neck was caused by a beast's bite.”
“So, did he encounter humans or monsters?”
“Or... both?”
Adeline didn't answer. She simply stood there, staring at the corpse on the ground in thought for a moment.
As if sensing something, her gaze suddenly shifted to the slightly shorter grass beside the body.
She stepped forward quickly and pushed the grass aside.
Aided by the dim spots of light filtering through the gaps in the lush canopy above, what appeared before her eyes was a series of deep footprints.
The prints were about five to seven inches long and three-toed. The two outer toes were parallel and slightly flared outward, while the middle one was longer. The stride was about thirty percent wider than that of an ordinary human.
“This is...”
Hitting a blind spot in his knowledge, Berg beside her was completely bewildered and could not analyze any useful information from it.
“It should be some kind of humanoid creature.”
Adeline, who had keenly discovered the footprints, also shook her head, indicating she didn't know more.
The monsters in this world were countless; they weren't experts in biology, nor had they received any systematic training.
Judging the identity of the owner based on a few footprints—unless it was a monster they encountered frequently, like goblins—was not something they could do.
“Can't tell much, let's continue the mission.”
“Stay alert.”
Indicating there was no need to worry too much, Adeline reminded the others behind her.
In the Misty Forest, finding the corpse of an adventurer was perfectly normal.
If they abandoned a mission and returned to town just because of this, they probably wouldn't earn a few copper coins all year.
In fact, someone like Adeline, who carefully checked the cause of death after finding a corpse, was already considered quite cautious among low-level adventurers.
...
The squad continued forward.
Although the discovery of the adventurer's corpse made the entire team more alert and slowed their movement speed significantly, it also allowed them to avoid several small dangers, keeping their overall progress consistent with Adeline's previous prediction.
By the afternoon, they reached their destination.
After so many days, the group had already clarified their respective roles.
Xia Nan took Abby to roughly set up traps around the area while keeping a lookout for goblins returning to the nest from hunting.
Adeline and Berg together carefully checked the traces at the cave entrance to determine if there were any unexpected situations.
Although the Association provided a general introduction to the target's information, it wasn't always accurate.
For safety's sake, it was very important to check once before entering the cave.
This was a small piece of knowledge not recorded in the [Adventurer's Handbook].
“Boss, something's wrong!”
Berg dropped the damp soil he had picked up from the entrance, his expression serious.
His gaze looked toward the cave entrance, which was clearly several times larger in diameter than the goblin nests their squad had cleared before.
“There might be... Hobgoblins inside!”
Adeline stood before the pitch-black tunnel, arms crossed over her chest, nodding silently.
She had clearly also sensed the presence of Hobgoblins.
“What do we do? Do we retreat?” Abby, returning after setting the traps, immediately showed an expression of excitement mixed with anxiety upon hearing Berg's words.
“Of course we retreat!”
Without waiting for Adeline to respond, Berg immediately answered.
His tone was grave, devoid of the lightness he had when joking with Abby.
Regarding a goblin nest that might contain Hobgoblins, this experienced "old hand" showed an abnormal level of resistance.
It exceeded general caution and seemed almost like a fear of death.
Recalling the reason he had mentioned during their chat at the Association for always staying in a squad, Xia Nan nodded thoughtfully.
At the same time, he mentally agreed with the proposal to retreat.
The challenge rating of a Hobgoblin was as high as "1." Although individual actual combat power fluctuated, they were not something their squad could easily handle.
Even if his and Adeline's strength were close to that of Professionals, and Berg's ranged output was sufficient, taking down a healthy adult Hobgoblin would require the cost of severe injuries or even the loss of a squad member.
This was unacceptable for any of them.
But Adeline seemed to have a different idea.
She took two steps into the tunnel, pressed her cheek against the stone wall, closed her eyes, and sensed carefully.
After a long while, she turned back and walked toward the squad.
“The smell of blood is very strong, far more concentrated than in an ordinary goblin nest.”
“And there are no roars or screams audible inside. It's like... the first time you encountered it.”
Adeline paused suddenly and glanced at Xia Nan beside her.
Then she continued
“The situation inside the cave should be the same as that time; it was discovered by other adventurers first, and all the goblins inside were killed.”
“But...” Berg opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but he was interrupted by Adeline as soon as he uttered the first word.
“You and Abby stay outside to provide support. If anything happens, remember to signal.”
“Xia Nan, you come in with me.”
(End of Chapter)