Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 121 Corpse and the Same Situation

"Mage!?"

Abby stared at Shanan beside him with wide eyes, with uncontrollable surprise on his face.

The "Green Blood" team has now left the River Valley Town and is in the open wilderness between the town and the misty forest.

It was daytime, relatively safe, with almost no monsters around.

From time to time on the road, one could see adventurers who had just finished their mission and were on their way back. They looked tired and wary of the few people.

During the last relaxing time before entering the forest, several members of the team chatted.

Xia Nan had no intention of hiding anything, nor did he think too much about it. He just treated it as a topic to pass the time. He took the opportunity to tell Adeline and others about what he had seen and heard in the association.

——The team of high-level adventurers from the second floor of the association, suspected to be composed of professionals.

"Is he really a wizard?" Abi was extremely excited and came close to Shanan and asked curiously.

"Is there a ball of light above his head?"

“I remember a minstrel performance that used to come to the village, and one of them was the size of his fist, and it could light up the whole barn!

Because of the extremely high requirements for talent and financial resources, "spellcasters" are not common on the continent of Ephra.

Perhaps those who have been in the Adventurer's Association for many years, or those who have reached the professional level of strength, cannot feel this because the environment they are in is highly related to extraordinary powers and spellcasters often appear.

But if this scope is expanded to the entire continent of Efala, especially for those civilians who have lived in the countryside and mountains all their lives.

They can't even tell the difference between "sorcerer", "priest" and "wizard", not to mention the names of schools such as "evocation", "conjuration" and "enchantment".

The only thing we know about spellcasters is probably the old man with a white beard and a pointed wide hat who rolls fireballs in the stories, or the shabby bard who accidentally passed by the village more than a decade ago.

To a certain extent, this is true for both my original self before I traveled through time and the Abby in front of me.

However, Xia Nan had become disenchanted with the profession of "mage" because of the numerous anime novels he read in his previous life in modern society, as well as the diary of the wild wizard.

It is known that there are only a very small number of "great spellcasters" who sit high in the wizard's tower and are not even looked down upon by the gods in heaven.

Most ordinary mages are actually no different from them. They also need to eat and sleep, and will be deterred by the high consumption of a certain restaurant. They even have to worry about their livelihood.

But after all, Abby is still a newcomer who has just entered the industry and can even brag about killing a few goblins.

I heard from my teammates that the legendary "Mage" was actually staying in the same room with me.

The excitement on his face almost overflowed.

Not only did he pester Xia Nan, asking about the wizard's appearance and attire, he also frowned and concentrated, trying hard to recall the scene in the association just now, trying to find the other person's figure in his mind.

The result is naturally nothing.

But perhaps because he thought too much, Abi discovered the doubts:

"Professional...Mage..."

"Will adventurers of this level also participate in 'Hunting Day'?"

"I'm afraid we can't even make back the cost of equipment maintenance, right?"

Abby couldn't imagine that a noble wizard who had comprehended the mysteries and the stars and controlled magical particles, like himself and others, had to endure the stench in the air and step into the muddy ground made of a mixture of feces and urine to go deep into the nest, just for a few green-skinned goblins.

"How do you know that they are going to wipe out the goblins just like us?"

On the side, Berg joked with a smile.

"The Association's quest wall doesn't only have quests related to goblins."

"It's normal for hunting days to last for a month or two. No matter how strong those professionals are, they still need to eat. Why are they not allowed to go out and take on other missions?"

"Hehe." After hearing what Berg said, Abby realized that he was being too stubborn. He touched the back of his head awkwardly, but still said stubbornly:

"Who knows? Maybe they have some special mission and just come here to join in the fun."

Adeline consciously ignored the scene before her that would probably happen a dozen times that day.

I just referred to Xia Nan's description and recalled the appearance and dress of those professionals.

After a moment, he shook his head and said:
"I don't have much impression, but the income from these activities on 'hunting day' is really too low for them."

"I guess he took on some other mission."

It was just a casual remark, and after hearing several teammates say so, Xia Nan didn't think any more about it.

Changing the topic, I joined Abby and Berg in discussing the income of high-level adventurers.

……

The Green Blood team's mission target this time is also a goblin nest located on the outskirts of the Misty Forest.

It’s just that the journey is longer than before, and the round trip takes about four to five days.

More than twenty goblins were relatively easy for their team of four.

Unless there are special circumstances, there is generally not much danger.

"Let's take a short break for a few minutes, then we'll speed up and we'll probably be there this afternoon."

With one blow of her sword, Adeline chopped through the stubborn thorns that blocked her way ahead. She stood up straight, her sharp eyes alert to her surroundings, and spoke in a low voice.

The three people behind him nodded slightly without saying anything, just breathing quietly, drinking water or taking out simple food that was easy to carry to replenish their energy.

Compared to the excitement on the way here, everyone was obviously much more cautious after entering the misty forest.

I didn't talk much unless it was necessary, and just focused on getting on my way.

Even the rookie Abby kept his mouth shut as the fog filled the air.

For a moment, the only sounds in the dark forest filled with pale mist were the chirping of insects and the rustling of swaying branches.

Nostrils flaring.

Mixed in the moist and cold air, Xia Nan suddenly smelled a faint stench of decay.

Just as he was about to ask, he saw Adeline, who was at the front of the team, frowned and looked back at the same time.

The two looked at each other and nodded slightly, obviously realizing the same discovery.

There is no plan to cause any complications. There are all kinds of strange things in the forest. One of the survival rules for adventurers is to reduce curiosity about the surrounding things as much as possible.

But the strange thing is that this rotten smell becomes stronger as the team moves forward.

As if it was right in their way.

By the end, even Abhi noticed the stink in the air.

"what?"

He was puzzled and his face did not look very good.

At this moment, Adeline, who was at the front of the team, suddenly stopped and stretched out her left hand, signaling everyone to be careful.

Xia Nan followed the other person's gaze.

What came into view was a completely dead and mutilated body lying quietly on the grass.

Probably an adventurer.

He was wearing a leather armor that was covered in mud and blood. The surface was full of pits and dents, as if he had been hit by some blunt object. The leather on his chest and abdomen was completely cracked, revealing the grayish-blue skin underneath.

The right foot fell to the ground in an extremely twisted posture, and the pale bone stump that pierced the skin could be seen at the broken part; the left leg was broken from the knee down, and the coagulated blood dyed the nearby grass brown-red.

A small scavenger was feasting on the food nearby. When it heard the noise made by the team, it lowered its head, picked up a piece of broken limb, and with a whoosh, it darted into the dense grass around it.

Nothing surprising.

The entire Greenblood team, including Abby, had no strong feelings about the body.

The Misty Forest was extremely dangerous. Even the relatively safe outer areas were filled with various ferocious monsters. It was normal for adventurers to get injured or die.

Already used to it.

In contrast, it is necessary to find out what happened to this adventurer during his lifetime and find out the specific cause of his death.

The most important thing is to determine whether there are any dangerous creatures around that can threaten the team.

Not having the relevant skills and experience, Xia Nan voluntarily gave up his position and took charge of guarding the surroundings with Abi.

Adeline and Berg went forward to examine the body.

The corpse also suffered severe blunt force trauma, and the features of the corpse were only a bloody mess, so the only thing that could be determined was that he was a man;

The weapons, backpack, and supply bag around his waist were all gone, obviously taken away by someone or some other intelligent creature as trophies;
There were jagged wounds on the neck, as if it had been bitten by a wild animal. Judging from the size, it should not be the scavenger beast just now...

"That's strange." Berg looked confused.

"Based on the blunt force wounds on his body and the missing equipment and supplies, he must have encountered an adventurer like 'Gaptooth'."

"But the fatal wound on the neck was caused by a beast's bite."

"So, was it a human or a monster that he encountered?"

"Or...both?"

Adeline did not answer, but just stood there, looking at the corpse on the ground and thinking for a moment.

Seems like he noticed something.

His eyes suddenly looked towards the slightly shorter grass next to his body.

Walk forward quickly and pull it open.

With the help of the faint light spots that came from the gaps between the lush treetops above her head, what appeared before her eyes was a series of deep footprints.

The footprints are about five to seven inches long, in the shape of a three-toed claw, with the two outer toes parallel and slightly spread outward, while the middle one is longer, and the stride is about 30% wider than that of ordinary humans.

"This is……"

Having touched upon a blind spot in knowledge, Berg beside him was completely confused and could not analyze any useful information from it.

"It should be a humanoid creature."

Adeline, who keenly noticed the footprints, also shook her head, indicating that she didn't know more.

There are countless monsters in this world. They are not experts in the field of biology, and have not received relevant systematic training.

It is not possible for them to determine the identity of the owner based on just a few footprints, unless they are monsters they often come into contact with like goblins.

"I can't see anything, let's continue the mission."

"Be careful and stay alert."

Indicating that there was no need to worry too much, Adeline reminded the people behind her.

It is normal to find the bodies of adventurers in the misty forest.

If they gave up the mission and returned to the city just for this reason, they would probably not earn a few cents in the whole year.

In fact, someone like Adeline, who carefully examined the cause of death after discovering the body, was already considered quite cautious among the lower-level adventurers.

……

The team continued to move forward.

Although the discovery of the adventurer's corpse on the road made the entire team more vigilant and their movement speed slowed down a lot.

However, this also avoided several minor dangers, so that the overall progress remained as Adeline had expected.

We arrived at our destination in the afternoon.

After so many days, several people have already clarified their respective division of labor.

Shanan took Abby and roughly set up traps around the area, while being wary of the goblins returning to their nests after going out hunting.

Adeline and Berg carefully examined the traces of the cave entrance to determine whether there were any unexpected situations.

Although the association will provide general information about the goals, it is not always accurate.

For safety reasons, it is very important to check before entering the cave.

This is also a little knowledge that is not recorded in the Adventurer's Handbook.

"Boss, something's wrong!"

Berg threw down the wet soil from the hole in his hand with a serious expression.

His eyes turned towards the cave entrance, which was obviously several times larger in diameter than the goblin nest their team had cleared out before.

"There might be... bugbears in there!"

Adeline stood in front of the dark corridor, her hands clasped across her chest, and nodded silently.

Obviously, he has also noticed the presence of the bear goblin.

"What should we do? Should we retreat?" Abby came back after setting the trap. After hearing what Berg said, an expression of excitement and anxiety suddenly appeared on his face.

"Of course we have to retreat!"

Without waiting for Adeline to reply, Berg immediately answered.

His tone was serious, lacking the lightness that he had when he was joking with Abby.

This experienced adventurist was extremely resistant to the idea of a goblin's lair where bear goblins might exist.

Even beyond ordinary caution, he seemed a little afraid of death.

He also recalled the reason why he had stayed in the team when he had been chatting in the association.

Shanan nodded thoughtfully.

At the same time, he also agreed with the other party's proposal to retreat.

The challenge level of the bear goblins is as high as "1". Although the actual combat power of each individual fluctuates, it is not something their team can easily deal with.

Even though his and Adeline's strength was close to that of professionals, and Berg's long-range output was sufficient.

To capture an adult bear goblin in normal condition, the team members would have to be seriously injured or even killed.

This is absolutely unacceptable to any of them.

But Adeline seemed to have different ideas.

She took two steps into the corridor, put her cheek against the surface of the stone wall, closed her eyes, and felt it carefully.

After a long while, he turned around and walked towards the team members.

"The smell of blood is strong, much stronger than that of an ordinary goblin nest."

"And there's no screaming or howling inside, like... when you first encountered it."

Adeline paused suddenly and glanced at Shanan beside her.

Then he continued:

"The situation in the cave should be the same as last time. Other adventurers discovered it in advance and killed all the goblins inside."

"But..." Berg opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but he was interrupted by Adeline as soon as he uttered the first word.

"You and Abi stay outside the cave to provide support. Remember to signal if anything happens."

"Xianan, come in with me."

(End of this chapter)