Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Chapter 49 Getting Serious
The team continued forward, and at the end of the cave, they finally made a discovery.

On a carpet made of patchwork animal hides, some relatively new human equipment was on display.

This included a breastplate that was already torn in half, a fine iron longsword broken in two, and some fragments of armor.

The equipment was stained with blood, and it's not hard to imagine what its owner had gone through.

“I recognize this sword; it’s Rhodes’ weapon…”

Gray crouched down to pick up the sword hilt, his voice unusually heavy.

Everyone fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

This is what adventurers are all about.

Even though they can earn substantial rewards from each mission, they could also die without a burial place at any time.

To be killed by such a group of goblins... it seems like the ending before death wasn't very good, right?

“Alright… let’s keep looking and see if there are any other relics,” Marcus said.

The group began searching inside the nest.

Gray found the bronze adventurer badges of three members of Rhodes's party.

Zellier found a pocket watch in the corner.

Upon opening it, there was a portrait of a man and a woman inside. After asking Gray, it was confirmed that the man was a ranger in Rhodes' squad.

Other than that, there are just some odds and ends.

No remains were found; they were probably eaten by goblins long ago.

These were all the belongings of Rhodes' squad. After packing them up, the group left the cave again.

The sun hung in the west, sinking behind the mountains. In a few hours, it would be completely dark, and the group began their journey home.

The forest was very quiet, with only the occasional bird call.

"By the way... have you ever imagined your future?" Zellier suddenly asked.

Vales shook his head silently.

“In the future… I’ll probably wait until I’m too old to take on any more adventures, then find a quiet town to retire in,” Marcus said.

It's a very simple and unpretentious wish.

“Assassins don’t think about all that nonsense. If they think too much, their hands will tremble when they kill,” Hill chuckled.

“Like Marcus, I will return to my hometown and live out my old age in peace,” Gak grinned.

"You guys are all still very energetic. Are you planning to work until you're old before retiring?"

Gray, with a nonchalant air, said, "Once I've made enough money, I plan to quit and then take Marian traveling around."

"Are you serious? You really like that barmaid?" Vales frowned.

“Of course, my sincerity is as clear as day.” Gray chuckled.

Hill was walking along, tossing pebbles around, when suddenly she stopped.

“There’s movement.” Hill’s gaze was fixed ahead.

The group immediately fell silent and looked around warily.

"A monster?" Marcus instinctively took off his shield.

“No… they’re people, there are six in total,” Hill said.

……

"Oh shit!"

Drake kicked the tree trunk, sending leaves scattering down.

His face was contorted with rage. "Where exactly is this place marked on the map! Did you even find it?"

"This is it, Captain."

A short, skinny man immediately approached Drake, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

His name is Richie, and he's the assassin in the group, mainly responsible for leading the way.

“Captain, I guarantee you, the place I found is absolutely right!” “What about the tree spirit?” Drake stared wide-eyed.

After Marcus's team took over the goblin extermination quest in the Misty Caves, Drake had no choice but to settle for a quest to kill tree spirits instead.

Although the pay is low, it's better than nothing.

However, the group wandered around the Graywood Forest for an entire afternoon without even seeing a trace of a tree spirit.

The more Drake swayed around, the more resentful he became.

I've been having the worst luck lately!

They finally got a huge bounty mission, but someone else snatched it away, and it was even assigned by Hogan himself!
What exactly is wrong with our team compared to the other team?
What kind of pathetic ranger mage is that? Bah! One strike and he's down!
"The tree spirit probably went somewhere else... You know, boss, these monsters like to wander around."

Richie suddenly stopped talking, listened intently, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Wait a minute... Boss! There's movement ahead!"

"Oh? Is it a tree spirit?" Drake immediately perked up.

"I don't know... but we'll find out when we get there!"

The six-person team entered a state of combat readiness and began to advance steadily forward.

After passing through the bushes, they came to a clearing in the woods, but when they saw the source of the commotion, the members of Drake's team were taken aback.

"Oh... who do we have here? It's you guys."

Drake realized what was happening and gave a cold laugh.

"Isn't this the elite squad that stole our mission from the association?"

Marcus hadn't expected it to be Drake and his group, and the situation suddenly became somewhat tricky.

He had absolutely no desire to waste any more time here, so he said, "I'm not in the mood to talk to you right now, goodbye."

As he spoke, he prepared to lead his team members around the obstacle.

"Wait a moment!"

Drake took a step forward, blocking the path that Marcus's team was destined to take.

His gaze swept over the group like a jackal's, full of scrutiny.

A weary expression, blood-stained armor and clothes, and a bulging backpack.

Yes, that's right...

They have completed the quest to subdue the goblin community in the Misty Caverns!
"Looks like you've had a great haul."

Drake's expression held a different meaning. "How much will we earn this time? Fifty gold coins, or sixty gold coins?"

The mention of this huge bounty clearly made Drake's teammates behind him breathe more rapidly.

So much money!

The bounty for the Treant quest that Drake accepted this time was only a dozen or so gold coins, which meant that each person would only get two or three gold coins.

“None of your business, get out of the way!” Marcus hissed.

"Ha! I thought this was the Adventurers' Guild. You have that old bastard Hogan backing you up?"

Drake had stopped trying to hide it, his expression growing increasingly arrogant. "This time, you won't be so lucky..."

Gak stepped forward and stood next to Marcus, his expression menacing. "Didn't you hear what our captain said? Get out of the way!"

The intermediate swordsman behind Drake also stepped forward and retorted without showing any weakness.

"You have no right to speak, you half-breed!"

"What do you want?" Marcus's voice turned completely cold.

"What do I want?"

Drake drew his broadsword from behind his back and slung it over his shoulder. "If you hadn't stolen my mission, would I have made this wasted trip this afternoon?"

"Can you please stop saying things that make you sound like an idiot?"

Gray scoffed, "The mission was assigned by Guild Master Hogan. If you're so capable, go and cause trouble for him. Besides, we're all adventurers; who hasn't gone empty-handed before?"

(End of this chapter)