Starting with the goblin extermination

Behind the two corpses, Logan, with blond hair, calmly flicked the blood off his longsword. Beside him, a cloaked wanderer stared at him, holding a dagger in reverse.

"What are we lying in ambush for?"

"......Grass!"

The bald man's gaunt face twitched violently, and a curse escaped his throat.

As a seasoned veteran who had been navigating the underworld for over a decade, his mind raced the moment he saw this scene.

Damn it! I'm so incredibly unlucky!

First, their ambush formation was destroyed by a strange and ferocious swarm of rats, and they were forced to exhaust most of their strength by those crazed beasts; now, what they thought were two fat sheep that they could easily manipulate have unknowingly become hunters who are taking their lives!

Should we run away?

No. He had already exhausted much of his strength in the recent swarm of rats. To leave his back to a wanderer? Two against one? That would be tantamount to suicide.

A desperate fight might just carve out a bloody path!

"I'll kill you all!!!"

The bald man let out a roar that sounded strangely tragic. His withered muscles tensed up suddenly, and his boots gleamed with a green light.

【gallop】

His speed increased dramatically in an instant, and he became a blur. The spear in his hand was also covered with black light.

[Through]

The air was torn apart, and the gun tip was aimed straight at Logan's heart.

But Logan did not adopt a defensive or dodging stance.

His eyes even held a hint of amusement.

"I don't have time to play with you anymore."

Logan slightly raised his left hand, and the [Abyssal Thorn Ring] inlaid with emeralds suddenly burst forth with a burst of green light.

The bald man's pupils contracted instantly.

Magical items?!

How the hell could these two lowly newbies possibly possess expensive magical items?!

He had the urge to run away again, but it was too late.

Bloodthirsty strangulation

The instant the light appeared, Logan broke out in a cold sweat. He had already exhausted much of his strength in the mine, and now he felt as if a hand was gripping his heart, instantly draining most of his remaining energy.

However, this was also his purpose: to test the effect of the [Abyssal Thorn Ring], end the battle directly, and avoid any unexpected desperate measures.

Its power did not disappoint Logan.

"boom!"

Four or five arm-thick, sickly purplish-black thorns instantly shot out from the ring!

They collided head-on with the charging bald man at an incredible speed.

"ah--!!"

The spear was instantly and violently caught by the thorns. The purplish-black thorns, like nimble venomous snakes, instantly coiled around the man's limbs, lifting him into the air.

The razor-sharp barbs on the thorns easily pierced his armor, digging deep into his flesh and beginning to frantically suck his blood.

"Magic...you actually have magical items...damn it!"

The bald man's eyes rolled back as he felt the excruciating pain of his blood and bones being squeezed bit by bit; he was utterly desperate.

He admitted defeat.

He picked the wrong opponent, kicked a hornet's nest, and he's going to die.

Logan suppressed the emptiness in his body and walked step by step to the bald man.

Elsa held the dagger to the man's neck; with just a little pressure, she could sever his remaining life.

"Now, let's play a simple question-and-answer game."

Logan stared at the bald man as if he were looking at a corpse.

"First question. Who are you?"

"Cough cough... I... I'm an adventurer! You two... how dare you kill a registered adventurer in the wild for no reason! The guild... the guild will never let you get away with this!"

Lying, what a terrible acting.

Logan sighed helplessly.

You may have some misunderstanding about me.

Logan fumbled at his waist, trying to draw the dagger, but Elsa instinctively handed him her own dagger.

He grabbed the bald man's right hand.

"Hold him down."

Elsa skillfully twisted the man's right arm behind his back, pinning him firmly against the thorns beside him.

"ah--!"

Logan gripped the hilt of the knife tightly with his palm, the blade slowly dragging along the thorns.

He stared down at the bald man's hands. They were covered in calluses; the man must have done a lot of dirty work... Why did he always run into scum like this?

"Wait! What the hell are you trying to do?!" the bald man screamed.

Bang! The heavy blade sank into the thorns instantly, cleanly severing the first joint of the bald man's right little finger, along with the fingernail, which flew off and fell to the ground.

"Aaaaaaaahh ...

The bald man screamed, his breathing became rapid, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead in pain.

His body convulsed wildly, bound by thorns, as his fingers were connected to his heart.

Elsa paused for a moment.

"You understand the consequences of continuing like this," Logan said calmly. "In North Nordland, this is how they treat prisoners they catch. They cut an inch every day, from the finger to the elbow. I guarantee my knife skills, while not great, will keep you entertained for a long time."

Logan raised the still-dripping dagger again.

"Next question. Did you come here to kill us to silence us, or to capture us? If we had been unfortunately caught by you beasts, where did you plan to take us?"

"These are two problems..." Elsa muttered softly.

"You can't..."

boom!

The dagger slashed down. The bald man's ring finger flew off again, and blood dripped onto the mud.

"I'll confess! I'll confess! Stop cutting me!!" The bald man finally broke down, his psychological defenses shattered into nothingness under the intense pain.

"very good."

Logan flicked the blood off the blade, as if discussing the weather.

"We are the slave-hunting team of the Bloody Hyenas... specializing in capturing novice adventurers in this area."

The man was incoherent from extreme pain, his tears and snot mingling together.

"Where are you taking them?"

"The logging camp... the logging camp on the westernmost side of the forest... cough cough..." The bald man breathed weakly, afraid that Logan's dagger would fall again. "On the surface, it's an abandoned logging camp... but it's actually managed by the boss, a place used to transfer slaves..."

"Where will it ultimately be shipped to?"

"I don't know... I fucking don't know! Nobody knows..."

Logging yard.

Transit slaves.

Logan could see Elsa grip the bald man's hand tightly again.

He found it very amusing.

There are always subtle details that reveal Elsa's inner thoughts; she's so easy to understand.

She definitely had deep ties with slave traders.

Logan subtly withdrew his gaze; it was getting late.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

"Now, I'll send you on your way."

Logan flicked his wrist, and the dagger instantly pierced the bald man's brain through his eye.

The thorns, now devoid of magical power, vanished into black water, and the corpses crashed heavily to the ground.

"Get to work. Strip these three scumbags clean."

Logan turned his head and looked at Elsa, who was still somewhat lost in thought, his tone flat, as if the interrogation just now was just a trivial interlude.