Chapter 184: in distress

The pitch-black night cloaked the Northern Province, thick gray mist rolling endlessly as distant wails echoed through the air, adding an eerie chill.

Lydia of the adventuring party now had an iron badge hanging at her waist, marking her official membership in the Adventurers’ Guild.

She gripped her cleric’s staff tightly with both hands, her eyes darting nervously in every direction.

“Hey, Lydia… this is already your second time out here, and you’re still this scared? That’s hilarious.”

The red-haired youth in the party reached out with wandering hands, aiming to smack her from behind.

“Watch it, Jay. Lydia’s our team’s healer and mascot. If you get out of line, I’ll break your hand.”

The man dressed like a martial artist caught Jay’s wrist mid-motion. “And don’t you have a busty fiancée? Still flirting around like this?”

The mage named Mei lazily waved her hand. “Oh, what’s the big deal? Letting off some pressure once in a while is normal.”

“Huh?”

“Miss Mei is way too open. How about a drink when we get back?”

“Hehe, I’d rather have fun with corpse-wretches than lie down with a red-haired brat like you. Even standing on tiptoe, you’d barely reach a ’rabbit’—you wouldn’t even touch anything else.”

The group traded crude jokes freely. Lydia’s face burned red as she kept muttering, “Goddess, forgive me…”

Adventurers were people who lived on the edge of a blade, desperate souls who often relieved stress through “intimate exchanges.” The bonds between them could even surpass those of husbands and wives.

Lydia awkwardly tried to change the subject. “Um… is it really okay for us to be joking around like this?”

“What’s the problem? The corpse-wretches were probably scared off by my aura.” Yapi, the warrior leading the way, now wearing a leather cuirass, turned back confidently. “Thanks to me, we got that two-gold reward.”

“The Northern Province really isn’t that dangerous. I barely killed any corpse-wretches—it’s like something’s protecting us from the shadows.”

“This mission is simple. We just need to head to the cave marked on the map and retrieve relics from before the gray mist arrived.”

Just as Yapi said, they encountered no danger along the way.

Soon, they reached the cave marked on the map.

Strange beastman totems were planted outside the entrance.

Ignoring the corpses scattered nearby, Mei stepped forward and tossed a light spell into the cave. Without even taking a careful look, she said, “Clear. No sign of corpse-wretches.”

“Let’s go in.”

The cave was narrow, forcing them to proceed in single file. Even after five minutes of walking, there was no end in sight.

“I heard this cave used to be one of Nightfall Domain’s shelters. Too bad it was still discovered by beastmen.”

“The two hundred people hiding inside… all became food. Do you know how beastmen eat people?”

“Like this!”

Jay suddenly turned around and made an ugly face, nearly scaring Lydia out of her skin.

“That’s not funny!”

Lydia glanced around nervously. No matter how long she stayed in this place, it was still terrifying.

“I don’t know if it’s just me… but I feel like… someone is behind us.”

A chill ran down her spine. She instinctively turned around—only to see a massive figure blocking their retreat.

…

Phield’s army had already finished assembling. Though the slaves were afraid, they had grown used to going out on missions. None showed obvious panic, only gripping their picks tightly.

“This mission is simple—mine enough salt ore and bring it back to the territory.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The slaves let out a breath of relief. As long as they didn’t have to stay outside long-term, it was acceptable.

Without realizing it, they had developed a strong dependence on the camp. With food and shelter, it already felt like paradise to them.

After issuing the orders loudly, Phield mounted his warhorse. Ashina and Rosalia would accompany him.

Not long after leaving the territory and heading north, Ashina, riding on the back of a black wolf, suddenly narrowed her crimson eyes, a sharp glint flashing within.

“Something’s wrong. I smell fresh blood… and also… mating. Strange.”

Her nose twitched, tail flicking lightly. “I’m sure of it.”

“Huh?” Phield frowned. Smelling blood right after leaving meant danger was close to his territory—definitely not good news. Without hesitation, he gave a crisp order. “Ashina, lead the way. Let’s take a look.”

They quickly advanced to a small cave.

Ashina pointed at the strange objects outside. “Totems… Goblins or beastmen?”

Phield was also surprised. The Northern Province was practically a dead zone. Aside from gray-mist goblins, he had never seen any other living creatures.

“Aren’t goblins just a type of beastman?” Phield asked.

Ashina crossed her arms like a teacher giving a lecture. “There’s a difference. Goblins are a subordinate race to beastmen. And they have no females, so they can’t produce Divine Chosen. They’re a very low-tier species.”

“I see. Either way, they all need to die. I won’t allow anything to threaten my territory.”

Phield raised the Greatsword of Gluttony. Along with Ashina and ten soldiers, he stepped into the cave—just as a heart-wrenching scream echoed from within.

Inside the cave—

The red-haired youth lay drenched in blood, his eyes filled with unwillingness. Even as his pupils dimmed, they remained fixed on the engagement ring on the ground.

Seven or eight gray-mist goblins were devouring his corpse, intestines scattered everywhere.

The warrior Yapi had been eaten down to just his head. Mei swung her staff wildly, trying to drive the goblins away, her face streaked with tears of despair.

“No… no, this isn’t real…”

Lydia completely lost control, urine pooling beneath her.

“Priestess! Get a hold of yourself! We can still escape!”

The martial artist leapt into the air, launching a furious barrage of punches and kicks. His fists easily smashed three goblin heads, and a powerful kick sent another goblin flying before he landed gracefully.

“Pfft—”

A massive green hand pierced straight through his abdomen.

“Beastman? Impossible… how could there be beastmen in the gray mist?”

The martial artist’s eyes bulged in fury as he collapsed unwillingly.

“Of course there are no beastmen here. No goblins either. I brought them in.”

A man in a black robe slowly stepped out from the shadows. “Welcome to my laboratory, little mice.”

“A human?”

The two women were in disbelief.

The black-robed man smiled in a twisted manner. “This mage looks suitable for breeding. Offer yourself first… for my experiment.”

The goblins and beastmen howled wildly.

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