Calamity

Roland Town's morning was as noisy as ever.

The starving civilians rose early. Even if hunger had kept them awake until midnight the night before, they did not dare linger over a moment of peaceful sleep, afraid they might miss the few work opportunities available.

Last night, news had come again that several young girls had been abducted by goblins. The Patrol Team, who usually acted as if their noses were pointed at the sky, had been utterly useless, and the thin wall at the edge of town could not stop the goblins' endless greed at all.

The breach broken open by the Mutated Goblin a few days ago still had not been repaired. A sloppy pile of fencing had been placed there instead, and the goblins had long since torn it to pieces...

But the people in town no longer cared much about such news. After all, simply staying alive already took everything they had.

The adventurers gathered in their own district, most loitering near the Association, while others who did not intend to take missions today were, as always, drinking and bragging in the various taverns from early morning onward.

No matter how hard life became, people like them, who made a living with their heads on the line, would never go without food. In fact, they were living even more comfortably than before.

There were plenty of rich people in this world, and they were happy to spend a little money posting tasks at the Association to solve their troubles.

Inside Battora Tavern, the largest tavern in town, the place was currently boiling with noise.

"There really have been more and more goblins lately..."

A Half-beastman whose arms were twice as thick as the thighs of ordinary civilians on the street spoke in a buzzing voice, draining a large mug of ale in one breath.

The faint scent of wheat mixed with the smell of alcohol, making him exhale a turbid breath in satisfaction.

"I went to Lorraine Forest yesterday and killed six in one go!"

"Haha, with a build like yours, killing goblins is no harder than slaughtering chicks."

A Ranger beside him patted his thick arm. "More goblins is actually a good thing for us. The bounty on goblins has gone up now. If there aren't any suitable missions, just killing a few goblins every day is enough to keep us eating meat, drinking good liquor, and living happily."

"But if there are too many, it could become a hidden danger..."

The Assassin at the same table rarely spoke, sipping the wine in his cup in small mouthfuls.

"If a high-ranking goblin is born, it might trigger a disaster."

At that, quite a few adventurers nearby darkened in expression. After all, about ten years ago, a large-scale goblin siege had occurred in Doria Kingdom. That disaster had affected four cities and dozens of villages and towns, with casualties reaching several hundred thousand!

Because of it, the kingdom's population had directly dropped by one-twentieth!

"Let the lord and the others worry about that kind of thing."

The Half-beastman waved a hand. "Even if something like what happened ten years ago really happens, it has nothing to do with us. Worst case, we move to another city, or even another kingdom. We're adventurers. Where couldn't we make a living?"

"If it really comes to that, there might not be time to run..."

The Assassin muttered, but he did not continue arguing.

After all, right now there were only more goblins than usual. They were still very, very far from a high-ranking Mutated Goblin being born, uniting the major clans, and forming a tribe capable of threatening the kingdom.

Lorraine Forest in the morning always seemed so quiet and peaceful.

After breakfast, everyone packed up their things and tracked in the direction the Tattooed Cat Demons had retreated.

"This way..."

Cody stood on a branch and carefully looked down over the surroundings. In the previous battle, one of the Tattooed Cat Demons had been badly wounded and had left quite a few bloodstains along the way.

And this was precisely the greatest support they had for the pursuit.

"It's daytime now, and that Tattooed Cat Demon is injured. It can't have run too far. Most likely, it'll find somewhere nearby to hide and rest. If we keep following the bloodstains, we should get a result very soon..."

As Bern spoke, he observed the surroundings, guarding against possible danger.

Even though it was daytime, no one could afford to be careless at any time inside Lorraine Forest.

On the path of every adventurer's growth, there would often be someone who taught them at the cost of their life that they must always respect adventure, and respect the forest.

Only by remembering that at all times did one have a chance of becoming an old adventurer like him.

Everything went smoothly. They soon found more traces of blood not far away, pointing southeast.

Bern frowned slightly. The trees around them were growing taller, and the forest was becoming deeper and more secluded. They were already very close to the Deep Forest Area.

The cat demons' habitat had always been in the border zone between the Outer Area and the Deep Forest Area, and the places where Tattooed Cat Demons lived were basically all near the edge of the Deep Forest Area, or even within the Deep Forest Area itself.

If they kept chasing, there might be risk.

But just as he had said earlier, an injured cat demon could not run too far. On top of that, it was morning now, so the risk was completely within a controllable range.

The Deep Forest Area was not some forbidden zone where one would die the moment one entered. In truth, the distribution of magical beasts in the forest followed a gradual pattern. It was only for convenience of understanding that it had been divided, according to general range, into the Outer Area, the Deep Forest Area, and the Core Area.

If one had only just entered the Deep Forest Area, then in truth, there was not much difference from the Outer Area.

In Bern's past adventuring career, he had entered it more than once, personally verifying this point.

Within five kilometers farther ahead was an acceptable distance. If they had no gains after exceeding five kilometers, then they could only choose to give up.

"Speaking of which, isn't it a little strange?"

Lin Mo habitually glanced at his own panel. "We've walked for quite a while, right? And yet we haven't run into a single magical beast."

He had still been hoping to grind some skill proficiency along the way.

"That's quite normal..."

Bern explained, "Since Tattooed Cat Demons have appeared in this area, and two of them at that, whether it's goblins or some other magical beast, they would instinctively choose to stay away so they don't end up as their food."

"So this area is the territory of those two Tattooed Cat Demons?"

"More or less."

Bern nodded. "But Cat Demons are pack animals, so there may be other Cat Demons in this territory as well."

"Found them!"

As they spoke, Cody, who was in charge of scouting, suddenly sounded excited.

He jumped down from the tree and pointed into the distance. "Right up ahead."

Everyone's eyes lit up at once. Then they took up their weapons one after another, readying themselves for battle.

"You two, be careful. Stay close and don't fall behind."

Bern warned the two young people.

As for Lin Mo, in his eyes, this adventurer—who was even younger than his own nephew—had already become a reliable companion, not a junior who needed looking after.

Everyone stilled their breathing and focused their minds, making their footsteps as light as possible as they slowly advanced in the direction Cody had pointed...