At the edge of the lakeshore, thick fog drifted like a veil of gray gauze, obscuring most of the scenery but unable to conceal the subdued voices within.
"Hehe... those rats from Rusty Keys really kicked an iron plate this time."
A deliberately lowered, rough voice rang out, carrying the heavy rolled accent of the Kuze people. Through the fog, the faint figure of a brown-haired warrior approached, clad in worn leather armor with a greatsword strapped to his back.
"I heard they ran into some tough customers over in Death Swamp. Because of that 'Miracle' Yano, they lost several good hands. Even 'Gray Rat' Hock went down. Tsk tsk, good thing we didn't wade into that muddy water."
"Glen, it's only because that 'Miracle' Yano never ran into me."
A small, nimble figure wrapped in a dark gray cloak crouched low—it was their fellow traveler, the thief Michele.
"Rusty Keys suffered heavy losses... hmph, perfect."
"Before they realize that the Abyssal Spawn at the entrance have been cleared out, we need to get in there fast. If we dawdle until adventurers from guilds like Anvil or Silver Oak Leaf come sniffing around, we won't even get a sip of the soup."
His greedy gaze pierced through the fog, fixed firmly on the pitch-black cave entrance north of the lakeshore.
Glen nodded and gripped the hilt of the sword on his back. "You're right, but... whoever cleared out those Abyssal Spawn must've been seriously strong. Those disgusting Descendants of Demons can spit Acid that'll eat straight through iron armor, and they breed like thieves. Last time I came to scout the place, I nearly didn't make it out."
"Wonder who did it. Maybe some big mercenary band?"
"Who cares? Before they finish looting the place, let's get in there and