Under the highly effective work of the Goblin Governance Association, the number of Goblins on the Falaro Continent had become much smaller, and they were no longer so common.
To a rather elite mercenary squad, Goblins were practically silver coins waiting to be picked up off the ground.
Thus, whoever acted fast got them, while those who acted slowly got nothing. The few Goblins disappeared in the blink of an eye, and Gagnor, walking at the very back of the group, failed to claim even one.
After clearing out the few Goblins, the mercenaries continued deeper into the woods. Before long, they killed several more beasts, along with a Level One Great Horned Deer.
They then sat beneath a large tree, resting while processing the beast corpses.
"Boss," Dalis called.
She refused to call Gagnor "Master," so she had settled on the rather incongruous title of "Boss."
"What is it?" Gagnor turned to look.
Dalis pointed. In the grass beside her feet was a fist-sized white ball, seemingly formed from bones and broken feathers.
Gagnor took a careful look. As a Level Two Hunter, he at least quickly recognized the white ball. "A pellet?"
Dalis nodded. "An owl pellet."
Pellets were traces left behind by certain birds.
Because of their eating habits, some birds often had indigestible chunks of food in their stomachs. Once these chunks accumulated to a certain extent, they would regurgitate them. This was what was known as a "pellet."
Although Gagnor could recognize it as a pellet, he had failed to determine that it belonged to an owl.
He could not help feeling surprised. "Are you a hunter too?"
Dalis shook her head. "I once raised an owl, so I'm very familiar with their habits."
Gagnor laughed. "I thought witches keeping owls was just a rumor."