The players rested at Scarlet Castle for two days, then set off again for Baron Lim's territory. They eagerly began hunting down the gnoll clans there, but both the intensity and frequency of the battles had declined.
It wasn't that the little players, who had been worked into a frenzy by the point pool, were slacking off. They were still just as energetic and courageous as before. The simple reason was that many of the local gnoll clans had already moved to the Andmar Hills. On top of that, the students Mirian had summoned as negotiation advisers and Meow Brother's team had been hunting around Batasin, while a few Witch Hunter recruits had also roamed their way here.
They hadn't been idle over the past few days. The combined result of all these efforts was a sharp decline in the local gnoll population.
As a result, many solo players had given up on hunting gnolls in the wild for points. In particular, those who had only recently started playing and were urgently trying to level up in preparation for the Black Iron Trial had returned to Scarlet Castle's sewers.
The ghoul "stockpile" there was still plentiful enough for them to fight their way to higher levels quickly. They could also get a full set of "Ghoul Series" gear from the Blood Rat Gang while they were at it. The alchemy apprentices under Triss had used the set to practice basic enchantments, imbuing the protective gear with minor boosts to stamina and agility. Its quality was already on par with the veteran set.
By this point, it seemed that a subtle imbalance had once again emerged between the players' enthusiasm and the supply of monsters.
The return of some players had brought the previously deserted sewers back to life. It also