Cautious Water Ghost

After confirming the continuation of the commission, the group had a simple meal at the tavern and rested for a while.

They didn't head to the riverbank to search for clues until the sun was less intense.

The afternoon sun shone on the river's surface, which sparkled with a warm yellow luster. A gentle breeze blew along the bank, swaying the colorful aquatic plants.

The group, upon arriving at the riverbank, gazed at the breathtaking scenery in silence for a long time, almost forgetting the mission that brought them there.

"This must be the place where the tavern owner said the fight happened, right?"

Gauss bent down, noticing several dried, dark brown bloodstains on the stones of the riverbed, and beckoned to the others.

According to Harvey, the stout tavern owner, those sailors had fought Water Ghosts here.

"It should be here," Leven and the others came closer.

"There's the smell of human blood and a very disgusting fishy odor," Meva sniffed, her eye corners twitching briefly before returning to her usual impassive expression.

However, Gauss caught that momentary change in her expression and couldn't help but smile inwardly.

He had only recently learned that Meva, the Rogue apprentice, had the skill [Perception].

The skill's effect was to detect hidden enemies, clues, traps, and other traces through sight, hearing, or other senses.

Especially with her partial Elf bloodline, her five senses were already excellent, making her Perception skill more effective than other Rogue apprentices.

If anyone among the remaining members of the team, besides Gauss, had the highest probability and fastest progression towards advancing their profession, it would likely be Meva.

Of course, besides helping the team find clues, Perception also amplified sensory stimuli, which was why Meva had subconsciously frowned.

The fishy smell clearly came from their target, the Water Ghosts.

Gauss recalled the information about Water Ghosts in his mind.

Water Ghosts were a relatively common type of monster in this world. They had a gaunt, humanoid appearance with sunken eye sockets, long, thin limbs, and prominent joints. They often moved with a hunched posture, and their skin was grayish-green, covered in a layer of viscous, rotting slime.

Due to their resemblance to humans, there were also folk legends that they were the spirits of drowned humans.

They were primarily found near rivers, lakes, and swamps, relying on aquatic environments for hunting. They were not picky eaters, basically eating whatever they could find: animal carcasses, human garbage, mud, rotten leaves, fruit pulp, and so on.

Sometimes, they would also attack humans who approached the water, such as fishermen, washerwomen, and anglers.

They would mimic human voices to lure their targets, and once the target came to the bank, they would drag the victim into the water to drown them, then disembowel and eat them.

Water Ghosts rarely acted alone, but they also didn't form excessively large groups, typically moving in packs of 10-15. The current number of over 20 was already considered a rather large Water Ghost pack.

"I wonder where they're hiding?" Doyle, somewhat impatient, picked up a stone and threw it heavily into the water.

The stone created a large splash, but it was quickly swallowed by the flowing current.

Although ordinary Water Ghosts were skilled swimmers, they couldn't live entirely underwater and needed to surface for air from time to time.

Moreover, rather than hiding in deep water, Water Ghosts generally preferred to inhabit shallows, swamps, or the muddy riverbanks unless absolutely necessary.

But where were the Water Ghosts hiding now?

"If all else fails, we can wait until sunset. Water Ghosts are more active then."

Since the team had accepted the Water Ghost quest, they were prepared for situations like this.

If Water Ghosts were determined to swim into the river, most low-level Adventurers would be unable to deal with them due to their underwater mobility.

Fortunately, their intelligence wasn't particularly high, so they could often be lured out of their hiding places through other means.

"It's good we brought this," Leven took out two rotting, foul-smelling gray rabbit carcasses. "We'll set up the bait later."

Having found no other clues, the group, fearing they might alert the Water Ghosts, decided to leave for now.

A few hours passed in the blink of an eye.

The group returned, set up their traps, and hid cautiously.

They had prepared bait traps and other arrangements on another part of the riverbank.

The two gray rabbit carcasses, which had been left to fester for a long time, were already emitting a strong stench after the addition of scent catalysts.

This intense, corrosive odor was exactly what Water Ghosts loved.

Having done all they could, the group could only hide and wait.

The sun dipped below the horizon, finally sinking completely below the sky.

Night gradually deepened. Fortunately, the riverbank was relatively open, and the moonlight was still sufficient to illuminate the riverbed.

Just as the group had waited for a long time, thinking there would be no harvest today and preparing to pack up and rest for the night, Sounds of water being churned by splashing could be heard approaching from a distance.

Under the bright moonlight, grayish-black figures were parting the reeds from the shallow riverbank, their dark toes stepping on stones as they crawled ashore.

More than a dozen dark, slimy figures emerged silently from the water, giving off a chilling sense of dread.

The Water Ghost in front cautiously scanned its surroundings. After confirming there were no other creatures, it led the other Water Ghosts behind it out of the water, but they didn't venture too far from the bank.

"They're this cautious?" Leven frowned.

The reaction of this group of Water Ghosts felt different from what tavern owner Harvey had described, and also didn't quite match his impression of Water Ghosts.

They seemed more like they were wary of some unseen predator, in a state of trembling apprehension.

However, the trap had already been set, and the target Water Ghost appeared as expected. Leven could only suppress his doubts for the moment and focus his attention on the battle to come.

"Dada da!"

After a long pause and hesitation, a group of Water Ghosts let out soft hisses, their hoarse cries growing louder. In the end, they couldn't resist and walked towards the lure trap the team had prepared in advance.

The specially treated, enhanced foul-smelling rotten corpses were like a delicious delicacy placed before them after a day or two of starvation, an irresistible temptation for this group of Water Ghosts.

Everyone watched as the Water Ghosts slowly approached, yet still made no move.

Gauss silently counted their numbers.

Seeing that he was just 10 short of triggering the next stage of rewards, he was naturally the most concerned about the quantity.

17 Water Ghosts.

That seems fewer than expected?

The mission intel stated there were over twenty Water Ghosts. Even if the sailors had killed two, shouldn't there still be around twenty?

Where did the missing ones go?

Were they hiding elsewhere and didn't follow the main group out? Or did some other accident occur?

Just as humans face unknown risks in the wild, monsters also encounter various threats.

These could stem from uncontrollable accidental factors, such as falling to their deaths, being swept away by swift undercurrents or whirlpools, or, with low probability, being struck by lightning. They could also come from attacks by other large beasts or monsters.