During the day, they go about their work as usual: scooping poop, pushing carts, and being chased by Squig.
Lynn shoveled the enormous amounts of excrement into the cart, sweating profusely.
With each shovel stroke, he told himself that.
This is absolutely the last time I'll ever scoop poop!
Toothy joined in, but she was clearly distracted, glancing at Lynn every now and then, her eyes filled with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
As darkness fell, the day's work came to an end.
The two went to collect their wages, and there were two broken teeth again.
Toothy took the tooth, her hands trembling; she was still a little nervous.
Lynn patted its shoulder. "Don't be afraid."
Toothy nodded and took a deep breath.
The two pretended to return to their shack, and after confirming that no one was following them, they quietly slipped out again.
The pasture was quieter at night than during the day, with only the occasional low growl of Squig- Gretchin coming from a distant shed.
They took several detours, passed through piles of rubble, crossed a leaky pipe, and arrived outside the only pub in the vicinity.
It was a small hut built from discarded garbage, barely big enough to hold a few dozen Gretchin.
The room was dimly lit and filled with a noisy commotion and shrill laughter.
Through the leaky holes on all sides, you can see that it's full of Gretchin.
They huddled together, drinking, bragging, and fighting.
The number of people had long exceeded the capacity limit, and Lynn couldn't tell who Awen was, but fortunately there was still Toothy.
Lynn and Toothy crouched in the shadows, guarding the tavern entrance.
Time ticked by, and Toothy remained tense, but she gritted her teeth and didn't say a word.
Lynn remained calm; for him, this was as simple as drinking water.
He was dressed in a purple ninja outfit and blended into the night, looking like a real ninja.
After waiting for who knows how long, finally, the curtain was lifted.
A bulky figure staggered out.
Awen.
It was a size bigger than a regular Gretchin, its belly bulged like a ball, and its flesh jiggled as it walked.
It wore leather armor with iron plates sewn on, and had a rusty laser and a machete at its waist.
Because it had drunk quite a bit, it wasn't wearing the helmet it had picked up from the battlefield, revealing its bald head and a pair of protruding ears.
Its face was flushed, its eyes were squinted into slits, it walked unsteadily, and it was muttering something under its breath.
He was followed by a dozen or Gretchin, all wearing tattered armor, some carrying sticks and others carrying scrap machetes.
They drank quite a bit too, but they were more sober than Awen and still knew to watch where they were going.
Toothy took a deep breath and stood up.
Its legs were shaking, and its palms were sweaty, but it still took a step forward.
" Awen!"
The group of Gretchin stopped and stared at the small, thin figure that had suddenly appeared.
Awen squinted for a long time before recognizing it:
" Toothy? You fucking have a death wish, daring to block my way?"
Toothy stood tall.
His voice trembled, but every word was spoken clearly:
" Awen, I, Toothy, am going to take your place!"
The room fell silent instantly, then the group of Gretchin burst into uproarious laughter.
Hahaha~~~~ You?
" Toothy, are you crazy?"
"You can't even beat an ordinary Squig, and you want to be an officer?"
"Did this guy get kicked in the head by Squig while scooping poop?"
Awen laughed too, laughing so hard he almost lost his balance.
It pointed at Toothy, laughing so hard it couldn't speak.
After laughing for a while, its face suddenly darkened.
"Go! Teach this arrogant piece of trash a lesson!"
A dozen Gretchin grinned and surrounded Toothy.
Some cracked their knuckles, some tapped their hands with sticks, or licked the cut with their tongues.
Toothy stood still, her legs trembling like a leaf, but she didn't take a single step back.
It gritted its teeth, watching the approaching Gretchin, its face filled with panic.
The moment the first Gretchin raised his stick,
A blurry figure darted out from the shadows.
Like a gust of wind suddenly blowing in the night, making it impossible to see anything.
Before Awen's two henchmen could react, they were taken down in two moves.
The first one was kicked in the chest, flying straight away and crashing into the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The second one was even more unlucky; he was elbowed in the head and fell straight backward on the spot.
Awen turned his head drunkenly and saw only a purple shadow.
It tried to resist, reaching for the Lasgun at its waist, but before its hand could even touch the handle, a large, blurry hand grabbed its wrist.
The hand was incredibly strong, gripping its wrist like an iron clamp, making the bones creak and groan.
Awen couldn't break free no matter what he did.
It cried for help, and the hand released its wrist, instead grabbing the edge of its armor.
A brute force lifted him up and slammed him to the ground.
Awen's back slammed into the hard ground, the pain making its vision go black.
It struggled to get up, but the foot was already pressing down on its chest, making it hard to breathe.
The opponent lacked suitable weapons, and for a time, they were unable to kill it.
But the difference in strength was too great; Awen was pinned to the ground, like a beetle being tossed around.
They can't die, and they can't break free.
The underlings had realized what was happening and abandoned their attack on Toothy, preparing to turn back and rescue their boss.
"Hurry up! Ooh~~~~" It opened its mouth, trying to urge its underlings to come over quickly.
Those two large hands were shoved directly into its mouth.
With his right hand gripping the lower jaw and his left hand holding it in place, his ten fingers dug into the jaw like iron hooks.
Then the large hands forcefully pried it apart.
Awen thrashed about in pain, his fingernails leaving scratches on the shadowy figure.
But the shadowy figure did not stop its actions; its jaw cracked under the immense force.
Its mouth was torn and its teeth were broken.
Finally, his head was forcibly ripped off.
Blood splattered all over the ground.
The headless corpse twitched a few times, then remained completely still.
Awen's upper head was held in the hands of the purple-clad figure.
Those eyes were still open, and the last vestiges of pain remained frozen on their faces.
The remaining Gretchin watched this scene unfold.
The brain barely had any extra thought after the first Gretchin threw down his weapon and ran away.
The other Gretchin immediately reacted in a chain reaction, scrambling to get away from this terrifying monster.
In less than three seconds, only Lynn and Toothy remained outside the tavern.
Lynn stood beside the corpse, holding the still-bleeding skull.
His purple ninja outfit was splattered with blood, the color of which was indistinguishable in the darkness; only his purple eyes shone brightly in the shadows.
Toothy stood there, looking at the headless corpse on the ground, and at the still-dripping head in Lynn's hand.
Faced with the bloody scene, its legs actually stopped trembling.
Lynn's violence and cruelty did not frighten it; instead, they gave it a sense of security.
But the fear and confusion in its eyes were gradually replaced by another emotion.
An ever-expanding ambition.
It looked at Lynn, and Lynn looked at it.
No one spoke.