A wild boar weighing around 200 pounds was quickly butchered by the skilled hands of the brothers, Ler and Rand. All the internal organs were removed and buried in a small pit. To Irvine Wolf, this seemed somewhat wasteful. The "Stone" team and Nfirea Bareare's grandmother appeared completely uninterested in the offal, clearly having no habit of eating such parts. Irvine naturally didn't comment.
One shouldn't be fooled by how such people were portrayed as lower-class commoners in stories. Whether they were adventurers or Nfirea's grandparents who owned a potion shop, none belonged to the truly impoverished ranks.
The cleaned boar meat was placed over the bonfire to roast. Soon, layers of fat dripped down, causing the flames to flare up, and a rich, fragrant aroma began to permeate the air.
Captain Dosari walked over and sat down beside Irvine, speaking in his usual cheerful tone. Irvine maintained an attentive expression, occasionally nodding and offering a word or two in response, but for the most part, let the other man carry the conversation. Nfirea was also very interested in the adventurers' tales. Although Captain Dosari mostly recounted amusing and exaggerated anecdotes from his past adventures, Irvine was still able to glean some useful information from his words.
The next day, as soon as dawn broke, everyone set off again.
The subsequent journey became less easy, especially as they drew closer to the border. The vast, towering Azellisia Mountain Range, stretching as far as the eye could see, now appeared on the horizon. The previously relaxed atmosphere grew noticeably more tense.
Along the way, they gradually encountered more frequent monster attacks, though most were relatively weak beasts. Irvine gained a fair amount of experience by participating.
The Azellisia Mountains served as a natural barrier separating the Re-Estize Kingdom from the Baharuth Empire. According to Captain Dosari, 400 years ago, the two nations were actually one country. For unknown reasons, the original vast nation was destroyed and later split into the two countries that exist today .
Suddenly, "Alert!" Basck, the archer guarding the rear of the carriage, called out a warning. His ears twitched slightly, and a grave expression appeared on his face. "Something big is coming!"
At these words, the expressions of the other "Stone" team members changed subtly.
Grandma Lizzie expressionlessly pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt. Nfirea, sitting beside her, gripped the wooden railing nervously with both hands.
Irvine noticed the shift in the team's demeanor, and his own gaze sharpened. After this period of interaction, he knew the archer named Basck possessed a natural Talent for hearing far superior to ordinary people. His role in the party, besides providing ranged damage, included reconnaissance. For him to be so tense meant he had clearly heard something terrifying.
However, Irvine's heart remained relatively calm. The real powerhouse in this group wasn't the adventurer team but Grandma Lizzie, the third-tier caster driving the carriage.
"Waa! Waa!" "Waa waa!!" "...!"
Piercing shrieks, accompanied by the rustling of grass at the roadside, erupted. Goblins—less than 1 meter tall, with dark green skin, thin builds, white pupils, and cruel features—appeared in everyone's sight. There were a full ten of them!
Irvine glanced at them; most held crude weapons like wooden clubs. Although numerous, they weren't a significant threat. Goblins were a weak but fast-breeding, low-intelligence race. An ordinary adult could carefully manage to kill one in a one-on-one fight, let alone a Silver-ranked adventurer team like the "Stone" team, whose average level was likely between 7 and 10 .
Of course, the goblin race had several variants. Was the real danger still to come? Irvine's gaze passed over the charging goblins and fixed on the dense forest behind the tall grass.
Thump! Thump!
Heavy footsteps sounded. Compared to the wildly screaming goblins that rushed out first, the presence behind them created a palpable sense of oppression.
"Everyone, be alert!" Captain Dosari drew the twin swords from his waist and let out a stern, low shout.
"Roar!"
With a bestial roar, a figure over two meters tall, stout and muscular, with dark yellow skin and a back covered in short, spiked, armor-like hide, strode out.
"Is that an Ogre? No! It's two of them!" the archer Basck said with a grim expression.
"Waa waa waa!" "Waa waa waa!"
The ten goblins, who had initially been somewhat hesitant, gained a sudden surge of courage upon seeing the two ogres appear. They brandished their wooden clubs and charged toward the carriage.
"Deal with these goblins first!" Captain Dosari was the first to charge out. He raised the longsword in his right hand and hurled it forward violently.
With a piercing whistle through the air, the longsword struck the lead goblin, the blade accurately piercing its chest! The goblin let out a tragic shriek as light green blood gushed from the penetrating wound, spilling onto the ground!
Captain Dosari rushed in front of the stricken goblin, stomped heavily on its chest, gripped the hilt with his right hand, and pulled upward, causing blood mixed with pulverized flesh to spray out again. Simultaneously, he swung the sword in his left hand, cleanly beheading a nearby goblin.
Concurrently, the brothers Ler and Rand raised their arms, holding the silver-edged shields strapped to them in front, and charged forward. They each bodily slammed into a goblin, knocking it to the ground, then violently smashed down with their shields, crushing their targets into a bloody pulp.
Compared to the brutal actions of the first three, the archer Basck was much more elegant, nocking and shooting arrows with steady movements, quickly taking down two goblins.
In just moments, six of the ten goblins had been dealt with by the "Stone" team.
Irvine watched the scene and took a slight, deep breath. He wasn't nervous; he was just slightly disgusted by the gore. They had encountered scattered monster attacks along the way, so this wasn't his first time witnessing such violence. But as someone from a modern background, a sense of discomfort remained.
Smelling the foul, coppery scent of blood in the air! Seeing the goblin's head that had been chopped off in the distance, and the body smashed by a shield, Irvine felt the brutal reality of this world even more profoundly. At this moment, besides feeling a bit nauseated, he also felt a faint, inexplicable thrill of excitement. He suddenly felt he understood the Eight Greed Kings who had once plagued the entire continent a little better.
While Irvine was momentarily lost in thought, the remaining four goblins were quickly dispatched by the "Stone" team!
And the two massive ogres, now enraged, roared and charged out of the forest!