After Miracle City's mercenaries left the dungeon, they immediately received the lord's commands and guidance. Moving along the river's direction, they began their search, pushing through dense forest for nearly two hours.
A dungeon's potential depended primarily on the quality of its secret realms.But beyond that, location and environment were equally critical.
If a dungeon occupied a safe position with abundant surrounding resources, then even an average-quality dungeon could attract adventurers to stay long-term. And by all appearances, Miracle City's surroundings were excellent.
Wool Warrior suggested, "There are tons of resources here. Should we hunt some game and bring it back?"
Lone Wolf added, "A single wild boar could trade for a lot of soul sand back in town."
This was precisely what gave most dungeon lords headaches when dealing with adventurers. These people always had their own ideas and were prone to drifting off-task. They didn't always obey orders perfectly.
However—
while a few were tempted by the proposal, most rejected it.
Black Stone Hammer King said firmly, "We focus on completing the mission. If the lord catches us slacking off, we won't be selected next time."
Wind-in-Sleep nodded. "The underground world is a harsh place. Dark races threaten survival everywhere. Every year, countless high-quality dungeons are destroyed by dark lords. Trash dungeons can disappear without consequence, but that absolutely cannot happen to Miracle City!"
Pig King growled, "Yeah, damn dark races. Nine out of ten cities fall to them!"
Moonlit Snow said, "We need to collect clues about nearby dark races as soon as possible."
Black Stone Hammer King continued, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime treasure dungeon. Sustainable exploitation is the only way to squeeze more good stuff out of the lord."
Nekomi Momo chimed in enthusiastically, "Agreed. We're not working for the lord—we're doing this for our own benefit!"
"That's not wrong!"
Lone Wolf frowned. "But the area's huge. Forget one night—even three or five days of searching might not turn up anything."
However—
before he could finish speaking—
a piercing shriek suddenly erupted.
The adventurers were completely unprepared. Several were struck by sharp arrows. Fortunately, the riot zombies' helmets and armor were extremely sturdy. Though hit, no one was killed.
"Who did that?!"
"Who dares shoot me?!"
The adventurers quickly locked onto their attackers.
It was a group of humanoid non-humans, completely unrelated to humans. None stood taller than 1.4 meters. They had wrinkled gray skin, dark red eyes, and pointed ears—ugly, repulsive creatures.
"Gray goblins!"
"Damn it, dark races!"
"What the hell? We just talked about them and they show up!"
"Hahaha, wish granted!"
"Kill them!"
Gray goblins were widely distributed across the Chaos Continent. Naturally cruel, cunning, and greedy, they were individually weak, but once gathered in large numbers, they could cause devastating destruction.
This time, only four gray goblins appeared. Armed with hand crossbows and short blades, they were clearly a hunting squad. When they saw that the mercenaries had been shot without dropping dead, shock flashed across their faces.
The adventurers swarmed forward, using their numerical advantage to encircle them, swinging batons straight at goblin heads.
"Disgusting dark trash—die!"
"Stay away from Miracle City!"
The adventurers' battle lust exploded. Their strikes were merciless. Three goblins were quickly brought down, but one fled at incredible speed. Riot zombies lacked mobility, and the forest terrain was too complex. The escapee was soon lost.
"Damn it!"
"One got away!"
"We need to wipe them out completely!"
"Chase it! If it reports back, Miracle City could be exposed!"
"…"
Without waiting for Kanzaki Ren's command, the adventurers followed the tracks and soon discovered a small encampment.
This was not a dark dungeon. Judging by its size, it was merely a small settlement under a dark territory's control. There were over a dozen crude huts, and an estimated thirty or so adult gray goblins.
Nearby were two plantations—one growing berry shrubs, the other cultivating herbs.
The gray goblins were poor farmers. Working the fields were another race that looked more human. They were also only 1.2 to 1.4 meters tall, resembling proportionally scaled-down humans.
"Huh?"
"Gnomes?"
Gnomes, also known as halflings or dwarfkin, were a fairly common underground race. Unlike dark races, they had not been corrupted by dark energy. They were naturally kind, docile, and highly obedient—a neutral race.
Because of their weak physical strength, survival in the cruel underground world was extremely difficult for them.
As a result, they were often vassals to stronger races—or outright slaves of dark races.
"This is an unexpected bonus!"
"Take them all back!"
The adventurers felt doubly rewarded. This operation was far more valuable than anticipated. They had not only discovered a dark race outpost, but also a sizable group of neutral races that could potentially be absorbed.
If these gnomes were integrated into Miracle City, they could create value and improve services.
And who benefited in the end?
The adventurers themselves.
Their excitement soared.
Their luck today was absurdly good!
First time as temporary workers, and they'd already struck gold.
"Kill!"
"Seize the camp!"
"Capture all the gnomes!"
"Wipe out every last goblin!"
"…"
These disposable Miracle City mercenaries howled as they charged the camp.
As the ferocious zombies surged forward, the gnomes working in the plantations trembled in fear. Yet among them, a freckle-faced gnome girl revealed a look of surprise.
She was plain-looking, but her eyes were clear like gemstones—lively and intelligent, completely different from the dull fear and numb obedience of the others.
She had already realized that these grotesque zombies were controlled by surface adventurers.
Miracle City's first expansion battle had begun.
The goblins had prepared in advance after being alerted, but the adventurers showed no hesitation. Eighteen riot zombies, relying on helmets and armor, roared as they charged headfirst through volleys of poisoned arrows.
"Come on!"
"I'm still standing!"
Pig King was the first to break into the goblin village. Fourteen or fifteen arrows stuck out of his body. He was slashed seven or eight times by short swords and sickles—yet he continued rampaging as if nothing had happened.
Zombies possessed remarkable vitality.
With equipment protection, they were difficult to kill outright.
And even if they died, the adventurers lost nothing. With nothing to fear, they fought without restraint.
These gray goblins posed a threat to the dungeon.
Anything that interfered with dungeon farming was unacceptable.
They had to be eliminated completely.
No survivors.
"Third one!"
Pig King smashed three goblin skulls with his baton. Just as he turned to look for a fourth target, a wave of scorching heat struck from the side.
The burning sensation engulfed half his body. He screamed and instantly lost control, collapsing to the ground.
"What the hell?!"
Ahead, eight goblins charged forward, protecting a distinct figure among them.
This goblin was older and thinner, dressed in relatively ornate beast-skin robes. He held a wooden staff embedded with bone ornaments. He was clearly a village leader of some sort.
Strange incantations poured from his mouth as a fireball ignited atop his staff.
Boom!
Another adventurer was hit.
Fire dealt effective damage.
Even if it didn't kill, it stripped mobility completely.
The adventurer screamed as he fell, struggled briefly—and then went still.