As they made their way through the forest, Larry shared his knowledge with the two inexperienced young men. "Most Goblins exist in the form of tribes. The number of Goblins in a small tribe usually doesn't exceed thirty. As for medium and large Goblin tribes, they tend not to choose the outskirts of the forest as their territory."
"Does that mean the outermost edges of the Loran Forest aren't actually that dangerous?" Lin Mo asked. He recalled the Goblins they had encountered earlier. Even if there were a few more of them, he could always just run away if he couldn't win.
"Normally, yes..." Larry nodded, not continuing his explanation. After all, he had never entered the forest before today. This information was nothing more than secondhand knowledge he had picked up from others, which he was now flaunting in front of the two young men. If they asked any more, he wouldn't be able to answer.
So, he took an old pocket watch out of his pocket and pretentiously opened it to check the time. "It's already past two in the afternoon. If we don't want to spend the night in the forest, we have to head back by four at the latest."
Lin Mo glanced at the pocket watch. On the inside of the cover was a yellowed photograph. It showed a much younger-looking Larry standing next to a young, blonde woman. She couldn't be considered exceptionally beautiful, but she had a nice figure. She held onto Larry's arm lightly, her expression serene.
"This is my wife... Her name is Julina." The wrinkles on Larry's face deepened as a proud smile spread across his lips. "She gave me this watch when we had just gotten married..."
"Alright, alright, Larry. Stop showing off your past." Leo, who was standing nearby, looked disgruntled. "I really don't know what Julina saw in you. You really lucked out marrying such a great girl."
"Haha!" Larry's laughter grew even more smug. "Don't say that, Leo. Your tigress of a wife is quite unique too, isn't she?"
"You!" Leo grew agitated.
Just as he was about to step forward and grab Larry by the collar, a wisp of light smoke slowly rose from the distance, interrupting the neighbors' banter. The group exchanged glances, their expressions instantly turning solemn as they carefully made their way toward the rising smoke.
The vegetation in the Loran Forest was incredibly dense. Under normal circumstances, this was a massive headache. No one ever knew if a Goblin was hiding in the nearby bushes, ready to ambush them with a club as they passed by. But now, these thick bushes served as perfect cover to conceal their presence. With Larry leading the way, the group hid in the undergrowth and carefully crawled forward.
About two minutes later, they parted a small clump of bushes. The scene that appeared before their eyes was exactly what they had expected.
A few Goblins were gathered around a campfire. They held tree branches skewered with mushrooms and berries. Not far away was a small cave. Scattered near the entrance was a pile of loose bones. Some of the bones were blackened, seemingly bearing burn marks.
"It's a lair..." Larry lowered his voice and whispered. "We're in luck. Goblin lairs usually contain all sorts of supplies and treasure they've plundered!"
"Plus, at this time of day, most Goblins are out roaming and foraging for food. These guys must be the ones left behind to guard their territory," Leo quickly added.
Larry looked at his companions on either side, his eyes shining with excitement. "There are only seven Goblins in total. We should be able to handle them. As long as we take them out..."
If they could get the bounty for these Goblins—and perhaps even the treasure hidden inside the lair—he would no longer have to worry about his wife going hungry or his newborn son not having milk, even if the days ahead were as difficult as they had been recently.
Leo was clearly harboring the same thoughts. Even though he wasn't as satisfied with his own wife compared to the virtuous and gentle Julina, life still had to go on. As long as they could make a fortune today, he would never have to live in such poverty again! When that time came, perhaps his wife would become a bit gentler, always wearing a bright smile on her face just like Julina.
Rhein didn't participate in the discussion. He glanced at the white bones at the entrance of the cave, seemingly recalling something, and dug his nails so hard into his palms that they left shallow indentations.
Lin Mo also remained silent. He stared at the pitch-black cave entrance, trying to peer deeper inside. When it came to knowledge and experience in this world, he was far inferior to Larry, so he had no way to refute their speculations. But he just had a bad premonition, feeling as though something terrible was about to happen.
"Don't hesitate, let's just do it! If we wait any longer and the Goblins that are out return, we'll lose our chance!" Leo urged.
"What do you guys think?" Larry was equally excited but managed to suppress his thrilling emotions. His gaze swept past Rhein and stopped on Lin Mo.
"Kill!" Rhein's answer consisted of a single word. His hand was already tightly gripping his weapon, looking entirely like he was gathering strength to strike.
At this point, even if he shook his head and said no, Lin Mo probably wouldn't be able to change their minds. He finally nodded, and in the next moment, Rhein had already taken the lead and launched an ambush.
The half-grown boy carried a sort of life-or-death madness about him. He charged straight at the nearest Goblin. Before it could even react, the rusted blade slashed toward its head.
SLASH!
Accompanied by a somewhat muffled sound, the Goblin's skull was instantly split open. Red mixed with white spilled all over the ground.
SCREECH!
The remaining Goblins immediately reacted. After a burst of shrieks, they scrambled to their feet and grabbed the weapons lying next to them. Rhein didn't stop his movements. He immediately charged at the second Goblin. Larry and Leo followed closely behind, brandishing their weapons as they joined the fray.
Lin Mo didn't wait for an opportunity like last time. Hiding in the bushes, he had already entered his Stealth state. He acted decisively, darting out quickly and swinging the Sword in his hand in a full arc, cleanly decapitating a Goblin.
"Skill Level +1!"
Barely half a minute into the battle, relying on the advantage of their surprise attack, the Goblins were already down by two. Their situational advantage was arguably massive. If nothing unexpected happened, it would take them at most three to five minutes to smoothly dispatch the remaining Goblins. Then they could storm the cave, loot it, and make a fortune.
However, it was often at times exactly like this that the unexpected would inevitably arrive. Just as Larry and Leo teamed up to pin down the other Goblins, and Lin Mo prepared to strike again and instantly kill the next one—
A furious roar suddenly echoed from deep within the cave. This was immediately followed by somewhat heavy footsteps.
THUD, THUD...
Accompanied by these sounds, a Green-skinned monster appeared before the group. It had a muscular build and was more than twice as tall as an Ordinary Goblin. Its body was covered in knotted muscles. Its face bore some human characteristics, yet it also possessed the signature long nose and pointed ears of a Goblin. In its hand, it carried an iron Wolf Fang Club, which actually looked somewhat delicate when contrasted with its massive frame.
Seeing the Giant step out of the cave, the remaining Goblins instantly let out excited, bizarre cries.
"A Mutated Goblin!" Larry's face suddenly turned pale. He was instantly jolted awake from his greed for treasure, breaking out in a cold sweat from sheer terror. "How could there be a Mutated Goblin this far out on the outskirts?!"
Beside him, Leo also wore a look of horror. His previously composed movements suddenly became frantic, and the hand gripping his weapon began to tremble uncontrollably.
Rhein, who had just pinned his second opponent to the ground, was also trembling all over. However, it wasn't out of fear, but anger. His gaze differed from the others. He wasn't staring at the Mutated Goblin, but looking behind it. There, tossed casually onto the ground as the monster had stepped out of the cave, was a young girl.
"Philie..."
From his mouth came a low murmur, much like the growl of a wild beast.