Chapter 122 Not It

Determining whether a Bugbear lived in a goblin lair wasn't difficult for adventurers in the Misty Forest, provided they had a bit of experience.

First and most obvious was the entrance tunnel, which was naturally much wider than those of standard goblin settlements.

Standing over seven feet tall with the burly physique of a brown bear, the first thing a Bugbear did upon becoming a goblin tribe's chieftain was widen the cave.

Of course, compared to their hobgoblin cousins—whose intelligence rivaled a human's—the Bugbears' approach to renovation was far more straightforward.

They upheld the philosophy that "bigger is better."

If not for the tunnels' fragile dirt structure and the sheer lack of architectural knowledge limiting these thick-furred, simple-minded brutes, they might have forced their scrawny, miserable goblin underlings to expand the lair all the way into the depths of the Misty Forest.

Second were the animal carcasses near the lair.

This was just as easy to understand.

Once a goblin tribe gained an elite chieftain, their combat prowess underwent a qualitative change.

Originally, the goblins could only rely on gnawing bark, digging up grass roots, and occasionally catching a rabbit or wild bird. They only ate a full meal if they got lucky and scavenged a kill.

Under the leadership of a Bugbear, their diet undoubtedly grew much more luxurious.

Sambar deer, woodland cattle, a few unlucky adventurers, and even some low-level monsters would fall to the Bugbear's spiked mace and end up on the dining table.

Therefore, if a large number of adult beast skeletons were found near a goblin lair, there was definitely something dangerous inside.

Finally, experienced adventurers like Berg, who had spent years in Rivervale Town, could judge the situation inside simply by smelling the feces and checking for faint traces at the cave entrance.

Now, all of the above signs were present.

The probability of a Bugbear existing in this lair was over eighty percent.

Under normal circumstances, the Greenblood squad, lacking a Class Holder to hold the line, would naturally retreat without a second thought.

But confronted with the exact same situation as the day they met Xia Nan—an overwhelmingly thick stench of blood and a deathly silent environment—the squad's leader, Adeline, made her decision.

Taking Xia Nan with her, she descended into the cave to investigate.

"Drip."

A viscous droplet, gleaming with a sickly green pus-like light, slowly dripped down, splashing a tiny, muddy crown of water against the filthy, damp earth.

Gripping [Azure Pine], his well-proportioned one-handed wooden sword, Xia Nan angled his body slightly, maintaining a stance ready to exert force at a moment's notice as he carefully advanced.

About half a pace ahead, Adeline still took the vanguard, the two iron hammers in her hands practically blocking the entire tunnel.

As the leader of the Greenblood squad, even though no one ever asked it of her, Adeline always stepped up first whenever a challenge arose, leading by example and voluntarily taking the most dangerous position.

It was hard to imagine finding such a responsible leader among bottom-rung adventurers, who madly pursued strength and wealth.

If not for her extreme obsession with goblins, her career would undoubtedly be going much better than it was now.

With [Fang Hunt] at his disposal, Xia Nan's short-distance movement speed far exceeded that of most low-level adventurers.

Although he hadn't explained it in detail to Adeline and the others, after so many missions—including the battle where he instantly killed Gap-Toothed Bennett—his teammates knew he possessed this movement-type combat technique.

It provided extreme mobility.

Coupled with his outstanding combat power, they figured he had already touched the threshold of becoming a Class Holder.

Taking everything into consideration, he was the best candidate to enter the cave alongside Adeline.

As for Berg—

Relying on his longbow, his role as a ranged archer meant his combat effectiveness would be cut by more than half inside the confined lair, severely limiting him.

Staying outside to keep watch with Abi allowed him to maximize his scouting abilities and rich adventuring experience.

His nostrils flaring, Xia Nan stared into the deep, dark tunnel, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

He hadn't felt much while outside, but now, venturing deeper with Adeline, he increasingly sensed that something was wrong with the lair.

'Could it really have been cleared out by other adventurers before we arrived?'

'If that's the case—'

Whether for the squad or for himself, this wasn't good news.

Even though they would receive the Association's quest bounty without doing anything, they wouldn't earn a single copper from the goblin bounties, which were the main source of income during Hunting Day.

For a round trip of four or five days, the quest reward split evenly among everyone would likely amount to a mere two or three gold coins—not even enough to cover supplies.

And without any battles, Xia Nan couldn't work on his most important goal: raising his proficiency with [Fang Hunt].

'I don't know—'

As he pondered this, Adeline, who had been slowly advancing ahead of him, suddenly stopped.

Immediately following that came a roar from the depths of the tunnel.

Roar— It was noticeably rougher and more muffled than a regular goblin's cry. Having experienced it many times, Xia Nan instantly recognized the owner of the voice.

A Bugbear!

However, unlike the rage and brutality he remembered, the roar echoing between the stone walls sounded tortured, conveying an agonizing plea for release.

Before Xia Nan even had time to think, the distinct roar of the Bugbear seemed to touch some hidden nerve in Adeline's heart.

Her previously cautious footsteps instantly turned rushed and frantic.

Though she still instinctively tried to conceal her presence and minimize her noise, she was already sprinting toward the depths of the cave.

Having descended all this way, they were already nearing the core of the lair.

As Adeline pulled ahead, Xia Nan considered whether to retreat or charge in after her, subconsciously taking two steps forward.

The situation inside the lair immediately entered his line of sight.

First, just as Xia Nan had deduced.

There was an adult Bugbear with thick brown fur, as burly and robust as a standing bear.

Wielding a spiked mace, it possessed enough muscular strength to easily smash metal armor, tough skin that an ordinary person would struggle to pierce even with all their might, and a horde of goblin underlings at its beck and call. These traits made the creature an absolute nightmare for bottom-tier adventurers.

But right now, the situation seemed to have changed.

That bloodstained spiked mace, which had shattered countless bones and pulverized flesh, was now nothing but a bare, twisted handle planted into the ground.

Its protruding metal spikes were either snapped off on the floor or bent flat against the mace head.

The head looked as though it had been set on an anvil and repeatedly smashed flat with a smith's hammer, heavily compressed and deformed.

It was like a sheet of iron paper dropped on the floor.

The Bugbear was still alive.

Lying flat on its back, its two thick legs—each as wide as a grown man's torso—kicked wildly against the ground like a fish out of water, leaving chaotic gouges in the muddy soil.

Its murky brown eyes rolled back, exposing striking whites.

In its violent exertion, its jaw clamped shut so hard that its ape-like fangs nearly pierced the flesh of its cheeks, sickly bloody froth bubbling at the corners of its mouth.

However, the fierce strength erupting from its desperate struggle—force enough to flip a Northlands yak—was utterly suppressed by an arm reaching out from behind, wrapping around its neck like a python, locking it firmly in place.

It was a half-orc, standing even taller than the Bugbear.

Like lovers in bed, the half-orc sat on the ground with his back against the stone wall, embracing the Bugbear from behind in a rear naked choke.

A warm, bloodstained hand rested on the top of the Bugbear's head, while another sturdy arm, seemingly forged from cast iron, tenderly squeezed across its throat.

He squeezed.

The sweet angle formed by the flexion of his forearm and bicep clamped down on the Bugbear's neck like an iron vise.

One second, two seconds...

Seemingly controlling his strength on purpose, the half-orc slowly increased the pressure, even though he could have snapped the creature's cervical vertebrae in an instant.

He carefully felt the struggle of the body in his arms gradually weaken, the roaring fading to nothing.

It wasn't until the Bugbear's heart completely stopped beating, its two arms falling limply to the ground, and the stench of excrement wafted from beneath it, that the half-orc suddenly exerted force. With a sharp crack, he twisted the Bugbear's head a full 180 degrees, granting it complete release.

Tossing the Bugbear's corpse aside like a broken toy, a lingering thrill of excitement and pleasure remained on his blood-streaked face.

He stood up, revealing the pale green skin unique to his race and that familiar totem breastplate.

Xia Nan's pupils shrank!

Standing at the tunnel exit, Xia Nan stared at the half-orc not far away.

The figure in his memory overlapped with the reality before his eyes.

He couldn't help but recall the high-rank adventurer squad he had seen at the Adventurers' Association a few days ago, before they set off.

'It's him!'

It was the half-orc who had been standing next to the refined, mage-like man!

His gaze subconsciously swept both sides of the cave.

There was no one else around; only a floor littered with dead goblins remained in the lair.

Whoosh—

A gust of bloody wind carrying a thick, choking stench suddenly swept past him.

Xia Nan felt his hairs stand on end; as if targeted by some ferocious beast, his entire body froze instantly.

Looking ahead again, the half-orc who had been at the other end of the cave just a moment ago had somehow appeared right in front of them.

The shadow cast by the burly physique enveloped him, a chilling killing intent still lingering in those scarlet eyes.

He stared.

The air plunged into a deathly silence.

Immediately after—

A bizarre, almost naive smile suddenly surfaced on the half-orc's face.

The atmosphere shifted entirely.

"You, Adventurers' Association, lair, quest?"

Perhaps having recently left his tribe, the half-orc was not proficient in Common.

He merely pointed a finger at Xia Nan and Adeline, using a few simple words to convey his meaning.

The half-orc's sudden shift in demeanor almost short-circuited Xia Nan's brain.

He froze for two seconds before roughly grasping what the other party was trying to say.

Seeing Adeline silent, seemingly not having reacted yet, Xia Nan responded cautiously and tentatively, "This lair is indeed the target of our quest. But since you have already cleared it out, the loot naturally belongs to you."

Being able to casually slaughter a Bugbear in such a manner meant this half-orc was likely far more than a standard Class Holder; his strength vastly exceeded their own.

In this environment, far away from any town, starting a fight was just a matter of a single sentence.

Under these circumstances, he naturally had to speak politely and avoid conflict as much as possible.

Otherwise, if they angered the man, the entire Greenblood squad combined probably couldn't match a single one of his arms.

As for the loot in the cave, what did a few gold coins matter compared to their lives?

Hearing Xia Nan speak, Adeline finally snapped back to reality and picked up the conversation, "That's right, everything in here is your loot. If you don't mind, after we return, I can give you the quest reward as well—"

Halfway through her sentence, the half-orc—bare-chested save for the half-totem breastplate—waved his hand at them, cutting her off.

"Small money, Volga not want."

That bizarre, naive smile remained on his blood-streaked face.

The half-orc named Volga rubbed his head and turned to look at the corpses of the Bugbear and goblins behind him.

"Goblin ears, sell gold coins."

"You keep, eat, buy meat."

As he spoke, he flexed his arm, flashing the same bicep that had just choked the Bugbear to death.

"Goblin, dead. Volga, satisfied."

Although it was a bit abstract, combined with the man's actions and the current scene, Xia Nan vaguely understood his meaning.

He meant that he looked down on the loot in the cave, so he was leaving it all to them.

Just killing these goblins was enough to satisfy him?

Xia Nan and Adeline exchanged a glance, clearly not expecting things to develop this way.

But before they could communicate further, Volga, who had been smiling naively a second ago, seemed to remember something, his expression shifting abruptly.

"%¥@%#@# (Orcish)!"

Looking like a student about to be late for class, a hint of anxiety appeared on his face.

No longer paying any mind to the two in front of him, he muttered incomprehensible Orcish and took a massive stride with his thick legs.

His burly, muscular figure transformed into a gust of bloody wind, vanishing instantly into the depths of the tunnel.

Only a deathly silence remained in the cave.

A few seconds later, urgent footsteps echoed down the passage.

Abi rushed down, panic written all over his face.

Seeing that both were still unharmed, he let out a massive sigh of relief and panted, "A half-orc, phew... A Class Holder. I thought... Berg told me to come down and check the situation—"

"It's fine." Xia Nan patted Abi's shoulder, gesturing for him to catch his breath. "We probably just ran into him by chance. He wasn't hostile."

Turning back around, he realized that Adeline, who had just been standing next to him, had at some point walked over to the Bugbear's corpse.

Completely ignoring the filthy blood staining her hands, she forcefully flipped the Bugbear over, exposing its back covered in a thick, dense mane.

Her dark, yellow-tinted eyes scrutinized it carefully.

After a long while, she stood in place and let out a long breath.

A faint murmur seemed to echo in the air:

"It's not it."