Chapter 215 What a Coincidence, You're Both Here?

"Hoo-rugh!"

A low, bird-like screech that sounded more like a bear's roar echoed continuously from behind, accompanied by heavy footsteps that made the ground tremble and the sharp crack of snapping branches.

Cash gripped his Blue-Gray Stone Spear tightly and sprinted wildly.

On his bronze skin, tattoos of intertwining waves, fierce winds, and conch shells distorted and pulsed with the rapid flexing of his muscles.

The densely packed trees of the Misty Forest were far from his comfort zone.

The thick oaks filling his line of sight were like the irritating giant kelp at the bottom of the sea—they not only blocked his vision but drastically slowed him down.

Even with a wealth of adventuring experience that had taken him everywhere from the Underdark to the Ice Plains and volcanoes, this middle-aged man who had grown up by the sea and advanced as a [Tidal Hunter] could only unleash his full strength on the turbulent ocean.

If there were even a single stream nearby, he could have used his class abilities to easily shake off the Owlbear chasing him.

But now, surrounded by trees, his class Feats were entirely useless, making it difficult to put any distance between him and the monster.

Cash knew he hadn't been caught yet only because of his head start; his actual speed wasn't much greater than the beast's explosive power.

Once he showed signs of fatigue and slowed down, its razor-sharp claws—capable of tearing through steel—would mercilessly shred his body.

'I can't keep going like this!'

Cash gritted his teeth and tightly gripped his last few Fire Oil Bombs, his final backup measure, in the palm of his hand.

Exerting a sudden burst of force in his legs, he leaped up and dove forward.

At the same time, the formidable body control and core strength of a Class Holder allowed him to twist in mid-air to face the Owlbear behind him.

Aim, and throw!

"Boom!"

The blazing fire reflected in his pupils as a wave of warm air rushed against his face. This time, he hadn't chosen to throw the Fire Oil Bomb directly at the Owlbear.

The Misty Forest's damp environment and the beast's burly physique severely limited the fire's effectiveness, preventing it from doing much damage.

Instead, a direct hit would only send the Owlbear into a frenzy, causing it to charge straight through the flames in a blind rage and making the situation even worse.

Therefore, Cash had aimed right at the beast's feet.

"Splat."

The oil and powder splattering from the Fire Oil Bomb scattered across the bushes and grassy ground.

The roaring flames rose up as if from the very earth, blocking the monster's path.

Having just been singed, its skin still throbbing with phantom heat, the instinctive fear of fire deep within its bloodline—along with what little reason it had left—kept the Owlbear from charging directly through the flames.

Instead, it paused, hesitating for a moment before the surging orange-red blaze.

Seizing this hard-won opportunity, Cash didn't spare another glance. He went into a backward roll upon landing to bleed off his momentum, then twisted his body back around.

He suddenly hurled the Stone Spear in his hand toward the forest ahead.

A sharp, piercing whistle tore through the air, vibrating his eardrums. In an instant, the blue-gray spear vanished deep into the mist.

As he sprinted wildly, he carefully focused on his connection with the Stone Spear.

Cash activated his combat technique.

"Boom!"

An immense, inexplicable suction grabbed at his chest. His feet left the ground, and his limbs trailed behind him from the sudden inertia. Like a magnet, he was pulled forcefully toward the distant Stone Spear.

The distance between them was crossed in an instant.

Landing abruptly, he instinctively sprinted a few steps forward and smoothly yanked the Stone Spear out of the dirt.

Ignoring the slight soreness in his core muscles, Cash hurled the Stone Spear out once again.

Using the gap created by the flames blocking the Owlbear, he repeated this three times in succession.

By the time Cash skidded to a halt, panting heavily, the death-knell-like low cries were no longer echoing behind him.

"Damn it, damn it all..." he muttered, sweat dripping relentlessly from his jaw.

He raised his head and looked around, trying to get his bearings.

With the crisis over, his tightly wound nerves relaxed slightly, allowing chaotic thoughts to sprout in his mind like weeds.

After the two of them were attacked by the Lycanthrope in Green Wheat Village, they had confirmed the identity of the target they were tracking—it was the very same Lycanthrope from Xia Nan's investigation quest.

To his surprise, upon entering the forest, they had inexplicably been besieged by a massive horde of wild beasts, and had even drawn in a high-tier monster like an Owlbear. He suspected that this highly unusual situation was orchestrated by the Lycanthrope they were hunting. Although the creature had never displayed such abilities before, if the bastard had somehow learned a combat technique for controlling beasts, pulling this off wouldn't be out of the question.

Looking at it that way, the recent beast riots on the outskirts of the Misty Forest were likely caused by it as well.

As his thoughts raced, a dark look flashed across Cash's face.

Considering the worst-case scenario, perhaps even Xia Nan from their squad—that "Greysword"—was in league with it.

After all, it was just too much of a coincidence.

The target the two of them had been tracking for so long just happened to be the Lycanthrope in his investigation quest.

It was so coincidental that it didn't seem like something that would happen naturally.

And how could an ordinary, newly advanced Class Holder possess that kind of courage and combat power? He had even dared to face that adult Owlbear directly in close combat earlier.

Pretending to be a rookie to accept his invitation and join the Sea Thorn Squad... he definitely had ulterior motives.

However, back in Rivervale Town, Cash had also looked into some information regarding Xia Nan.

Xia Nan had started making a name for himself around last year, and his path of growth was fairly clear. At that time, Cash hadn't even decided to come to Rivervale Town yet, so this probably wasn't a trap set up in advance just for them.

So... when had he gotten mixed up with that bastard?

Or rather, who had leaked their target to him?

Could it be Veris?

No, that woman was in the same boat as him—no, wait, considering the item that bastard was carrying, maybe...

Cash shook his head vigorously, clearing his increasingly chaotic thoughts.

There was no need to overthink it. The most pressing matter right now was to reunite with that woman immediately. With a companion, he would have the leeway to choose whether to retreat for now or push deeper.

He looked up at the sky.

He stared at the dim light filtering through the gaps in the canopy.

The Misty Forest at night was far more terrifying than most people could imagine.

Although Cash and Veris couldn't be considered extremely close, they were veteran teammates who had known each other for years.

Through a few secret signals unknown to outsiders and some unspoken rules established long ago, the two of them had successfully communicated through eye contact and a few subtle gestures in the brief seconds before they retreated, without needing to speak a word.

Because of this, there was no chance of them actually getting separated.

Barely ten minutes after escaping the Owlbear's pursuit, Cash, walking quickly through the dense forest while staying vigilant of his surroundings, heard that familiar female voice.

Along with it came the thick stench of blood permeating the air.

His expression flickered.

Gripping his Stone Spear tightly, he lowered his body, maintaining a posture ready to strike at a moment's notice as he pushed past the tall bushes and grass ahead.

He saw Veris leaning against a tree trunk. In one hand, she held her poisoned Short Dagger in a reverse grip, its blade facing outward and glinting coldly. Her other hand was pressed tightly against her upper abdomen, blood faintly visible seeping through her fingers.

This Half-Drow from the Underdark looked to be in far worse condition than when they had fled the battlefield.

Although not critically injured, she had sustained numerous small, bloody wounds.

Seeing that the arrival was Cash, she noticeably let out a breath of relief.

Leaning her entire weight back against the tree trunk, she let the dagger she had held defensively across her chest drop—though she didn't sheathe it. It remained firmly in her hand.

Seeing this, Cash furrowed his brow, looking as if he wanted to ask something.

But before he could open his mouth, Veris spoke up first. "It was it! That bastard!"

A glint of pleasant surprise suddenly flashed through Cash's eyes.

"It didn't run away? When did it attack you? Is it still nearby?" he asked rapidly, ignoring her injuries.

"That bastard was lying in ambush on the sidelines. I didn't notice it when I retreated and took a claw strike," Veris said, gently shaking her head. She did not answer his questions directly. "Fortunately, the Healing Potion is still working. Once I bandage the wound, the bleeding will stop quickly. It won't affect my combat ability."

Deep within the Misty Forest, between two adventurers—one injured and one in relatively good condition—the target they had tracked for so long, the one promising massive profits, was right in front of them.

Even though the two had known each other for years, they instinctively kept their guard up against one another at a time like this.

Or rather, it was precisely because they had worked together for so many years and knew each other's true natures that Veris hadn't revealed all her information to him.

Seeing the Half-Drow's reaction and realizing he had been too eager, Cash forced a smile onto his face. "How are your injuries? Be careful not to get infected with Lycanthropy. How about we head back to Rivervale Town first to cleanse the curse?"

Veris shot him a glare and sneered. "Sure thing. Let's just ignore the bastard we've been tracking for months and finally managed to corner. We can let it run loose for another week or two and head back out once I've fully healed up in town. How about that?"

"Stop spouting your fucking bullshit!" she cursed, rapidly treating the wound on her upper abdomen, wrapping bandages around it layer after layer while spitting out the foulest profanities from the Underdark. "Hurry up and catch that bastard. Once we get our hands on the item it's holding, I can lie in bed for the rest of my life if I want to."

Hearing her say that, Cash dropped the act and completely wiped the smile from his face.

Taking advantage of the time she spent treating her wound, he shared his intel. "I suspect the berserk state of the beasts in the forest, including the horde just now and that Owlbear, was all being guided by 'it' from behind the scenes."

"That is indeed a possibility," Veris replied without looking up. Although her right hand was holding a roll of bandages, the muscles in her forearm were tense; with her speed, she could snatch up the dagger resting by her side in less than half a second.

"When it ambushed me just now, it seemed like it had been lying in wait for a long time. It was likely premeditated."

"Yeah, as long as you're aware," Cash said, his gaze constantly sweeping over the bushes on both sides, alert to any movement.

"Also, I suspect Xia Nan might be involved in this incident."

"Him?" Veris's brow twitched upward, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes. "Why?"

"Otherwise, all of this is just too much of a coincidence. Don't you think?"

He didn't need to say much more. As an experienced veteran adventurer, Cash only had to offer a slight hint for Veris to immediately sense the suspicious aspects of the situation.

"Motherfucker, is that brat really playing tricks behind our backs?" she cursed.

The sudden revelation of the Lycanthrope's tracks and the appearance of their long-tracked target had actually made her overlook this connection.

Now that Cash brought it up, she couldn't help but grow suspicious of Xia Nan as well.

Over the past month and a half, ever since that Nightwalker Wolf mission, she had secretly been keeping a close eye on the black-haired young man who had joined their squad midway.

She knew his strength was far greater than what one would expect from a rookie, and there were many times when she wondered if Xia Nan had been lying to her.

But during their adventures, he had also made plenty of mistakes that only a complete novice would make, and he had displayed an extreme lack of knowledge regarding information about Class Holders.

It didn't look like an act.

Cash's theory, however, cast a layer of fog over Xia Nan's image in her mind, making him impossible to read.

But with things having progressed to this point, it didn't matter anymore.

Their target, that Lycanthrope, was nearby, and Xia Nan was already separated from the squad.

In a forest this massive, without prior planning, it would be extremely difficult to run into him again.

Whether he lived or died out here was no longer any of their concern.

Veris had many wounds on her body, but the vast majority were merely superficial. The only one requiring proper treatment was the gash on her abdomen left by the Lycanthrope's claw.

It took only a few minutes to finish patching it up.

Under normal circumstances, if a proper Adventurer Squad encountered a formidable enemy like an Owlbear during a mission—resulting in their numbers being halved and the remaining two members sustaining varying degrees of injuries—they would have one, and only one, choice: retreat immediately.

Right now, however, neither Cash nor Veris felt the slightest hesitation about continuing deeper into the forest to hunt down their target.

They had even cast aside any thoughts of the Owlbear that might still be pursuing them, or the berserk beast hordes roaming the forest.

The reason for this—assuming the two weren't under the influence of some mind-control spell—was that their expected haul was simply far too massive. It was massive enough to make teammates who had known each other for years guard against one another at the final hurdle, and massive enough to completely overshadow all the risks involved.

And just as Veris finished treating her wound and the two prepared to set out...

"Rustle—"

The sound of something brushing against the nearby bushes suddenly rang out.

Under their vigilant and guarded gazes, the first thing to catch their eyes was a flash of iron-gray sword light.

The thorny branches blocking the path were cleanly severed. Accompanied by a staggeringly thick stench of blood, framed against a backdrop of shredded meat and grass clippings, a pair of pale, grayish-white leg guards slowly stepped forward. Thick leather boots, drenched in so much blood they were almost dyed scarlet, touched down on the rotting leaves and soil.

Xia Nan looked at the two people in front of him, grinning to reveal his stark white teeth.

"What a coincidence, you're both here?"