Chapter 65: Erin’s Racing Heart

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Erin’s Racing Heart

"Pip didn’t see anything."

The little guy squatted next to the campfire, holding a branch and pretending to poke at the leftover ashes from last night.

"Shut up!" Erin glared at him, hastily sorting out the cloth bag at her waist. She used much more force than usual, and a constant clinking sounded from within.

Lorin crawled out of the tent, shaking his still somewhat numb left hand. He glanced at her materials bag with a pang of heartache.

"Let’s eat breakfast," he said.

After eating their dry rations in a strange atmosphere, Erin’s expression returned to its usual coldness, but she didn’t realize that this couldn’t fool Lorin at all.

[...Heart rate accelerating.]

Lorin held back a smile and withdrew his gaze from her hair. He stood up, packed up the Roll-up Tent again, and tied it back onto his backpack.

"Let’s go!"

The three of them continued walking in the direction marked on the map, and the trees in the forest began to grow denser. Pine trees and various other species he couldn’t name were crowded together, making it increasingly difficult to observe their surroundings.

However, the cold weather surprisingly had some benefits. The Mist Forest in the dead of winter had almost no fog. At the very least, they wouldn’t end up walking in circles, even if it took a bit more time to carefully identify the path.

They walked straight for about half a day without encountering anything along the way.

"We should be there soon." Lorin stopped and checked the surrounding terrain against the map. "The map indicates that the camp is near a cave, surrounded by a large clearing.

"There are obvious undulations in the woods ahead, so everyone be careful. I’m not sure if the goblins will have patrols out."

He pointed forward and continued, "Let’s divide our tasks in advance. This way, the chances of coordination issues during combat will be much smaller.

"I’ve newly learned a Group Magic. Later, I’ll rush up first to deal with those goblins..."

"When did you learn new Magic?" Erin asked in surprise.

"That’s just how we Sorcerers are." Lorin spouted nonsense with a straight face. "Don’t interrupt. Just use your Magic for ranged attacks, and make sure to protect yourself well."

"You! Fine..." Erin gritted her teeth.

"Pip, you’re small and agile, so you hold off that Bear Goblin first. We’ll come help you after we take care of the goblins," Lorin continued.

"Okay!" the little guy nodded.

Erin hesitated for a moment before taking a vial of red potion from the bag at her waist and shoving it into his hands. "Don’t die."

Lorin glanced down at it, then looked at her in astonishment. "A Healing Potion?"

Good heavens... had the two of them just snagged a sugar mommy? One look and he could tell this wasn’t some diluted Light Healing Potion. The price of this single bottle might be higher than their entire mission reward. Even though it wasn’t completely full, there was at least a third of a bottle left.

"Yeah, the medicinal effect isn’t that strong. It’ll just ensure your corpse stays intact." Erin took out another vial and handed it to Pip. "You too."

"Thank you! Pip knew you were the best!" The little guy had clearly already forgotten about Lily.

"Let’s go. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can head back." Erin rolled her eyes. This shorty really had a knack for bringing up the wrong things at the wrong time.

The three of them climbed toward higher ground. Large expanses of gray rocks gathered along the surface here, protruding upward to form a Stone Mountain. The high vantage point would make observation easier. It would be best if they could find the camp without a hitch, but if not, they could at least determine their next direction.

"Pip thinks he sees them," the little guy said, standing on a stone platform and pointing down to the side.

Lorin looked in the direction he was pointing. Below the nearby cliff was a naturally formed cave. The clearing at the cave entrance was enclosed by a ring of crooked wooden stakes. Several goblins, creatures Lorin was all too familiar with, were gathered around a large cauldron, boiling who knew what.

"Why are there so few? Did they go out hunting?" he wondered aloud.

Erin’s stamina wasn’t as good as theirs. By the time she climbed up, a layer of fine sweat had beaded on her forehead, which she wiped away with the back of her hand. "Most likely. Demon attacks occur frequently in the winter precisely because food sources dwindle. Goblins don’t hibernate, so naturally, they can’t stay in their camp all the time."

Lorin suddenly felt as though he was carrying a living textbook around with him. He nodded. "This is a good thing for us. It’ll be much safer to clear them out in batches.

"Can your Magic reach that far?" he asked, looking at her.

The Red-haired Mage calculated the distance and shook her head. "It’s too far."

"Then we’ll go down and take care of them first. It’s best if we don’t make too much noise, then we can lie in wait inside the cave." Lorin altered his plan.

They carefully made their way down the side of the mountain, using the trees and messy bushes for cover as they approached the camp.

"Ready?" Lorin leaned his backpack gently against a tree and mouthed the word to the other two.

Erin gave a slight nod and readied her casting posture.

The little guy flashed him a thumbs-up and pounded his chest fiercely with his fists, entering his Frenzy state. His two short legs were Ready to Strike.

"Go!"

The three of them charged out from behind the trees simultaneously.

"You green-skinned slugs, taste your grandpa’s new hammer!" The little guy rushed forward like an arrow released from a bow.

The power of an Excellence Level weapon was even more exaggerated than Lorin had imagined. Pip smashed his Warhammer into a goblin standing guard by the fence. The pitiful creature was instantly blown apart, splattering in all directions like molten iron struck from an anvil.

This scared the living daylights out of the other goblins. They shrieked and scattered in every direction, with some even getting stuck on the fence, their legs flailing wildly.

Those who weren’t afraid of death grabbed their weapons and charged at them, only to be instantly killed by a Magic Missile from Erin.

Lorin swung his Longsword, easily dispatching the remaining few one by one, before flicking the bloodstains off his blade, still eager for more action. These goblins, which had previously driven him to a dead end, were now practically akin to stray dogs on the side of the road.

Seven corpses had piled up in less than ten breaths of time.

The little guy looked around, his Warhammer still smoking. "Pip hasn’t even warmed up yet," he muttered.

"Let’s clear the battlefield first. The Bear Goblin might be in the cave, so be careful," Lorin said.

"I’ll cast a Magic to check." Erin stepped out from behind the trees, glancing warily at the cave entrance. She chanted a Spell in a low voice and pointed her Magic Staff at the opening.

"AgnirIgnis!"

A Flaming Arrow shot from the tip of her staff, trailing a streak of orange-red flame as it flew into the cave, illuminating a massive silhouette deep within.

"ROAR!"

The Flaming Arrow seemed to have struck the creature, prompting an agonized roar of pain.

Heavy footsteps echoed from the dark cave as a burly figure, over seven feet tall, squeezed its way out. This Bear Goblin was even larger than Lorin had imagined. Its entire body was covered in solid, bulging muscle, and its shoulders were as wide as a door.

"Humans... and... shortman?"

Its mouth, lined with two twisted fangs, moved clumsily as it spat out a harsh line in the Common Language. Its two yellowish-brown eyes swept maliciously over the three of them.

"DIE!"