Chapter 869

Chapter 869: The Girl in the Forest

“Quick! Don’t let it escape.”

Urgent cries echoed through the woodland. Several adventurers clad in light leather armor dashed and leaped over obstacles, pushing aside obstructive underbrush, chasing after the shadow that was about to disappear from their sight.

They had been tasked with hunting down three black ironclaw wolves. However, one managed to escape during the trap setting. These demonic beasts were cunning creatures; if they didn’t catch this one now, it would be much harder to find it again.

The reward for the task was based on the number of demonic beast corpses reported. Losing one meant they wouldn’t complete the mission and would only receive a small portion of the reward—a significant loss.

Ignoring the wood thorns that could cut their hands, they stumbled along the rugged path, occasionally shooting crossbow bolts with barbed tips, hoping to slow down the ironclaw wolf.

But unfortunately, four legs were far more convenient in the forest. Soon, the adventurers fell behind, and the black wolf gradually vanished from view.

“Damn it, can’t catch up?” One of them panted heavily, slowing his pace. His companion also slowed down.

Howling—

Just as they considered giving up, they heard the mournful howl of the black wolf followed by the sound of it crashing through the foliage.

Had someone else intercepted it? The adventurers thought so, exchanged glances, and quickened their pace, rushing forward.

Parting the thick undergrowth, they finally saw what was happening in the clearing. A young lady stood there, her long sword still stained with blood, while the wolf lay motionless nearby.

“Thank you. We’ve been chasing this wolf for a long time and almost lost it,” one of the adventurers said, stepping forward.

“According to our mission, we need to capture three ironclaw wolves. This is the last one. Since it’s part of our task, could we have its body? Of course, we’ll compensate you at market value,” said another adventurer wearing a flat cap.

Compared to the enthusiastic adventurer, the young lady was rather cold. She glanced at the wolf, nodded, but remained silent.

Seeing her quiet demeanor, the adventurers weren’t too surprised. After all, they had encountered all sorts of people during their travels. This one was relatively easy to deal with, but they feared she might not respond at all.

After calculating the amount of money needed, several adventurers gathered a small pouch and placed it in front of the young lady, then prepared to drag the wolf’s corpse.

But before the adventurer could touch the wolf’s body, a sharp sword suddenly stabbed out, grazing his cheek and embedding itself in the underbrush. Immediately, a burning and stinging sensation spread across his face; he didn’t need to think to know that his skin was scratched, almost costing him his life.

“You!”

The adventurer was both startled and enraged, but before he could continue speaking, the young lady rushed into the woods. Soon after, the sound of metal clashing echoed through the forest.

It was then they realized that the young lady was fighting an odd long snake.

Compared to an ordinary snake, this strange serpent wasn’t much larger, but its scales were a kaleidoscope of colors, like some kind of peculiar metal, reflecting changing hues in the sunlight. When the young lady’s sword struck the snake’s body, it made a clanging noise, akin to hammering metal.

In another clash, the snake’s tail swept past the young lady’s side, though she dodged it, it hit a tree trunk, snapping it clean. With a creak, the tree slowly fell, bringing down a cascade of branches and twigs. Seeing this, the adventurers had no choice but to move their feet, avoiding the area.

With the cover of the trees gone, they could see more clearly. Each time the young lady’s sword struck the snake’s body, tiny sparks would fly, leaving a faint white mark. Then the snake would coil around the blade, preparing to launch a close attack on her.

Thanks to her exquisite sword skills, the young lady managed to throw the snake off, preventing it from biting her. But unfortunately, unable to break its defense for too long, her stamina had already greatly diminished.

From the increasingly labored breathing, the adventurers could tell that the young lady was gradually losing ground. They also knew their own limits; the highest among them was only Sequence 3, which wasn’t effective against this special Sequence 4 demonic beast.

Hesitating, they exchanged glances and began dragging the wolf’s corpse backward, moving slowly at first, then accelerating as they retreated further, eventually running out of the area.

Sorry, we can’t help you. This was their thought as they left, but before departing, they called out to the young lady, urging her to escape while she still could, showing their final bit of goodwill.

“Run quickly, you can’t win.”

They were experienced adventurers, and fleeing wasn’t considered dishonorable.

As they moved away, the sounds behind them grew quieter until they crested a hill.

They could no longer see that area and only managed to stop just in time, leaning against a nearby stone to catch their breath.

“The wolf is really heavy,” one of the sturdy adventurers said as he took the carcass off his shoulder and threw it aside before collapsing onto the ground.

“Is there any water? I’m about to die of thirst,” he shouted hoarsely, his voice weak.

“There isn’t any left. We should be grateful we managed to escape at all.”

“This forest is getting more dangerous by the day. I think we need to talk to the Adventurer’s Hall and ask them to raise the rating.”

“Exactly. If that girl hadn’t been there this time, we might have been harmed by that strange snake.”

“Haha, we were lucky to escape with our lives. This job may come with good pay, but it’s truly a matter of life and death, with accidents always lurking around the corner.”

“I hope I can advance to Sequence 4 soon. Then I can join a reliable organization and wouldn’t have to face such danger.”

“It’s difficult. Our unorthodox methods make it hard to progress. The injuries and obstacles we’ve accumulated over time make it even harder to improve.”

“There aren’t enough good teachers. Those masters from various factions are very strict when taking on apprentices. Unless you’re wealthy, it’s almost impossible to receive their guidance.”

“Common people’s only hope lies in Emanas. It’s truly a path to the heavens, but unfortunately…”

“Unfortunately, we shouldn’t dream about it. Countless descendants of major organizations and masters struggle to enter Emanas. The slots are too precious, and there are age restrictions.”

The group sat on the ground, chatting casually. Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the nearby woods, making them instantly alert. They all grabbed their weapons and watched the forest nervously.

“Alright, I understand. Don’t go too far,” a clear and ethereal young lady’s voice echoed from the woods. Immediately after, a small black-and-white animal emerged from the bushes and appeared in front of them.

“What is this?” they looked at the animal, which resembled a raccoon, then saw a girl in silver armor parting the bushes and stepping out.

Seeing them, the girl bowed and greeted them.

“Hello, I heard some loud noises and came over. What happened?”

Her golden hair was tied up at the back, with a few strands falling softly over her shoulders. In the sparse sunlight filtering through the trees, her appearance left them speechless for a long moment before they slowly responded.

(The End of Chapter)