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The expeditionary force and the bandit camp were not far apart, separated only by a small ravine between the two hillsides.

The adventurers charged forward in groups of three. Jerry, conflicted, led the charge, followed closely by Claire, while Lindsay trailed at the very back.

Within seconds, the group rushed up the hill and arrived at the bandit camp.

The camp gate was wide open, and various miscellaneous items were scattered on the ground. Several tents were empty and silent.

wrong!

Linsel had found it strange before; logically, the enemy couldn't have failed to notice that the guards and adventurers were gathered so close to the bandit camp.

Everything was too quiet. Had these bandits set up an ambush?

Patrol Sheriff Will also sensed something was wrong: "Something's not right. It's too quiet here. In the past, when we raided, these thugs would usually put up some resistance and then run away. But now, why have they all run away?"

"Maybe they knew we were coming and ran away first," Jerry said casually, flicking his spear.

"Impossible! Our guards' military secrets have never been leaked. Something's definitely wrong here!"

Sheriff Will then ordered the guards and adventurers to search the camp, while he himself went out of the camp to observe the surrounding terrain.

The campsite was built on a slightly elevated hillside, with the terrain sloping down on three sides and leading to the Twilight Forest on the west side.

Will gazed thoughtfully at the distant twilight forest.

"Come quick, there are two big iron cages here, and they're both empty!"

One of them shouted loudly, and all the adventurers, including Lindsay, followed the sound to the camp tents to check the situation.

Between several large stacks of hay, three or four meters high, were two large iron cages. The cage doors were wide open, and the iron bars of the cages were nailed firmly to the ground, making them very sturdy.

"There's blood here! Someone died!"

Linsel walked over and saw many dark red, dried bloodstains mixed with severed limbs, bits of flesh, and bones in the open area near the north side of the camp behind the large iron cage.

Several adventurers couldn't help but vomit, while the others turned pale and pointed at the situation.

"That's disgusting."

"Were they bandits? Are they dead?"

The goblin adventurers had different interpretations of these traces.

"Look at all this scraps of flesh and meat. Anyone who could do something like this is definitely not human."

He sniffed with his flat nose, then asked questioningly, "Can you smell something foul?"

Linsset heard a deep, heavy breathing sound, very faint, and he realized that no one seemed to have noticed the change yet.

"Claire, come here, I feel something's wrong."

The female wanderer was leaning against the tent, fiddling with the dagger in her hand.

"Linse, how can you talk to your sister like that? I'm a professional, after all."

She hadn't taken more than a few steps when her brow suddenly furrowed: "Now that you mention it, my sixth sense seems to agree that this place isn't very safe, but I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong..."

Before Claire could finish speaking, the hill of hay, as high as a small mountain, suddenly exploded.

"Aww—"

Amidst a flurry of flying hay and a deafening roar, two enormous monsters suddenly emerged from the haystack!

They are the size of small hills, more than three meters tall, with rough, oily skin, hard bone plates on their backs and the outside of their limbs, and wearing tattered leather armor. They carry two thick, tree-trunk-like giant wooden clubs as weapons.

"It's a cannibal!"

Scarface exclaimed in alarm. He was closest to the giant monster at that moment, and at the same time, the monster's giant wooden club swept towards him.

"Scarface" was clearly unprepared. The bronze-level adventurer was struck by the immense force and sent flying several meters away.

【"Scarface", Health: 26/75, Armor: 140/190 (Patched Chainmail, Armguard Helmet) Medium Torso Wound】

"Scarface!" "Flat-Nosed" saw his companion being knocked away and quickly ran over.

"Don't touch me!" Scarface refused the goblin's help, wincing in pain as he scrambled to his feet. "Damn it, what bad luck!"

Lindsay looked at the two monsters known as ogres, and their panels appeared.

[Ogre, Monster, Health: 450/450, Armor: 80/80 (Rutted Monster Leather Armor, Bone Plates)]

[Special effect of bone plates: When the area protected by bone plates is attacked, the damage received is reduced by 90%]

It's a new monster!

"Everyone scatter! It's a cannibal!"

The others realized what was happening and retreated, keeping their distance from the two ogres.

"Insects...food..." the ogre muttered in a low, crude common language.

Saliva dripped from their mouths, and their eyes stared at the adventurers present as if they were looking at a bunch of snacks.

"What are you afraid of? Let's all attack together and take him down!"

Instead of retreating, Jerry charged forward with a roar, rushing towards the ogre and fearlessly stabbing its thick leg with his spear.

"Hey kid, don't be reckless..."

Claire tried to dissuade her, but it was too late.

The spear pierced the bone plate in the opponent's leg, and it hardened.

"The bug...die!"

The ogre was enraged, and he swung his giant club. Jerry quickly used his log shield to defend himself, but the immense force shattered the shield.

The Iron-rank adventurer was also sent flying, landing heavily on the ground, motionless.

"The ogres are too powerful; we Iron-rank adventurers are helpless against them!"

The adventurers began to despair, and another Dark Iron adventurer fell to the ground in panic. Another ogre seized the opportunity and slammed its giant club down.

Before the poor man could even scream, he was instantly turned into a pile of minced meat.

"Run!"

"We can't defeat the ogres!"

Just as the adventurers' morale was about to collapse, Will arrived with a dozen longbow guards.

"Hold your ground, don't engage in a direct confrontation! Archers, fire!"

The guards fired arrows at the ogres. Most of the arrows hit the bone plates and leather armor and bounced off. A few arrows pierced the flesh, but caused little damage.

Upon seeing the sheriff approaching, the adventurers managed to calm down and stopped running, but they maintained a safe distance from the ogres.

"Flattened...it's food!"

An ogre suddenly squatted down in front of everyone, grabbed a lump of fresh meat mixed with dirt from the ground with its rough hands, and put it into its mouth to chew.

This scene terrified everyone.

Linsel stood behind the group of adventurers and guards, his feelings a mixture of anticipation and fear.

He also fired a crossbow, and a bolt flew out and pierced the ogre's flesh, seemingly just a tickle.

It's not working. Does that mean I can only use the new trick I just learned?

No, we need to wait a bit longer. We can't use our trump cards so early. Let's see how the others are doing first.