adventurers in the sewers

On their way out of the city, Louis and his companions made a point of avoiding the adventurers they had met in the guild, lest they notice something amiss and secretly follow them.

Thanks to their excellent senses, they successfully left the city and quickly headed towards Cat's Eye Mountain.

The weather was a bit gloomy today. Although the air wasn't very refreshing, it was still better than being exposed to the scorching sun.

Therefore, the necromancer was no longer as listless as last time, and her travel speed was no less than that of Louis and Dina, who were apprentices of warrior-type professions.

Perhaps they were spurred on by the bounty of five or even ten gold coins?

Twenty miles outside the city, the sewer team left the main road and took a small path leading to Cat's Eye Mountain, where the path became narrow and difficult to traverse.

The road was full of uneven stones, making it difficult for horse-drawn or ox-drawn carts to pass.

Fortunately, all three members of the team were near-professionals, so their travel speed only slowed down, and they didn't feel too tired.

After a morning of trekking, they finally stood before a mountain that resembled a cat's eye snail and was covered in green vegetation.

Smoke curls from chimneys at the foot of the mountain, where several small villages stretch out in a row.

Louis stood on the slope, looking down at the small villages. He estimated that there were at least three to five hundred people in these villages combined.

If all goes well, this wave will not only earn a large bounty, but also bring the progress of the job change quest "Saving a Thousand Humans" to over 50%.

It must be said that the Red Fox Squad is a bit ruthless, but they have a good eye for choosing clients.

Instead of heading straight to Maoyan Mountain, the three of them began to visit the village.

After some questioning, they quickly learned from an old woman that a blond boy had come here a few days ago, saying he wanted to complete the task on his own. No matter how the villagers tried to persuade him, they couldn't stop him, and then he never came down again.

That blond boy is definitely Remy.

According to the old woman, the news has been relayed back to the Adventurers' Guild, and the quest to hunt down the Demon Bear has been reissued, but so far no one has accepted the task.

Therefore, it seems that Louis and his two companions were indeed among the first to come looking for Remy.

Guided by the old woman, they followed the path Remy had taken up the mountain.

They didn't bring a guide because the demon bear's activity range was uncertain, so bringing a guide would be pointless.

"I think Remy is probably really dead."

As Louis walked along the path trodden by the herb gatherers, he sighed.

Dai Na nodded silently.

She had also been in danger in the wild and knew how dangerous it was to be alone and injured in the forest and mountains.

If she hadn't forced herself to return to Blackrock City, she probably would have died long ago in the harsh environment of the wilderness or under the claws of monsters.

Remy has been missing for so many days, and hasn't even returned to the village at the foot of the mountain. His chances of survival are extremely slim.

As the three walked, they observed their surroundings. Before long, three menacing claw marks on a nearby tree caught their attention.

Arriving at the claw marks, Louis examined their depth closely and found them to be four or five centimeters deep, which was quite astonishing.

"There is dried blood here."

Nora pointed to the ground next to the claw marks. Among the withered leaves, there were specks of reddish-brown blood, which looked like human blood.

"Judging from the freshness of the bloodstains, they were left four to five days ago, which coincides with the time when Remy went up the mountain."

Nora analyzed it from a professional's perspective.

"Now that we've found a clue, we can follow the scent all the way there."

"By means of smell?"

Louis glanced around.

He wondered why the sewer squad didn't keep police dogs.

Nora silently pulled a large green nose out of her cloak.

Anyone could tell at a glance that this was a goblin's nose.

Nora explained, "Goblins have a very good sense of smell, almost like dogs, so I made them into wearable, disposable items."

"Once worn, the wearer can enjoy the goblin's sense of smell for an hour. Although the effect is somewhat reduced compared to the original, it is still sufficient."

Louis was filled with awe.

That's why being a shaman is a profession that requires wisdom and knowledge.

Combat is only one aspect of a mage's strength. The real difference between them and a peasant warrior lies in their research capabilities.

Miss Necromancer, could it be that your full name is Nora Ameon?

"Louis, you wear it."

Nora shoved the goblin's nose toward Louis.

Louis was slightly taken aback:

"Why me?"

Nora: "Because I don't want to wear it."

You think it's ugly, huh?

Imagine yourself wearing this green nose and instantly transforming into a heroic goblin; Louis couldn't help but feel disgusted by it.

He looked at Daina.

The blue-haired girl subtly turned her head to look at the leaves falling from the tree.

These leaves are truly leaves.

Well, what can I do? I'm the captain.

Louis sighed, reluctantly took the goblin's big nose, and put it on.

And this stuff really does work well. Apart from a faint preservative smell, he could definitely feel that his sense of smell had improved.

The smell of blood on the grass reached his nose, and he could sense a similar odor in the distance—luckily it hadn't rained in the past few days, otherwise all the clues would have been destroyed.

He led the way, and along the way they discovered more bloodstains, fragments of tattered leather armor, blood-stained cloth, and other items.

Finally, Louis found a very obvious drag mark.

Judging from the huge bear footprints deeply embedded in the ground, the large amount of blood from the dragging, and the slight signs of struggle, the hot-blooded youth was dragged away alive by the bear.

In his previous life, Louis had heard online that bears had the habit of eating their prey alive, and he wondered if bear-like monsters in the other world had similar habits.

I hope not.

After removing the goblin's nose, Louis and his companions followed the drag marks to find their way back.

Half an hour later, they saw a cave formed by a crevice in the mountain rocks. The entrance was pitch black, as if it could swallow a person whole.

"This must be the demonic bear's lair. I wonder if it's outside or back in its den."

"Dina murmured softly."

Nora pointed to a sparse patch of grass next to the cave:

"Look over there."

The two turned their heads to look, and their pupils immediately contracted.

On the desolate grassland, a body torn to pieces lay quietly.

The sturdy, glossy leather armor was shattered, indistinguishable from the internal organs. The gleaming metal shoulder armor was stuck in the torn shoulder of the corpse, the metal surface deeply dented, forming a horrific claw mark.

Beside the corpse, the sword and staff were covered in filth, and the hands that had once gripped them were now open, their skin dry and cracked.

As for the corpse's head, it had vanished without a trace.

Without a doubt, that was Remy.

he died.

"So, I can only get five gold coins after all?"

Louis sighed inwardly.

As expected... real-life hot-blooded teenagers aren't like manga protagonists who can do sit-ups and never die no matter what.

You have to be cautious to survive longer.

Just as Louis was feeling sentimental, suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from the dark stone cave.

The three of them immediately became alert.

The demonic bear seemed to have spotted them.

Without hesitation, Nora pulled out the Bone Rifle and aimed it at the cave entrance.

But then, something strange happened.

The eyeballs positioned in the aiming scope suddenly began to tremble restlessly, the pupils constantly dilating and contracting, filled with a human-like fear.

Finally, amidst increasingly violent tremors, the eyeball burst open with a bang, splattering out a disgusting spray of fluid.

This unexpected turn of events caused Nora's hand holding the gun to tremble slightly.

Then I heard her whisper:

"I think we should run."

Louis and Dina were also startled.

run?

Are they unable to defeat the enemy?

However, they had complete faith in Nora's judgment and did not hesitate to tense up and try to retreat, but it was too late.

A giant bear with brownish-gray fur crawled out of a cave, and judging from its size, it probably weighed over a thousand kilograms.

But that's not the most amazing thing.

What's truly terrifying is that the giant bear's body is covered in signs of decay, and its head has disappeared, replaced by... the head of a young boy.

Yes, a blond boy's head is stuck in the giant bear's massive neck.

The human head had extremely distorted features because two goat horn-like things protruded from the sides of his head, almost bursting his skull.

This scene was not only extremely cheesy, but Louis could also clearly feel a strong sense of threat coming from the enemy.

He had only ever felt this sense of threat from truly extraordinary professionals.

"This bear has been corrupted by a demon."

Nora's murmured voice rang out.