I'm not a Witcher anymore.

The sounds in the woods completely ceased.

A breeze blew from the lakeside, carrying a bit of moisture, slowly dispelling the smell of blood.

Sieg stood among the goblin corpses and looked up at the cave entrance.

The stench of fish and decay was still spreading outwards.

There was no light in the cave; the darkness after the entrance seemed to be frozen in place, and even fire could not penetrate it.

With a slight thought, he took a torch from the Book of Adventure.

A flint was struck.

A few sparks landed, and the dry tinder immediately ignited.

The orange-yellow flame flickered twice, finally illuminating the area near the cave entrance.

Zig held up the torch and walked in with his head bowed.

The cave is not deep, and the path is not complicated.

It's called a nest, but it's more like a narrow passage that was dug out of the mountain, so crude that it shows almost no signs of being repaired.

The cave walls on both sides were uneven, covered with marks left by stones and several scratches of varying depths.

The ground was even dirtier.

Broken bones, rotten grass, moldy animal hides, mixed with trampled excrement and mud, were layered on the ground.

When the torches shone, even the damp air seemed to become stale.

Zig walked further in, his brows gradually furrowing.

After walking about twenty meters, the passage came to an end.

The firelight flickered into the low stone chamber at the far end, casting a dim yellow glow inside.

The stone chamber was small, and the surroundings were in great disarray.

In the corner lay piles of blackened hay and bloodstained animal hides, while against the wall lay several rusted human tools and a few chipped and cracked pottery jars.

But he didn't find what he had expected to see.

There are no cubs.

There were no other goblins either.

Inside the innermost stone chamber, there was only one ewe.

It was tightly bound to a corner with rough ropes, its limbs tied to several wooden stakes driven into the ground, its body forced to lean to one side, with no room to struggle.

Zig stopped in his tracks, and the torch paused as well.

The sheep is still alive.

His chest heaved rapidly, and he made weak, trembling gasps.

But what truly captivates the eye is not its cry, but its belly.

It's swollen so badly.

The thin layer of skin was taut and shiny, and something underneath was bumping and wriggling, causing the entire abdomen to clench in waves, as if it might burst out at any moment.

The firelight fell on the swollen flesh, and even the shadow undulated with it.

Zig remained silent.

The answer is already right in front of us.

In the eyes of these goblins, this ewe was no longer any kind of livestock.

It's just tied here to be used as live flesh to continue producing offspring for them.

Zieg stood there and looked at the ewe for a moment.

It's beyond saving.

For it, continuing to live would only prolong the remaining pain.

Zieg raised his hand and took out a short sword from the Book of Adventure.

The firelight slid along the sword's edge, casting a cold, white glow.

The next second, the dagger pierced the ewe's neck.

The cuts were very precise.

Blood gushed out and flowed down the wool and rope.

The ewe twitched slightly twice, then her tense body slowly relaxed, and no more sounds came from her throat.

The stone chamber became quieter.

But the swollen abdomen was still moving.

Beneath the skin and flesh, the wriggling and pushing continued unabated, as if something was eagerly trying to tear itself out.

Zieg did not sheathe his sword.

He stared at the still-rising abdomen, his breathing steady.

He then bent down, gripped the hilt of the sword, and plunged it into the still twitching mass of flesh.

The sword pierced through the flesh.

He didn't stop, one stroke after another, completely pulverizing anything that might still be alive inside.

Only when the swollen abdomen completely deflated and there was no further movement did he draw his short sword.

Blood dripped down the sword's edge.

The fishy and putrid smells in the air suddenly became even stronger, making one's chest feel suffocated.

Zieg frowned, holding the torch, and looked around the stone chamber again.

The hay in the corner was black and rotten, and the animal hides were stained with dried blood and patches of mold.

He kicked the pile of debris aside with the tip of his boot, revealing even more feces, broken bones, and gnawed scraps underneath.

Several tools that humans had used were lying on the wall.

But the rust had already pierced through them, so they were of no use to me.

There's nothing else here.

It's nothing but filth.

Zig withdrew his gaze, looked away, and turned to leave the stone chamber.

As I stepped out of the cave again after passing through the narrow, dirty passage, the fresh air of the forest rushed towards me, and even my chest felt a little lighter.

He looked down at the left ear in his hand.

Eight by the lake.

There are four at the entrance of the cave.

There are twelve in total.

enough.

……

By the time Zig returned to the border town, the sky had already begun to sink.

The sunset painted the sky with a deep red glow, turning the clouds a dark red.

The guards at the city gate had changed, and two soldiers wearing gray cloaks were leaning against the wall talking, looking rather lazy.

Hearing footsteps, they looked up.

His gaze first fell on the sword at Zieg's waist, then swept over the bloodstains on his body that had not yet been wiped clean.

One of them straightened up a bit, checked him over as usual, then waved him off and let him into the city.

The lights were still on in the Adventurers' Guild.

The dim candlelight leaked through the long, narrow window, keeping the night outside the door.

Unlike during the day, the hall was much quieter at this time.

A few adventurers sat scattered in the corner, some talking in hushed tones, others holding their mead and sipping it slowly, without making a fuss.

Leah was dozing off behind the counter.

With his arms crossed, chin resting on the back of his hands, and eyelids half-closed, he groggily raised his head when he heard footsteps at the door.

"Ah... is there anything I can help you with?"

She recognized the person as soon as she spoke.

"It's Mr. Sieg."

She rubbed her eyes, trying to muster a little energy. Just as she was about to ask, as usual, if things had gone smoothly outside the city today, a few items fell onto the counter first.

Leah stopped moving.

That's the left ear.

Dark green, shriveled, with the edges still bearing traces of blood.

One by one, they were neatly arranged on the counter.

The stench of blood mixed with the goblin's peculiar stench suddenly filled the air.

Her sleepiness vanished instantly.

His gaze fell on the left ears, paused for a moment, and then slowly began to count them.

One.

Two.

Three.

……

Twelve.

Only after counting to the very end did she slowly raise her head and look again at the young man across the counter.

From the time I registered this morning until now, not even a day has passed.

In the border town, anyone who has been a host for a long time knows that if a lone novice encounters more than five goblins in the wild, he is usually in grave danger.

As for twelve—that's almost enough for a small nest.

The vague, strange feeling I had when I watched him leave during the day finally took shape.

It's not an illusion.

This person is indeed different from ordinary newcomers.

"Did you bring all of these back today?"

When Leah spoke, her voice was much clearer, but still a little softer than usual.

Zig stood in front of the counter, his expression calm.

The leather armor was still stained with dark red dirt that hadn't been wiped off, and the steel sword with the cross-shaped handguard at his waist hung quietly. There was no boasting about him, nor any deliberate attempt to suppress his sharpness.

"Is there a problem?"

His tone remained gentle, without any apparent emotion.

"no."

Leah took a breath, regained her composure, put on her gloves, and picked up the left ears one by one to examine them.

The ears are all very fresh.

The cut was clean and sharp, with no trace of corruption, and no signs of forgery or duplicate submissions.

The further she read, the clearer the weight of the descent into her heart became.

This is not a coincidence.

It wasn't just luck.

This clean and almost calm approach to handling things wouldn't belong to a newcomer who survives solely on luck.

After checking the last one, she put down her left ear, looked up, and said:

"Confirmed. Twelve goblins with left ears."

She paused, then added:

"According to the guild's current bounty, it's a total of two gold coins and four silver coins."

After saying that, she turned around, opened the money box under the counter, took out the money one by one, and pushed it in front of Zig.

Two gold coins and four silver coins.

Under the candlelight, the metal edges gleamed with a cold, bright light.

Zig reached out and put the money away.

When the gold and silver coins fell into my palm, they were slightly cool and carried a weight that couldn't be clearer.

This amount of money isn't much.

But this was the first reward he had ever earned on his own since he came into this world.

He put the money away and nodded to Leah.

Thank you.

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the guild entrance.

A night breeze blew in from outside the door, causing the candlelight in the hall to flicker slightly.

Leah stood behind the counter, watching the figure gradually disappear into the night outside the door. After a moment, she murmured:

Goodnight, Mr. Sieg.