Starting with the goblin extermination

On the training grounds in Riverwood, Logan brandished his new longsword.

It was the second day of his holiday, and he found himself unable to stay still and always wanted to do something.

After all, he hadn't tried the new combat skill [Wolf Strike] yet. Like a child who has just bought a new toy, he had to try it out, and he had been holding back for a long time. As for the [Parry] combat skill, he was still in the learning stage and needed to continue practicing to learn it as soon as possible.

A faint red light emanated from beneath Logan's feet.

Wolf Attack

Then a rapid side slide, followed by an explosive forward thrust.

[Thrust]

The longsword transformed into a white light and pierced the imaginary enemy's position, cleanly penetrating the hard wooden stake.

Extremely fast and fluidly executed, the combination of the [Wolf Strike], which incorporates displacement and evasion, and the [Thrust], which delivers a fatal blow, is enough to turn the tide of battle in an instant.

The new ring armor, after being adjusted by Dalark, fits very well. It made no unusual noises during vigorous exercise on the training ground and allowed for free movement, so it will definitely provide excellent defense in battle.

Logan quickly adapted to the enhanced longsword, and even felt more comfortable using it than before when unleashing combat skills.

There's no doubt that he's become stronger.

Of course, he was also aware of his shortcomings. He had not yet mastered the [Parry] skill, and his [Wolf Strike] skill level was only at the beginner level, without any practical experience.

More importantly, he is not a professional.

But it will be soon; he believes that if everything goes smoothly, he will be able to take up his post very soon.

Tomorrow I'll continue the mission with Elsa.

Time passed quickly, and by the time he left the training ground, it was already dark.

After a nice shower and a nice dinner, Logan felt refreshed and opened his bedroom door.

The room was deathly silent.

A folded piece of paper lay on the ground.

......

Two hours ago.

In the underground black market, in a brothel in the red-light district, the stench of bodily fluids permeated the air.

The obese slave trader had just climbed off the woman's belly and hadn't even had a chance to drink water when a dagger was pressed against his neck.

The woman was about to scream when she was knocked unconscious on the bed.

"Don't make a sound. If you make even the slightest noise, you'll watch your own blood splatter all over this mirror." Under her cloak, Elsa's blue eyes were fixed on the greasy, fat face in the mirror.

"You...it's you!" The fat man's entire body trembled violently, cold sweat pouring down his face. "You're insane! This is Blood Hyena territory!"

"Where did that half-elf go?" Elsa pressed her wrist slightly, the sharp edge of her blade gently pressing against her neck.

"I...I don't know..."

puff.

Without hesitation, the dagger severed the first joint of the fat man's right little finger.

The fat man let out a pig-like scream, but Elsa had already clamped her other hand firmly over his mouth.

"I don't have time to listen to your nonsense. I've raised the money, but where are they?!"

"I...I was taken away! Didn't I tell you?!" The fat man cried and snot streamed down his face as he begged for mercy, his words barely audible. "Last night! People from the organization came and took all the inhuman slaves away! They didn't give me a single copper coin!"

"Where did you go?!"

"The outskirts... the abandoned logging camp on the west side of the forest! They say they turned it into a transit point... Damn it! Please, I know everything—"

Elsa didn't listen anymore and slammed the hilt of her knife heavily into the fat man's temple.

She turned and disappeared into the darkness.

......

Logan unfolded the paper, and a few lines of messy handwriting came into view.

"I have personal matters to attend to and my return date is uncertain, so I cannot continue forming a team. Please handle the guild disbandment procedures yourself. Hope we had a pleasant time working together. —Elsa"

Logan paused for a moment, then sat down in the chair.

Why today?

He crumpled the piece of paper.

She was perfectly fine when I got the money the day before yesterday. Why is she suddenly saying she wants to break up today? What happened in between?

Considering the loan mentioned by the goblin Kruger yesterday when he made a slip of the tongue, and her sensitivity to the word "slave".

The answer is obvious: she went to redeem the person.

Logan had recently asked Elsa indirectly if she needed his help.

But the girl clearly didn't want to get involved in her trouble.

Logan had no complaints. He wasn't the kind of pushover who would pry into other people's private affairs just because he was attracted to them.

Since she chose to remain silent, Logan was naturally happy to have some peace and quiet.

Moreover, in Logan's view, this shouldn't have been a dead end.

They just received such a large sum of money two days ago, plus the loans. This huge amount should be more than enough to redeem slaves.

But now Logan is faced with a notice of termination of the relationship.

Logan rubbed his eyebrows and stood up.

This is illogical.

If Elsa doesn't have enough money, she'll definitely need to leverage her relationships with her teammates to earn more.

If there's enough money, the ransom will be successfully paid...

Logan thought of Elsa's stubborn gaze.

wrong.

Even if Logan is no longer useful to Elsa, Elsa would definitely say goodbye in person, not in such a cold way.

That only proves one thing.

The attempt to redeem the person failed.

The target had been moved, and to a dangerous place. So dangerous that she thought taking Logan along would be suicide.

She didn't want to drag herself into this mess, so she planned to handle the rest of the matter alone.

She's going to kidnap someone.

Where will she go?

Based on the information obtained from the previous interrogation of the slave-catching team...

West side of the forest.

The logging camps used by the Bloodhounds as a transit point for slaves.

That's the most likely place.

Logan lit the note on the candle and watched it burn to ashes.

He walked to the door, his fingers resting on the latch, but then he stopped.

He is someone who hates trouble.

This has nothing to do with him.

As a base for the Bloodhounds to transport slaves, the lumberyard must be heavily guarded. Logan, a professional who hasn't even started working yet, would be courting death if he went in.

She's just a teammate; it's unwise to take risks for her.

After all, the last thing an adventurer should do is take risks.

Logan turned around, preparing to take off his ring armor and go to sleep.

But his movements were slow, and slower and slower.

But images of himself fighting the scarred orc uncontrollably kept flashing through his mind.

As Logan was dying, Elsa emerged from behind the orc and plunged a dagger into his neck.

He will never forget that moment in his life.

Elsa could have easily abandoned him and run away alone, just like Logan had the thought that flashed through his mind when he saw her.

But she didn't.

He saved her; she owes him her life.

She saved him; he owes her his life.

Who owes whom? This entanglement will never end.

Logan gritted his teeth and began to make excuses for himself.

A rogue who has faced life-or-death situations, understands themselves, and possesses stealth and reconnaissance abilities is a rare talent. Finding another teammate like that is very difficult.

That excuse is absolutely awful.

Logan closed his eyes, recalling the words he had once spoken to her—

Sharing strong liquor doesn't make a friendship; fighting together against a common enemy is what makes brothers.

She is a brother.

Are you going to break your promise?

"So I'm not going to my death..."

"Grass."

Even he himself doesn't believe such nonsense.

Logan cursed under his breath, put his ring armor back on, and grabbed his longsword.

boom!

He kicked the wooden door open.

Perhaps compared to the calculating modern man of the past, he is now more like a northerner.

Northerners would rather die than abandon their brothers.

I'm so damn awkward.