Free Web NovelChapter 51: Chapter 45: Where’s the Bear?
"Ready, go," the Mage Balrog shouted.
The Warrior Gall, Ranger Shas, and Dwarf Guremang lifted their feet at the same time. Three goblins whose lower legs had been severed wailed as they struggled to crawl forward.
"Come on! I picked you because you look strong. Crawl faster!" Shas pumped his arms, "cheering on" the goblin.
Gall and Guremang watched the crawling goblins with amusement. Shas was bound to lose this "Most Determined" race.
The three goblins crawled forward with all their might, desperate to get away from these Adventurers, desperate to live.
In the end, the goblin Gall had chosen reached the finish line first. Annoyed, Shas fired two arrows in quick succession, pinning the other two goblins to the ground.
"Fucking useless. Cost me money," he grumbled. He took out his Silver Coins, ready to hand them over to their captain, Gall.
"Have you seen a Fearsome Claw Bear?" Gall leaned down slightly, asking the goblin with a smile.
Lying on the ground, the goblin shrieked, waving its hands to drive the Adventurers away.
SHLICK! A Great Sword pierced the goblin’s midsection.
"’Seen it or not, just say so,’ Gall said.
The goblin coughed up mouthfuls of blood, gurgling incoherently.
Gall sighed and severed the goblin’s neck with a single stroke. "See? This is why you should learn another language."
He then took out a Small Knife and a Waterproof Bag. One by one, he sliced off the left ears of all three goblins and strung them on a cord.
"It’s been so many days, and we still haven’t found the Fearsome Claw Bear. Don’t tell me another team got to it first. I wanted to dig out its eyes and make them into a trinket," Shas said.
"Get real, you braggart. If it had been killed, the Guild would’ve posted a notice," the Dwarf said, taking a swig of ale before carefully tightening the stopper on his flask.
"Something’s off. This Magical Beast is cunning." Gall put away the Waterproof Bag and wiped his Great Sword. "Bears are crafty creatures, after all. We just need to search a little more."
"Captain, where are we going next?" Shas asked.
"Let me see." Gall took out a map, his finger tracing over several circles. They were all marked goblin Hunting Grounds, which Adventurers called "goblin plantations."
"Here. I heard no goblins were found here before, so new ones have probably occupied it by now," Gall said, pointing to a circle.
"Not too far, good. At this rate, we’re going to wipe out all the goblins on the forest’s edge," Shas said, craning his neck from behind Gall to look at the map.
"Don’t worry, other goblins will come to fill these ’plantations,’" Guremang said, shaking his flask. His beard twitched as he smacked his lips. "Guess I’ll have to make this last today."
"Let’s keep looking. Our team is strong enough to take down the Fearsome Claw Bear," Gall concluded.
"Alright, let’s move out. Are we playing ’Most Determined’ again next time?" Shas asked.
"Someone hasn’t lost enough money yet," the Dwarf boomed with laughter.
"I’m telling you, that last goblin tricked me! He was just bloated, not actually strong..." Shas argued loudly.
The three walked off, talking and laughing. The Mage, Balrog, had been silent the entire time. He kept his nose covered, carefully stepping around the bloodstains on the ground. He glanced at the goblin corpses, then flung three Flaming Arrows at them.
"Disgusting stench," he said, rolling his eyes.
...
"Thanks for the trouble," Shire said.
"It’s nothing, boss," Little John replied politely.
"Any news recently?" Shire walked over to the goods, looking through the furs and other cargo. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"Those veteran Adventurers are searching all over for the Fearsome Claw Bear," Little John said, moving over to help.
Lately, a bunch of arrogant pricks had been coming and going from the Ear-Cleaning Master Tavern. As soon as they entered, they would kick people out of the best seats, order the most expensive meal set and a large glass of absinthe, and then loudly mock any Ear Cleaners who boasted about single-handedly raiding goblin lairs.
The other Adventurers were furious but didn’t dare say a word, forcing themselves to swallow the insults.
They also arrogantly demanded to know who had successfully collected the bounty for the information. Fortunately, Little John had been wearing a mask and faking a limp at the time, so his identity remained safe.
"I see," Shire nodded. He then took ten long, black claws out of his pack.
"Please ask around and see if these can be made into daggers." He handed them to Little John. "Once they’re done, you can keep two."
"Alright, but normal beast claws can be easily damaged in the process. You should be prepared for that." Little John took the claws and inspected them. He had been a Hunter before and knew that the "parts" from common beasts were rarely sturdy enough.
He even considered suggesting his boss just string them on a cord and wear them as a necklace; many posters depicted Beastmen with similar trophies.
"Don’t worry, they won’t break," Shire said casually. "They’re from a Fearsome Claw Bear."
"Oh, claws from a Fearsome Claw Bear should be quite hard, so... huh?" It took Little John a second to process what he’d just said.
He stared in shock at the long claws in his hand, unable to believe their original owner was the very "headliner" being discussed by everyone in the Ear-Cleaning Master Tavern.
’Were these the claws of the Fearsome Claw Bear—the beast that even those braggart Adventurers, who boasted of their own impossible strength after a single mug of ale, wouldn’t dare face? Were these the claws sought after on the Black Market with a massive bounty, by buyers who promised to erase any and all trouble for the seller? Were these the very same claws that the veteran Adventurer teams had been fruitlessly tearing through the forest under the blazing sun for, fuming in frustration?’
"I’ll get it done, boss," Little John said, his voice calm and his face breaking into a smile.
’He had originally assumed the boss had simply managed to escape the Fearsome Claw Bear’s grasp, losing a few goblins at most. But now it seemed his boss hadn’t just escaped—he’d made off with the claws, too! ’A thief never leaves empty-handed,’ indeed.’
’From now on, whenever those veteran Adventurers came into the tavern, he would gleefully sit in a corner and watch their "performance." If they dared to ask him again who collected the bounty, he’d tell them about a highly skilled Dwarf and Elf pair who once fought to a draw for dozens of rounds—it must have been one of them.’
’This was going to be so much fun.’
"Here’s the procurement list for this time," Shire took out a list and handed it to Little John. "By the way, remember when we first met, you mentioned your financial difficulties. How are things now?"
Shire had asked proactively. He needed to understand the man’s current situation to prepare for any potential changes to their trade route.
"Almost there, boss!" Little John was beaming. "After this, I’ll have enough."
"Excellent. Congratulations in advance," Shire said with a smile. At the same time, he silently invoked the Star of the Domain, marking Little John.
After their conversation ended, Shire watched the overjoyed Little John disappear into the forest, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. ’I wonder if he’ll still want to work with me after he’s saved up enough money. If Little John pulls out, my only option is to deepen my cooperation with Agatha.’
’That would be a disadvantage for Agatha, though, and could increase the risk of her being exposed as a Ghost Witch.’
"What a headache," Shire sighed, then ordered everyone to hurry up and assemble the casings for the Hand Grenade Fruits.
When Red Eyes reported that everything was done, Shire led his subordinates back the way they came.
Some twenty-odd goblins rustled through the grass, first making a beeline for Shire’s original compact den before continuing north.
After more than ten minutes of travel, the sound of human voices came from the distance.
Shire immediately ordered: "Everyone take cover, prepare for battle."
