Chapter 12: Dead Line

As one of the most powerful subspecies of creatures like Goblins, Bugbears possess the same treacherous and evil nature as their cousins, and usually appear as the leader of a Goblin tribe.

In this case, the Adventurer Association naturally put this kind of monster into the bounty list and gave a good bounty because of its strength far exceeding low-level adventurers—

10 gold coins.

This is not much.

But if you add the trophies that can be obtained by cleaning up a whole Goblin tribe, the harvest can barely be called rich.

The Bugbear "Hengke" encountered by the Scum squad obviously left the tribe not long ago, and didn't even gather the equipment of his younger brothers.

Even counting the dozen or so Goblins raided yesterday, the only weapon in the entire tribe that could be sold for a price was the morning star hammer in the Bugbear's hand.

Xia Nan tried to pick it up; it was a bit heavy even for his strengthened body, and although it looked scary when swung, this weapon probably wasn't suitable for 【Spinning Slash】, so it would probably only be sold to a blacksmith shop.

But fortunately.

Perhaps because he himself was going out on an adventure for the first time, he had some kind of legendary "newbie luck."

On the Bugbear, there might exist some kind of thing that they, this kind of low-level adventurer, could only look at from afar through the glass windows of shops or auction houses—

That brownish-red energy shield.

In most cases, Bugbears do not possess the ability to cast spells.

Only a very small number of individuals who are favored by gods and are called "priests" within their ethnic group can master some wild totem-like spells.

Obviously, this Bugbear "Hengke" who had been beheaded by Xia Nan was not such an existence.

Otherwise, the first time they arrived at the depths of the nest, the Scum squad would have been wiped out (at least that's what Maji said).

And on the other hand, during the short and fierce battle just now, the Bugbear didn't make an obvious action of using spell scrolls.

Therefore, only one possibility remained.

Magic item!

And the facts were indeed so.

Through Maji's guidance, Xia Nan found a ring in the Bugbear's trouser pocket.

……

【Dead Line】

Type: Ring

Grade: Fine (Green)

Effect:

1. Deflection Field (Active/Level 2): Summon a chaotic field to block the next physical attack of the enemy for you.

Description:

On the night before the deadline, Noel finally remembered the homework left by his mentor.

Remarks:

"You know, my efficiency has always been very high."

——Noel, Excellent Graduate of Star Sea Enchantment Academy, Best Apprentice of Riemann Mage Tower of the Year

……

The ring was silvery-white, as if there was no difference from the ordinary silver rings on ordinary people's hands.

But observing carefully, one could find a few inconspicuous patterns engraved on its inner wall, and occasionally brownish-red light flashed on its surface.

"That's it!" Seeing Xia Nan find 【Dead Line】 from the Bugbear's trouser pocket, Maji was immediately excited.

"This ring is definitely a magic item!"

The expression on his face was the most wonderful Xia Nan had ever seen since joining the squad.

"And it deflected my 【Precision Strike】 so easily; the intensity is not low." He said confidently, "It's definitely not a trick; the enchantment on it is at least a Level 1 spell."

Maji took the ring from Xia Nan's hand and examined it carefully as if treating a treasure, as if even the illness on his body had dissipated at this moment.

Xia Nan was not as excited as the other party, and there were no extra thoughts in his heart originally.

Until he took advantage of the time Maji was studying the ring to search the cave again, and then proposed to leave.

Xia Nan keenly noticed that the other party's expression seemed to have changed.

I saw Maji's originally quite excited face suddenly cool down in a certain moment.

His eyes looked down, swept over his own almost crippled right leg, and then quickly withdrew.

Putting on a gentle smile that seemed a bit stiff, and then, while pretending to be indifferent, he returned the ring to Xia Nan with particular reluctance.

"It's time to leave; the smell of blood here is too heavy, and it's easy to attract other beasts."

He said so.

Xia Nan was not very old in his previous life, but he had mixed in the workplace for nearly ten years and had achieved some results.

He still understood the most basic observation of words and colors.

Therefore, although he didn't show it on the surface, the change in Maji's expression at that moment was remembered by him.

……

Leaving the cave.

Maji was seriously injured and his movements were inconvenient;

Xia Nan was carrying many trophies on his back, and walking was not easy.

Therefore, the speed of the team's movement was not fast.

Fortunately, the other party had the bonus of professional skills and knew the road, making the team always walk in the correct direction.

And there was no need to constantly change routes to track Goblin traces as when they came, just focus on walking out.

Therefore, in just a day and a half, the two came to the edge of the Mist Forest.

And the originally subtle atmosphere seemed to melt into the white mist in the air in the face of the high-pressure environment filled with danger in the Mist Forest.

"Crunch."

Leather boots fell lightly across the fallen leaves, stepping on the branches scattered on the ground, making a sound.

"The traces of human appearance nearby are increasing, we should have approached the edge of the forest." Maji leaned close to the tree trunk, his nostrils sniffing. "At the latest tomorrow night, we can return to the city."

"That's good."

Putting the bundle behind him heavily on the ground, Xia Nan let the two-handed axe (from Gagu) that he had been holding like a hiking stick lean against a tree on the side, and at the same time took off the morning star hammer tied to his waist.

"Day after day, apart from wood, it's grass; my eyes are going to be blurred."

"Hehe, you'll get used to it later." Maji replied with a smile, looked up at the sky. "It's getting late, let's set up camp first."

The campfire was lit quickly.

The two sat around the fire, eating the rudimentary food they carried with them (a piece of hard black bread, a few slices of salty unknown animal meat), chatting one after another.

"How is it, have you decided?" Maji looked at Xia Nan opposite him sincerely and invited, "Do you want to join my squad?"

"Let's talk after returning to the city; you should also need to rest for a while."

Xia Nan looked at the other party's right leg wrapped in bandages and replied.

"Haha, don't worry." Maji waved his hand, pretending to be bold. "I've had more serious injuries than this, rest assured, go to the church a few more times, and it will be fine soon."

Xia Nan nodded and didn't speak.

"Alright, walked for a day, hard for you to carry so many things."

Maji stood up with some difficulty and patted the dust on his butt.

"I'll go check the traps again, but close to the gathering place, there shouldn't be any danger, today you can have a good rest, I'll leave the first half of the night to me."

Xia Nan looked at the back of the other party gradually disappearing into the shrubs, his eyes narrowed.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 13 =====