Chapter 304: Three-Way Convergence

"Oath-Sworn Blackwood" is a professional-grade adventurer squad, composed of four professionals with different roles who complement each other.

The human female named "Margaret," who holds the level 4 【Swordsman】 class, is the squad leader;

Suoerding, a level 4 Dwarf 【Shield Warrior】, whose primary duty in the team is to pin down enemies, utilizing class traits to tank damage and create attack opportunities for teammates;

Shajin, a level 4 【Rogue】, who uses the power of shadows to move along the flanks of the battlefield to assist in tactical strikes, delivering a lethal blow to enemies at critical moments;

Yueshuya, a level 1 【Mage】, whose low class level means he has yet to have the opportunity to choose a specialization, but the large number of low-level spells he has mastered—applicable to mid-adventure situations—allowed him to be exceptionally recruited into the team as the "Oath-Sworn Blackwood" squad's rookie.

This team, composed of three nearly level 5 professionals and one rare spellcaster, is almost the most beautiful future that every bottom-tier adventurer in Hegu Town dreams of.

Any one of them, to those adventurers, could fully be called a "big shot"—the kind that people in the tavern wouldn't even dare to speak loudly near.

Given the squad's strength level, the Goblin colonies that bottom-tier adventurers used to have to risk their lives to barely exterminate, or even their nightmares, the "Bugbear," are no longer targets due to the excessively low returns.

But no matter how strong their strength is, their status is still that of adventurers, needing to earn bounties through missions issued by the association to pay for daily living expenses and the bills accumulated from updating equipment and consumables.

Essentially, there is no difference between them and those bottom-tier adventurers; it is just that slightly higher class levels give them more choices.

Right now, having received an investigative mission temporarily issued by the Adventurer Association, the group has ventured deep into the Shihua Xiyi nest in the Mist Forest, searching for possible traces of a Devil.

Although they encountered a little trouble along the way—specifically referring to the Corrosive Monster in the Rotten Root Swamp—they finally arrived at the mission destination without any danger.

And through the special combat technique 【Shadow Veil Insight】 of the squad's Rogue, "Shajin," they followed the faint residual negative energy in the air all the way into the tunnel located at the deepest part of the Shihua Xiyi nest.

Thanks to Saloyang's repeated trial and error over these days, and judging by the intensity of the infernal aura he left behind and the traces outside various crevices and caves, they determined that the Devil they were tracking had shown signs of getting lost in the Underdark.

The "Oath-Sworn Blackwood" squad decisively chose the route with the highest density of residual negative energy and the most recent time, thereby avoiding the encounter of getting lost in the complex and dangerous environment of the Underdark, just like the Devil.

And to a great extent, they shortened the distance between the two sides.

On one side were veteran professionals with rich adventure experience and excellent physical fitness, capable of long-distance trekking; on the other side, they could only rely on a rookie adventurer who hadn't even mastered a "Mastered" level combat technique to move.

If it weren't for the worry that the Devil had discovered them in advance and set an ambush ahead, causing them to deliberately slow down the tracking speed, the Oath-Sworn Blackwood squad might have caught up as early as yesterday.

Of course, arriving now is not too late.

One could even say it is just the right time.

When the group rushed out of the cave entrance, the first thing that came into view were the Goblin corpses scattered on the ground, brutally killed with only fragmented limbs and internal organs remaining.

The extremely thick, bloody, and fishy stench permeating the air made even Shajin, who came from a background as a Rogue assassin, frown.

Then, there was the corpse of that giant Corrosive Monster.

Unlike the fierce and ferocious state when it ambushed them in the swamp, the Corrosive Monster now was almost unrecognizable; the broken pincers and the huge wound on its chest from the shoulder and neck, where internal organs could be seen, already indicated its painful experience before death.

Even its skull had been sliced off from its shoulders and was currently being held in the arms of a black-haired young man, with a short blade piercing through the eye socket, prying the eyeball out from within.

"It's the Devil's aura, on him!"

With shadow energy covering the surface of his pupils, Shajin's extremely serious voice suddenly rang in everyone's ears, and the members of the Blackwood squad also followed the direction he pointed, casting their gaze toward the other side of the field, at that younger, green-faced young man dressed as a bottom-tier adventurer.

"Prepare for battle!"

Making a prompt decision, the squad leader Margaret commanded in a low voice.

The squad formation changed instantly.

The Dwarf Suoerding held his shield in one hand and his Prism Hammer in the other, pushing to the very front of everyone.

Margaret lagged slightly behind by a position, her longsword already unsheathed.

The Rogue Shajin, who was originally at the very back of the team, came to the side, his body flickering in and out of sight in the dimly lit environment.

Protected at the very back, Yueshuya chanted spells with a nervous expression, and a faint magical shimmer could be seen quietly flickering on the surface of his wooden staff.

Naturally, the group would not know the relationship between Xia Nan and Abi, nor did they hear the negotiation between the two.

From their perspective, the two people in front were accomplices.

One was the Devil's vessel, and the other was estimated to be some kind of infernal cultist bewitched by the Devil.

Both were enemies who could pose a threat to the team.

On the other side, from Xia Nan's perspective.

This group of adventurers who had inexplicably rushed out of the cave showed obvious hostility the moment they saw him, clearly not good people.

Throwing down the Corrosive Monster's skull, which he had only stripped halfway, he held his longsword horizontally in front of him, already prepared for battle.

Meanwhile, the "Devil's aura" mentioned by that Rogue couldn't help but make him feel slightly concerned, and his gaze, guarding against Abi on the side, carried a hint of oddity.

Except for Abi, who seemed very flustered after his secret was called out, the reactions of the other two sides were very fast.

When the group rushed out of the cave and lined up in formation under the leader's reminder, Xia Nan had also completely finished his battle preparations, and had even planned the upcoming battle in his mind, finding a breakthrough point.

Kill the back row first.

While the opponent was not yet familiar with his fighting style, he would use the exaggerated mobility and explosive power granted by 【Tooth Hunting】 to solve that enemy who clearly looked like a spellcaster; he could not let them become a trouble.

For this, he could even reveal one or two trump cards.

Then it would be the Rogue; the opponent's stealth ability was equivalent to nothing under the effect of 【Gravity Vision】, so he could pretend not to have discovered it, and then use 【Gravity Etching】 to deliver a lethal blow after getting close.

Finally, there was...

"Crackle."

Not far away, the wild boar set up over the campfire had been completely charred, and the crude rack supporting it finally could not withstand the weight above, collapsing violently, causing the campfire below to flare up in an instant.

The flame light brightened suddenly.

Their gazes made contact.

In a hasty instant, Xia Nan saw clearly the face of the Dwarf standing at the very front of the squad.

Suoerding?

He was surprised in his heart.

The opponent was the same, and the face that was originally filled with caution also carried a hint of suspicion.

"Captain, something is wrong."

The Dwarf said in a muffled voice without looking back.

"I recognize that black-haired one; he's the adventurer who sold me the flail before we set off. I just saw him in the association, his name is 'Xia Nan'."

The situation was urgent and too hasty; Margaret did not have the opportunity to observe too much, so she subconsciously gave the order to prepare for battle.

Now, however, she realized the details on the field as if in hindsight.

Although the two men in front were equally young, their attire could almost be said to be worlds apart.

One side was dressed as the most common bottom-tier adventurer in Hegu Town, with leather armor, a single-handed sword, and a small round shield that was easy to carry; if you pulled anyone up from the White Tit Tavern, they would have this look; ===== CHAPTER 305 =====