Chapter 15: Encounter with the Laughing Fiends.

Ethan left the village without wasting any more time.

It was already completely dark outside. The road ahead was barely visible, and the forest in the distance looked even darker under the night sky.

Ethan wasn’t worried.

As soon as he passed through the village entrance, he opened his inventory and took out the Goblin Trailrunner.

The transportation device appeared beside him. It was small and only had enough space for one person. A seat was fixed in the middle, with a handlebar in front of it for steering and a small button beneath it for starting the device.

There wasn’t enough space to lie down or carry another person, but Ethan didn’t need that.

The Trailrunner had been made for traveling through rough terrain, so the uneven roads and forests around Elyria wouldn’t be much of a problem.

More importantly, it didn’t require any energy to operate.

Ethan sat on it and adjusted his position.

"This should work."

Ethan then summoned the Shadow Wraiths and ordered them to fan out around him. The dark figures silently moved in different directions, their bodies blending into the darkness.

Ethan watched them for a moment before pressing the starting button.

The Trailrunner started moving.

The forest was dark, but Ethan didn’t have to worry about not being able to see.

The Shadow Wraiths moved ahead of him, spreading out through the forest and keeping watch over the surroundings. Their dark bodies were almost impossible to notice at night, and Ethan could sense everything they saw.

With them around him, traveling at night wasn’t much different from traveling during the day.

If anything, the darkness was an advantage.

The forest became much quieter as Ethan moved deeper into it. Trees passed by on both sides as the Trailrunner quickly crossed the rough ground.

Whenever a monster appeared, the Shadow Wraiths dealt with it before it could get close.

Ethan didn’t even need to stop.

He simply continued forward.

This was one of the reasons he liked the Shadow Legion: They were exceptionally useful in dark areas,

Ethan leaned slightly forward as the Trailrunner picked up speed.

The other village was still some distance away.

But he had plenty of time.

Or rather, he had enough time as long as nothing unexpected happened.

With the Goblin Trailrunner, Ethan’s journey became much faster.

The rough forest terrain didn’t slow it down much, and the hundred Shadow Wraiths continued moving around him as they dealt with any monsters that appeared along the way. He didn’t need to stop even once.

Two more hours and he would reach the other village.

He continued moving through the dark forest when he suddenly heard laughter.

"Hihihihi..."

Ethan immediately recognized it.

Laughing Fiends.

His hands tightened around the handlebar, and he quickly stopped the Trailrunner.

The Shadow Wraiths stopped at the same time.

Through One Mind, One Legion, Ethan could see everything the Shadow Wraiths could see.

Several figures were moving through the darkness.

They looked like hyenas, but unlike ordinary hyenas, they walked on two legs like humans.

Their bodies were covered in rough fur, and their arms were strong enough to wield weapons.

Most beastfolk Ethan had seen before still used crude weapons, but these Laughing Fiends carried properly made blades and wore armor over their bodies.

They were clearly not ordinary beasts.

They were beastfolk.

And there were more than a dozen of them.

"Hahaha..."

Another burst of laughter came from the darkness.

Ethan’s expression remained calm.

The Laughing Fiends weren’t all coming from the same direction.

Some were moving from the left.

Others were coming from the right.

A few were approaching from behind.

But as Ethan watched through the Shadow Wraiths, he quickly noticed something strange.

Their paths were slowly coming together.

And the point where those paths would eventually meet was where Ethan was sitting.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. They weren’t wandering through the forest. They were definitely looking for him, and the closest group was less than a kilometer away.

Ethan looked around through the Shadow Wraiths again.

"They’re coming for me."

There was no doubt about it.

Ethan wasn’t worried.

Instead, he became curious about why they were looking for him and how they had found him.

Ethan slowly released his grip from the handlebar.

The Trailrunner remained still as the hundred Shadow Wraiths silently spread out around him.

"Hehehehe..."

Another laugh echoed through the forest.

This time, Ethan could hear several voices laughing together.

He looked into the darkness ahead.

Since they were already coming for him, there was no reason to leave.

He would wait here and see what they wanted.

A few moments later, the Laughing Fiends finally arrived.

They stepped out from between the trees one after another, quickly surrounding Ethan and the hundred Shadow Wraiths.

There were more than sixteen of them.

Their hyena-like faces had wide grins, and their yellow eyes were fixed on Ethan.

Some carried swords, while others held axes and long blades. Their armor was worn but well-made, and their bodies were much larger than ordinary humans.

One Laughing Fiend slowly walked to the front.

He was larger than the others, with a thick scar running across one side of his face. He held a large curved blade in one hand and pointed it directly at Ethan.

His eyes moved over Ethan’s body like he was looking at prey that had already fallen into his hands.

"Hehehe..."

The Laughing Fiend grinned.

"Human, why did you stop?"

Ethan remained sitting on the Goblin Trailrunner.

He looked at the Laughing Fiend for a moment before answering calmly.

"To wait for you, of course."

The Laughing Fiends went quiet for a moment.

Then one of them burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Humans really are stupid!"

"He knew we were coming and still didn’t run?"

"Ahahahaha! He actually waited for us!"

The laughter spread through the group.

The leader grinned as he looked at Ethan.

"What a fool."

He pointed his weapon at him.

"You had the chance to escape, but you chose to stay here instead."

Ethan remained seated on the Goblin Trailrunner, looking at them without saying anything.

The leader’s grin slowly faded.

"You’re not afraid?"

Ethan glanced at the weapon pointed at him.

"Should I be?"

The leader’s eyes narrowed.