Chapter 118 Pathetic Worm

Xia Nan felt only a wave of annoyance.

In his past life, he had thrown himself into his work wholeheartedly. Toiling under the stars and moon, he was exhausted as a dog every day, yet he never had the slightest thought of giving up.

He knew it was his only path to advancement.

The salary deposited into his bank account on time every month proved the value of his hard work.

He had only wanted to do his job well, to earnestly complete the tasks assigned by his superiors.

Step by step, climbing steadily.

But there were always those few people who, over some trivial benefit or the most minor of conflicts, would inexplicably drag him into their so-called "office politics" behind his back, sinking him into a whirlpool of worldly wisdom and social tact.

They coerced him against his will, sweeping him up into countless absurd schemes.

He had wanted to resist.

But that stubborn persistence deep in his heart had felt so laughably absurd compared to the bills piling up in his mailbox at the end of the month and the deepening wrinkles on his parents' faces.

Now, Xia Nan just wanted to kill a few goblins.

Grind some proficiency, and save up a little money along the way.

If someone blocked his path.

In this life, he didn't have so many burdens.

"Rustle..."

The branches and leaves swayed gently.

His heart was as cold as the breeze in the woods.

He slowly raised his head, his pitch-black eyes as calm as a deep pool.

"Six people."

Xia Nan assessed the situation.

The other party's demand was two-thirds of the loot, along with the equipment on their backs.

Combined with what he had previously learned from Adeline about Gap-Toothed's personality and style, he didn't believe the man would keep his promise and let them go after getting his hands on their gear.

Without the armor and weapons he needed to fight, he would lose the ability to resist entirely.

Xia Nan couldn't possibly hand his life over to this kind of scum.

Battle was inevitable.

Unconcealed, one after another.

His gaze carefully swept over the people around him, judging the strength of these adventurers, pausing a bit longer when it landed on Gap-Toothed Bennett.

"No Class Holders."

They already had a numerical advantage; if there were any Class Holders present, the opposing side wouldn't have wasted words with them here. They would have just attacked directly.

"Two, one, three."

To ambush the Greenblood party in the nest, the six men's positions were widely scattered.

Right now, two were blocking his front.

Berg was standing with his old acquaintance, Kegel.

Abi was hiding behind Adeline. The adventurer originally responsible for blocking Abi's escape route had also retreated to Gap-Toothed's side, making three people there in total.

Pondering for a moment, he reached a decision.

Since battle had become inevitable, there was naturally no need to hesitate.

'Kill without hesitation when killing is called for. Be clean about it.'

Go all out, and deal the heaviest blow to the enemy in the shortest amount of time.

Xia Nan suddenly looked up, his gaze meeting Adeline's.

He gave a slight nod.

He naturally saw the dissuasion and hesitation in her eyes.

It didn't matter.

Because it also meant she knew that compromising with Gap-Toothed was a dead end.

Huu—

He slowly exhaled.

Taking light, steady steps, Xia Nan walked toward Gap-Toothed.

...

...

Memories were like the ocean.

The waves rose and fell, the sparkling surface dazzling to the eyes; beneath the surface, the bright sunlight refracted and scattered, illuminating every single bubble and every ripple left by the surging currents until they were translucent and perfectly clear.

But going further down, all the way to the seabed, there remained only a profound, lightless, dead, and murky darkness.

Very few people could clearly remember everything that had happened in their past.

Especially from childhood, when the brain was not yet fully developed; memories were like shattered glass, leaving only fragmented glimpses of scenes.

It might be a dreamcatcher swaying gently above a crib, or a winding alleyway with no exit...

For Bennett, his earliest impression of this world was a grassland swept by a gentle breeze.

As a child, he would always bring his family's black-and-white spotted sheepdog and sit on the hillside, watching the flock of sheep huddled together below.

He had often wondered why the only ones herding were himself and a dog, while these hundreds of sheep, larger than he was, never thought of escaping.

It was as if some invisible boundary bound them, making them willing only to lower their heads and graze, never daring to look up at the vast sky and boundless grassland ahead.

'Perhaps they're afraid of the wolves outside?' the young Bennett guessed.

He had certainly seen those beasts with their solid grayish-black fur and sharp teeth.

Of course, the one who spotted them first was almost never him.

Even the sheep at the bottom of the hill, who only knew how to graze, reacted a bit faster than he did.

It usually happened on a dimly lit afternoon, or a foggy early morning.

The sheepdog lying lazily beside him would suddenly prick up its long, pointed ears, sit up alertly, and then dart out with a swoosh.

A commotion would spread through the flock, and they would bleat as they huddled together like a ball of yarn.

Only then would a few black dots faintly appear deep within the distant grassland, rapidly closing in.

That sheepdog, with black and white spots like a dairy cow, was very reliable—courageous, even.

Even when facing three ferocious wild wolves at once, it never backed down, growling low as it protected its master's property and offspring behind it.

Sometimes it could even chase those wolves past the hillside out of sight.

Only then would it wag its tail, tongue lolling, and trot back with quick little steps.

Bennett had thought that this kind of life would continue until he grew up, got married, had children, and then had his son take over his current position.

Until that noon, when the sunlight was at its fiercest.

It was the same sheepdog darting out from beside him, the same huddled flock of sheep, the same wild wolves chased behind the mountain.

Yet it never came back.

Replacing it was the shaking, trembling earth, a dense and chaotic, massive uproar... and soldiers clad in black armor surging over the hills like a tide.

A vagrant's life was never easy.

Fighting wild dogs for food, beating people bloody over a small piece of bread...

Bennett felt like he was one of those "pitiful" wolves on the grassland; no matter how ferocious he acted or how terrifying he seemed, he could never touch the flock protected by the sheepdog.

He had also wanted to become that heroic sheepdog.

Of course, he would be a bit more handsome—at the very least, not sporting that cow-like black-and-white pattern.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have used a chisel to smash the head of that thug who had tried to assault a village girl.

But in the wandering life that followed, in order to survive, he had no choice but to don a wolf's skin once more.

Perhaps this was Bennett's true nature.

Or maybe the role of an adventurer just suited his beastly style perfectly.

As he grew older, his body gradually became stronger.

It was as if he had truly fused with that wolf skin, carving out a bit of a name for himself.

Rallying other starving wild wolves, he used the dirtiest, most despised methods to kill the sheepdogs and fill his belly with delicious, tender mutton.

Greenblood Adeline had a bit of a reputation in town, and Bennett roughly knew her strength.

She knew two combat techniques and was close to obtaining a Class Level, about the same as him.

But she had strange quirks; the quests she took were almost all related to goblins.

She couldn't earn much money and was dirt poor.

He had previously contacted her through some channels, inviting the strong woman to join his party.

But she didn't even reply.

They were not on the same path.

Under normal circumstances, it would be almost impossible for him to target her.

The rewards didn't justify the risks.

But a few days ago, Wolf Cub Kegel, who had newly joined the team, had revealed the current state of Adeline's party to him.

Her formerly decent teammates couldn't stand her quirks and had already left the party.

Aside from Adeline herself, Berg was the only veteran left in the entire party.

The two newly joined rookie adventurers were proper greenhorns who hadn't even killed a person before.

They were only good for hacking at goblins.

Compared to his own men, they possessed no combat strength to speak of.

Bennett was tempted.

The wolves on the grassland never despised prey for being too thin.

A sheep that had lost its guardian sheepdog—he just needed to be a little careful not to get gored by those sharp horns.

Flip it onto the ground from the side, crush its throat, and tear open its guts.

And it would be another delicious dinner.

It was just a pity that, after all, she was an adventurer who had made a name for herself in Rivervale Town.

Adeline was a bit smarter than he had imagined.

She had actually discovered his arrangements, disrupting his plan and rendering the several traps he had set in advance useless.

Forcing him to employ his backup plan.

First, he would use words to mislead them, making her subordinates hand over their armor and weapons, drastically weakening their combat strength.

And then... he naturally had no intention of letting them leave as promised.

Adventurers stripped of their equipment were no different from lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

When the time came, the "wolf pack" would swarm them, and Adeline, the only one left with any combat strength, couldn't possibly hold out for long.

Of course, this was only the ideal scenario.

Bennett actually didn't hold out too much hope for it.

If Adeline's personality was as rumored among adventurers, she definitely wouldn't agree.

But it was no big deal.

Six against four.

His own party was full of "vicious wolves" with rich hunting experience, while the opposing side only had Adeline and Berg who possessed any combat strength.

At most, it would take a bit of effort, and there would still be meat to eat.

His fierce gaze moved past Adeline, landing on Abi, who was holding a wooden shield behind her.

His gaze only paused for a moment.

The pale-faced rookie suddenly shivered, as if frightened by something.

He almost couldn't even hold onto the wooden shield in his hand, nearly dropping it to the ground.

Just like those cowardly lambs cowering in the very center of the flock, burying their heads beneath the adult sheep as if that could shield them from the dangers of the outside world.

"Boss, this kid is probably about to piss himself from fright," came the teasing laughter of a teammate beside him.

Bennett's expression didn't change.

Amidst the roars of vicious wolves, frail and cowardly little sheep should naturally act like this.

His gaze moved further back.

Looking at the black-haired young man walking straight toward them.

He suddenly frowned.

The young man didn't avoid his gaze.

He just looked back at him calmly, meeting his eyes.

Bennett didn't find any of the fear or feigned calmness that should have been there.

In that instant, for some unknown reason, those rippleless eyes, that deep pitch-black, suddenly reminded him of the black-armored army that had destroyed his old life.

Formless flames surged in his heart, his thoughts and mind twisting and distorting under their scorching heat.

An overly young face, among bottom-tier adventurers, meant shallow experience and weak combat strength.

His valuable Fine armor only had a few faint scratches on the surface, clearly never having been through any intense battles.

Two sword blades, one long and one short; one of them was even a wooden sword.

Flashy and useless.

He had probably heard some hero's saga from a hack Bard and thought it looked cool.

In actual combat, it was useless.

He was likely some "little young master" from the city.

The thought seemed to bring back memories of his wandering days.

Bennett's mood instantly darkened a few degrees.

The corners of his mouth, which had been split in a grin, drooped silently, his jagged yellow teeth clacking together.

His smile became even more hideous.

He planned that when they made their move later, he wouldn't rush to disembowel the guy.

After all, the wolves on the grassland didn't always wait for their prey to breathe its last before taking a bite.

He would torture him, forcing information about his family out of the kid's mouth.

Then he would eat them clean.

And send his family along to...

"Awooo—"

Vibrating the eardrums, a resonant wolf howl suddenly pierced the air.

It interrupted Bennett's thoughts.

That was the mournful wail of highly compressed air, produced by driving the body with exquisite skill and letting its entire strength erupt in an instant.

Without blinking, without any distraction.

In his line of sight, the young man who had been slowly approaching him suddenly vanished from his spot.

In the air, only dancing grass seeds and shattered leaves remained.

An alarm warning of danger suddenly blared in his heart; the scent of death lingered at the tip of his nose.

He realized something was wrong.

The hideous smile on Bennett's face hadn't had time to fade; the instinct to survive flashed through his mind, stimulating his cerebral cortex and conducting through his neurons.

Racing downward, it tried to command him to raise his arm and block with the iron sword in his hand.

Yet, at a certain moment, it came to an abrupt halt.

A sharp arc of iron-gray light had, at some unknown point, already embedded itself in his neck.

Mind and body, like bone and flesh, were physically severed.

The world began to spin; a rain of blood seemed to fall from the sky.

Bennett saw his own body; he saw the empty space above his shoulders.

And a small section of an iron-gray sword tip protruding from the blind spot in his vision.

Dizziness.

He subconsciously tried to twist his neck to look inward along the blade.

Only then did he sluggishly realize that he seemed to have lost the ability to control his body.

Darkness swallowed the world before his eyes like a tide.

An icy wolf's howl, seemingly carrying a bitter wind, echoed endlessly within his cranial cavity.

Thick tree roots grew upside down from a sky of dirt, and the dense canopy swaying in the wind looked just like the gently breezing grassland of his childhood.

It was only in this moment that Bennett finally let go of the stubbornness buried deep in his heart, the one he had never dared to expose.

No longer pretending, honestly facing himself.

He was never some vicious wild wolf on the grassland, nor a cowardly but united sheep, and definitely not the heroic, fearless sheepdog he had imagined.

He was just someone whose entire life had been ruined by war—a pathetic worm unworthy of pity.