Chapter 110: [Sleepy Knight’s Wristband]

Chapter 110 -109: [Sleepy Knight’s Wristband]

Belte came rushing over, shouting, his face practically screaming, “It’s my turn!”

But sometimes, you just had to believe in luck.

He snatched the pile of ragged clothes and gave it a fierce shake.

“CLINK!”

The clear, pleasant sound of impact rang out as a glittering Golden Shield rolled out from a fold in the clothes and onto the ground.

However, this “lucky guy” didn’t immediately move to pick up the Golden Shield.

He froze again, holding the exact pose he’d had a moment before—hands still shaking the clothes—his face filled with a smug, “go on and praise me” expression.

Just like last time, he was waiting for his teammates’ praise.

Fortunately, his teammates decided to indulge him this time.

“Nice one, Belte!”

“Talk about a lucky find!”

“Woof! Okay, you win!”

Even Laila offered a rare compliment. Pinching her nose, she waved a hand. “All right, all right, you’ve earned your keep. I’ll give you some money for a few games when we get back, okay? Now, get that stinking pile of junk far away from me!”

Only then, fully satisfied, did Belte toss the ragged clothes aside. Placing his right hand over his chest, he gave a mock-elegant little bow. “As you command, my dear lady.”

…

For an Adventurer, the quest reward is often just the foundation of their income.

The value of loot scavenged from a battlefield can sometimes far exceed the payment for the quest itself.

Take the Thorny Wild Boar hunt, for example. The quest itself was only worth 80 Silver Scales, but the total income from salvaged materials far surpassed what they would make from this goblin cleanup job.

Simpler quests, however, had their own advantages.

For instance, the party could complete the job in a relatively relaxed state of mind, without having to be on high alert every second.

Of course, that was all contingent on your party’s strength being great enough to steamroll the targets.

After confirming that all the goblins had been eliminated, the group began collecting their left ears as proof of completion, just as the quest required.

At this stage, if you didn’t want to get blacklisted by the Adventurer Guild, it was best not to try and pad the count with other types of ears—they always had a way of verifying the job’s authenticity.

Since they planned to complete two quests back-to-back, Hulk had prepared coarse salt in advance.

Otherwise, there was no telling what disgusting state the goblin ears would be in by the time they got back to Rose Town from the Dogman Cave.

Hesia picked up a small skinning knife from the ground and walked over to the corpse of a goblin he had impaled with his [Earth Spike Technique].

He had made a mess of things while dressing the Thorny Wild Boar, accidentally piercing its heart, but he figured cutting off an ear had to be much simpler.

He mimicked Laila, who was working nearby, aimed for the base of the goblin’s left ear, and made a forceful slice.

The blade grated against cartilage with a CRUNCH, leaving a crooked, jagged cut.

After a great deal of effort, Hesia finally managed to tear off a piece of flesh with half an ear still attached.

Refusing to accept defeat, he was about to move to another goblin and try again.

“Galen,” Hulk’s voice cut in at just the right moment. “Why don’t you go search the ruins and see if there are any other valuables.” He then turned to Belte. “Belte, you take over cutting the ears.”

“Er… don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning your technique. It’s just that your Magic played a critical role in the battle, so a ‘cushy job’ like scavenging should rightly fall to you.”

As if sensing his explanation was a little weak, he added, “Besides, you can take Bruce with you. With his keen sense of smell, he might find things in corners that Belte would easily miss. Yes, that’s it!”

Although it felt a bit forced, seeing his captain go to such lengths to console him, Hesia had no choice but to convince himself to believe it.

“Let’s go, Bruce. Time for a treasure hunt.”

Bruce perked up and immediately fell into step with Hesia.

However, he had barely taken a few steps before he heard Belte’s grumbling and Hulk’s rebuke.

“Captain, didn’t you say these kinds of cushy jobs were always mine?!”

“Wasn’t that because your technique used to be the worst?”

“You’ve changed, Captain! Your heart is as cold as this goblin’s ear! You used to say it was the highest reward for my valor!”

“Less talk, more work.”

Hesia: “…”

‘Well, at least the captain is still easy on me, right?’

…

The man and his dog circled the ruins several times.

Bruce sniffed around for a long time before complaining, “It’s all just weird bones. They don’t smell tasty at all.”

Hesia nodded. “Yeah. Let’s check outside.”

Most of the goblins from the battle had fallen outside the ruins anyway.

Soon, relying on his memory, Hesia found a Longsword. Aside from being completely rusted, it was still intact. There was no telling when it had been looted by this band of goblins.

Just then, Bruce trotted over carrying a massive arm in his mouth—it was a severed limb from the giant goblin that had been torn apart by the [Earth Spike Technique].

It placed the limb in front of Hesia and pointed with its paw at a black ring on the arm. “This dark thingy feels like something good.”

It took Hesia some effort to pry the black ring free, as it was deeply embedded in the tough, green skin.

A faint pulse of Magic Power emanated from the ring as he took it in his hand. As he cast [Fivik Identification Skill], a ring of faint, illusory text materialized beside it:

[Sleepy Knight’s Wristband]

Type: Accessory (Wristband)

Quality: Fine (Green)

Description: After a full night’s sleep, your Power and Physique will receive a moderate boost the following day. Don’t worry, it will find a way to ensure you sleep soundly.

Tag: Who’s to blame for that Knight sleeping so soundly? Anyway, it wasn’t my fault! But ever since I “borrowed” this, I’ve had endless energy for everything, and I sleep like a log at night. — “Light-Borrower” Pete

[Rusty Longsword]

Type: Weapon (Longsword)

Quality: Crude (Gray)

Description: Inflicts tetanus. Assuming you can actually manage to cut your target with it.

…

After Hesia told his teammates about the items’ effects, Belte was the first to exclaim, “Galen, buddy! When did you learn the [Identification Skill]? This is awesome! Now when we find loot, we won’t have to run back to town and pay those rip-off merchants for an appraisal!”

Hulk smiled slightly, clearly thinking the same thing.

He picked up the rusty sword and weighed it in his hand. “This sword can probably sell for one or two Silver Scales. As for this Wristband…”

“It’s hard to say. The main thing is, without the [Identification Skill], I never would have guessed this thing was a Wristband.”

As he spoke, he tried slipping his arm through it. The ring slid all the way up to his shoulder before it finally caught, looking less like a Wristband and more like a ridiculous shoulder guard.

That’s right. The accessory called a “Wristband” had been stretched into the shape of the giant goblin’s limb.

Laila sized up the oversized Wristband. “An item with a similar effect would normally sell for around one Golden Shield…”

“But this one… I doubt it would sell for even half that. It’s useless if you can’t wear it, and this thing is basically unwearable.”

True enough. The effect was decent, but it was worthless if you couldn’t wear it.

Wait…

Hesia suddenly had an idea. ‘It might not fit on an arm, but…’

“Captain, I’ll take this Wristband. We can say it’s worth fifty Silver Scales and deduct it from my share later.”

“You want this…?” Hulk didn’t even finish his sentence before he saw Hesia take the stretched-out Wristband and slip it right over Bruce’s neck.

It was a perfect fit!

Bruce tilted his head, looking at everyone in confusion.

The black ring clasped around his neck didn’t look out of place in the slightest. In fact, it looked like a custom-made pet accessory, lending him a certain flair that made him look both well-behaved and impressive.

Hulk stared for a second, then chuckled and shook his head. “Well, it suits him.”

…

By the time they returned to the forest hollow where the Land Birds were tethered, the sun was just past the treetops.

Clearing out a goblin nest hadn’t even taken half a day.

After a brief rest, the party set off again, heading deeper into the Gray Mist Forest.

“The next camp is a ways off,” Hulk’s voice called from the front of the line. “Let’s pick up the pace, everyone!”

The forest path grew more rugged, and the dense canopy almost completely blocked out the sun, casting the woods in a dim, oppressive light.

The air was thick with the mixed scent of rotting leaves and damp earth.

Everyone silently picked up their pace. The only sounds were the occasional low gurgle from the Land Birds’ throats and the rustle of their own feet on the dead leaves and twigs.

About two hours later, a hoarse, furious roar shattered the forest’s silence.

Without waiting for Hulk’s command, Laila immediately cast [Eagle Eye Technique] and looked toward the source of the sound.

“There’s an Adventurer Squad over there, tangled up with a Scout Hunter.”

“A Scout Hunter?!” Belte’s eyes lit up. “Now that’s a valuable prize!”

“That’s right. And they’re not holding up well.”

Hulk made a snap decision. “Let’s go see. Ask if they need a hand.”

In a relatively open clearing, Hesia saw an Adventurer Squad locked in combat with an agile, panther-like Demon that was pure black from head to tail.

The squad’s composition looked like something out of a Warrior Faith Group: a Golden-Beard Warrior wielding an axe who seemed to be the leader, two Warriors with Shields and Longswords, and a nervous-looking young man hiding in the back… who was also a Warrior.

The Golden-Beard Warrior swung his Giant Axe with fearsome, whistling power, yet he couldn’t even touch a hair on the Scout Hunter.

The other two shield-bearing Warriors tried to flank the Scout Hunter, but the black Demon ran them ragged, leaving them gasping for breath. They nearly crashed into each other several times.

Every one of the Scout Hunter’s steps was silent as it weaved gracefully between the three clumsy Warriors. It would occasionally fade into the shadows only to reappear from an unexpected angle, leaving a fresh set of claw marks on its opponents.

It didn’t seem to be in any hurry to land a killing blow, merely using its Sharp claws to leave bloody gashes on them, as if toying with its prey.

The Golden-Beard Warrior was clearly at his wits’ end. He turned and roared, “Novel, you cowardly lizard! Stop hiding behind that tree and get over here with your spear! Go stick it in that damned black cat’s ass!”