The morning in Roland Town was as noisy as ever.

The starving commoners woke up early; even if they had gone to bed hungry in the middle of the night, they didn't dare linger in sleep for even a moment, afraid they might miss the already scarce work opportunities.

News had come again last night of several young girls being abducted by goblins. The patrol guards who usually acted so high and mighty had been completely useless, and the town's flimsy perimeter walls couldn't stop the goblins' endless greed.

The breach made by the mutated goblins a few days ago still hadn't been repaired, only hastily barricaded with some fences that the goblins had already torn to pieces...

But the townspeople didn't really care about such news anymore. After all, just surviving required all their effort these days.

The adventurers gathered in their designated area, most lingering around the association, while those not planning to take missions today were, as usual, drinking and boasting in various taverns since early morning.

No matter how tough times got, these people who risked their necks for a living never lacked for food, and some even lived more comfortably than before.

There were plenty of wealthy people in this world, and they were happy to spend a little money posting missions at the association to solve their problems.

In the town's largest tavern, Batora's, the place was bustling with noise and excitement.

"These damn goblins have been getting more numerous lately..."

A half-orc with arms twice as thick as a commoner's thighs rumbled, downing a large mug of ale in one gulp.

The faint aroma of barley mixed with alcohol made him exhale contentedly.

"I took out six of them yesterday in Roland Forest!"

"Haha, with your size, killing goblins must be as easy as slaughtering chickens."

A ranger next to him patted the half-orc's thick arm. "Actually, more goblins might be good for us. Their bounty has increased recently. If there aren't suitable missions, just killing a few goblins each day is enough to keep us in good food and drink."

"But if there are too many, it could become a problem..."

The assassin at their table rarely spoke, sipping slowly from his glass of wine.

"If high-level goblins emerge, it might trigger a catastrophe."

Mentioning this made many nearby adventurers frown. After all, about ten years ago, the Doria Kingdom had experienced a large-scale goblin siege that affected four cities and dozens of towns, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties!

The kingdom's population decreased by one-twentieth because of it!

"Those matters are for the lords to worry about."

The half-orc waved his hand dismissively. "Even if something like ten years ago happens again, it won't affect us much. At worst, we can just move to another city or even another kingdom. We're adventurers - where couldn't we make a living?"

"When that time comes, running might not be so easy..."

The assassin muttered but didn't continue arguing.

After all, it was just more goblins for now. They were still far from having high-level mutated goblins that could unite various tribes and form forces threatening the kingdom.

...

The morning in Roland Forest always seemed so peaceful and tranquil.

After finishing breakfast, the group packed their things and followed the direction where the cursed pattern cat demons had retreated.

"Over here..."

Cody stood on a tree branch, carefully surveying the surroundings. In the previous battle, one of the cursed pattern cat demons had been seriously injured, leaving plenty of blood trails along the way.

This was their biggest advantage in pursuit.

"It's daytime now, that cursed pattern cat demon is injured and can't run far. It will most likely find a hiding spot nearby to rest. If we follow the blood trail, we should find results soon..."

Bern spoke while observing their surroundings, guarding against potential dangers.

Even though it was daytime, one could never let their guard down while in Roland Forest.

Every adventurer learned through someone paying with their life that one must always respect adventure and respect the forest.

Only by remembering this could one hope to become a veteran adventurer like him.

Everything went smoothly. They soon found more blood stains not far away, pointing southeast.

Bern frowned slightly. The trees around them grew taller, the forest deeper - they were approaching the deep forest area.

The cat demons' habitat was originally at the border between the outer and deep forest areas, with the cursed pattern cat demons' dwelling places mostly near the edge of or already within the deep forest zone.

Continuing the pursuit might involve risks.

But as he had said earlier, an injured cat demon couldn't run far, and since it was morning, the risk was completely manageable.

The deep forest wasn't some forbidden domain where death awaited immediately upon entry. The distribution of magical creatures in the forest actually followed a gradual progression pattern. The division into outer area, deep forest, and core area was just for easier understanding.

If they were just entering the deep forest area, it wouldn't be much different from the outer area.

In his past adventures, Bern had entered multiple times and personally verified this.

Within the next five kilometers was an acceptable distance. If they hadn't found anything beyond five kilometers, they would have to give up.

"Speaking of which, isn't this a bit strange?"

Lin Mo habitually glanced at his status panel. "We've been walking for a while now, right? We haven't encountered a single magical creature."

He had wanted to grind some skill proficiency along the way.

"That's actually normal..."

Bern explained: "Since cursed pattern cat demons appeared in this area, and two of them at that, whether goblins or other magical creatures, they would instinctively stay away to avoid becoming food."

"So this area is the territory of those two cursed pattern cat demons?"

"Pretty much."

Bern nodded. "But cat demons are social animals, so there might be other cat demons in this territory too."

"Found it!"

While speaking, Cody, who was responsible for scouting, suddenly sounded excited.

He jumped down from the tree and pointed into the distance: "Right ahead."

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they immediately raised their weapons, preparing for battle.

"You two be careful, keep up and don't fall behind."

Bern cautioned the two younger members.

As for Lin Mo, in his eyes, this adventurer younger than his nephew had already become a reliable companion rather than a junior needing protection.

Everyone held their breath, lightened their footsteps, and slowly advanced toward the direction Cody indicated...