“Who’s there?”
Lin Mo instantly tensed up all over, raising his sword to face the direction from which the arrow had been shot.
The area around was a small clearing, with no cover nearby; otherwise, he would have immediately slipped into the grass or hidden behind a tree.
“Someone there?”
A surprised voice came from ahead. An adventurer clad in iron armor, holding a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, stepped out from the forest in front of him.
Following closely were a young man with a single-handed sword, an assassin wielding two short knives, and a short-haired girl carrying a white oak bow.
Lin Mo looked at the familiar group of adventurers before him, his expression freezing for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, he had seen them before in the dwarf Edgar’s forge. What a coincidence.
But this did not make him lower his guard.
But in the forest, it was a completely different matter.
There were no rules, no order—only cold interests, magnified greed, and a stage of deceit and schemes.
Especially when alone, Lin Mo would not easily trust anyone.
So, he immediately retreated, keeping as much distance as possible, and kept his eyes locked on the ranger girl. If she made any move to draw her bow, he would run without hesitation.
“Sorry, brother.”
Bern, the experienced adventurer, quickly grasped the situation from the somewhat chaotic scene and tried to break the deadlock.
There were at least five goblins lying on the ground, and counting the one Miriam had just shot, that made six.
Facing six goblins alone and killing five without a scratch, this young man’s strength was definitely no joke!
Not to mention that he was not the type to be ruthless for profit, even so, adventurers with such power could not be provoked lightly.
“We were just passing by when we saw a goblin charging this way. Our ranger instinctively shot an arrow, not expecting it to be your prey.”
As he spoke, Bern cut off the left ear of the goblin Miriam had killed and tossed it to Lin Mo.
Lin Mo did not reach out to take it, continuing to observe them.
This group was a fairly standard adventurer team: a mature and steady frontliner, a warrior, a ranger, and an assassin.
As for a mage…
That noble profession was not something a low-level adventurer squad typically had.
Even apprentice mages still learning basic spells were often supported by many middle-to-upper tier adventurer teams, waiting for them to officially join and become the team's backbone.
Lin Mo’s gaze swept over the young warrior and the ranger—both looked quite young, probably younger than him, especially the ranger girl, who clearly carried the nervousness of a newcomer.
The assassin following behind was noticeably more mature, holding his weapons without hostility but also never relaxing his watch on Lin Mo.
Most importantly, the older man at the front carried an aura of calm and confidence, seeming ready to handle any situation.
Without a doubt, he was the core of this adventurer team.
Although Lin Mo could not see others’ attributes, he could tell from temperament and equipment that this older man was probably stronger than himself.
The bounty for six goblins was a total of six silver coins, 0.06 gold coins—meaningless to Lin Mo, who already held Qingfen Grass worth 3 gold coins.
But the risk of being ambushed while collecting loot... was unpredictable.
Judging a person’s character solely by their expression and demeanor was foolish. Lin Mo was certainly not deceived by the small trace of goodwill on that man’s face.
So…
He did not want the six goblin ears.
Lin Mo made up his mind and slowly backed away from them.
Bern did not try to stop him; he fully understood the wariness and suspicion a lone wanderer like Lin Mo would have toward an adventurer team, which was good for both sides.
They did not need to be on guard against each other, yet still got to pocket six silver coins.
Though this extra income wasn’t a fortune, it was enough for a lavish meal at the Adventurer’s Inn tavern.
However, when Lin Mo had retreated about fifty meters, creating sufficient distance and was about to turn to leave,
“Whoosh—!”
A sharp arrow pierced through the air, emitting a piercing whistle.
The familiar sound instantly made Lin Mo’s whole body tighten; without hesitation, he quickly dove diagonally forward, then rolled on the ground.
The rushing sound cut past him, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind.
The arrow deeply embedded itself in the tree trunk beside him, the sting so sharp it felt like it would tear his skin, causing his blood to surge and cold sweat to soak his back.
If he hadn’t stayed alert and dodged quickly, that arrow would have pierced his chest!
There was no time for fear. Lin Mo stood up swiftly, took a fighting stance, and with anger and seriousness in his eyes, looked at the team still standing where they were—then turned to shock.
The ranger girl had not drawn the sturdy white oak bow at all. In fact, because of Lin Mo’s retreat, the flap of her quiver was already closed. She was looking at him with a face full of innocence and confusion.
Bern was also startled, briefly thinking it was his young teammate’s foolish act. His scolding words were about to slip out.
But after glancing over and realizing the situation was not like that, the experienced adventurer’s mind raced, and the curse on his lips instantly turned into a serious warning.
“Enemy attack!”
Before his voice even fully left, another arrow sliced through the air, this time aimed at the stunned ranger girl.
She still stood frozen, watching the arrow about to pierce her chest from the side.
Fortunately, Bern had already moved the moment he shouted, raising his shield and rushing in front of Miriam, blocking the arrow.
Feeling the strong force transferred through the shield, Bern clenched the handle tightly, his expression more serious than ever.
“Prepare to fight!”
With that fierce shout, the two younger members of the team finally snapped back to reality.
Evan drew his sword, resolutely shielding Miriam behind him. Miriam lifted the flap of her quiver and quickly drew an arrow, nocking her bow.
The older assassin, Kent, had already disappeared into the forest, hiding his form and waiting for the right moment to strike.
So there were others after all?
At this moment, Lin Mo deeply understood the dangers and complexity of the adventurer world.
No matter how cautious he was, unexpected dangers still awaited him.
With no time to dwell on this, Lin Mo hesitated not even a bit, changed direction, and slipped away like a shadow...