NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93: The Trial
"..."
The two members of the gathering team exchanged glances, unsure how to respond to the peculiar words of the eccentric girl.
After all, they had never met someone who referred to themselves in this manner. They could only ignore it and say:
"Please follow us!"
There were clear signs of fighting on the main road. The gathering team had likely realized they were outmatched and wisely chose to retreat to avoid injury.
Meanwhile, the hilichurls who had taken the goods seemed to have headed into the side forest, leaving behind their footprints.
The two members of the gathering team led Nolan and the others along these footprints.
While learning about the battle from the gathering team, Fischl had Oz scout ahead to warn them and prevent ambushes by monsters.
After all, hilichurls still possessed a certain level of intelligence.
Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting vertical beams of light that mingled with the shadows on the team.
Beside them, beneath Fischl's asymmetric black leather stockings, her soft, fair skin was slightly exposed, seemingly able to adjust brightness like a switch as sunlight and shadow alternated with the swing of her legs.
After about ten minutes, they finally reached the end of the forest and saw a sturdy middle-aged man crouching in the bushes at the forest edge, peering out.
"Captain, we're here!" whispered a member of the gathering team to him.
The captain of the gathering team turned around, making a "shh" gesture with his finger on his lips, then pointed outside and whispered, "The hilichurls' camp is ahead. Be careful not to attract their attention!"
Nolan and the others glanced through the trees and saw a makeshift shack constructed of wood and leaves not far away.
Outside the shack.
A Hilichurl Berserker lounged lazily on a hot air balloon filled with plundered goods, with A broadaxe with a glowing hot blade lay beside it.
He seemed to be the leader of this group of hilichurls.
The other Hilichurls had hung up a large pot and placed a small Pyro Slime beneath as a fire source for heating.
They then dumped the robbed wild fruits and caught frogs and rats all together into the messy mix.
Since their ingredients were probably unwashed, the pot contents looked rather murky. It killed one's appetite just looking at it.
"Wasteful! So wasteful!!"
Seeing the food he worked hard to collect being cooked like this, the gathering team captain was quite furious.
"Captain, with the adventurers this time, we can definitely take back the goods!" Another member of the gathering team said.
"Gentlemen, there is no need to trouble yourselves. Please leave this to us."
Oz perched on a nearby tree, wings folded, and said.
"Oh? You don't need our help?"
The captain of the gathering team was slightly surprised, although they were the employer, they didn't have the idea that they should just stand by and watch after paying the commission.
"Well, we are quite strong and can easily handle them, so there's no need to trouble you. It would make us seem unprofessional!" Nolan nodded and smiled.
Then he loaded the Armor-Piercing Arrow onto the adventurer's hunting bow, secretly aiming at the most formidable Hilichurl Berserker. As long as it was taken care of, the other ordinary hilichurls could be left to Ellin to practice on.
"Haha, are young people nowadays all this confident?" The captain of the gathering team sighed slightly, then continued, "Well then, we'll leave it to you!"
As soon as the middle-aged man's voice fell, Nolan's arrow, enhanced with the proficiency effect of "Monster Slayer".
As if ignoring the distance, silently pierced through the bone mask of the Hilichurl Berserker and into its head.
[Defeated A Powerful Enemy, Obtained 367 Adventure EXP]
Although the Hilichurl Berserker was an elite unit within the hilichurl tribe, elites also had their strengths and weaknesses.
It was defeated so easily by Nolan, and judging from the Adventure EXP gained, its strength probably wasn't that great.
Its death was so swift and silent that it hadn't even caught the attention of the other four ordinary hilichurls for a moment.
"Oz!" Fischl's left hand on her waist, right hand pointing at the remaining Hilichurls.
"Understood, Miss!"
Hearing the command, Oz immediately fluttered his wings and shot forth like a night-colored lightning bolt. In a flash he spat continuous electro balls at the Pyro Slime being used as a fire source beneath the pot.
The overload reaction between the Pyro and Electro elements caused a BOOM, blasting the pot and Hilichurls flying.
"Ellin, you're up!" Nolan said softly.
At this moment, several ordinary hilichurls had already suffered some damage, impacting their movements.
It was a perfect opportunity for Ellin to gain some experience in facing multiple opponents.
"Mm!"
Ellin nodded heavily, her excitement apparent on her face.
She drew her dull blade and approached the few dazed Hilichurls alone.
"YA!" The Hilichurls let out an angry sound.
They thought Ellin was the one behind the sudden earlier attack.
Waving their clubs and picking up rocks, they charged at Ellin. She tilted her head slightly to dodge an incoming rock.
Lifting her longsword slightly, she aimed the tip of the blade at the throat of the first hilichurl charging at her with a club.
The red-furred Hilichurl quickly tried to brake, but unable to stop its momentum, its body tipped forward right into the sword piercing its head through.
"YA!"
The Hilichurl behind it jumped up, swinging its wooden club down at Ellin's head.
She reacted in time, but when trying to block with her sword, found it stuck in the previous Hilichurl's head and unable to pull out.
Ellin panicked a little, her movements becoming somewhat frantic.
Just as she thought she was about to get smashed in the head and bloodied, a bolt of purple lightning shot into the midair Hilichurl with a "swoosh".
The kinetic energy carried by the arrow diverted its falling trajectory, causing it to fall to the side and crash to the ground, rolling twice on the grass, completely lifeless.
As Ellin breathed a sigh of relief, she looked in the direction of the purple lightning and saw the eccentric Miss Fischl, who had just lowered her bow.
"Thank you!"
She said gratefully, then pulled out her dull blade to continue facing the remaining two Hilichurls.
"Hmph hmph~ It's nothing!" Fischl flicked her golden hair behind her ear, a proud smile appearing on her fair face. Then she looked at Nolan, her eyes filled with happiness, "The 'Sin-Purging Arrow' is indeed more handy now. As expected of this princess's reliable attendant!"
[Fischl Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 120 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.6 (560/600)]
This was the first real battle using the slightly improved "Sin-Purging Arrow".
(End of Chapter)
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