The corpses had been torn apart, crushed and ripped again and again by some enormous blunt force.

Deep wounds exposed bone. Organs and dark red blood were splattered across the floor in a filthy spread.

Several limbs were bent into unnatural shapes. Some had been wrenched off entirely, leaving ragged stumps behind.

Beneath the heavy stench of blood lingered the rank musk of a wild beast.

If he had not been able to identify a few remaining features on their faces, Roland would almost have refused to believe these had once been human bodies.

The entire hall lay under a suffocating silence.

The smell of blood was so thick it seemed impossible to clear, pressing down on everyone's chest like a sticky curtain.

The usual noisy conversations and clinking wine cups had vanished. In their place was a silence stretched to its limit, broken only by a few heavy, restrained breaths and the faint scrape of metal weapons against leather.

The adventurers, normally rough, bold, and used to staking their lives on blades, stood rigid in place. Some stared pale-faced at the wreckage on the floor. Others leaned against the walls, trembling slightly, their eyes still caught between shock and fear.

Roland's expression tightened. His gaze swept through the crowd and soon found Avril and Galvez.

Unlike the adventurers and mercenaries around them, who had been seized by terror, the two of them did not appear shaken by the ruined bodies on the ground.

They were placing bulging bags onto the counter one after another. Each was filled with monster proofs such as Lizardfolk scales and serpentfolk tail tips, and they pushed them toward the equally composed receptionist.

Roland stepped forward, silently bypassed the crowd around the corpses, and walked to his companions.

"Roland! You..."

Avril's clear voice had only just sounded when she realized her cheerful tone did not fit the atmosphere. She playfully stuck out her tongue and lowered her voice at once.

"Why are you here?"

"To see if there are any new commissions."

Roland gave a brief explanation, then gestured with his chin toward the center of the hall.

"What happened here?"

"From what they're saying, a Bugbear did it. Right..."

Galvez did not even raise his head. He was carefully counting the coins he had just received from the receptionist.

"You should know the dead ones. They seem to be from the Lion-Eye Mercenary Band."

"Lion-Eye Mercenary Band?"

The name stirred Roland's memory.

After a moment, the image of a tall, muscular man carrying a greatsword nearly half a person tall surfaced in his mind.

"The team led by Krausa?"

Roland had no conflict with the Lion-Eye Mercenary Band.

He had only crossed paths with their leader, Krausa, a few times at Adventurer's Guilds in other places.

Because Roland's party completed an astonishing number of commissions and exterminated countless monsters, Krausa had once taken the initiative to speak with him, clearly hinting at recruitment.

Roland had politely refused, but the man had not taken offense and had remained friendly.

During several later encounters, Krausa had even voluntarily provided some information.

Teresa and Avril had already uncovered those details by then, but the goodwill still left Roland with a favorable impression of Krausa and his mercenary band.

For the sake of tempering his techniques, Roland had also sparred a few times with Krausa himself and several members of his band in friendly matches.

They had not exchanged many moves, but it had been enough to leave Roland deeply impressed with the band's strength.

Every member was an experienced veteran. At least four or five of them, including Krausa, had already stepped into the Transcendent realm.

Their combat techniques were polished, their experience seasoned. They were a true elite mercenary band.

But now...

After the bard's reminder, Roland examined the bodies on the floor again.

This time, he finally recognized one.

It was Krausa's sturdy body.

The greatsword scattered nearby, broken into three pieces, was the man's signature weapon.

Roland gave a silent sigh, then gathered his thoughts and asked in a low voice, "Has a new Bugbear appeared nearby?"

Because of the Misty Lands' grim reputation, Roland had deliberately relied on Teresa and Avril's intelligence when accepting commissions, avoiding that dangerous region.

The town they were currently in still lay a safe distance from the Misty Lands.

Before this, neither the notices posted at the royal capital's Adventurer's Guild nor the rumors they heard along the way had mentioned the Bugbear entrenched in the Misty Lands leaving its lair.

"I'm not sure about that..."

Facing Roland's question, Galvez shook his head.

"I already asked this gentleman just now."

The bard indicated the receptionist behind the counter with a glance.

"He doesn't know much about the Misty Lands either."

"But at least one thing is certain."

Galvez added, "There is definitely a Bugbear active nearby."

Roland nodded to the receptionist and asked, "Then do you know the specific location of this Bugbear?"

"Of course, sir."

Unlike the rough, burly men commonly seen in other guilds, this receptionist had handsome features. However, the solid muscles knotting his bare arms silently revealed considerable strength.

As he spoke, he took a fresh piece of parchment from the drawer beneath the counter.

The ink on the paper had not fully dried. This commission had clearly just been drafted.

"This is the intelligence brought back by the last survivor of the Lion-Eye Mercenary Band."

The receptionist's voice was heavy.

"Unfortunately... his injuries were too severe. I invited the best physician in town, but we still could not save him."

Seeing the helplessness in the receptionist's eyes, Roland thanked him, took the parchment, and read it carefully.

"Echo Valley?"

The place name made Roland frown.

They had passed near that valley while exterminating monsters before.

It was an area encircled by steep, low mountains, and the paths inside were tangled and unusually narrow.

Dozens of natural caves of varying sizes were scattered throughout the valley, making it one of the lairs where monsters gathered.

Echo Valley was not far from the town. By carriage, it could be reached in half a day.

No wonder every adventurer and mercenary in the guild looked so grave.

This region had originally been an ideal hunting ground and a steady source of income for them.

Now the appearance of the Bugbear had not only cut off that source of money, but also meant that anyone operating nearby or taking commissions in the area might run into a deadly threat at any time.

Unlike the uneasy crowd around him, Roland scanned the scant information on the parchment, already calculating calmly.

"A Bugbear..."

He murmured softly, his thoughts moving fast.

"Mr. Roland, you mean... you want to hunt that Bugbear?"

Inside the warm room at the inn, Teresa's fingers moved over the hilt at her waist after she heard Roland's plan.

"That's right."

Roland nodded calmly and met her worried gaze.

"But this is only a proposal. Whether we actually go depends entirely on what kind of intelligence you and Avril can bring back."

He paused, his tone firm.

"After all, continuing to accept ordinary monster-clearing commissions at the Adventurer's Guild no longer helps me improve my strength."

The true reason for hunting the Bugbear was naturally to complete the job requirements for [Knight Apprentice].

However, even though their relationship could now be considered good, Roland could not reveal the secret of the occupation panel to these companions.

Fortunately, the excuse of improving his strength sounded reasonable and did not arouse suspicion.

After all, during the past month, everyone had seen Roland's pursuit of strength.

In their free time, Teresa liked searching town markets and taverns for good food. Avril often curled up in bed, enjoying rare chances to sleep.

As for Galvez...

The bard's preferences were rather unique.

He liked using his silver tongue to linger in taverns and sell wildly imaginative stories to drinkers.

Only Roland would take up his weapons and either temper his combat techniques alone in some quiet place or head straight to the local training ground to find someone to spar with.

When no one questioned his explanation, Roland exhaled. His gaze moved over everyone present, catching the subtle shifts in their expressions.

Teresa's worry was obvious.

By contrast, Avril sat by the window, playing with a cold, gleaming dagger. She merely nodded, then pressed one finger against her lips and sank into thought.

As for Galvez...

"Oh! Gods above!"

A dramatic cheer rang out. The bard almost instinctively plucked the harp strings in his arms, his voice rising at once.

"A savage monster appears out of nowhere, only to be slain beneath the sword of a passing young hero..."

He seemed to fall straight into the heroic epic he had woven for himself, muttering until the words became a passionate declaration.

"This is the grand feat a hero deserves! Roland, I support you! We set out first thing tomorrow morning and deal with that Bugbear completely!"

Before his voice had faded, the bard had already put aside his harp and swiftly taken out parchment and quill, writing furiously to capture the inspiration pouring out of him.

"Galvez..."

Roland looked at the unusually excited bard, surprised despite himself.

During this month of travel, Galvez had constantly complained that bards were unsuited for combat, and every time they fought, he only provided support from the edge of the battlefield.

More memorably, he asked almost every day when they could return to the royal capital, his boredom with the adventure written plainly on his face.

Roland patted the bard's shoulder, interrupting his frantic writing.

Looking at the excitement in Galvez's eyes, Roland shook his head and reminded him, "Aren't you afraid the Bugbear will slap your skinny body into a meat pie?"

"Huh?"

Galvez raised an eyebrow and shook his head without concern.

"Don't we have you, Roland? Although the Bugbear described in ancient records is indeed savage, it definitely won't be your opponent. Besides..."

His gaze drifted toward the silent Avril beside them, and he silently added the rest in his heart.

Besides, with this Valkyrie of the Silvermoon Guard present, a mere Bugbear poses no threat at all.

After all, the members of the Silvermoon Guard were carefully selected by the Elven race to fight underground creatures.

"Fine... fine..."

Seeing the words die in Galvez's mouth, Roland sighed and turned to the other two companions.

"Then, Teresa, Avril, what do you think?"

"I have no problem."

Before Teresa could speak, Avril answered.

The Elf girl clenched her fist and raised it high, not a hint of fear on her face.

"If we successfully hunt the Bugbear, maybe Mr. Colin will make an exception and let me join Shadow Veil early!"

The corner of Galvez's eye twitched. His gaze flicked toward Avril.

But just as their eyes were about to meet, he hurriedly lowered his head again, pretending to focus on the notes in his hand.

"In that case... Mr. Roland, I also agree with your proposal."

Seeing that the majority had already made their positions clear, Teresa no longer insisted on opposing it. She only added with a tight frown, "But as you said, we need to gather enough intelligence and make every preparation before acting."

"Naturally."

Roland nodded in agreement, then began assigning tasks.

"Teresa, please go to the Adventurer's Guild and gather as much intelligence as possible about the Bugbear. As for Avril..."

He turned to the Elf girl, who had deliberately straightened her back and put on a stern, ready-for-battle posture.

"I'll trouble you to scout Echo Valley's terrain. Remember, if you encounter danger, retreat immediately. Do not get entangled."

"Understood, sir!"

Avril gave a playful salute.

Roland had long since grown used to her behavior. He only waved a hand and gave a few more reminders.

In the blink of an eye, the somewhat crowded room was left with only him and Galvez.

Watching the Elf girl obey Roland without hesitation and leave quickly, Galvez's brow tightened, and the doubts in his heart reached their peak.

"Roland..."

The bard looked left and right. After confirming Avril had gone far enough, he sidled close to Roland and asked in a low voice, "How exactly did you and Miss Avril... meet?"

Roland, who had been preparing to go out and continue tempering his use of battle aura, stopped.

Faced with Galvez's curiosity, he thought for a moment. Since there was nothing to hide, he told him how he had met Avril.

"It was... that simple?"

After hearing the account, the confusion in Galvez's eyes did not lessen at all.

"What else would there be?"

Roland asked back, puzzled.

"What did you think happened?"

"Don't you think... this is strange?"

Galvez asked tentatively.

"A beautiful Elven girl falls in love at first sight with a human warrior she met by chance? Forgive me for saying this, Roland, but that kind of plot usually only appears in adventure stories made up by third-rate bards."

"Of course I think it's strange."

Roland raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"But I can feel that Avril has no malice toward me. Everyone has things they don't want to talk about. Just like..."

He looked teasingly at the bard.

"Just like how you inexplicably made me the protagonist of your story. I also avoided asking too many questions, didn't I?"

"Hey! How can those two things be compared? Mine is..."

"All right, all right..."

Roland waved a hand.

"I'm going to practice, Galvez. Please prepare the supplies needed for this operation."

After speaking, he walked straight out the door.

Looking at Roland's departing back, Galvez's brow did not relax. It tightened further.