I Have a Task Log

Their officer was pinned down by the two-meter-tall, frenzied Half-Orc, and to make matters worse, their opponent’s mysterious Evil Skill was devastatingly powerful.

Seeing this, the goblins didn’t hesitate. They dropped their weapons, turned, and fled, not giving a damn about the hobgoblins’ fate. They knew full well the difference between dying now and dying later.

As Colin was Casting, Ale’s chanting never stopped.

A golden point of light the size of an egg fell among the hobgoblins.

BOOM!

For a moment, a golden radiance illuminated the entire tunnel.

When the light faded, only their officer was left standing, barely holding himself up.

The hobgoblin propped himself up with his Long Sword, his Armor covered in gashes. He clearly had no strength left to resist.

"Looks like it’s my turn to make the rules now," Colin said, shrugging at the Hobgoblin officer.

The creature’s eyes had been blinded by the intense light of the Fireball Technique; he couldn’t even shed a tear.

He could do nothing but let out pained groans.

Colin had no interest in torturing his opponent, so he ended the Hobgoblin’s life in an instant.

He glanced back and saw his companions were in fairly good condition.

Because Orelia had immediately raised her shield in front of Ale, neither of them was injured. Kase, who had been at the front, was in a sorrier state, with several Arrows sticking out of his shoulder.

"Alright, let’s grab the loot. The sooner we leave, the better," Dorn said. "I’d rather not get trapped down here for a life-or-death battle against dozens of hobgoblins."

Without a word, Kase grabbed the Climbing Rope and began to climb over the stockade wall.

"Aren’t you going to bandage that first?"

Colin shouted. Kase yelled back in a booming voice, "Just hurry and grab the stuff! I know my own body."

’With a constitution like his, this probably counts as a minor injury.’

Colin looked back at Orelia and shrugged. The group then quickly began to gather the loot from the ground.

A moment later, the thick gate in the stockade creaked open, revealing the Half-Orc’s rather unattractive face.

Kase looked at the others and bellowed, "Are you done gathering everything?"

"Alright, we’re ready to go," Colin said, stuffing the hobgoblins’ things into the Dimension Bag.

Since Dorn had picked up a lot of mushrooms and various animal parts along the way, the bag was already full. They had to toss out the corpses of two giant rats just to barely cram all the equipment inside.

"Quick, follow me," Dorn said, leading the group through the gate.

Beyond the stockade wall was a three-way fork. One path was clear, while the other was blocked by another stockade, its gate already opened by Kase.

Between the two stockades were a few small shacks cobbled together from mushroom planks. One look at the crude craftsmanship told you it was the work of goblins.

The group exited through the other gate and ran straight down the tunnel.

The party hurried on for several hundred meters.

Colin, focused on making haste, glanced back and saw that Kase still had several Arrows sticking out of him.

He stopped and looked back. "Can we treat your wounds now?"

The Half-Orc said nothing. Gritting his teeth, he tensed his muscles powerfully, and the Arrows were forced out. Judging by the wounds, they hadn’t been embedded very deep.

The bloody muscles twitched, and the bleeding wounds instantly sealed shut.

Kase winked at the others. "No need."

"’Langgrin used to pull that same trick. I have no idea how people like them are put together,’ Dorn remarked with a sigh."

"Mr. Kase, do you require a Divine Art?" Orelia asked.

Kase deliberately slapped his own wounds, making them ring out with loud slapping sounds.

He bellowed, "I said I don’t need it! See!"

"I’m bandaging that for you, and no more slapping!" Orelia yelled, a bit angry at his antics. The smug Half-Orc immediately quieted down.

Taking the opportunity, the group stepped into a small cavern to rest and regroup.

"Where is that cemetery the Drow Boss mentioned? Is this the shortest route? In any case, I’m feeling more and more that staying here is not a wise decision."

As he asked, Colin glanced down at the loot they had acquired.

’This Hobgoblin officer’s Chest Armor would probably fetch a pretty penny on the secondhand market.’

Besides that, there were also several sets of Chain Armor and a few Armed Swords.

Although the hobgoblins’ shacks looked a bit crude, they had been diligent about weapon maintenance. The condition of these items was indeed quite good.

"This is the shortest route I could find. Also, the cemetery is on the first level; it’s a fixed area, so we’ll find it as soon as we get there."

Dorn complained, "Who would have thought that instead of getting their own supplies from the Supreme Forest, those Drow would come all the way out here to conduct long-distance trade?"

The dark joke chilled the atmosphere.

Colin silently glanced at the Half-Elf next to him, sensing that this back-and-forth between the two could easily escalate into a full-blown argument.

"What you just said was very unsettling," Ale finally spoke up, just as expected.

Dorn, who was busy sorting the loot, hesitated for a moment before saying with rare sincerity, "My apologies, that’s not what I meant. Living underground has... desensitized me to a certain degree. I’m truly sorry."

Never mind Ale; even Colin was taken aback by his earnest attitude.

’He even felt as if the Dwarf’s soul had been swapped with someone else’s.’

Ale paused for a moment. "I accept your apology."

Perhaps feeling a bit awkward, she suddenly looked at Colin and said, "Colin, your Swordsmanship has improved again."

"It’s all thanks to the soul of that mysterious Elf," Colin said with a shrug.

He had already made up his mind to blame everything related to the Task Log on the Silent ring. Besides, it wasn’t like anyone could prove him wrong.

While the others were talking, Kase’s wounds were taken care of.

His constitution was astonishingly good; a bit of ointment and some bandages were enough to ensure his injuries would fully heal.

Once everyone was ready, they continued toward their destination.

Thanks to their recent encounter with the hobgoblins, everyone in the party had unconsciously quickened their pace, as if a pack of Drow or some other creature was hot on their heels.

"By the way, does that sort of thing happen often in the Undercity?" Colin asked as they walked.

"What sort of thing?"

"Those hobgoblins selling passes," Colin clarified. "I mean, do monsters like them actually know how to cooperate with Adventurers?"

"Of course," Dorn said. "Supposedly, this clan of hobgoblins arrived over a year ago. Before they did, the area was ruled by some subterranean Orcs. The hobgoblins made a deal with some Adventurers, paying them to wipe out the Orcs."

"Then wouldn’t the shifting terrain of the Undercity scatter them?"