Chapter 141: Despicable Outsiders

Emerald Forest, afternoon.

Fine snow drifted down once more, the cold wind carrying icy grains that whirled and moaned among the branches.

The killing aura of the Winter Hunt spread through the increasingly bitter weather.

White frost had condensed on the heavy pauldrons of the warrior Blake, and with each step, his boots sank deep into the layer of rotting leaves covered in thin snow, making a dull crunching sound.

His companions moved as they walked, trying to warm their chilled bodies.

"Dammit, this damned weather... it just got a little warmer this morning, and now it’s freezing again this afternoon, and we still can’t find any ‘prey’," said the team’s mage, Piero, whose cheeks had turned blue from the cold, as he struggled to maintain the glow of his detection spell.

He was the least tolerant of cold in the team, and even wrapped in thick winter clothing, he couldn’t compare to the physical advantages of close-combat Professionals.

"No problem." The rogue Dylan rubbed his hands, exhaling a white breath, with a glint of slyness in his eyes.

"Let’s scout a bit further ahead, and if there’s really no harvest—" He deliberately paused, waiting until all his companions’ eyes were on him.

"We can go ‘next door’ and take a look."

"I noticed when I came — the area next to us is occupied by that two-person team, one man and one woman. With their efficiency... Heh heh." He didn’t finish his sentence, but that light chuckle was more than enough.

The other three all revealed knowingly amused smiles.

Monster-snatching wasn’t exactly honorable, but among Bronze-rank Adventurers of similar strength, numbers were what mattered.

If there was blame, it was on that pair for only forming a two-person team.

"Shh!!"

"On guard!"

Walking in front, Blake suddenly growled lowly, his greatsword instantly coming up in front of him.

The next moment, three dire wolves with green-glowing eyes suddenly burst from the bushes at the side!

A sudden encounter — both sides were caught off guard, and the battle erupted instantly!

"Haa!" Blake roared, his greatsword slicing fiercely toward the dire wolf charging in the lead, the blade whistling through the air with a deep wind-sound.

That beast, mid-pounce, had no way to adjust its posture and could only crash headlong into the cold steel.

"Splurt—Crash!"

A tooth-aching tearing sound rang out.

A vicious red line ran from the wolf’s neck straight to its abdomen, as hot wolf blood and entrails splashed across the snow in a broad, glaring crimson. The wolf’s body split in two mid-air and was flung heavily away!

At the same time Blake struck, the other two dire wolves were quickly dispatched by his companions.

"I’m telling you, Blake, next time keep it down!" Piero frowned, sidestepping to avoid the splatter of hot wolf blood with distaste.

But Blake didn’t hear him — his gaze was locked like a torch on the direction from which the dire wolves had emerged.

These dire wolves were different from ordinary wild wolves — their stamina and combat ability were superior, and they often allied with elite goblins, beastmen, or other monsters, serving as mounts or guards.

It was said they were originally magically engineered war-beasts, but after generations of breeding and bloodline decline, the dire wolves no longer possessed the same ferocity, though their habit of allying with monsters remained in their blood.

Their appearance often meant a sizable monster stronghold was nearby.

The other two also seemed to realize this, and their eyes lit up.

"Finally, some sign of life." The rogue voiced his complaint. "We only cleared one measly lair this morning — I thought we’d be going back empty-handed today."

"It’s getting late — let’s hurry to the site and finish it quickly," the priest urged.

Since the trail was within their ‘own territory’, the group naturally gave up the idea of going ‘next door’ to take advantage — after all, less trouble was better. Their team always preferred peace.

Dylan led at the front, quickly following the fresh but messy wolf paw prints in the snow.

However, as they went deeper, the excitement on their faces turned into confusion.

They encountered several more small waves of fleeing monsters — a few panicked kobolds, a crippled Fear Demon — all as if something terrifying was chasing them, fleeing in disarray.

"Stay sharp."

The four were full of suspicion.

Had someone beaten them to it? But the nearby teams were of similar strength — logically, they shouldn’t be this fast.

Could it be that the monster settlement had clashed with some native monster in the forest?

With these questions in mind, the four passed through a dense cedar grove, and suddenly the view opened up.

A forest clearing appeared before their eyes.

In the distance, a man wielding a rapier moved among the remnants of the monster horde, weaving and darting freely.

Each step.

Each precise thrust was accompanied by another monster collapsing lifelessly.

His footwork was light yet lethal, as if dancing on the battlefield.

"Dammit! Someone really did get ahead of us?!" Piero cursed, the cold-blue in his face now flushed red.

In his view, for someone to arrive here so quickly, they must have broken the rules — crossing into another zone before clearing their own.

Though they themselves had just thought of doing the same, now that they were the ones losing out, it felt completely different!

"It’s him?" Dylan squinted, his sharp gaze piercing the drifting snowflakes until he finally saw that face — calm beneath black hair.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he’s from that two-person team next to us. And I just remembered — I think he’s that so-called Goblin Slayer everyone’s been joking about in town lately. Black hair, rapier..."

"Strong?" the priest asked quietly.

"Not sure." Dylan shook his head. "I only heard he likes targeting goblins."

"A guy who only picks on weak monsters — how strong can he be?" Piero shivered from the cold, but thinking of how they’d spent all afternoon searching in the snow only to have their haul shamelessly ‘stolen’, an unnameable anger rose in his chest.

These were real gold coins at stake — and if no one had seen it, maybe it would be fine. But to be caught in the act while killing? That was intolerable.

"Should we... teach them a lesson?" Blake asked in a deep voice.

In the distance, the battle in the clearing had ended.

Gauss gave his wrist a light flick, shaking the grime from his rapier, and precisely pinned the last Gray Mud Monster — which had been trying to meld into the ground — into the frozen earth.

A trace of satisfaction appeared on his face.

The third Half-Ogre leader.

And—

"Total Monsters Killed: 801"

As well as unlocking the sixteenth normal monster entry in the Monster Encyclopedia, [Gray Mud Monster].

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

However—

His gaze suddenly turned toward a certain spot.

Four figures were slowly walking out from the treeline at the edge of the clearing.

Gauss vaguely recognized them as one of the teams in this Winter Hunt.

And most likely outsiders — unfamiliar faces he hadn’t seen before, probably having come to Graystone Town only in the last two or three weeks for the Hunt.

He moved without a hint of panic, calmly taking a custom-made green signal flare from his waist and lighting it.

A thick, verdant column of smoke shot straight into the sky, standing out starkly in the gray, snowy heavens — a declaration that the area had been cleared.

"I say, Lord Goblin Slayer, you’re being a bit dishonorable, aren’t you?"

The mage in the middle frowned at this display of sovereignty and was the first to speak.

"Is there a problem?" Gauss tilted his head slightly, still chewing unhurriedly on a strip of dried monster frog meat.

"This is our territory!" the mage said unhappily. "And for you to come here so quickly — you didn’t even finish clearing your own zone, did you?"

Gauss’s gaze slowly swept over the rest of them.

Though they didn’t speak, it was clear they shared the same thought.

Behind him, Arya and Ulfen, who had been further away, quickly jogged over.

"So what is it you want?"

Gauss knew full well that explaining he had only come after clearing his own area would be pointless now.

The way they looked, they weren’t here to confirm anything — they were here with intent.

"Since you broke the Guild’s rules first, just give us half the spoils from this clearing, and we won’t report you," the mage continued.

His gaze lingered between Gauss and Arya.

Clearing a settlement with only two people — he admitted they might have some skill. But they had just fought a hard battle, while his own four-man team was fresh, and they had the numbers.

Strength of numbers was an advantage.

He thought his demand was perfectly reasonable.

"We’ve already cleared our own area — you’re the ones breaking the rules. In Graystone Town’s Winter Hunt, we don’t allow this kind of robbery," Arya said from behind Gauss.

She felt these outsiders were far too unruly.

But the four ignored her, keeping their attention on Gauss.

Gauss stuffed another strip of dried meat into his mouth, continuing to chew as he looked at the four.

A heavy-armored warrior, a mage, a rogue, and a priest who barely registered a presence — all Bronze-rank Adventurers, one-star.

The cold wind, carrying snow, stirred the bangs at his forehead.

Gauss was silent for a moment, the rhythm of his chewing somehow making the four, who were waiting for his answer, feel a strange, nameless pressure.

Finally, he slowly, clearly shook his head.

"I don’t accept.

"If you want to report me, go ahead."

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