「A few dozen minutes later.」

Colin flicked the blood from his blade, found a scrap of cloth to wipe it clean, and then deftly slid the sword back into its sheath.

He looked around.

This was another chamber deeper within the cave, what the Goblins apparently called their "chieftain’s hall."

A huge throne made of green wood sat against the far wall, directly opposite the entrance. It looked like it had been made for the Ogre.

The Goblins and Wargs had all been dealt with.

Unfortunately, there was a small, hidden opening behind the throne, and several Goblins had escaped through it.

Still, given their combat strength, they weren’t likely to cause any real trouble.

Colin mused to himself as he stared at the massive throne.

There weren’t many trees in the hills around Flint Village, so the throne’s material was likely Zuerhe Wood, a substance from the Underworld. It looked just like the descriptions he’d read in books.

The world below, much like the one above, contained many large city-states. It was home to races like the Drow and Gray Dwarves. This Zuerhe Wood was a type of massive fungus that grew in the Underworld, and its inhabitants used the material like lumber.

That meant the fires outside, the ones used for warmth, were likely fueled by the same material.

"So, what’s next, Colin?" Kase’s voice came from nearby.

As he spoke, his eyes were glued to a pile of coins and loot in one corner. In the opposite corner sat a stack of dried meat and some clay pots—what looked to be the Goblins’ supply of food and water.

Several empty mine carts were also sitting in the chamber.

A few of them still contained some reddish-brown rocks, which Ale thought looked like iron ore.

Colin glanced back. The other Adventurers and the rescued slaves were standing at the entrance to the chamber, watching them nervously.

"Let’s sort through the loot and see to the wounded."

"Aren’t you one of the wounded?" Orelia placed a hand on Colin’s shoulder and began chanting a prayer.

Amid a faint, flickering light, the wounds on Colin’s body visibly began to close. He unconsciously scratched at them. ’This tingling itch,’ he thought, ’is probably the only side effect of Healing Magic.’

"Don’t bother with mine," Kase said, glancing at the bloody wounds on his body and nodding decisively.

Orelia complained, "But I was specifically saving a blessing to heal your wounds!"

"Nope. Don’t want it," Kase said, shaking his head, his stance firm.

Seeing she couldn’t convince him, Orelia went to tend to the other wounded while Colin and the others began looting the Goblin corpses.

The Goblins had captured over a dozen slaves. Most were refugees who had wandered into the wilderness to try their luck, but there were also two Adventurers who’d gotten in over their heads.

Since the slaves had been put to work, none of them had any life-threatening injuries.

But due to the Goblins’ abuse, intimidation, and meager rations, all the slaves looked haggard and emaciated.

Malnutrition wasn’t something Divine Arts could instantly fix, so Orelia had the slaves who were still able to move help her distribute the Goblins’ stored food.

Only after the poor captives took several large bites of dried meat did some color finally return to their faces.

Meanwhile, Colin, Kase, and the other Adventurers started gathering the loot.

In the final tally,

the weapons included more than ten Short Bows, five Small Scimitars, and five Shields.

The rest were just Short Spears and Javelins tipped with stone or bone—junk that wasn’t worth much.

As for Armor, they found four sets of cobbled-together scrap armor and one Chain Armor Shirt.

The former was essentially just junk, but it was still iron and could be sold for a bit of coin. The latter was quite valuable and could probably sell for several dozen Gold Coins.

Notably, the Goblin Cave contained a surprising number of Potions.

First, there were five vials of Goblin Poison.

[Goblin Poison/Ordinary Item]

[Nauseating Toxin: When applied to a weapon, an injury will cause the target to suffer from weakened limbs and dizziness for one hour. Creatures with a high Constitution Attribute may resist the Poison’s effects.]

The effect was decent, provided the Poison actually worked.

However, Colin had read that Goblin Poisons weren’t particularly effective against stronger opponents. They were usable, but you couldn’t rely on their potency.

Then there were some [Weak Healing Potions].

These Potions were stored in small, crude clay pots made by the Goblins. The pots were packed into a crate stuffed with Beast Hides, likely to be shipped elsewhere once they had amassed a certain quantity.

That probably explained why none of the Goblins had used Potions during the fight.

—Of course, given how quickly they were cut down, it’s not like they would have had time to drink one anyway.

The party also scrounged up thirty-two Gold Coins, over a hundred and fifty Silver Coins, and a huge pile of Copper Coins from the throne hall and the Goblin corpses. The coins were filthy but still usable.

The rest of the haul consisted of miscellaneous items like Torches, bandages, iron ore, and Beast Hides.

After laying everything out, Colin turned to the other Adventurers. "Regarding the loot," he said, "you can take whatever you found on the Goblins you killed on your way in.

As for the bounty... you all contributed, after all. You drew the Goblins’ attention for us. If you hadn’t, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. How about we split the reward ninety-ten?"

"Of course."

The Adventurers nodded quickly, looking somewhat meek.

It was an easy offer to accept. After all, if Colin’s party hadn’t arrived, they would have ended up as Goblin slaves. Even if they’d been offered nothing at all, the Adventurers felt they would have had no room to complain.

"One more thing," Colin asked, "are you field agents for the City Guard?"

"Yes, we’re with the ’New Blood’."

The lead Adventurer quickly held out his hand, displaying an iron Seal Ring.

’Zahir Rain... He actually has a surname?’

Colin took a closer look and noticed the man’s hands were fair and clean.

’Looks like a minor merchant who went bankrupt in the recent winter disaster. The city’s full of them. This guy might have even been quite wealthy before all this.’

’They managed to take down a few Hunter Goblins. Between selling that loot and their share of the bounty, this trip won’t be a total loss for them.’

"Alright. We’ll escort everyone to the nearest village together," Colin said.

"Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "We won’t forget this kindness."

The Adventurers all bowed their heads in gratitude.

"No need for that. You made your own contribution. Just be a bit more careful when choosing your next job... Then again," he added, "no one expects an Ogre to come charging out of a Goblin Cave."

Colin waved his hand.

He then turned to the slaves and called out, "Can any of you answer a question for me?"