The bodies were dismembered, as if they had been repeatedly crushed or ripped apart by some massive, blunt instrument.

Crude, gaping wounds revealed the bone beneath. Guts and dark red blood were splattered across the floor, forming a pool of filth.

Several limbs were twisted into unnatural shapes, some even brutally ripped off, leaving behind jagged stumps.

The heavy stench of blood was faintly tinged with a foul, bestial odor.

If not for the few features he could still make out on their faces, Roland would have found it hard to believe these had once been human bodies.

A suffocating, dead silence enveloped the entire hall.

The overwhelming stench of blood was like a viscous shroud, weighing heavily on everyone’s chest.

The usual din of conversation and clinking mugs had vanished. All that remained was a tense, profound silence, broken only by the occasional harsh, stifled breath or the soft scrape of a weapon against leather.

These Adventurers, normally boisterous and hardened men who lived by the blade, now stood frozen in place. Some stared at the carnage on the floor, their faces pale. Others leaned against the walls, their bodies trembling slightly, eyes wide with lingering shock and profound fear.

Roland’s brow furrowed, his sharp eyes scanning the crowd. He quickly spotted Avril and Galvis.

Unlike the surrounding Adventurers and Mercenaries, who were paralyzed with fear, the two of them seemed unfazed by the horrific corpses on the floor.

They were placing bulging sacks—filled with proof of Demon kills like Lizardman Scales and Snake-man tail tips—onto the counter, pushing them toward a receptionist who was just as impassive.

Seeing this, Roland made his way over, silently skirting the crowd gathered around the corpses to join his companions.

"Roland! You..."

The Elf Maiden, Avril, began in her usual bright tone, but immediately realized it was ill-suited for the atmosphere. She stuck her tongue out playfully and quickly lowered her voice.

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to see if there were any new commissions."

Roland explained briefly, then gestured with his chin toward the center of the hall.

"What happened here?"

"From what the others are saying, it sounds like Bear Goblins. Oh, right..."

Galvis didn’t look up, busy counting the coins he had just received from the receptionist.

"The ones who died... you might know them. I think they were from the Lion’s Eye Mercenary Corps."

"The Lion’s Eye Mercenary Corps?"

The name sparked a memory for Roland.

He thought for a moment, and a clear image surfaced in his mind: a tall, powerfully built man carrying a Giant Sword nearly half his own height on his back.

"Was it... Klaus’s party?"

Roland had no quarrel with the Lion’s Eye Mercenary Corps.

He had merely crossed paths with their leader, Klaus, a few times at other Adventurer’s Guilds.

Because Roland’s party had completed an astonishing number of commissions and annihilated countless Demons, Klaus had once struck up a conversation with him, hinting that he wanted to recruit him.

Although Roland had politely declined, the man hadn’t been offended and had remained friendly.

In their subsequent encounters, Klaus had even offered him some intelligence on his own initiative.

Even though Teresa and Avril had already uncovered all of that information, Roland still appreciated the gesture. It had given him a favorable impression of Klaus and his Mercenary Corps.

For the sake of honing his skills, Roland had even engaged in a few light, friendly sparring matches with Klaus and several members of his corps.

Though they had only sparred a few times, it was enough to leave him with a deep impression of the Mercenary Corps’ strength.

Every member was a seasoned veteran. At least four or five of them, Klaus included, had already entered the Extraordinary Domain.

With their superb Combat Skills and seasoned experience, they were an elite Mercenary Corps in every sense of the word.

But now...

Prompted by the Minstrel’s words, Roland took another, closer look at the bodies on the floor.

This time, he finally recognized one of them.

It was the powerful frame of Klaus.

The Giant Sword lying shattered in three pieces nearby was his signature weapon.

Seeing this, Roland let out a silent sigh. He quickly composed himself and asked in a low voice,

"Is there a new Bear Goblin... nearby?"

Due to the infamous reputation of the Land of Mist, Roland had deliberately used the intelligence gathered by Teresa and Avril to avoid that dangerous region when he first took the commission.

The town where they were currently staying was a safe distance from the Land of Mist.

And until now, nothing—not the notices at the Adventurer’s Guild in the Royal Capital, nor any rumors they’d heard along the way—had suggested the Bear Goblin holed up in the Land of Mist had ever left its lair.

"That, I’m not too sure about..."

Galvis shook his head in response to Roland’s question.

"I already asked this gentleman about it..."

The Minstrel gestured with his eyes toward the receptionist behind the counter.

"He doesn’t know much about the Land of Mist, either."

"But we can be sure of one thing, at least."

Galvis added.

"There’s definitely a Bear Goblin active in this area."

Hearing this, Roland nodded to the receptionist and asked,

"In that case, do you know the specific location of this Bear Goblin?"

"Of course, sir."

Unlike the rough brutes common to other guilds, this receptionist had refined features. However, the corded, solid muscles on his bare arms were a silent testament to his considerable strength.

As he spoke, he pulled a fresh sheet of parchment from a drawer under the counter.

The ink, not yet fully dry, indicated that this commission had just been drafted.

"This is the intelligence brought back by the last survivor of the Lion’s Eye Mercenary Corps."

The receptionist’s voice was heavy.

"Unfortunately... his injuries were too severe. I brought the best physician in town, but we still couldn’t save him."

Seeing the look of resignation in the receptionist’s eyes, Roland thanked him quietly, taking the parchment to examine it.

"Echo Valley?"

Roland’s brow furrowed slightly at the name.

They had passed by this valley before while hunting Demons.

It was an area encircled by steep, low mountains, its interior a maze of exceptionally narrow paths.

Dozens of natural caves of various sizes dotted the valley, making it a nesting ground for Demons.

Echo Valley wasn’t far from town; it was only half a day’s journey by carriage.

No wonder the faces of the Adventurers and Mercenaries in the guild were so grim.

This area had once been an ideal hunting ground for them, a source of steady income.

But now, the appearance of the Bear Goblin had not only cut off their livelihood, but also meant they could be attacked by this deadly threat at any moment while operating or carrying out commissions in the area.

Yet in stark contrast to the anxiety of the crowd around him, Roland’s sharp gaze swept over the meager information on the parchment as his mind began to calmly strategize.

"A Bear Goblin, huh..."

He muttered to himself, his thoughts already racing.