As a villain, I really don't want to be pursued by the heroine.

Until a few days ago, the news of the missing A-rank adventurer aroused the guild's vigilance. To be on the safe side, they ordered the expedition to stop and sent people to investigate.

The adventure team, which was good at reconnaissance, did not fail in their mission and successfully found the wreckage of the deceased adventurers.

Below the hillside, countless shadows surged, coalescing into the shapes of hundreds of wolves. In the corners lay piles of broken bones—the very victims they were searching for.

"Damn, it's Shadow Wolf?"

"Shouldn't this thing live in the Forest of Ever Darkness?! Why is it here?!"

The wolves, capable of transforming themselves into shadows and hunting their prey regardless of terrain, are the most ferocious monsters of the Ever Dark Forest. It's no surprise that such monsters could hunt down A-rank adventurers.

The shadow wolf is out and about, and the adventurers behind will have no way of getting through here.

Not daring to underestimate such a threat, the adventurers acted decisively and prepared to withdraw and inform the guild immediately.

Unfortunately, none of them noticed that the darkness behind them was far greater than what they could see.

tick.

Liquid dripped down his cheeks, and one adventurer subconsciously turned around, but before he could see what it was, his figure was dragged into the darkness.

"Cass!"

"What the hell is that?!"

The adventurers pulled out of the fog one after another, but they were unable to catch sight of the shadow in the pitch-black night.

Only the creepy sound of chewing flesh and bones could be heard in the darkness.

The return of countless survivors has made the Shadow Wolves' notoriety known far and wide. However, the true monsters of the Ever Dark Forest remain unknown to adventurers.

Because, so far, no adventurer who has seen its true face has returned alive.

--------

The next morning.

Roy and his group walked straight through the camp and arrived at the guild's roadblock, but no one stopped them. The receptionist even wanted to see them off, but Roy persuaded her to go back.

The young lady who was sticking to her principles yesterday became very respectful today, leaving Nia puzzled.

"What kind of medicine did you give that girl to make her obey you so much?"

"Don't talk nonsense. I just used a little bit of my connections."

"Connections? The Adventurer's Guild doesn't value relationships...?!"

Nia vaguely guessed the answer, and her expression became strange.

Roy, who mistakenly thought that Nia was still confused, curled up the corners of his mouth.

No matter what, with the guarantee of [Sword Ghost], there will be no problem in passing.

As for the ferocious monster, Roy was not too worried and was even eager to try.

In the previous battle with Valoran, he had no Dragon Blood to fight against. Instead, he hoped that his opponent would be a little stronger, at least strong enough to make him take it seriously.

Just as they were about to set off, the situation suddenly became awkward.

Hex arrived with yesterday's adventurers, and the two teams bumped into each other.

The A-rank adventurer named Joe looked unhappy and cursed quietly, "What a bunch of bullshit rules! In the end, I can only get through by using connections?"

Unfortunately, these words did not reach the elf descendants with keen hearing.

Nia's ears twitched, and she immediately sulked and sneered, "Hey, hey, hey, we got permission!"

"Instead, you are the bad guys who are planning to sneak away, right?"

Joe, who was about to turn around, retracted his steps, glanced at Roy, and sneered disdainfully: "Permission?"

"It's nothing more than using money and connections."

Qiao immediately recognized that the young man and woman, surrounded by a group of guards, were the core of the team. Behind them, followed the young man, a powerful elf girl whose aura was far inferior to the former's.

It's obvious that this is a good-for-nothing young master from a noble family and his beautiful bodyguard!

Qiao spoke arrogantly, speaking in the tone of a senior, "Boy, let me tell you right up front, there are ferocious monsters ahead. This isn't the place for you to play. If you want to go out for an outing, you'd better go home!"

"Of course, if you really want to follow us, then just be obedient and don't cause any trouble. That way, if you get into danger, we can still save your life!"

These words caused the adventurers to chuckle, tinged with contempt.

There is nothing wrong with not recognizing one's own strength, and the useless young master who gets involved in danger is even more annoying, but they are also happy to help him when necessary and make a big profit from him.

The guards' eyes turned cold, and Nia had no intention of giving them a good face.

She glanced at Hex and Joe, confirming that they were both only Sequence 6, and couldn't help but laugh.

"With only this level of experience, you want to be the boss. The toad at the bottom of the well is really humorous."

Qiao put away his smile, and his gloomy eyes became sharp: "Girl, let me teach you one more thing."

"Adventurers speak with their fists."

"Haha, how about we try some hand gestures?"

It is common for adventurers to start fighting at the slightest disagreement. From this point of view, both Joe and Nia are typical adventurers.

Especially Nia, it was not the first time that an adventurer spoke rudely to her, nor was it the first time that she beat the other party so hard that he called her sister.

Just as Nia rolled up her sleeves and prepared for a mortal combat, Roy pulled her back by the ear.

"Ouch, what are you doing?!"

"Almost got it."

Roy stepped forward and smiled at Qiao Qian: "Friend, we don't want to and won't cause you any trouble."

"As for your instructions, the experience of experienced adventurers is certainly worth learning from—provided it's reasonable and not foolish. With all due respect, you don't look like a trustworthy veteran."

To put it simply, you are not qualified to command us.

The first half of the sentence calmed Joe down a little, but the indirect sarcasm in the second half made Joe's rage rise again, like riding a roller coaster.

"Boy, if you have the guts, say it again..."

"enough."

Just as Joe was about to pounce, Hex grabbed his neck.

"We just happened to be going the same way, so we should be helping each other. Why are we making things unpleasant?"

Joe shook off his hand and turned away without saying a word.

Hex rubbed his head and gave him an apologetic smile.

Roy nodded slightly, accepting his apology: "Indeed."

He remembered that Hex was also a warmonger who would start fighting at the slightest disagreement. The strong man with a silly smile in front of him was somewhat beyond Roy's expectations, and he could be said to have learned a lesson.

It’s better to have less trouble than more, and it’s not bad to have Hextech to stop him.

Of course, if Joe was really ignorant and insisted on causing trouble, Roy wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.

Chapter 40: The Legend of Sword Ghost

Since both parties were heading for the Forest of Ever Darkness, they had no choice but to travel together.

During this time, Joe couldn't help but complain to Hex.

"Why are you stopping me? Hex, you can't be nice to a loser like that!"

"Come on, Joe, less trouble is better for everyone."

"Oh, a fighter would be afraid of trouble? Ever since the battle with Cassandra's family, your strength has improved, but you have become a coward!" Joe sneered at his statement.

It was common practice for adventurers to stir up trouble, and appearing too weak would only earn them disdain.

In the past, Hex also abided by this point, but since he witnessed the unfathomable strength and admirable qualities of the legendary adventurer [Sword Ghost], his thoughts changed.

Those strong people know how to keep a low profile. If they continue to show off to this extent, it will only look ridiculous.

Hex wasn't annoyed, but simply smiled and shook his head. "One day, you'll understand that there are always people better than you. Our strength is nothing compared to the truly powerful."

"Do you think that young master is a real strong man?" Qiao almost laughed.

Doesn’t Joe understand this principle?

S-rank is the pinnacle of the strongest adventurers. Compared to it, A-rank is really not something to be proud of.

But only the strong are worthy of respect. No matter what, he didn't think he had done anything wrong.

"However, his guards are not simple."

Joe glanced back, his eyes less contemptuous and more serious.

Most of the monsters on the outskirts of the forest were relatively weak, and would even retreat if they sensed the presence of a powerful mount. But now they were deep in the Elven Forest, where the monsters were extremely aggressive and would indiscriminately attack any creature that entered their territory.

They had encountered many difficult monsters along the way. Qiao was originally thinking about whether he should lend a hand and at the same time dampen the young master's arrogance, but unexpectedly, those guards looked smart and clever, but they were actually quite skilled.

The guards' formation was neat and uniform, with no blind spots. They were always able to retaliate as soon as the monsters launched a sneak attack, and were not slowed down by the muddy roads at all.

Especially the older archer and the green-haired girl wielding twin swords. With their combined strength, even a Sequence 6 monster was no match for them.

In terms of overall strength, this group of elf descendants is not inferior to their team at all - provided that we put that young master aside.

Unlike the guards, the young man named Roderick rode on the golden-winged griffin the entire time, completely defenseless and leisurely as if he was on a picnic, and he never made a move from beginning to end.

Although he exudes the aura of Sequence 7, Joe seriously suspects that this guy is just a show-off with only bloodline but no real strength.

It's obvious that he is a rich second-generation whose family is wealthy enough to hire a group of experts.

Adventurers active on the front line hate those who take advantage of their power to show off the most. Especially when seeing the powerful elf girl clinging to the boy and acting coquettishly, Joe couldn't help but frown, feeling sorry for her but also a little confused.

Such a powerful person actually has to humble himself and fawn for money...

"What a pity! These guards are not simple, but they have to deal with such a useless employer." Joe deliberately raised his voice and did not hide it, which attracted another round of angry glares from the elf guards, making Hex frown.

"Joe, stop talking."

Black Feather Joe, having reached Sequence 6 early on, is considered Hex's predecessor and trusted partner. Born in the slums and believing in the law of the jungle, Joe earned the name Black Feather through his own strength.

But like most adventurers, strong people of this level always have an arrogance that makes them unwilling to submit to anyone.

Normally it would be fine, after all, Hex himself used to be very belligerent, but this time he had a bad feeling.

"We still don't know how ferocious that monster that the guild fears is. At least on the way, we should build good relations with it so that we can take care of it."

"Oh, that's funny! No matter who our opponent is, the two of us are enough. We don't need the help of those women at all. Or are you still counting on that young master?"

Waving his hand dismissively, Joe hurried forward impatiently, leaving Hex behind and ending the topic.

Seeing this, Hex sighed helplessly.

Joe is unwilling to let go of his prejudice no matter what, but Hex is different.

That night, the two teams camped a hundred meters apart.

However, Hex took the initiative to bring his team members to the camp of Roy and others to show goodwill and apologize for what Joe did.

"I'm sorry, my brother has that kind of temper. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"You're also heading to the Forest of Everlasting Darkness, right? The journey is dangerous and filled with magical beasts. Let's get to know each other so we can look after each other later."

Hex took the initiative to introduce the personnel configuration and capabilities of his team, which also showed his sincerity.

As long as Hex didn't cause trouble, Roy didn't mind having another friend, so he simply invited Hex to join him for dinner and communicate with each other.

Without the talkative Joe, the enthusiastic and outgoing Hex quickly became one of the group, chatting and laughing around the campfire.

Including the adventurers under his command.

To be honest, those single guys who work so hard in the wilderness all day long would be so happy to have the chance to sit opposite so many beautiful elf girls.

"By the way, this mission may be more dangerous than we expected, Mr. Roderick. You'd better be careful this time."

In fact, Hex didn't think that the boy in front of him had any special qualities.

He must have his own reasons for going deep into such a remote and dangerous place. Hex will not criticize him based on preconceived ideas, but he still wants to give him a friendly reminder.

"What do you mean?" Roy raised his eyebrows.

Hex was also a man who had fought with him against the Cassandra family and had seen the world. It was necessary for him to listen to the information that could make him vigilant.

Hex put down his half-empty canteen, leaned over, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, "Actually, the day before we set out, a big shot showed up at the camp!"