## Chapter 371: Hunting (Part 2)
As the Night Sky descended, a Small Bonfire made of dozens of dry Tree Branches piled together burned fiercely, crackling and popping. The sparks that flew out danced like Fireflies in the silent Darkness, incredibly beautiful.
Three days had passed since the operation began. These three days were a mix of joy and worry for me. Firstly, the three Brigades had penetrated the Edge of the Elf Territory and were engaging wave after wave of Dark Wanderers. Most Teams had made Gains, and the harvest was pleasing. Most importantly, there had been no Casualties so far. It seemed that grouping seven Adventure Teams together, while a bit conservative, provided sufficient Safety.
However, the good news ended there. What worried me the most was that friction between Adventurers and the Elf Race was still unavoidable. Some Elf Villages were quite friendly; seeing us Adventurers disperse the Dwarf Army and Help their Villages reduce Casualties, they would offer a lukewarm reception. But more Villages were completely unappreciative. Some even bravely declared that even if their Village perished, they didn't need Help from us Humans. This Attitude was truly a headache. Should I be angry at them for not knowing what's good for them, or should I mock them for not valuing the Life of their companions?
Therefore, over these three days, I finally experienced the Pain of being a Leader. I ran around Restless dealing with all sorts of disputes, barely getting any Rest. Even Light Snow , who was rarely tired, was panting heavily by the end of the day. Moreover, if the incident occurred nearby, I could rush over in a few hours. If it was far away, for example, the First and Second Brigades that were advancing faster, I might not be able to reach them in one or two days. In such situations, we could only rely on the Team Leader or Captain to mediate. Fortunately, both our side and the Elf Race had more Reason, so the friction was at most just verbal sparring. There hadn't been a single instance of fighting.
Just as I was poking the scarlet Charcoal Fire with a Tree Branch, staring eagerly at the Roasted Meat and milk Soup above, enjoying this rare moment of tranquility, Footsteps suddenly came from the Darkness, making me sigh heavily.
"Lord."
A Mercenary in a Night Suit that blended with the night bowed to me from behind. Speaking of which, were these guys getting too into character? I originally just asked them to be Responsible for reconnaissance and transmitting Information. Unexpectedly, probably due to a bad idea from a few guys who read too many Novels, even their clothing started to become standardized. Excuse me, did you Mistake something? Do you want to change Class to Rogue?
But putting aside the nonsense, these guys' skill level was getting higher and higher. If this Elf Race War continued for a year or two, they might really cultivate talents in this area and even form a Rogue Guild or something. I believe Akara would also be happy to see such talents appear.
The Eyes of this Night Suit Mercenary subconsciously swept around and found that besides the Leader of this operation and his Maid and Mercenary—a Cold Element Sorceress with somewhat strange attire—there was also a White Robe Maiden surrounding the Campfire. She had her back to him, and her Body actually emitted a pure White Light no less brilliant than the Campfire. The most astonishing thing was that this Glow was incredibly Holy, like the Holy Light emitted when an Angel Descent occurred, making him feel an urge to worship.
Collecting himself, the Mercenary began to Report the situation he had gathered. As he spoke, his Gaze saw a golden-yellow Little Dog walking out of the Tent with its Head held high, barking "gao gao," and looking at him. It showed a hint of contempt, then turned its Head away, swaggered over to the Campfire, lay down, and yawned. This Treatment made the Mercenary feel Helplessness and amusement. Was he being looked down upon by a Dog? Could it be an Illusion? Putting aside other things, could a Dog show such a human-like Expression? Thinking this, he tried hard to convince himself that he must have been seeing things.
"Alex, are your Brothers safe? Did you encounter any Danger while transmitting Information?"
From his Report, I learned that the person dressed in the Night Suit was actually a Desert Warrior named Alex, a very imposing Name, which was quite inconsistent with his current sneaky Appearance.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord. Thanks to those Dark Wanderers, most Monsters have been cleared out by them, and the Brothers have encountered almost no Danger," Alex said with a grateful smile.
"Good, that's good. Oh, you haven't had Dinner yet, right? Come, come, sit down and eat together," I said with a smile, seeing Alex still standing behind me, and quickly invited him.
"No, Lord, I still need to rush back and prepare. I can only accept your kindness," Alex refused, shaking his Head, his Gaze very firm.
"In that case, alright. But don't overwork yourself."
"Yes."
Alex's Figure quickly disappeared into the Darkness. When I turned back, I saw a horrific scene—Little Ghost, who had just been dozing, Dead Dog with a nonchalant Expression, and Three-No Princess, who seemed to be in a daze, had already extended their demonic hands towards the Roasted Meat on the Campfire the moment I turned my Head away. Three-No Princess was alright, her eating still retained royal restraint, but her Speed was also fast. As for Dead Dog and Little Ghost, who had no manners whatsoever, their devouring reminded me of the eating contest after the second stage in Arcade Dynasty Warriors. Even shaking the joystick and pressing buttons at thirty times Speed wouldn't be as exaggerated as their current Speed! Damn it, if I don't eat now, it'll be gone.
After eating and drinking to my fill, I started kneading Little Ghost's cheeks, which were softer than fermented dough, while emitting meaningless wails. She looked at me with a troubled Gaze, as if saying, "Why are you bullying me for no reason?" But this clumsy Little Ghost ate the most just now, stuffing her little belly full, so she was completely powerless to Resist my invasion. This was your own doing, you can't blame others, wahahaha—
"You still dare to say that? Which time wasn't caused by you?"
While enjoying the wonderful Feel and secretly laughing at Little Ghost's funny Expression as I kneaded her, I spoke with feigned fierceness. That's right, this Little Squirt was the root of all Sin. Thinking back, Three-No Princess's eating manners were originally Graceful and slow. Even Dead Dog seemed to have some Noble Temperament. But ever since they witnessed Little Ghost's Movement, everything changed—because if they didn't change, they wouldn't have any Food!
Every time I thought about how I hadn't eaten my fill, but the Food had already been completely scavenged by Little Ghost, and then I had to get up in the middle of the night to go to the Restroom, hiding in the Dark Corner with tears in my Eyes, gnawing on hard and cold Jerky, my Heart felt as if it had experienced ten World Wars, full of Vicissitudes.
"What is going on with this mouth? Why can it eat so fast?"
I pinched Little Ghost's cheeks, one on each side, and gently pulled outwards, stretching her pursed, tempting Cherry Lips into a straight line. Damn it, when she pursed them, they looked like Cherry Lips that could at most fit a Lollipop, so why could she swallow a whole Fist-sized piece of Roasted Meat along with the Bone? Do you think this is Manga? Look below, her smooth and slender waist, which would show a slight bulge after eating a small bowl of rice, shows no bulge at all after swallowing enough Food to be a whole roasted cow. Do you think this is Sci-fi? This mouth, this stomach, is simply a more Bugged Existence than my Bugged Sword!
My Gaze moved down from her waist, I narrowed my Eyes, and applied force with both hands again. Today, I would vent all the dissatisfaction I've had with Little Ghost recently.
"Also, how many times have I told you? You are gradually getting used to appearing In Front of others now, so put on your Underwear properly, you Bastard! What if an updraft blows up? Even if you don't think for yourself, you have to think for me. Do you think I went to the Tailor Shop to buy you Underwear with how much Shame?!"
"Bu-but..."
Little Ghost, whose cheeks were being constantly kneaded by me, responded indistinctly, signaling me to stop for a moment, seemingly having something Important to say.
"But, you could clearly have asked Little Molly to buy them."
Rubbing her slightly red little face, she raised her Head and looked at me, pouting. Her Gaze kept searching my entire Body for a Weakness.
"..."
A moment of silence.
"Wah!"
Little Ghost, whose forehead was flicked by my sudden finger snap, covered her forehead and looked at me with teary Eyes like a bullied Small Animal.
"Why are you bullying me again?"
"A true Man never needs an Excuse for doing things." I looked up into the distance, my face full of unspeakable melancholy and Vicissitudes.
"Weakness found."
The moment I looked up, Little Ghost shouted and pounced over, hugging my Head and biting down. Her sharp pearly teeth kept grinding on it. I'm dead. I'm finished. This time I'm really done for. Ah!! Dead Dog, you actually dare to take advantage of the situation, just you wait. Tomorrow I'll use your Dog Hide to make Underwear for Little Ghost...
More than half a month passed in a flash. By now, we had advanced into the hinterland of the Elf Race. The Battle was gradually becoming more fierce. I myself saw several abandoned Elf Villages. They probably suffered heavy Casualties after Resisting several waves of Dark Wanderer Attacks and chose to migrate, being unable to continue fighting. It wasn't just the Elf Race; our Adventurer's Guild also suffered Casualties. Four Mercenaries who participated in this operation permanently left this cruel Act. What pained and frustrated me the most was that one of them was the Rogue Archer who was my first customer when I was setting up a stall. Recalling her sweet smile when she chatted with me, and then looking at the ghastly pale face on the ground with pale lips and tightly closed Eyes, which had lost its Vitality, and the scene of her Comrades weeping loudly beside her, my Heart was filled with confusion. I couldn't tell if it was Wrath or regret. I only felt as if countless sharp Gazes were looking at me from the Surroundings, blaming me for my incompetence.
So, that night, I had a Nightmare. I dreamed that Velas and Sarah were lying on the ground lifeless, just like that Rogue Archer, and I was kneeling on the ground weeping bitterly in place of her Teammates. I woke up startled, my whole Body soaked in sweat. A Fear I had never experienced before enveloped my Heart. It took several days to be relieved from the heaviness, but the scene in the dream that could make me collapse instantly was already buried deep within my Soul.
On this day, just as I was riding Light Snow around, waiting for the Mercenaries who had become deeply immersed in their Rogue roles to transmit Information, I encountered other Adventurers. After waiting for a while, Little Three, who was patrolling nearby, returned, followed by thirty to forty Figures. It seemed they were a Squad from the Second Brigade.
But as they walked closer, my Eyes widened. Acquaintances, they were all Acquaintances.
Ku Te the Barbarian, Captain of the First Brigade, came over shaking his Head with his Teammates, as well as four other Class Squads and two Mercenary Squads. Looking closely, Little Fox's Squad was even among them, and Phoenix was also there. This was great; almost all the Adventurers I knew in Kurast had gathered together.
"How did you all get together?"
Seeing a group of Strange People wandering In Front of me, I was quite speechless.
"Why can't we get together?" Ku Te, who was in front, rubbed his bald Head and counter-asked with a smile.
"Alright, let's skip this question for now. Isn't this Zone Responsible by the Second Brigade? As the Captain of the First Brigade, why did you come here? Be careful, Narani (Captain of the Second Brigade) might blast your Buttocks with Exploding Arrow." Undoubtedly, if that Amazon wanted to, it wouldn't be Difficult to do so in this Uniquely Advantageous Environment for her.
"Huh? That's not right. I'm sure this is the Zone Responsible by the First Brigade. You must have made a Mistake," This time it was Ku Te and his group who were confused.
"Are you saying I'm Lost again? Let me tell you, I've never been Lost!!"
Hearing them say this, I immediately became unhappy. I had followed behind the Second Brigade all the way relying on my extremely accurate Man's Seventh Sense, how could I have gone the wrong way?
"..."
Actually, there were many explanations, but this guy just had to expose the answer he was desperately trying to conceal. No, no, this is too easy to mock, I can't hold back. Phoenix covered his mouth, struggling greatly to hold back. He knew that if he laughed now, he would inevitably be blasted in the buttocks again by a certain petty person.
"Ahem... By the way, Lord Wu Fan, we just received Information that the Twelfth Squad not far ahead seems to have gotten into a dispute with an Elf Village. Your timing is perfect." It was a Wizard from Ku Te's Team who was Smart. He immediately changed the topic, stifling the suppressed laughter of the crowd in their Throats.
Under Ku Te's leadership, our group Departed towards the Destination. At this time, the Restless Little Fox came closer, wagging her little Tail and boasting to me about her Gains over the past half month. Her constant use of "Darling" gave me goosebumps. The people around us snickered non-stop, completely entering spectator mode.
About an hour later, we finally arrived at the Elf Village where the dispute occurred. A Small Village composed of blooming flowers, green leaves, and towering Large Trees appeared In Front of us. Unlike in Novels, the Elf Race in the Diablo World did not live in trees. They also built houses, but the houses they built, being more artistic than Humans, were more beautiful and closer to nature.