Three days passed quickly, and problems within the group immediate appeared. Just one day after leaving, Bluegate's group and Slayer's group had begun a heated argument, each thinking they were much better than the other and constantly comparing their exploits. This conflict eventually escalated to the second day, where they decided to discuss Blacklion's group, who also didn't remain silent against their insinuations. They also wanted to insult Finn and Darwin, but the two were too busy sleeping or resting to care; after all, they didn't even want to be there.
Rodrick, for his part, already knew that these squabbles between adventurers were normal, especially if the adventurers were from different guilds. This amused him to a certain extent, as he often heard adventurers exaggerate their stories to flatter themselves and ridicule the others, if possible. However, what made him laugh the most was hearing how the Bluegate Guild tried to anger the two explorers, but they simply remained oblivious to the provocations and dedicated themselves to resting and meditating.
'Staying calm in the face of provocation is one of the greatest qualities of an adventurer. Rohan certainly has some good explorers...' Rodrick thought, listening to the arguments the other adventurers were having, but Darwin and Finn remained calm, not responding to the insults.
For his part, Finn had mastered the art of falling asleep straight, without falling to the side even if there were bumps or anything that would cause the wagon to jump. Meanwhile, Darwin had taken a sleeping potion to avoid hearing the others and was currently lying down during the race, covering his face from the sun with a cloth.
"Hey, idiots, are you going to ignore us for the rest of the two weeks?" Reynolds asked, standing with his horse right next to the wagon where Finn was sitting.
"..." Finn didn't reply; his silent silhouette intrigued some of the adventurers and irritated Reynolds, who thought he was being looked down on.
"Dirty explorer, I won't let you look down on me!" Reynolds exclaimed, raising his voice and trying to pull Finn out of the wagon.
Finn, who had already woken up due to Reynolds's screams, simply moved his hand slightly, untying the saddle on the horse Reynolds was riding in.
Reynolds leaned toward the wagon, and instantly his saddle slipped off the horse, dropping him to the ground.
"Hahaha, don't you know how to tie your saddle, Reynolds?" asked Ava, the leader of the slayer guild group.
"Silence!" Reynolds replied, quickly getting up and brushing the dirt off the elegant armor he was wearing.
Crack Crack Crack
A sound a little far away, from the breaking of branches, woke Darwin and alerted Rodrick, Finn, and Blacklion's group. Reynolds and the slayer guild group were about to start another fight, ignoring the sounds.
"Goblins?" Salma asked, but Darwin shook his head as he got up from where he was lying.
"No, they're too heavy... and I can't hear their heavy, raspy breathing" Darwin affirmed.
After fighting hundreds of goblins and their evolutions, Darwin had managed to recognize them by their footsteps or even their breathing.
"It's not a monster, or at least not a goblin or its evolutions... These footsteps are heavy but cautious. They try very well to hide. Although goblins and their evolutions have had incredible development in intelligence, they still can't completely deny their nature..." Finn confirmed, and Rodrick nodded.
"The explorers are right, these aren't monsters, they're humans. Bandits, maybe" Rodrick whispered, heightening his senses and hearing more clearly who was stalking them. "Don't let your guard down, but don't make any sudden movements either. We don't want to alert them."
Everyone in the wagon nodded and continued down the road, feigning ignorance, while the Bluegate and Slayer groups continued arguing among themselves, oblivious to what was happening.
"What, are you going to cry now, Reynolds? It seems the stories about you were just nonsense" Ava said, making her companions Gellen and Ana laugh.
"Ha, so the stories about the female adventurers of the Slayer Guild being nothing more than outcasts are true?" Reynold mocked, angering the three Slayer Guild hunters.
"What the hell did you say, bastard?!" Gellen asked angrily.
The two teams were ready to take up their weapons and start a fight, but a sudden gust of wind, a large wall of earth rising from the hunters' side, and three large explosions crashing against the wall stopped their fight.
John, one of the Blacklion mages, was standing on the wagon, holding a small wooden staff with an Impe gem embedded in the top in his right hand.
The shock of the explosions hadn't passed yet when a figure began to descend from the sky, falling towards the Bluegate team. The team could see a man covered in several jars of black liquid, which slowly began to glow red and emit yellow sparks.
Finn didn't know what those strange flasks would do, but he decided not to give him time to act. He raised his hand and forcefully pushed the attacker back with his telekinesis, sending him several meters backward. As soon as he hit the ground, the attacker unleashed a massive explosion, creating a huge gust of air and frightening the horses, which were barely able to control themselves.
'Was the asshole going to blow himself to bits with us?' Finn thought, disgusted, seeing the attacker's remains scattered all over the road.
"Sigh, bandits..." Rodrick sighed.
In a few seconds, a group of more than 20 people leaped out from between the trees surrounding the path.
"Tch, the bastards waited for us to enter the forest. This is clearly their attack zone" Charles said.
The bandits were wearing black outfits with dark red hoods that covered their entire faces except for their eyes. They were all armed, ranging from light weapons like daggers and short swords to heavy weapons like maces and battle axes.
"Give us everything you have, and the girls!" the tallest and most muscular bandit demanded. "And we'll kill you quickly and painlessly."
"Take them away. They're of no use to us anyway" Darwin replied without hesitation, only to be lightly kicked by Finn.
The girls turned to look at Darwin indignantly, but he remained firm in his decision.
"Don't play with us, brat. We're the Lucky Golds group" the bandit revealed arrogantly, believing it would scare off the adventurers.
Excluding Finn and Darwin, the other groups recognized the bandits with different reactions. Blacklion's group was the calmest but still had a serious and determined look. Slayer's group was visibly more tense, holding their bows ready to attack at any moment, as was Bluegate's group, who were holding their weapons a little nervously and anxiously. The only one completely calm was Rodrick, who was watching to see how the adventurers would react to this situation.
"Lacking balls group? What a peculiar name" Finn said with a mocking smile.
"What!? Are you making fun of us, damn kid? Do you want to die?!" said the bandit leader, taking out another jar of the strange black liquid and raising it over his head. "Do you know what this is? This is a highly explosive liquid. If this comes into contact with air, it would generate a huge explosion that would blow you to bits!"
"Hmm… You're kind of stupid, aren't you?" Finn asked, seeing the jar in the leader's hand.
"What did you say!?…" The bandit leader wanted to yell at Finn, but the sound of breaking glass and liquid dripping from his hand silenced him.
Crack!
Before everyone's eyes, the flask burst, releasing all the black liquid inside. The bandit watched in fear as the liquid trickled down his hand, beginning to glow and spark.
Boom!
The leader didn't have time to do anything when the liquid exploded, blasting half his body into pieces and sending the other bandits standing next to him to the ground, stunned. The adventurers watched this development in surprise, having not expected something like this to happen.
"Well done, Finn" said Rodrick, having felt Finn use his magic to crush the jar. Then he turned to look at the other adventurers. "Are you expecting an invitation? I remind you, they are here to kill you" Rodrick said when he saw that the adventurers didn't react.
The adventurers recovered from their shock, raising their weapons and engaging in a fight against the bandits. The bandits on the ground died quickly, having not yet recovered when the Slayer team swiftly pierced them with their magic arrows.
The other bandits also gave in quickly, as they, unlike the adventurers, lack superhuman abilities and rely solely on their explosives. But seeing what happened to their leader, not a single one wanted to use them again. In a matter of minutes, all the bandits had been eliminated, leaving not a single one alive.
While the adventurers recovered their equipment and cleaned their weapons, Finn looked at the bandits' bodies with mixed feelings. Finn didn't know what to think in this type of situation because he had never imagined killing another human being. However, that didn't bother him much. What bothered him most was that he didn't feel any remorse for what he had just done. He knew those guys were going to kill them, but that didn't mean he had the right to claim their lives, or at least that's what Finn thought.
The more Finn thought about this situation, another pang arose in his chest. This one was a little more intense and spread across his chest a little further than the previous one. Finn discreetly held his shirt, shaking it as if it were hot so as not to attract attention.
"It took you a long time to react" Rodrick said, looking directly at the adventurers. "And you call yourselves C-class adventurers? Finn gave you a great opportunity, and you just stood there like statues. If they had been monsters, you wouldn't have the same luck. In the dungeon, you won't have the same luck. The monsters won't wait for you to wake up before starting to attack you" Rodrick reminded them seriously.
The adventurers looked directly at Rodrick. Their expressions were serious, but still a hint of embarrassment was evident. Reynolds shifted his gaze to Finn, who was sitting alone in his designated seat in the wagon, staring up at the sky. Reynolds's gaze was so intense and sharp that it seemed it wanted to pierce Finn's head at any moment.
"You better take that look off, Reynolds. Finn and no one else are to blame for your mistakes" Rodrick said, looking at Reynolds. "You said you and your team were capable of clearing the dungeon on your own. Behave yourselves and prove it."
At Rodrick's words, Reynolds looked away from Finn, but his brows were still furrowed, his displeasure clearly evident.
"Okay, if you're all set, let's set off again. We don't want to delay any longer than necessary" Rodrick ordered, taking the reins of the wagon.
—
Another day passed quickly, and the group led by Rodrick arrived at an open field, stopping on the outskirts of a small farming village where they would camp for the night. Rodrick traveled alone to the small village where he notified the village chief of their presence and bought some tents.
"Why don't we sleep in the village? It would be more comfortable" Ava said, setting up her tent right in the middle of those of her companions, Gellen, and Ana.
"So as not to upset the villagers, not all adventurers are welcome in every village. Many believe we're the main reason monsters exist" Rodrick said, lighting a large fire right in the center of all the tents.
Finn and Darwin had already set up a tent where the two of them would sleep and were helping Rodrick gather firewood for the campfire. Night was approaching, and they just wanted to finish their work quickly so they could eat and sleep. An hour later, everyone had finished setting up their tents and were gathered around the campfire, roasting some meat for dinner.
"Sir Rodrick, I understand why you brought the other adventuring groups from other guilds. The three groups together are a strong union of archers, mages, and warriors. But why did you bring these two? They're barely D-class?" Reynolds said, mocking Finn and Darwin, who paid him no attention or even the slightest bit of importance.
Rodrick, hearing Reynolds' question, watched as the other groups nodded, not mocking like Reynolds, but certain that they didn't need Finn and Darwin. Rodrick gave a slight, amused snort before speaking.
"I didn't bring them on this mission... I brought you" Rodrick confessed, surprising the adventurers.
"What do you mean, sir?" Annie, Reynolds's companion, asked.
"This mission was meant for them alone, but your masters believed that some members of your guilds would be very useful, and I had no choice but to recruit more" Rodrick said confidently.
'Wait, the bastard had planned for us to clear the dungeon ourselves!?' Darwin thought.
'We probably would have died in that dungeon if we had done it alone' Finn thought, relieved.
"Are you telling me you only wanted to bring these two D-class?" Ava asked incredulously.
"That was the plan. Finn and Darwin have a very good track record of clearing monster bases on their own and gathering information. There's a high probability that they have a better chance of surviving this dungeon than any other C-class adventurer or lower" Rodrick stated, pleasantly surprising Blacklion's group.
"So it's no wonder they were able to react so quickly to the bandits and even use their explosives against them" Charles said more calmly, as he thought Finn and Darwin could be a liability.
"HA, maybe I should test their abilities for myself" Gellen said challengingly.
"I'll pass..." Finn said, turning his flesh over.
"No" Darwin simply replied, not wanting to have anything to do with a human woman.
"Are you scared?" Reynolds asked, trying to mock them again.
"I am hungry" Finn replied disinterestedly, and Rodrick nodded.
"Finn's right. You should save your energy and weapons. You never know when you might be attacked along the way, or even at night," Rodrick said, and everyone nodded.
Everyone ate quickly, then put out the campfire and then went to bed in their respective tents, calling it a day. Finn and Darwin were asleep in their tent. Darwin had taken the sleep potion again so he wouldn't hear the sounds of insects outside the tent, and Finn simply fell asleep on his pillow.
Crack! Crack!
Hours passed, and the sound of branches breaking, along with murmurs, woke Finn. Finn got up, seeing small shadows pass between the tents and hearing a metallic sound like armor. Little by little, the murmurs grew louder, turning into light laughter, followed by a light coming from the center of the tents. They had lit the campfire.
Finn slowly opened his tent while lightly kicking Darwin to wake him up and follow him. As he left the tent, Finn found something he hadn't expected to see, or at least not for a long time.