Game of the World Tree

“This…was the Caverock Tribe?”

Cynthia’s voice carried a hint of disbelief as she looked at the dilapidated ruins before her.

Kaynes furrowed his brow, his gaze sweeping over the desolate landscape in front of him.

Carefully, he moved forward, each step measured as he approached the scene. The ground beneath his feet revealed faint, ominous traces of blood, now transformed into a dried, murky blackness. Whereas the ruins surrounding them bore the scars of devastation, as if it was thoroughly ransacked, leaving nothing but desolation in its wake.

“A fierce battle took place here, likely over three months ago…Judging from the scene, it appears as though the entire tribe was raided by bandits, leaving nothing behind. From the extent of devastation the Caverock Tribe appears to have been completely wiped out.”

Kaynes said solemnly.

“Three months…”

Cynthia murmured, her eyes showing a hint of suspicion.

The largest half-orc tribe near the Elven Forest was quietly wiped out three months ago, and despite so much time having passed, the news of their demise still hasn’t spread around!

What… did they encounter?

What exactly happened here?

Moreover, it was just a mere impoverished half-orc settlement; what could be worth stealing from them? Scraps?

As the two mercenary captains mulled over their bizzare discovery, their expressions grew increasingly wary and perplexed.

From the traces left behind in their surroundings, the Caverock Tribe seemed to have experienced an attack by mountain bandits, and not just any run-of-the-mill bandits at that, but a powerful group that had the capacity to wipe them out silently.

Nevertheless… this was a medium-sized settlement full of aggressive half-orcs!

What could be worth stealing amongst their belongings?

Furthermore… this area was within the Caverock’s jurisdiction, and Orcs usually don’t allow any bandit camps to form inside their territory.

“Could the perpetrator be… the Black Dragon? Or perhaps its enslaved servants?”

Cynthia asked.

“A juvenile Black Dragon wouldn’t have the ability to wipe out a tribe this size so silently. To quietly eliminate a half-orc tribe like Caverock… the culprits must be rather brutal, and instead of a single being, odds are… there are probably a lot of them!” Kaynes said, furrowing his brow.

Listening to Kaynes’ explanation, Cynthia’s brow furrowed even deeper, reflecting her growing concern.

Her eyes darted around the area once more and suddenly her expression changed:

“Look! There are a lot of footprints over here!”

Kaynes rose to his feet, followed her gaze, and spotted the chaotic array of tracks ahead.

Among the footsteps were distinct human shapes, intermingled with hints of something more primal, akin to an animal all strewn across the ground in abundance.

The footsteps they’ve found appeared recent, as though whoever or whatever had made them had just passed through.

“These are new footprints, definitely not more than a day old!” Cynthia muttered.

Kaynes squinted slightly, then stretched out his foot and compared it with the footprints on the ground.

“Hmm?”

After a moment, he made a light sound of surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Cynthia asked curiously.

Kaynes’ face displayed a mix of surprise, doubt, and a glimmer of excitement.

“These footprints… seem to belong to elves!”

Cynthia was slightly stunned.

“Elves?!”

As her companion’s words sank in, she scrutinized the ground once more, this time with a focused gaze that picked out the subtle traits distinctive to elves.

Having encountered and hunted elves in the past, both mercenary captains possessed the expertise to discern their telltale footprints. With each passing moment of examination, their suspicions were easily confirmed, revealing unmistakable nuances that set these footsteps apart.

“It really seems to be elven footprints! But… where did so many elves come from? Could they be the ones who were acquired by those southern nobles before?”

Cynthia was both surprised and puzzled.

The thrill of potentially earning extra profit surged within her at the thought of encountering elves once more. Yet, it was tempered by the sheer abundance of footprints spread across the ground, raising even more confusing questions for her.

Before Kaynes could voice his thoughts, a deafening roar reverberated through the air, unmistakably that of a dragon, echoing from a distance…

Instinctively, they looked up in the direction of the sound, and on a distant hillside, they saw a black castle.

—No, that couldn’t be called a castle anymore.

Looking at it more closely, outside the castle perimeter, a sturdy wall had been built, appearing very new, likely completed not too long ago.

Even the castle itself seemed to have been meticulously repaired.

And atop of it on the air, a majestic black dragon was circling above the castle.

“It’s the Black Dragon’s lair!”

Both of their eyes lit up.

Just as they were stunned by the orcish ruins in front of them, they suddenly realized that the Black Dragon’s lair they had been searching for all along was just right up ahead!

However, just before they could rejoice to the fact that they finally found their target’s lair, the expressions of the two of them turned serious almost in an instant…

The sight of the restored castle, the decimated orc tribe, and the myriad footprints akin to those of elves spoke volumes even without a word being spoken…

Seemingly realizing something, the two mercenary captains instinctively looked around.

The Caverock tribe was nestled against the mountain, with low terrain, while the other three sides were dense forests, creating the impression of a secluded enclave.

This terrain… seemed quite unfavorable in case something happened.

Both of them almost simultaneously had this thought.

Yet at this moment, an ominous breeze suddenly blew as countless birds flew out of the forest, chirping loudly, as if startled by something…

“Not good!”

In an instant, both mercenary captains stood up almost simultaneously.

And as they spoke, a sudden rush of air broke the stillness, accompanied by the whispering swish of arrows slicing through the wind. From the enveloping forest, a volley of arrows, gleaming with majestic skills, surged forth, aimed directly at the mercenaries congregated near the remnants of the Caverock tribe settlement.

These arrows came so unexpectedly that the mercenaries situated on the outer edge of the group hadn’t even realized what was happening before they were hit one after another.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of mercenaries fell to the ground, their fate unknown, amidst cries and screams of the rest.

Instantly, the mercenary forces erupted into chaos.

“Ambush! It’s an ambush! We’ve been tricked!”

Almost at the same moment, the two captains realized what had happened.

In an instant, realization dawned upon both captains, their faces contorting with a mix of shock, anger, suspicion, and horror.

And after the bombardment of arrows subsided, a frenzied roar suddenly resounded from all around their immediate surroundings.

Amidst a cacophony of frenzied war cries, a multitude of figures erupted from the dense forest, their movements a blur of urgency and fervor.

Each of them carried splendid equipment, boasting about strikingly attractive features…clearly, their assailants were definitely—

“Elves?!”

Seeing the hundreds of elves suddenly rushing out one after another, the expressions of the mercenaries were quite dramatic.

But soon, their expressions turned into excitement.

Elves!

They had actually encountered elves!

And… these elves were rushing towards them foolishly!

Eternal Lord above, these elves are practically walking gold coins!

Even though dozens of their fellow mercenaries had just been shot dead by these elves, the rest of the mercenaries’ initial panic and confusion quickly turned into excitement when they saw these elves.

Who among the mercenaries of Maple Leaf had not participated in hunting elves?

They were so familiar with these weak, cowardly, but invaluable long-eared creatures.

Sure, their archery might be a bit better, but their close combat skills were weak to the extreme in comparison!

However, this subconscious thought only lasted for a few seconds.

Because they quickly noticed something strange about these elves…

Their current appearance diverged entirely from the mercenaries’ usual perception of them.

These elves swung their weapons wildly, their voices echoing loudly through the air as they clustered together in a frenzied mass, cheering with fervor, resembling a band of crazy madmen.

Moreover, their gaze toward them was akin to that of wild wolves seeing prey!

Ferocious, excited, crazy…

Such eyes made the mercenaries involuntarily take a step back.

And just as the mercenaries were feeling a bit uncertain.

Even more countless figures appeared from the forest as they shouted continuously, each charging towards their location as if they all lost their minds…

Deafening shouts filled the air as numerous figures flooded into view.

The expressions of the two captains instantly became serious.

In their field of vision, there appeared a fully armed legion of elves!

What’s more, these elves…suddenly surrounded them in an instant.

— 318 —

【 AMBUSH OF THE ELVEN LEGION 】

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