Mark was silent the entire time. He didn't even dare utter a single word. He just followed Mad Dog as they headed to the market.
Suddenly, Mad Dog furrowed his eyebrows as he took a furtive glance in a certain direction. He then whispered. "No matter what you hear next, don't show any reaction and don't look elsewhere. Just keep looking forward and pretend that you didn't hear anything."
Mad Dog's words made Mark nervous, but he still managed to keep a straight face.
"There's someone following us." Mad Dog added in a stern voice.
Hearing this, Mark was stunned. He wanted to look behind them, but Mad Dog's warning kept replaying in his mind. He slowly took a breath breath to calm his restless heart.
Mark was in full alert after hearing Mad Dog's warning. He was prepared to unsheathe his sword if something unexpected happened, but to his relief, no one attacked them. 'Whoever those people are, it seems like they are wary of Mad Dog.' He thought in his heart.
Soon, they arrived at the market.
To avoid attracting unnecessary attention, the two sold their loot in five different stores. While they were selling their goods, Mark took the opportunity to ask. "Sir, are they still nearby?"
Mad Dog stared at him and shook his head. "Not anymore, but we should still be careful. They might be waiting for us somewhere."
Mark nodded his head solemnly.
Not long later, they had finally sold everything in their hands. They received a total of 92, 690 Orbes, an amount that shocked Mark. They hadn't even collected everything from the Black Scaled Boar's corpse. They would have gotten more than 100 thousand Orbes if they had more time to take care of the beast's corpse.
[You received 1600 Orbes!] Mark smiled after getting his share.
"Let's go to the Mystic Cloud Inn." Mad Dog said as he kept the sack filled with coins.
The two didn't encounter any trouble along the way. This surprised them since they were already expecting someone to attack them.
"Those guys are more careful than I thought…" Mad Dog snorted.
Mark's hand was on the hilt of his sword the entire time. "Sir, do you know who those guys are?"
"If I'm not wrong, they should be members of the Iron Fist Gang. Jason has some bad blood against with leader. The two of them have been at each other's throats for many years now. They are also responsible for…" Mad Dog's cold voice trailed off as he touched the scar on his neck.
Mark felt a chill when he saw Mad Dog's furious face. He tactfully remained silent until they arrived at the Mystic Cloud Inn.
As soon as they arrived, the blonde receptionist was surprised when she saw him enter the establishment with Mad Dog.
"G-Good morning, guests!" She greeted them with a nervous smile.
Mark took a quick glance at her, but he didn't bother to respond.
Mad Dog was even less interested. He just walked straight towards the dining area with a serious look on his face.
'That guy…' The blonde receptionist couldn't believe that the man she looked down a few days ago was actually acquainted with Mad Dog. The latter was one of the most skilled hunters in the village and he was relatively famous among the locals. He had a ferocious reputation and his nickname was even used to scare off children.
Meanwhile, Mark and Mad Dog had already found Jason and the others.
"Hey! We're here!" Jason called out for them while raising a jar of beer.
The other hunters turned their gazes at the two and they all looked relieved upon seeing that they were unharmed.
"What did I tell you guys? I told you that nothing will go wrong! Hahaha!" Jason laughed heartily as he slammed his hand on the table.
The others smiled sheepishly at his words.
Kevin grabbed Mark by the shoulder and asked. "You alright, kid? Did that guy anything to you?"
Mark helplessly stared at Kevin and shook his head. "Mad Dog didn't do anything, but…"
"But what?" Kevin and the others frowned as they stared at him.
"It's better if Mad Dog says it. He knows more than me." Mark said as he looked at Mad Dog.
Hearing this, everyone turned their gazes at Mad Dog and waited for him to speak.
"Elias, what happened?" Jason asked with a frown.
(Elias is Mad Dog's real name.)
Mad Dog took a seat and interlocked his fingers on top of the table as he said. "We were being followed earlier and I suspect that those people are from the Iron Fist Gang."
The moment he uttered this name, Jason's expression turned cold. "So it's them…"
Everyone gulped down hard when they saw the dark look on his face.
Just as everyone thought that he would erupt into fury, he suddenly took a deep breath and leaned back into his seat. "It's not time to deal with them yet. We have plenty of time after this. For now, let's celebrate the success of our mission!" He forced out a smile at the end of his sentence.
Mad Dog and the others stared at him in silence.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
"What's with the long faces? Let's drink until we drop!" Kevin hurriedly said to defuse the tense atmosphere.
"That's right! We came here to celebrate! Let's think about other matters later!"
"Alright!"
The others added.
Jason's expression eased up and this made the others heave a sigh of relief.
"Drink up, everyone! I'll pay half of the bill this time!" Jason grinned as he raised his jar of beer.
"Eh? So stingy! How about paying the full bill, Sir Jason?"
"Hahaha! In your dreams!" Jason guffawed before he took a swig from the jar.
Not long later, the joyous mood returned. Everyone started talking with each other, bragging about their past experiences with exaggerated faces.
Mark who had never experienced this kind of gathering felt out of place.
"What are you thinking, Wolf?" Someone's voice drifted into his ears. He turned his head and saw Larry looking at him with a smile.
Mark chuckled and shook his head. "I'm just thinking about our experiences in the Enchanted Woodlands."
"Come on! Stop thinking about that and drink more!" Larry handed him a big jar filled with beer.
Mark couldn't decline him when he saw Larry's expectant gaze. "Alright."
"Good! You should enjoy the moment with us!" Larry laughed as he patted Mark's shoulder.
Mark didn't say anything more. He grabbed the jar of beer and took a big gulp, making the others cheer for him.