The outskirts of the wilderness are one of the best areas for low-level mercenary activities in the southwestern part of the Morraine Empire, so naturally, there isn't just one mercenary team operating here.
Turning back to the time after Kent finished swallowing the dragon blood fruit and began to sleep, a mercenary team was on guard in an underground space within the Chaotic Rock Cave. Not far from them lay the huge body of a Stone Armor Boar, with two mercenaries cutting off its most valuable giant tusks.
The "Loving Team" had eight members with a very balanced composition: the tank captain, a shield guard, a dual-axe warrior and a greatsword user for melee output, a long spear knight for medium-range output and secondary tanking, two hunters for long-range output and intelligence gathering, a priest as the healer, and a mage for magical output.
Although they didn't have a scout or assassin for gathering intelligence, the Loving Team's lineup was otherwise flawless. Even though none of the members had reached the second-tier elite level, their reasonable lineup and perfect cooperation made them quite well-known around Kaelin Village.
This mission was commissioned to gather the rare-grade resource "Starry Ore" in the Chaotic Rock Cave. Naturally, any moderately difficult monsters they encountered along the way would also be considered gains.
Priest Anna stepped forward to take the cut-off giant tusks and put them into her space ring with a proud smile, saying:
"See how convenient it is to have a space ring? We can buy the Taunt skill scroll after this commission is over. Anyway, the captain's taunt is enough for now."
"Alright, stop showing off your space ring. Let's continue looking for the Starry Ore," said the captain, Reinhardt, as he patted Anna's head and slung a giant shield over his back. This fine-quality shield, crafted from the armor of a Double-faced Armored Beast, was two meters tall and nearly a meter wide.
The Loving Team members were like family, treating the youngest member, Anna, as their little sister.
"Woof, woof, woof!"
Suddenly, a series of dog barks broke the silence. Hunter Taros crouched down, carefully listening to his partner's voice, and then announced loudly:
"Everyone, look at me. I have something to announce."
Taros stroked the head of his majestic yellow-brown hunting dog with excitement, saying:
"Hubert just said that it smelled at least an uncommon-grade resource!"
Taros was the team's main intelligence gatherer. Although his hunting experience was not extensive, he had a hunting dog partner he had raised since it was a puppy. After investing resources, the hunting dog Hubert successfully advanced to the level of an elite-grade monster and awakened a very powerful talent:
Talent: Treasure-Sniffing Nose (Grade B): "The Father of Hunters grants me vision! Can sniff out resource locations within a radius of 500 meters."
Captain Reinhardt pondered for a moment, still inclined to play it safe:
"Uncommon-grade resources are usually guarded by elite red-name monsters. It's still very dangerous for our team to confront such a monster head-on."
Seeing that the captain was hesitant to take the risk, Taros quickly spoke up before he could outright refuse:
"We can scout the surroundings first. There are only two types of elite red-name monsters on the first underground level of the Chaotic Rock Cave: the Giant Iron-Eating Worm and the Purple Rock Python, neither of which are known for their speed. If we encounter them, we can run."
Seeing that Taros made a good point and that the other team members were also eager, Reinhardt decided to follow Taros's suggestion.
"Alright, but let's agree in advance: we must not be greedy to avoid bringing disaster upon ourselves."
The Loving Team followed the hunting dog Hubert through the maze-like underground space for half a day until they reached a hidden cave entrance. Hunter Taros scratched his head and looked at the older, more experienced hunter, Glass.
Glass examined the cave entrance and then smiled, saying: "Captain, we're in luck. This is the lair of a Double-faced Armored Beast."
"Alright! Uncommon-grade resource! Who's next in line for a new weapon?"
The group cheered. The Double-faced Armored Beast was a typical punching bag monster, and the Loving Team could easily handle it.
"How did you figure that out?" Hunter Taros asked, eager to learn.
Glass, who always treated Taros like his own child, was happy to explain:
"Look at the shallow scratch marks on the rock wall outside the cave. These are made because the Double-faced Armored Beast's armor grows in a way that makes it itchy, so they scratch themselves against the rock walls near their nests."
"I see. So, Captain, shall we proceed?"
Captain Reinhardt couldn't hide his smile but, being cautious, decided to confirm once more:
"Is there a chance another beast killed the Double-faced Armored Beast and took over its nest? Are we sure there are no elite red-name monsters inside?"
The old hunter Glass examined the surroundings carefully and then nodded:
"It's possible, but there are definitely no elite red-name monsters inside. There's no trace of Iron-Eating Worm mucus or Purple Rock Python scales near the entrance, and both of those beasts are much larger than this cave entrance."
Satisfied, Reinhardt began issuing commands:
"Harry, cast Haste on everyone. Anna, prepare for emergency healing."
Mage Harry frowned, "I'm low on mana. We don't need Haste for a Double-faced Armored Beast, do we?"
Priest Anna added, "We can't meditate out here; we should save the mana potion."
Reinhardt thought for a moment and then sighed, "Alright, let's save it. Stay in formation."
He raised his giant shield and advanced slowly, followed closely by the dual-axe warrior and the greatsword user. Next came the two hunters with their torches and the hunting dog Hubert, while the priest and mage brought up the rear. The long spear knight took the last position to support the priest and mage as needed.
They moved through the spacious passageway until a large boulder blocked their path.
Without needing any words, the dual-axe warrior and the greatsword user moved forward and shifted the boulder just enough to create a gap for an adult to pass through. They then stood ready with their weapons.
In the dim cave, a pair of eyes the size of an adult's head slowly opened, filled with anger in their pale golden slits.