Chapter 368: A Few Less People
Yuliya cast a glance at a few corpses, her brow wrinkling slightly, but then she thought better of it and said nothing.
I mean, people dying is just so normal.
At least they didn’t croak within the camp.
Four people sneaked out at night—who knows what they were up to?
The Soldier Leader dealt with it simply, which made perfect sense.
As for the excuse of a monster attack? Total nonsense!
There weren’t any formidable monsters around here. Even if they did run into one, they’d definitely have time to scream for help, considering the camp was just about a kilometer away—anyone could hear it with a little holler.
But there had been no sounds at all last night.
Whatever, not my concern.
The little morning drama didn’t stir much of a ruckus; everyone just glanced at it and moved on.
The group continued to press forward.
Having traversed this world before, Yuliya had a decent understanding of the monster situation.
The strongest was a Bronze Level BOSS—Steelback Grizzly—in the center of this big ol’ forest.
No way these folks were making it that far; the most formidable monsters they’d likely encounter would be at the Gold Level, and that was expected to happen in a few days. They might even end up turning back before they reached that point.
So really, this Gold Level squad shouldn’t be too worried.
The monsters on the second day were just a bit stronger than the first day, with a few Silver Levels thrown in, but most were still Bronze Level.
Plus, the monster density was low; hundreds of people strolled right on by them.
Of course, a few unfortunate souls ended up as the first wave of cannon fodder.
Camping out at night was still the norm.
“Here, Riya, give this a try. It’s one of the most iconic dishes from our Simon Kingdom!”
Yuliya hesitated, then begrudgingly accepted.
Before this, she had already accepted some other foods with the same reluctance—Dazzy had picked up local specialties from various countries along the way.
Honestly, some of them were pretty tasty.
Yuliya made a mental note to grab some more if they passed through good spots.
“This actually tastes pretty good.”
Silio was just staring at Yuliya eating.
Eventually, he couldn’t hold back and blurted out, “Riya, don’t you take off your mask to eat? How are you doing that?”
“The mask has a mouth opening.”
“Isn’t that a hassle?”
“I’m used to it.”
“…”
Silio and Dazzy exchanged glances, their mouths drooping.
This was the brilliant plan they’d come up with, and it completely flopped.
Who would’ve thought one could munch without removing the mask?
But Dazzy was actually somewhat relieved.
At least she now knew that little Riya really loved eating—what a little glutton!
Just give it a couple more days, and once they’re best buddies, it’ll be all good.
Yet she shot a glance at her own meager little pack, hesitating slightly.
Great plan, but can my pantry hold up?
Quickly, she shifted the topic, brushing off her worries.
“It’s a bit boring, you know? We’ve been walking for two days. This Offering Ceremony doesn’t seem like it’s worth much.”
“Well, of course you think it’s boring; you’re strong. Those weaker adventurers are getting hurt, or worse.”
Brook sighed and added, “Adventurers like this, being weak is just a sin.”
That night, Yuliya climbed a tree again to rest.
By the crack of dawn, the wails of the dead echoed once more, but this time it was the soldiers who discovered it first.
Similar to yesterday, again just outside the camp, two groups of over ten had died.
The Soldier Leader looked at the gathered corpses, his face darkening.
“Last warning! Don’t sneak out at night! We’re here on a mission, for the Offering Ceremony, for our country and people! Anyone caught trying to run away will be executed on the spot—understood?!”
“Understood…” The voices were sparse.
He drew his sword and hacked a nearby tree trunk in half—the aura of a Gold Level monster sweeping over them. “What did you say? I didn’t hear that!”
““UNDERSTOOD!!””
This time, the response was much more spirited.
Yuliya glanced at the bodies.
The situation looked pretty much the same as the day before, with the weaklings being the ones who bit the dust.
Dazzy said flatly, “So they snuck out, but didn’t make it far enough before being killed by monsters?”
Brook replied, “Probably.”
“Who knows?” Yuliya shrugged nonchalantly.
The third day kept them moving forward; the monsters were still weak, but more people were dying.
And at night, it was still not a peaceful evening.
On the fourth morning, just like a daily routine, a row of corpses was discovered and gathered together.
The Soldier Leader’s face was as stormy as ever.
This had happened again and again, like a series of slaps across his face.
“Great, looks like some folks really don’t want to live.”
All experienced adventurers—who doesn’t know that sneaking out at night is super dangerous? Knowing it’s risky and doing it anyway? One can only guess their motivations.
Maybe they were gambling on the sliver of hope at night, thinking they wouldn’t survive the day.
The Soldier Leader didn’t say much more; soon enough, the team set off along the predetermined route.
And during the daylight of this day, the battles weren’t nearly as easy as before.
They had crossed over the outer territories and officially entered the great forest.
Monsters became denser, and the intensity of their strength rose quite a bit.
Perhaps some people were familiar with the roads nearby, knowing the battles from here on would be tough and started to think of other plans.
But this tough scenario was tough for others, not for Gold Level adventurers—it was just a little more effort for them.
And then there was the certain someone who was seriously slacking off.
Some people couldn’t help but bristle at her behavior, but seeing the four people surrounding her, they could only swallow their words.
The people in the team had k*ll counts for monsters, and those who didn’t meet theirs the previous day were put right at the front the next day.
But the Gold Four just told the Soldier Leader, her kills count toward ours.
The Soldier Leader turned a blind eye; all he cared about was hitting the monster count.
Before setting up camp at night, everyone gathered together to count the numbers.
They had originally set off with about six hundred, and now there were only five hundred left, with about a hundred dead.
Among the dead, around thirty were those who’d run out at night.
This time, when setting up camp, the Soldier Leader deliberately arranged the positions: one side against a cliff, surrounded by soldiers on the other three sides.
“Tonight, anyone wanting to leave the camp area will be killed on the spot!”
After issuing the clear order, everyone began to rest.
Yuliya still found a big tree to settle down in.
Before closing her eyes, she muttered to herself, “I wonder how many people will bite it tonight?”
On the fifth dawn, the answer was revealed: over twenty.
But this time, the Soldier Leader switched things up; he didn’t say a word, just had everyone pack up and kept moving forward.
