My Magic Has No Upper Limit

Meanwhile, Gak’s situation was even more grim.

Blood had soaked through his clothes and was still gushing out.

Valles first sprinkled a layer of Blood Coagulation Powder onto the wound, then pressed down hard with a clean piece of linen to apply pressure and stop the bleeding.

But even so, the dark red stain spread rapidly across the linen, a horrifying sight to behold.

Valles added several more layers, and after a few minutes, he finally managed to stanch the bleeding.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his forearm, letting out a sigh of relief.

Gak’s life was saved.

It was true what they said about the legendary courage of the Beastmen; he had dared to charge a Middle Level Swordsman head-on.

And even though he was so grievously injured, his will hadn’t broken. He was still gritting his teeth through the pain.

Gak pressed his lips together tightly, his green skin looking unusually pale.

Thankfully, the injury was finally under control.

Gray, who had been watching from the side with narrowed eyes, couldn’t help but shake his head.

Compared to Gak, the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Fog Demon seemed like nothing.

’It looked painful just to watch.’

After stabilizing Zelir and Gak’s injuries, it was time to deal with the six corpses from Drake Squad.

The method was simple.

Just burn them.

Burn them beyond recognition, and who would be able to identify a pile of charred remains?

Gray and Marcus worked together to move the bodies to a clearing away from the trees, piling them up. While they were at it, they stripped them of their armor, weapons, and coin purses.

They doused the pile with strong spirits and tossed a match into the center.

A blazing fire roared to life with a WHOOSH.

Marcus watched, his face impassive, as Drake’s head warped in the scorching flames.

The forest fell silent once more, with only the CRACKLE of the fire breaking the quiet.

Zelir leaned against a large tree and slowly sat down. He stared at the flickering tips of the flames, seemingly lost in a daze.

"What are you thinking about?" Hill’s voice sounded by Zelir’s ear.

"Nothing..."

Zelir shook his head slightly. "This is the first time I’ve attacked a human, so I’m a little... dazed."

Hill crossed her arms, her eyes under her hood gazing forward, as if she too were lost in thought.

The fire blazed, sending sparks flying from time to time.

Gak lay resting to one side while Marcus patrolled the perimeter of the clearing, keeping watch.

Meanwhile, Gray was taking stock of the equipment and valuables left behind by Drake Squad, sorting them into piles.

"I’m sorry," Hill said suddenly.

"What?" Zelir was confused.

"You’re still young, aren’t you? Just a kid of sixteen or seventeen... If I hadn’t made a move, you wouldn’t have had to experience this so soon."

Hill said softly, "So, I’m sorry."

"Are you really apologizing?" Zelir was a little surprised.

Hill met Zelir’s gaze calmly. Neither of them looked away.

After a moment, a familiar curve formed on Hill’s lips.

"Guess."

"I can’t."

Zelir shook his head. "But it’s no big deal. Honestly, I should be thanking you."

"Thanking me?" Now it was Hill’s turn to be confused.

"Yeah."

Zelir looked away, his gaze returning to the bonfire.

"To be honest, I wanted to kill them too... People like that are just trouble waiting to happen if you let them live. It’s better to strike first."

Zelir had seen the look on Marcus and the others’ faces; they had been planning to let the matter rest.

Hill stared at Zelir’s profile for a long moment before she let out a soft laugh.

"Hmph... Maybe you’re like me. You’ve got the makings of a bad guy."

"Is that so..."

"If you ever need anything in the future, or have a commission for an Assassin, you can come find me."

Hill pressed a token into Zelir’s hand.

"Go to Number Seven Dark Alley Street and knock five times. Show this to the person who answers, and I’ll get your message."

"Oh... okay." Zelir accepted the token.

"Alright! All counted!"

After a good while, Gray called out, his face lit up with excitement.

"These bastards had a total of twenty gold and seventy-two silver coins in their purses! Plus, there are several pieces of decent-quality armor and weapons. They’ll fetch a good price when we sell them!"

The gear from the three Middle Level Warriors was high-quality stuff, clearly superior and worth a lot of money.

"Let’s divide the money now. As for the weapons and armor... if you trust me, leave them with me to sell. We’ll still split the proceeds proportionally."

Marcus said, "I have channels... but we’ll need to wait a couple of days. Unloading so much good gear at once will raise suspicion. We also need to avoid any potential investigation into Drake Squad’s disappearance."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Marcus could be trusted.

The encounter with Drake Squad had cost them a lot of time. They needed to leave Gray Wood Forest before nightfall.

On the way back, Valles carried most of the equipment and bags.

Marcus and Gray supported Gak on either side, helping him walk.

Gak was incredibly heavy; Gray was grimacing under the weight.

Because of the injury to his calf, Zelir couldn’t put weight on his leg and had difficulty walking on his own, so he also needed support.

Hill took on this responsibility.

She had Zelir drape his right arm over her shoulder, then wrapped her own left arm around his back, holding him steady by his waist.

Hill’s frame seemed slender, but her strength was considerable. Even with most of Zelir’s weight leaning on her, she didn’t waver in the slightest.

A crisp scent entered Zelir’s nostrils, like the bracing chill of opening a door on a winter’s day, invigorating his Spirit.

As the sun set, the squad successfully made their way out of Gray Wood Forest.

After retrieving the wagon they had left in the village, they returned to Black Stone Town.

As soon as Marcus walked into the Adventurer’s Association, the surrounding chatter died down considerably.

Everyone’s gazes drifted toward them, veiled but curious.

They all knew that Marcus Squad had accepted the mission to clear out the goblins in the Mist Cave.

’That was a pretty high-Difficulty commission... Did they actually complete it?’

"Turning in a quest."

Marcus placed a bag of goblin ears on the counter.

"The commission to clear the Mist Cave Goblin Community is complete. Twenty-five regular goblins, three Beastman Goblins, and one White-haired Goblin in total. Take a look."

"Right away!"

Eira immediately opened the bag, emptied its contents onto a counting tray, and began to tally the number with a small pick.

Marcus’s words stirred a flurry of whispers from the crowd.

"They actually did it..."

"Marcus Squad has been on a roll lately. Damn impressive. I heard Drake Squad tried to snatch this mission before."

"It’s not like it’s his achievement. He’s just a Junior Warrior. His teammates are the strong ones..." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"Did you hear? They have a Mage on their team. And they’ve partied up several times in a row now..."