The carriage stopped on a path lined with massive trees, which created a dense forest. The mercenaries in the carriage immediately sprung into action. Minotaur demon Dennis and orc Skol exited the carriage first, standing at the forefront of the party with their weapons drawn. Scott and Sam were responsible for guarding the rear of the carriage, and both of them wore wary expressions as they surveyed their surroundings. Meanwhile, Sydney leaped from one tree branch to another like an actual monkey, and soon disappeared from view.

  Evan remained sitting in the carriage while holding his wand and looking around. Eva also remained sitting in the carriage, but she had unconsciously sidled up closer to Evan.

  Mag held Amy against his chest with his left arm, while his right hand hovered over his bull-slaying blade. Carrying a longsword could lead people to suspect his true identity, so he decided to temporarily use his bull-slaying blade as his weapon. He looked around curiously, but didn’t find anything that looked as if it were worth fighting. As such, he was wondering why Sivir had suddenly instructed Sydney to stop the carriage.

  Amy’s eyes were also filled with curiosity. This was her first time traveling with a mercenary squad, and a battle appeared to be imminent, so she was very excited.

  Meanwhile, Ugly Duckling, who was sleeping in her arms, suddenly opened its eyes as its ears perked up. It sniffed the air carefully before looking around the surrounding forest as if something had caught its interest.

  Dennis turned to Sivir, and asked, “Squad Leader, what are we dealing with here?”


  The other mercenaries were rather perplexed too, but they weren’t skeptical. They seemed to have absolute trust in Sivir’s judgment.

  “It’s a mature Purple Golden Mink. We’re in luck. If we can catch this little guy, it’ll net us earnings no less than those from the Ironhide Bull,” Sivir said with a smile.

  “A Purple Golden Mink!” All of the mercenaries were overjoyed to hear this.

  “Who would’ve thought we’d encounter one of those here? I heard someone offered 500 gold coins for a Purple Golden Mink hide. It’s even more expensive in weight than gold. We sure are lucky today.” Dennis rubbed his hands together eagerly.

  “Purple Golden Minks are very alert and extremely fast creatures, so it won’t be easy for us to capture it in this dense forest. We can only get Monkey to try and chase it toward us, then capture it. We only have one chance, and if we miss it, the mink will get away.” Sivir’s smile receded, and was replaced by a serious expression. She pointed to a narrow passageway between hills nearby, and said, “Let’s wait there. Sam, you go set up the traps. Everyone else, disperse evenly. Once the Purple Golden Mink appears, don’t rush in to catch it straight away. Instead, try and chase it toward a certain direction so Evan can catch it with the help of Sam’s traps.”


  “Remember that the Purple Golden Mink is only valuable for its hide. A complete mink hide is vastly more valuable than a damaged one. Even if we can’t capture it alive, try not to harm it too much.” Sivir’s expression had become quite serious.

  “Yes!”


  All of the mercenaries began to disperse in front of that natural passageway, creating a pocket. Meanwhile, Sam rushed on ahead and began to set up traps.

  Sivir turned to Mag, and said, “Mr. Mag, this is an unforeseen scenario, and we’ll require some time to capture this Purple Golden Mink. The Purple Golden Mink won’t attack anyone unprovoked under normal circumstances, but it’s still rather dangerous as it’s a 2nd-tier magic beast. There’s no guarantee that it won’t go berserk when desperate. Hence, I think it would be best for you and your daughter to stay in the carriage. We’ll continue our journey after capturing the mink.”


  Evan stood up and glared coldly at Mag as he pursed his lips in disdain. He then leaped lightly onto the branch of a large tree nearby before traversing through the forest. If it weren’t for the fact that he had to constantly keep one hand on his crotch, his movement would appear far more graceful.

  He’s so cool even he’s jumping. I’m so lucky. An intoxicated expression appeared on Eva’s face before she turned to glance at Mag with disdain.

  “No problem.” Mag nodded in response. Purple Golden Mink hide was one of the most sought-after coat materials for nobles. Mag knew a bit about them, and they were indeed 2nd-tier magic beasts, so Sivir really was looking out for their safety.

  Of course, she must have also been worried that their participation would negatively impact the mercenary squad’s synergy. Purple Golden Minks weren’t very powerful, but they were extremely fast, and even a powerful knight would find it difficult to catch one in a forest. That was why their hide was so expensive.

  If it weren’t for the fact that they had just so happened to come across one, the Rose Mercenary Squad wouldn’t try to capture it. After all, the failure rate was very high when attempting to capture a Purple Golden Mink, so they were only trying their luck.

  As for Eva, Mag couldn’t even be bothered to look at her. He was afraid that looking at such a retard would kill off all of his brain cells.

  Sivir nodded and parked the carriage beside some bushes. She then brought out the whip tied around her waist and snapped it in the air, upon which it wound itself around the branch of a large tree. She then pulled herself abruptly toward that branch and repeated that process to traverse through the trees.

  “Big Sister Sivir is so awesome!” Amy looked on with glowing eyes.

  “Indeed, she is.” Watching Sivir traverse through the forest reminded him of Lara from Tomb Raider.

  “Father, what’s a Purple Golden Mink?” Amy asked.

  “It’s a very large type of rat with purple and golden fur,” Mag explained with a smile.

  “A large rat?” Amy’s eyes lit up and she turned to Ugly Duckling as she said, “Ugly Duckling, it’s a rat! Can you catch it?”


  “Heh, it’s not a rat! The Purple Golden Mink is a 2nd-tier magic beast; a pathetic little kitten like that thing will never be able to catch it.” Eva looked at Ugly Duckling with mockery on her face.

  “Meow!” Ugly Duckling seemed to be very displeased to hear that, and extended its tiny paws in a menacing display.

  “You’re wrong, Big Sister Flat-chest. Ugly Duckling is not a kitten, but a duckling instead. Also, it’s a duckling that can catch rats.” Amy shook her head with a serious expression.

  “Hmph! If even that thing can catch the Purple Golden Mink, then I’ll eat the mink raw.” Eva was trembling with rage after hearing Amy’s words, and she turned away again.

  “It’s here.”


  A loud cry erupted from the distance as Monkey quickly traversed through the forest. In front of him was a purple and golden figure that was moving so quickly it could barely be tracked by the naked eye.

  “Ugly Duckling, you have to make sure Big Sister Flat-chest gets to eat the big rat.” Amy patted Ugly Duckling’s head with a solemn expression.