We evil gods must hide.

Chapter 24 The Mercenaries' Tragic Deaths

Outside the original goblin cave.

The goblin leader was covered in wounds; the arrows Cole had shot into him were still embedded in his body, and blood was trickling down his green skin.

It staggered, yet still swung its giant axe, roaring as it tried to chop down the human adventurers surrounding it.

However, the speed was too slow, and it couldn't touch anyone at all.

The burly man at the head of the group wielded a giant sword and slashed the goblin leader across the back, laughing heartily.

"Brothers, give it your all! This guy can't hold on much longer!"

"Damn, I'm really lucky today. I actually ran into a half-crippled green-skinned leader."

Cole's face darkened instantly, and it felt as if all the old archer's anger was seeping into his face.

He was an adventurer for thirty years.

What I hate most are these shameless people who steal monsters and loot the loot.

"stop!"

He roared and strode out.

"We wounded this leader first; he's our prey!"

Several adventurers were drawn to the sudden sound.

"Ouch!"

One of them faced the goblin leader head-on and almost got chopped down.

"You two hold them off for now."

The burly man gave a few instructions, then turned around and looked Old Cole up and down. Seeing the empty quiver in his hand and the simple, worn-out armor, he gave a contemptuous and mocking smile.

"Your prey?"

"There are plenty of monsters in Blackrock Canyon. Just because you say something is yours doesn't mean it is."

"Did you deliberately empty the quiver to steal the kill, old man?"

Upon hearing this, Cole trembled with rage, gripped his bow tightly, and prepared to charge forward.

But he had only taken two steps when a tall, thin mercenary behind the burly man appeared suddenly with incredible speed and kicked Cole.

Ella and the others didn't even have time to react.

The kick was quite powerful, landing squarely on Cole's stomach.

Cole was already old and had just used up a lot of energy, so he couldn't dodge at all. He was sent flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground, almost spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Uncle Cole!"

Ella gasped, her eyes reddening and tears welling up. She knelt down to help Cole up, gripping her staff as she prepared to cast a fireball.

"You guys went too far! We started it first!"

But just as she was about to activate her magic, her wrist was grabbed.

It's Lynch.

He gently shook his head, his dark eyes showing little emotion, yet carrying an energy that brought an unusual sense of calm.

Ella was stunned for a moment. Looking at Lin Qi's calm face, she put down the staff in her hand, but tears still streamed down her face. She was obviously very aggrieved.

Neil was trembling, but he stepped in front of Cole and Ella to protect them.

He looked terrified, but he was trying his best not to back away.

The burly man sneered at their behavior and spat on the ground.

"Bringing a bunch of unweaned babies, they dare to come to Blackrock Canyon?"

"If you know what's good for you, get lost, or we'll slaughter you all!"

The two mercenaries behind him also raised their weapons, staring fiercely at Lin Qi and his companions with menacing eyes.

Lin Qi glanced at them, and the data panels of the others appeared in his mind.

Although there are no advanced professionals like Fiona, the average is far higher than several people.

Cole has run out of arrows, Ella has only a little magic left, and Neil's Flash Blast is useful, but it doesn't deal any damage. It's clear that if a fight breaks out, our side will definitely lose.

It's not worth it.

He pulled Ella along, winked at Cole and Neil, and whispered, "Let's go first."

Cole clutched his stomach, his face ashen, staring intently at the mercenary group, but he knew now was not the time for a direct confrontation.

He gritted his teeth.

"Walk."

Finally, Neil helped him up, and he turned around with Lynch, disappearing back into the mist amidst the laughter of the others.

The group returned to the previously hidden cave.

Cole leaned against the rock wall and slammed his fist into the stone with a dull thud, breaking his knuckles and drawing blood. The old archer was clearly furious.

"Damn it, a bunch of scum!"

Ella sat to the side, wiping away tears, sobbing softly, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't run out of magic, we might have killed that leader. They wouldn't have had the chance, and they wouldn't have dared to bully us like that..."

Neil lowered his head and whispered in agreement, "That's...that's too much..."

The group cursed angrily, their hearts filled with resentment and rage.

Lynch leaned against the cave entrance, listening to their complaints, his fingertips lightly tapping the rock wall.

He was naturally angry, but the evil god was clearly much calmer.

He's just a goblin leader; not worth getting angry over.

There are many more goblins to face in the future.

However, after thinking about it, I still felt I should go and see, to fulfill my duty as a thief, just in case those people couldn't handle it.

The efforts of myself and my teammates must not be in vain.

He stood up and said to the three of them, "You all continue to rest. I want to go and investigate the situation further."

"Lin Qi, don't be impulsive!"

Ella quickly stopped crying and tried to stop him, seemingly thinking that Lynch was going to go out and risk his life.

Cole also looked up, intending to stop him, but seeing the calm look in Lynch's eyes, he remained silent for a moment before changing his tone and saying in a deep voice, "Don't force it. Find out what's going on and come back. Don't let them find out."

Lin Qi nodded, and with a flash, he disappeared into the mist.

Although he had only trained with the old thief for a day, he relied on the thief's silent movement technique he had mastered through the system. His feet were as light as a falling leaf, and he moved through the mist like a ghost, quickly returning to the vicinity of the goblin cave.

As soon as I got close, a strong smell of blood rushed into my nostrils.

It's a hundred times more pungent than the stench of goblins.

Moreover, it was extremely quiet; you couldn't hear a single sound.

"What happened?"

Lin Qi frowned, slowly parted the bushes, and looked towards the open space.

The sight before him caused his pupils to shrink slightly.

Five corpses lay scattered across the open ground.

It was the same mercenary group from earlier.

They all died tragically, their bodies covered in gruesome axe wounds, severed limbs scattered on the ground, and blood staining the entire area red.

The burly man at the head had his head split in two, and he died with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

How could this happen?

It had only been about fifteen minutes from when the team left until I returned.

After a moment's thought, Lin Qi decided to be cautious and investigate further given the bizarre situation. So, the Evil God circled the area to make sure there were no other creatures or special beings before slowly approaching the battlefield.

The smell of blood is too strong.

He rubbed his nose.

He then walked over to the corpse of the burly man with the giant sword, squatted down, and examined it carefully.

no problem.

The wound was indeed caused by the goblin leader's giant axe.

"But the signs of a fight... are very strange."

Lynch muttered to himself.

It didn't feel like a five-on-one fight; it was more like a one-sided massacre.

However, previous events indicated that the goblin leader was of limited strength and was seriously injured. Even if a miracle suddenly occurred and he advanced to a goblin warrior, it would be impossible for him to wipe out these experienced adventurers so easily.

Moreover, the goblin leader is missing.

Lin Qi looked around the small canyon again and found that, shrouded in a light mist, the stone walls on both sides were covered with purple marks, scattered like stars, as if something had been sprinkled on them.

Upon closer inspection, you can even hear these purple "mud spots" making a hissing sound.

It appears to be corroding the rock.

"This is?"

Lin Qi squinted and stared at it for a long time.

For some reason, this thing gave Lord Evil God a rather uncomfortable feeling, like a white shirt suddenly being splattered with ink.

He tentatively extended his fingertip and carefully touched it with his fingernail.

[Prompt: You have sensed the power of unclaimed faith. Do you wish to absorb it?]

Lin Qi was taken aback.

What does "unclaimed faith power" mean?

"Yes."

After a moment's hesitation, he chose to absorb it.

[Faith +1]

This is the only prompt.

"System, please explain the power of unclaimed faith."

Lin Qi asked tentatively, but received no response.

He simply returned to the spot where the goblin leader had been ganged up on and looked around again.

A gentle breeze briefly dispersed the mist.

Lynch's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

Centered on his own location.

The dense purple hues, stretching from near to far, resemble blooming flowers.

This can be understood as a local, unclaimed faith.

A rough estimate suggests that if Lynch had absorbed them all, there would have been hundreds or even thousands.

"..."

Lynch stood up.

In the mist, the black-haired evil god lowered his head and pondered for a moment.

"Forget it, there's no such thing as a free lunch."

Prioritizing safety, Lin Qi abandoned any further investigation and focused his attention solely on the five men who died with their eyes wide open.

These despicable bastards have equipment worth more than the goblin leader.

He looked at the bloodstained greatsword at his feet and tried to pick it up.

Not moving.

A malevolent god with only 1 power and no offensive capabilities.

Lin Qi's expression remained unchanged as he turned and left.

Let old archer Cole decide how to handle it.

After looking around again and confirming that there was nothing unusual, Lin Qi's figure disappeared into the mist.

Then.

At the entrance to the goblin cave, a faint light flashed, and a man dressed in armor suddenly appeared.

"They're quite vigilant."

On his breastplate, a small golden scale stood out conspicuously.

Warriors of the Temple of Justice.

"Although this kid is strange, his problem will probably have to be postponed a bit."

The man turned his gaze back to the spot where Lin Qi had been standing.

"If I'm not mistaken, this matter must be reported to the High Priest immediately."