Amidst the beautiful, tranquil wilderness lay scattered the broken bodies of Bighorns, strewn haphazardly across the landscape.

Had a small mercenary group encountered the Bighorn herd, it would have been human corpses littering the ground. Unfortunately for the Bighorns, today they met the Blue Banshee!

This is a land where the weak are prey to the strong, the very law of survival on the Belrand Continent.

Aside from five or six mercenaries sustaining minor injuries and bleeding, the Bighorn herd did not inflict significant damage on the mercenary group.

"Let's bandage up the wounded quickly, we need to leave this place immediately. The scent of so many corpses will soon attract larger beasts," Kains ordered the mercenary group to retreat immediately after the battle.

The mercenary group acted swiftly, with the injured helping each other with basic wound treatment, while the rest quickly packed up their weapons and equipment and left the battlefield.

The Bighorn corpses were left behind. Although Bighorns barely qualified as first-level magical beasts, their value was minimal. Their fur might be worth some money, but it was too troublesome to skin, and their meat was tough and unpalatable. In the Orlando Mountains, filled with prey, no mercenary or hunter would bother eating Bighorn meat.

The mercenary group trekked through the rugged mountain paths all afternoon, only stopping to rest in a mountain recess as dusk approached.

After a life-and-death battle followed by an afternoon of continuous travel, even those with the stamina of third-level warriors were nearly at their limit. However, Arthur noticed that the mercenaries of the Blue Banshee were indeed different; not a single one complained or fell behind throughout the afternoon, even those who were injured and either supported by comrades or carried in turns.

After stopping, Arthur lay down on the ground from exhaustion, but immediately got up again, realizing that, unlike him, no mercenary sat down to rest right away.

Naturally splitting into groups, one led by Adeline began unloading boxes from the backs of muskoxen, preparing for dinner and camping. Tony and Angus each led a group of mercenaries to scout the surrounding area in different directions. They needed to ensure there were no large magical beasts or other hidden dangers nearby before the group could start setting up camp officially.

The other mercenaries, who were temporarily unassigned tasks, stood loosely around the perimeter, effectively forming a protective circle around the muskoxen and the goods, ensuring no one could approach the mission's cargo unnoticed.

This was the result of years of experience from seasoned mercenaries, as danger in the Orlando Mountains could arise without warning.

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Only after Tony and Angus returned did the mercenary group begin to set up camp officially.

Once the perimeter guards were in place, and Angus had spread insect repellent around the campsite and set several small traps with alert functions, the mercenaries could finally relax a bit.

Seizing the opportunity, the accompanying Wood Mage, Wolper, used two "Bud of Wood" spells to fully heal two of the more seriously injured mercenaries. In a non-combat environment, mages are reluctant to let their magic drop below half of their capacity. Until Wolper's magic was fully replenished, the remaining injured mercenaries had to make do with herbal remedies for blood clotting.

The other mercenaries gathered around the newly lit bonfire, laughing and joking. Some couldn't wait for the food to be cooked before taking out their own alcohol.

Kains, Adeline, Tony, and Angus, the leaders of the mercenary group, sat separately around a small bonfire. The elf, Ilaya, was still not present in the group, and Arthur managed to join them under the pretense of cooking meat for everyone.

Adeline gently stirred the fire with the end of her magic wand, making it burn brighter. A Fire Mage's wand is a natural fire-starting tool.

"I think you should tell us the destination of this mission. That way, we can prepare more for the journey ahead," Adeline said, stirring the fire without looking up.

"I thought you'd never ask if I didn't mention it," Kains replied jokingly.

"You're the leader. You have your reasons for not disclosing the mission, but ever since we entered the mountains, I've had a bad feeling."

"A woman's intuition?"

"Yes, a woman's intuition."

"Soren Gorge. Our mission's destination is the Soren Gorge."

Adeline's hand shook, and a large burst of flame erupted from the tip of her wand. Kains's direct announcement clearly startled her.

Tony and Angus were also taken aback, but then their expressions diverged. Tony looked excited, while Angus's face seemed to freeze, his expression stiff.

Arthur heard the name "Soren Gorge" for the first time. He was very curious about what kind of place it was that elicited such strong reactions from them.

Adeline sighed softly, "No wonder I felt uneasy. That place is cursed land, rumored to still harbor remnants of the divine and demonic aura from the ancient gods and demons war. These auras interweave and linger in the gorge, affecting both mages and warriors, significantly limiting their strength within the gorge."

"That's not the worst part. The real impact is mental. Many warriors and mages who come out of the gorge act strangely, and some even go completely mad!" Angus continued.

"Fortune favors the bold. That place was an ancient battlefield, full of valuable relics. I've heard of someone finding a legendary broken sword there; even just a fragment of the blade is priceless. If we're lucky, maybe Tony here could find some damaged artifacts," Tony said excitedly, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of risk and opportunity inherent in such ancient ruins.

"Now I'm curious about who our employer is. Who would choose to send something to the Soren Gorge?" Adeline couldn't help but ask.

Kains shook his head, "The employer is very secretive. You know how Brendan from the Mercenary Guild is; he won't say a word more than necessary about confidential information."

"Even with our mercenary group's strength, that place is a stretch!" Adeline couldn't help but sigh again.

Kains was silent for a while before speaking softly, "I know the risks of this mission are great, but the client offered a price we simply couldn't refuse. Plus, we don't need to enter the gorge; we just need to deliver the goods to its mouth. Someone will be there waiting to receive them."

Adeline didn't say anything more, continuing to stir the bonfire with her wand. Choosing the mercenary life means accepting danger as a part of living.

The bonfire burned brighter, casting the thoughtful faces of the mercenaries in the flickering flames...