For several long seconds after Elliot's body went still, neither of them moved.
The cold air slowly crept back into the clearing as the sounds of battle faded.
Osric pulled his sword free and stepped back.
His leg throbbed immediately.
Now that the fight was over, the pain he had ignored began to return in full force.
He steadied himself for a moment and took a slow, steady breath.
William approached a moment later, his axe still dripping blood.
"You still standing?"
"Barely," Osric replied.
William glanced down at the wound on Osric's thigh.
"That one looks ugly."
Osric followed his gaze.
The cut across his leg had soaked through the cloth beneath his armor. Blood continued to seep slowly through the fabric.
"My side isn't much better," Osric muttered.
William nodded toward the gash across Osric's ribs.
"Yeah, I noticed."
Osric then looked at William's arm.
The forearm wound was smaller but still bleeding.
"You're not exactly untouched either."
William shrugged.
"Could be worse."
Before either of them could say more, a cautious voice came from behind the cart.
"…Is it over?"
Both men turned.
Paul slowly stepped out from behind the cart, his face pale.
His eyes moved nervously from one corpse to another.
Then he looked back at them.
"Are they all…?"
"They're dead," Osric said simply.
Paul swallowed and nodded.
"Good."
He walked over carefully, stepping around the bodies.
"Sit down," he said after a moment. "Both of you."
Osric didn't argue.
He lowered himself onto the edge of the cart while Paul rummaged through their supplies.
William leaned against the cart as well.
Paul pulled out the small pouch of ointment and several rolls of cloth bandages.
"You two are idiots," Paul muttered while opening the jar.
William chuckled weakly.
"That's what you're worried about?"
Paul ignored him.
He carefully cleaned the worst of the blood from Osric's thigh before spreading the ointment across the wound.
Osric clenched his jaw as the sting spread through the cut.
Then Paul began wrapping the bandage tightly around the leg.
The pressure helped slow the bleeding.
After finishing the leg, Paul quickly treated the wound along Osric's side as well.
William received similar treatment for his forearm.
By the time Paul finished, the worst of the bleeding had been contained.
The three of them sat quietly for a moment.
The clearing was now littered with bodies.
Osric's eyes moved slowly across the snow.
Seven adventurers.
All dead.
"We should decide what to do with them," William said.
Osric nodded.
"The Forest Creepers are already on the cart."
He glanced at the eight monster corpses beneath the leather tarp.
"We don't have room for all of them."
William understood immediately.
"So… the heads."
Osric nodded again.
"The guild will want proof anyway."
They worked in silence for the next several minutes.
The task was unpleasant but necessary.
One by one, the heads of the fallen adventurers were removed and placed inside a thick leather sack.
After that, Osric searched the bodies for anything valuable.
Coins.
Weapons.
A few useful items.
Anything worth taking.
Once they finished, Osric tied the sack closed.
"We should go straight to the guild," he said.
William nodded.
"Franklin will want to hear about this."
Paul climbed to the front of the cart and grabbed the handles.
The three of them began moving toward the edge of the forest.
The cart creaked behind them as it rolled over the uneven ground.
For a while, none of them spoke.
Osric's mind drifted back to the fight.
'That was my toughest fight so far.'
Elliot had been strong.
Stronger than any opponent Osric had faced until now.
His grip tightened slightly on his sword handle.
'I wonder how Ruben and the other apprentice knights compare to Elliot.'
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
"Ding!"
A familiar sound echoed inside his head.
Osric froze for half a step.
Then the message appeared.
{ Hidden Trial Completed }
Rewards:
+1 Strength
+1 Endurance
Combat Instinct (D) — Minor Progress
Pain Resistance (E) — Minor Progress
Swordsmanship (E) — Minor Progress
Shield Mastery (F) — Upgraded
Composure (F) — Upgraded
Osric stared at the message in disbelief.
Those rewards were incredible.
His body already felt slightly stronger.
His breathing steadier.
The improvements to his skills were even more valuable.
For a moment, the pain in his wounds faded behind the excitement.
'A hidden trial…'
He frowned slightly.
Why had the System not appeared before the fight?
Why had it only revealed itself now?
Normally the System warned him when a trial began.
This time it had stayed completely silent.
Osric exhaled slowly.
But the rewards quickly pushed those thoughts aside.
They were too good to ignore.
Still…
A small part of him felt uneasy.
William walked beside him.
He had fought two enemies at once.
He had killed them.
Without William, Elliot might have finished Osric while he was on the ground.
And yet—
William received nothing.
Osric felt a brief sting of guilt.
But there was nothing he could do about it.
The System belonged only to him.
Eventually the trees began to thin.
A few minutes later they stepped out of the forest.
Ashbrook appeared ahead of them.
The familiar roads and buildings looked strangely calm after the chaos of the clearing.
By the time they reached the Adventurers' Guild, the sun had already begun to dip lower in the sky.
Paul stopped the cart outside the building.
"I'll stay here," he said.
Osric nodded.
"Good idea."
He lifted the heavy sack from the cart.
William grabbed the other side.
Neither of them bothered cleaning the blood from their armor.
They pushed open the guild doors and stepped inside.
The conversation inside the hall stopped almost immediately.
Dozens of eyes turned toward them.
Blood-covered armor.
Bandages.
A large sack dripping slowly onto the wooden floor.
Whispers spread quickly through the room.
Osric ignored the stares.
He scanned the guild hall.
They only needed to find one person.
Franklin.