Night had fallen once again, and they began preparing themselves to head out for work.
This was the seventh night since recovering the thirteen essences, which meant it was their fourth night going out.
On the first night, they recovered thirteen essences. After taking the following night off, they went out again and recovered six essences. Then, after another night of rest, they went out for the third time—but this time, they only managed to recover three essences.
Even a fool could tell that the amount of essence was decreasing night after night.
They mounted their goats and set off toward their destination.
The farther they got from the city, the better.
The deeper they ventured into the forest, the higher their chances of finding essence animals.
However, they wouldn't go too far just to recover essence.
Straying far from the city meant increased danger—only second-rank teams could handle unexpected situations.
Back when Ray Kang's squad operated from the fixed camp, they were stationed far from the city.
But the team had many more members—around three times the size of the current team.
Besides, no one would attack such a large group just for a bit of essence—at least not usually, except in rare cases.
What led to them being attacked back then was the arrival of the newcomers.
***
After about two hours of travel, they reached their destination.
This time, Captain Ray Kang wanted to go a bit farther—just to confirm something.
Contrary to expectations, excitement appeared on the faces of Wei Li, Wei Tong, Jin Chao, and Bai Tong.
This time, they genuinely hoped they wouldn't recover any essence.
That would only motivate them more to carry out their plan.
The three slaves—two women and a man—stepped forward and disappeared from the team's sight, as the members had already dispersed.
The trio lit a fire and sat around it.
The flickering flames cast a dancing glow on their miserable faces.
The entire team focused on them, waiting for any sign of change.
A sense of curiosity swelled in everyone's hearts.
They genuinely wanted to know whether the animals would appear or not.
There had been several times during past missions when no animals showed up, but back then, there were no unusual conditions within the team.
This time was different.
This time would reveal whether Kogan and Mei Lan were truly cursed or not.
"Maybe I should just sleep. No need to stay awake all night for nothing," Wei Li scoffed, adjusting his position as he leaned his back against the tree trunk and quietly closed his eyes.
Seconds, minutes, and hours passed—yet nothing appeared.
"What a shame... We'll definitely be at the bottom of the contribution rankings this month," Jin Chao sighed bitterly.
Since they were below first grade, the only thing that could offer them any support was contribution points.
More contribution points meant a bigger share of the fruits.
More contribution points meant priority access to various services.
Everyone began yawning—they had expected this outcome.
On the other hand, Kogan showed no signs of concern or boredom.
In fact, he was lying on the ground with his hands behind his head.
Why should he care about retrieving essence that wouldn't even belong to him?
Contribution points?
Let Mei Lan worry about that.
A bigger share of fruit?
They were just fruits.
'Should we change locations?' Ray Kang felt lost.
He was the one responsible for the team, and any setbacks would fall on his shoulders.
'What if we end up getting nothing?'
He thought that changing locations only to gain nothing would crush everyone's morale.
And that would mean they wouldn't put in any effort next time.
Ray Kang sighed and gave the order.
"Let's head ba…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was taken aback by the sudden change that occurred before his eyes.
A beautiful, gentle white sheep appeared near the fire.
Then two… five… ten sheep.
Jin Chao's jaw dropped at the sight before him.
The team's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
And it didn't end there.
Five small, adorable deer emerged next.
Followed by four cute white rabbits.
A total of nineteen animals had appeared before them.
It could be said that this was the first time for all of them to encounter such a number all at once.
Without wasting another moment, Captain Ray Kang gave the order.
"Loose!"
Arrows flew one after another at high speed, aimed straight at the targets before them.
Thwip!
Thwip!
Thwip!
The arrows pierced through the bodies mercilessly, bringing them crashing to the ground.
"Yes!!"
They clenched their fists with excitement, their spirits soaring sky-high.
Twenty-two bodies lay scattered before them.
Nineteen animals vanished shortly after, fading into the air as if they had never been there to begin with—
leaving behind only three human corpses.
Arrows had pierced their heads and necks.
It was the three slaves.
They lay motionless on the ground, blood pouring from their mouths and wounds.
Yet that didn't stop the smiles from forming on their faces.
At last, their dream had come true.
At last, their efforts had borne fruit.
They had been working every single night.
Even on the team's off nights, they joined another group.
They never gave up. They never lost hope.
Instead, they placed their trust in their teammates.
Sure, they were slaves—sinners, cursed even—but that didn't change the fact that they were long-time companions to everyone.
The whole team jumped with joy, ignoring the three lifeless bodies lying before them.
Bai Tong, Wei Tong, and Jin Chao laughed heartily.
"The curse has no effect!"
They had all landed a killing blow and received essence.
It was a promising sign.
"What's going on?" Wei Li opened his tired eyes.