Chapter 15: The Statue Without a Mouth

The hunter turned his head to look at Xie Yaoyao, who was watching the excitement on the side, which also attracted the attention of the pharmacist and the woodcutter.

"Is he... okay?"

"He killed that beast and the scarecrow brothers."

"That's fine."

Although the hunter successfully persuaded the other two, Xie Yaoyao was still completely dazed.

They seemed to have made a major decision about me.

But I, the protagonist, don't know anything.

Just as Xie Yaoyao was full of confusion and preparing to ask, the hunter spoke.

"Traveling traveler, I know your principles of conduct: accept the commission, complete the commission, obtain the bounty."

There's a mission!

Years of gaming experience made Xie Yaoyao immediately discover that the guy before him was preparing to issue him a mission; he could almost see the yellow exclamation mark on the other party's head.

"Then, what can I do for you?"

"I don't trust you yet!"

"Me neither, let's talk about the mission quickly. Of course, there's also the most important thing: mission rewards!"

Xie Yaoyao's slightly frivolous words instead made the hunter feel more at ease.

"Alright! There is a statue of a guard at the south end of the village; if you can help us destroy it, then I will use it as a reward."

After the hunter finished speaking, he gently stroked the hunting rifle in his hand.

And following his action, Xie Yaoyao saw an entry suddenly appear above the hunting rifle, and it was a blue entry.

【Roarer】: The master's anger is the fiercest bullet; this can not only significantly increase the lethality of lead bullets but also save you a large amount of ammunition costs!

This!

Xie Yaoyao felt that the axe he had just obtained instantly became unfragrant!

"No problem! It's just a guard statue, I'll soon... eh! What material is that statue?"

If it were a statue made of iron, that would be ridiculous.

"Stone statue, you'll see it when you walk to the village entrance. A guard statue holding a giant shield, a stone statue!"

It's stone, then there's no problem.

Even if I have to give up the axe in my hand, I'll smash that stone statue to pieces.

Watching Xie Yaoyao's back as he excitedly accepted the mission and walked toward the village entrance.

The woodcutter stroked his own bushy beard and asked.

"Is it really okay not to tell him that the statue is a magic statue?"

The hunter turned his head and asked suspiciously.

"Isn't this common sense? Besides, who would think that smashing an ordinary stone statue would get my 'Roarer'?"

The woodcutter smacked his lips, wanting to say

Xie Yaoyao walked toward the outside of the village with a face full of excitement, thinking to himself that today was truly his lucky day.

Not only had he obtained so many entries, but he was also about to acquire a weapon with an entry.

Ah, here it is!

From a distance, Xie Yaoyao saw that not far from the village entrance, there was indeed a stone statue standing by the roadside.

But when he got a little closer, his mood instantly became less pleasant.

【Observer】, 【Loner】, 【Language Mastery】!

Three entries—one blue and two white—were brightly floating above the statue's head.

Damn it!

I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

To think I was dim-witted enough to believe that smashing a stone statue would get me a blue weapon.

Since I'm already here, I might as well make the best of it!

Now, let's think about how to deal with this three-entry stone statue.

Honestly, a statue with 【Language Mastery】—that really is unexpected.

Carrying his axe, Xie Yaoyao slowly approached.

But until Xie Yaoyao walked right up to the statue, it didn't show the slightest reaction.

After observing it carefully, he saw that this statue was a guard warrior holding a giant shield.

The statue was carved very realistically, and with the specks of moss on it, it gave one the feeling of a guardian of an ancient tomb.

The guard had a resolute expression, and its eyes were especially vivid.

There was just one strange thing: this stone guard actually had no mouth.

However, since there were no special circumstances, Xie Yaoyao prepared to get to work.

After all, although this statue had three entries, it didn't look like the type with particularly powerful attack capabilities.

"Clang—"

The axe blade struck the stone, and sparks flew everywhere!

Shaking his arm, which had been numbed by the vibration, Xie Yaoyao looked at the white mark on the statue and fell into self-doubt.

He knew that with just the axe in his hand, this was an impossible task.

It didn't break through the defense at all!

He even saw a look of disdain on the statue's face.

This made Xie Yaoyao lose his composure a bit.

So, he angrily found a large rock nearby, carried it over while panting, and smashed it hard against the stone statue.

Stone fragments splattered!

When he looked again, a large patch of moss on the statue had been wiped away.

Yet the statue remained firmly standing, not even swaying in the slightest.

This...

Xie Yaoyao clearly saw that the statue's brows and eyes had curved even more.

Damn it!

So angry I'm shaking!

This isn't just about the mission anymore!

Xie Yaoyao gritted his teeth, placed a few more large rocks in front of the statue, and then ran behind it to push with all his might.

He was so strained his face and neck turned red.

But the statue remained as steady as Mount Tai, which made Xie Yaoyao feel incredibly discouraged.

Panting and exhausted, Xie Yaoyao simply sat down at the foot of the statue to rest.

It was strange, though: this statue was clearly standing on two legs, its massive shield wasn't even touching the ground, and it was top-heavy and bottom-light—so why couldn't he push it over?

Recalling the faint mocking expression on the statue's face, Xie Yaoyao stood up and leaned in close to observe its face carefully.

Stare~

That's right, although it had no mouth, the expression on its face wasn't too obvious.

But when he first arrived, this guy's expression definitely wasn't like this; it was indeed mocking him.

Looking at the entries above its head, this guy was undoubtedly a magic creature, just like those two scarecrows.

Thinking back to the hunters' conversation, then this guy with the 【Observer】 entry must have been sent by that so-called madwoman to monitor them!

If it's a creature...

【Loner】 and 【Language Mastery】!

Looking at the statue's mouthless face, Xie Yaoyao seemed to understand something.

He looked around, but there was nothing suitable.

Xie Yaoyao simply bit his finger, then reached out and slowly extended it toward the statue's face.

As if to confirm Xie Yaoyao's guess, a clearly complex expression appeared on the statue's face.

Fear and... anticipation!

This made Xie Yaoyao feel a bit worried, but now that the arrow was on the string, it had to be fired.

Xie Yaoyao steeled his heart and reached out to draw a bloodstain where the statue's mouth should be.

Xie Yaoyao seemed to hear a crisp sound, as if something had shattered.

A bizarre scene occurred.

The bloodstain Xie Yaoyao had just drawn on the statue's face suddenly squirmed and turned into a mouth.

Only, this mouth was tightly pursed.

With a mouth, the statue's facial expressions became even more vivid; now Xie Yaoyao could clearly see the look of vigilance on its face.

Facing the statue's vigilance, Xie Yaoyao didn't care and said with a grin.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Mr. Statue?"