Chapter 1: Scum of the Earth

【Worn Standard-Issue Longsword】

Type: One-handed Sword

Grade: Common (White)

Description:

25 Grey-skinned Rats, 12 Goblins, and even one Bugbear... Buddy, how could you have the heart to ask for more from it.

Remarks:

"Begin! Ner!"

——Titus, Legendary Sword Saint of the Thousand Iron Flow, Vice-Captain of the "Radiant Throne" Adventurer Squad

……

"This must be my golden finger, right?"

Beside the campfire, Xia Nan stared at the longsword resting horizontally across his knees and muttered.

This was his second day since transmigrating to this world.

In his previous life, Xia Nan hadn't experienced any major storms; born into a middle-class family, he had relied on studying and test-taking to get into a decent university.

After graduation, he followed the crowd into an internet company, enjoying the "996" blessing, and finally sat in the position of department manager on his thirty-second birthday.

After the celebration party ended, he, drunk, refused his colleagues' offer to take him home, intending to walk back while letting the night breeze dissipate the alcohol.

Unexpectedly, not long after leaving the restaurant, while walking on the night road, he only heard a hurried honk and the sound of braking behind him.

Then, everything went black, and he arrived in this world, reborn in the body of an eighteen-year-old youth.

"Sigh..."

He sighed silently, Xia Nan slightly distracted by the memories.

The attribute panel, which only he could see and which was floating above the longsword, dissipated accordingly.

Having inherited all the youth's memories, he had a rough understanding of the world he had transmigrated into.

The good news was that this was a fantasy world where extraordinary powers truly existed.

Whether it was the tricks performed by the bard who stayed in the village during his childhood in exchange for meals, or the glowing two-handed axe on the back of the burly Barbarian he saw when passing by a tavern not long ago, all proved this point.

But the bad news was that in this life, he was just the most ordinary farmer, worrying about his three daily meals.

Apart from the little bit he brought from the modern society of his previous life, the knowledge in his brain was mostly skills like "how to plow fields with less effort" or "which crops to plant in which season," which had absolutely nothing to do with the extraordinary powers of this world.

It wasn't that Xia Nan had any prejudice against this profession that provided the source of life for countless people; in fact, in his previous life, he often fantasized about moving out of the big city after earning a large sum of money, renting a small piece of land in a place with a nice environment, and living a pastoral life of working at sunrise and resting at sunset.

It was just that in this world, a few thin fields simply couldn't support a whole family.

And this was precisely why the original owner left the village where he had lived since childhood and came to the dangerous wilderness.

Xia Nan withdrew his gaze from the longsword.

He lifted his head slightly, his eyes looking forward.

This was the most rudimentary campsite; there weren't even tents, just a few sleeping bags placed messily around the campfire.

Several figures of different sizes sat scattered around the campfire.

Accompanied by the "crackling" sound of the burning fire, faint whispers could be heard, though it was unclear what they were saying.

Human, Halfling, Orc.

It seemed to be a classic four-person adventurer squad configuration.

But in reality, Xia Nan could say without hesitation that they were just a squad of scum.

The Halfling "Erji"—his race's lifespan of up to five hundred years offered no bonus to him, who was only in his early twenties.

His knowledge and experience were not even as good as the eighteen-year-old farmer who faced the soil and turned his back to the sky, as the original owner had.

With two daggers tucked at his waist, he looked the part, as if he were some kind of Assassin-class professional.

But in fact, Erji was a genuine right-hander; his left hand, let alone holding a dagger, struggled even to hold a fork—Xia Nan had once watched him spend a full three minutes just to unfasten the wrist guard on his right arm with his left hand.

The only thing that slightly exceeded the norm was probably his cheerful attitude and untimely sense of humor, which he claimed were family inheritances.

The Orc "Gagu".

Although he was called an "Orc," Xia Nan estimated that the Orc blood in this guy was only one-thirty-second or even less.

Because apart from his slightly sharper canine teeth and a burlier build, his appearance was almost indistinguishable from a normal human.

But regardless, he barely counted as a front-liner—"At least he can let the beasts in the jungle gnaw a few more times," was the original quote from the Halfling Erji.

The last one, and also the captain of the "Scum" squad.

Maji, a Human Hunter.

He was probably the most reliable one in their squad.

It was said that he was once a famous hunter in several villages on the western border of the kingdom, but because he offended a certain Noble, he had to hide his name and flee his hometown.

Regarding this, Erji seemed to know some inside information.

"Sigh, women," he said once when he mentioned it.

In short, a right-hander, a half-breed, a hunter, and a farmer—that was the entire configuration of their squad.

Normally, at least in Xia Nan's understanding, a standard adventurer squad configuration should be a Warrior, a Priest, a Mage, plus an Assassin or a Ranger.

The classic Warrior-Mage-Priest.

But for the Scum squad, this was undoubtedly a luxury.

Let alone rare Spellcasters, there wasn't even a single lowest-level professional in their team.

Even the most experienced hunter, "Maji," was a hundred thousand miles away from becoming a "Ranger" and gaining his first professional level.

To some extent, calling their team an "adventurer squad" was completely overestimating Xia Nan and the others.

Of course, it wasn't that there were no professionals in this world.

It was just that the requirements for each profession were quite harsh; unless one had extremely good luck or a solid family background, ordinary people would never touch that level in their entire lives.

After all, the bounty for just one Goblin was three silver and seven copper coins—that was almost the reward for a porter at the dock for nearly two days!

High risk, high reward—this was the consensus of all intelligent creatures in this world regarding "Adventurers."

And this was precisely why the Scum squad came here.

"There's still half a day's journey to the sighting location in the mission report," Hunter Maji sat by the campfire, organizing his quiver. "We should be able to arrive by tomorrow morning."

"Tsk tsk, that's a whole squad of Goblins; buddy hasn't taken on such a big job before!"

Erji waved his dagger with his right hand, his face revealed excitement under the firelight, though his short stature made him look somewhat comical.

"What, scared?" The Orc on the other side grinned, quite nastily. "Don't worry, they're all just green-skinned little mice your size; I could crush two with my toes."

"That's for sure!"

Erji nodded pretentiously, looking in full agreement.

"A tough guy like you definitely wouldn't cry out for your mommy in your sleep at night."

"%@#*&! (Orc slang)"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 2 =====