Chapter 115: Kill When You Should

"Swish!"

Cold light flashed in the dense forest filled with mist.

The tough and difficult-to-entangle shrub branches swayed violently, mixed with grass clippings and broken leaves, and light-colored juice splashed out.

Also from the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop, two fine one-handed hammers with some weight hung at the waist, colliding with the armor on the thighs as the body moved, making a dull sound.

"Green Blood" Edwinna walked at the very front of the squad, holding a machete dedicated to clearing the way with both hands, chopping and sawing the shrubs and thorns that blocked the path in front of everyone like road barriers.

Her own strength was close to that of a professional, and her career direction was clearly a melee profession like "Warrior" or "Barbarian," and her physical fitness was excellent.

After half a day, she only sweated a little, breathed slightly, and didn't feel how strenuous it was.

By comparison, Abi, who was holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right behind her, and had been in a state of alert along the way, was exhausted.

Even though eighty percent of the obstacles on the journey had already been cleared by Edwinna, this newcomer who had just entered the industry had consumed a large amount of physical strength due to the extremely high-pressure dangerous environment in the Mist Forest and the heavy equipment and supplies on his body.

Not a single battle had been encountered, but his combat power had already gone by nearly half.

However, he still had some professional quality; even if he was exhausted, he didn't say a word, just fulfilling his duties in the team, holding a shield for Edwinna who was clearing the way to guard against dangers around.

According to the division of labor planned on the way here, Xia Nan's position was slightly behind, the decapitation longsword had already been unsheathed, and he held it tightly in his hand.

If a monster suddenly attacked during the journey, after Abi blocked the first wave of attacks for Edwinna who was clearing the way, he needed to step forward to drag the monster down, buying reaction time for his teammates.

A team positioning biased toward "support."

And at the very end of the squad, almost side-by-side with Xia Nan, only half a body behind, was naturally the long-range shooter "Berg" who used a longbow as his main attack method.

The fresh fragrance of plant juice and the earthy breath in the humid air surged into his nasal cavity with his breathing.

His chest rose and fell rhythmically and soothingly.

Moving his steps, while maintaining a standing position a few steps away from the two people in front.

Xia Nan spared most of his attention, guarding against the dense forest and tall grass around him.

Right now, it had been more than half a day since several people left Hegu Town.

The progress couldn't be called slow, but it definitely couldn't be called fast either.

A four-person squad was clearly much stronger in terms of combat power, but the speed of travel was far behind his own when acting alone.

Not to mention the days when he was led by a "big shot."

This distance, if the leader was the Barbarian "Fugang," I'm afraid half a day, no, one morning would have been finished.

And there would be no need to worry about encountering any blind monsters; pushing horizontally all the way, freezing all the shrubs and thorns blocking the way into ice slag and crushing them.

Following behind, except for being slightly cold, the speed was even faster than in the town.

Of course, Xia Nan knew clearly that this was a special experience that ordinary adventurers might not encounter once in a lifetime.

Like right now, struggling to move, and having to stop and be alert for the slightest movement around,

was the norm for his adventures now and for a long time to come.

"Clatter!"

Not far from the side of the squad, a dense bush suddenly shook violently, shaking down many fallen leaves.

The squad, which had been advancing slowly, stalled, and then quickly changed formation.

Abi's forehead was covered in sweat, and he took a big stride, crossing to the very front of the squad, the iron-inlaid wooden shield held in front of him, facing the direction from which the movement came.

At the same time, Edwinna didn't hesitate, throwing the machete used for clearing the way directly to the ground, freeing her hands to grasp the two one-handed hammers at her waist.

She also stepped forward two steps, standing beside Abi, but her attention was clearly focused on the dense forest on the other two sides of the squad—guarding against ambushes.

Xia Nan held the decapitation longsword horizontally in front of his chest, his knees slightly bent, clearly ready to exert force.

And the archer Berg at the very end of the squad, the moment the movement sounded, had already climbed up a towering oak tree with agile movements, and the metallic arrowheads flashing with cold light protruded from the dense canopy.

"Clatter!!!"

The amplitude of the bush shaking became more and more intense, faintly revealing the blurred outline of the creature inside.

Heart beating rapidly.

Xia Nan could even see Abi, who was holding the wooden shield at the very front of the squad, his arm trembling slightly due to excessive tension, and the skin of his jaw tightened when his masseter muscle exerted force.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"Bang!"

Carrying broken leaves and mud stars.

A small deer half a person high suddenly rushed out of the grass.

Four slender deer legs stopped in place, and the small hooves stepped lightly on the muddy ground.

Eyes as crystal clear as black pearls reflected the four adventurers in front who were facing a great enemy.

The eyes were clear and stupid.

"Crackle!"

Orange-red flames burned violently, and dead branches and firewood, which could be seen everywhere in the forest, were stacked together to form a small campfire.

In the dim air, besides the increasingly thick mist, there was also a fragrant smell of roasting meat, with fat oxidizing and protein burning.

The deer, which was jumping around just a moment ago, had now been gutted and was being grilled over the scorching flames on a branch.

Xia Nan sat by the campfire, leaning against a tree trunk, gently wiping the decapitation longsword with gauze in his hand.

Beside him, Edwinna had just finished setting up traps and returned to the camp, nodding slightly to him and greeting him.

On the other side of the campfire, Abi was discussing something in a low voice with Berg, separated by the flames and mist, the sound blurry and unclear.

After this whole day, he couldn't say how well he knew them, but Xia Nan had a rough understanding of the personalities of his few temporary teammates.

"Green Blood" Edwinna, the image is almost consistent with what Chaputun said.

She doesn't talk much, but she is very serious in her work, and as the squad leader, she takes on the most dangerous and hard work of clearing the way.

Not a word of nonsense, and in case of sudden situations on the road, she also calmly commands them to change formations.

In terms of strength, just from the fact that she walked in the most difficult position of the squad and still had abundant physical strength after half a day, one could see a glimpse of it.

The paranoid personality in the mouths of others might be because they hadn't encountered Goblins, so it hadn't been shown.

All in all, she is indeed reliable.

Abi, a newcomer at a glance.

Undoubtedly a rookie, unless it was disguised by those bards with master-level acting skills, there was basically no possibility of hiding his strength.

It's not strange either.

After all, with Edwinna's habit of only accepting Goblin-related missions, except for Hunting Day, there wouldn't be any veteran adventurers joining.

According to past practice, if Abi could stay in her team for a period of time and grow up slowly, he should also leave the team after becoming a veteran adventurer and seek a squad that can reap more.

It is worth mentioning that Abi's personality is actually quite cheerful among adventurers, and he talks a lot along the way.

Even though they are of similar age, he rarely takes the initiative to communicate with himself.

From knowing each other until now, he hasn't said a few words.

I don't know why, but he always has a feeling that the other party is secretly competing with him.

But whenever Xia Nan talks to Abi under the pretext of a mission, the other party shows a bit of timidity.

As if knowing the gap between each other, afraid that his little thoughts would be exposed.

To this, Xia Nan doesn't care much.

Just temporary teammates, disband after Hunting Day.

As long as it's not the kind of direct malice shown by actual actions, even if someone says bad things behind his back, he doesn't care.

As for the archer "Berg"...

The impression he gives Xia Nan is a bit similar to Maji before, but his personality is smoother, and he greets everyone with a smile.

A style of an "old oiler."

But it is precisely this kind of character whose background is unclear that makes him guard against.

It feels like the type who, when facing a powerful enemy, would not hesitate to leave his companions behind and turn around to run away directly.

Recalling the entanglement between Berg and the thin adventurer in the Association lobby, and thinking of the "Buck-tooth" Bennett in the other's mouth.

He couldn't help but feel curious.

Right now, the squad is camping and resting, and there is nothing to do.

Xia Nan asked Edwinna beside him about relevant information.

Having stayed in Hegu Town for many years, and having made a name for herself as "Green Blood."

Even if she doesn't usually focus on these miscellaneous things, under the influence of those adventurers in the tavern, Edwinna knows a little bit about the guys who are quite famous among the low-level adventurers in town.

Seeing that Xia Nan wanted to know, she didn't hide it and told the other party what she had learned over the years...

People are the sum of social relations.

Whether it is the lowest-level adventurer who faces the risk of death at all times and cannot even fill his stomach; or those legends among men who are praised by the world and passed down through epics.

As long as they are still living in this world, they inevitably have intersections with others, forming small circles that overlap but do not completely coincide.

In Hegu Town, with the "White Tit Tavern" as the core place, among those adventurers who have not yet obtained a professional level but are not so low-level, there are naturally their own "small circles."

Just like Edwinna, who has special habits and only targets Green-skinned Goblins when adventuring, resulting in being covered in Goblin blood every time she returns to the city, hence the name "Green Blood."

The origin of "Buck-tooth" Bennett's name is naturally because of his uneven, yellowish rotten teeth.

But on the other hand, even if no one has ever said it clearly, it is like some kind of unspoken rule among low-level adventurers.

If someone can have a widely circulated "nickname," that, to some extent, also proves the recognition of him by surrounding adventurers.

Even if this "recognition" is negative.

Unlike Edwinna, whose origin is unknown, "Buck-tooth" Bennett's resume, because he often gets drunk and brags in the tavern, coupled with the disclosures of some former teammates, is considered to be thoroughly understood by the adventurers in town.

It is said that he came from a remote small town in the west of the Servia Kingdom, was a homeless child, and later, seeing him pitiful, was taken in by a kind carpenter and learned the craft for a few years.

At the age of fifteen, he had a conflict with a hooligan in the village and used the chisel used for carving wood to smash the other's half of his head.

Then he was sent to the Pan Yun Province by the carpenter who took him in, wandered all the way, and finally came to Hegu Town, becoming a "glorious" adventurer.

No one knows what he encountered on this journey, or it might be that Bennett beautified his personality when he was young when he was drunk.

Anyway, when he truly made a certain reputation near Hegu Town and made people recognize him.

This man with rotten teeth was already one of the most notorious figures among the low-level adventurers in town.

Actually, for adventurers, anything related to it that can affect the so-called reputation is nothing more than two things:

"Money" and "Life."

Regarding the former, "Buck-tooth" Bennett started his business by targeting those low-strength, trash-equipped newcomer adventurer squads.

He squatted near the small town, and if the other party could come out of the forest alive, they would basically suffer heavy losses and have no combat power.

Taking a few accomplices, surrounding people, and under coercion and inducement, they would obediently hand over the spoils.

He even had a little brain, only letting those unlucky rookie adventurers hand over two-thirds of the harvest, leaving room for them, not to the point of forcing them to fight to the death with them.

Later, because the number of victimized adventurers became more and more, the matter was heard by a professional, who shouted a few words in the tavern, and Bennett stopped doing this kind of business.

But at this time, he had already obtained a large amount of gold coins by harvesting a large number of low-level adventurers, and based on this, exchanged them for fine equipment, teammates with good strength and similar tastes, and some upward channels.

Then, he transitioned from "Money" to "Life."

His actions were very clean, and no adventurer had ever pointed out that it was the other party who attacked them during the adventure.

But after every mission, the large amount of second-hand equipment recycled to the grocery store, the monster spoils outside the mission targets, and the adventurer squads that left the town and never returned.

Actually, it already implied the dirty, unseen business he was doing deep in the jungle.

Developing to recent years, the reputation of "Buck-tooth" Bennett has even made some cautious adventurers wait until the other party's mission ends and his true body appears in the town before they dare to go out to accept missions with peace of mind.

"Tsk."

Hearing Edwinna finish, Xia Nan smacked his lips, but there was not much worry or anxiety on his face.

Without an authoritative regulatory agency, letting adventurers develop according to the principle of "survival of the fittest," he actually had expected such events in his heart long ago.

Nothing to be surprised about.

It's just thinking that if he falls out with the other party in the future, he must not hold back, and solve it on the spot if possible, don't drag it to the back.

Otherwise, with the other party's difficult personality, who knows how much trouble it will bring in the future.

And with their loose relationship built on the basis of "gold coins."

As long as Bennett dies, his subordinates will scatter like birds and beasts, and no one will dare to stand up and avenge him.

——Kill when you should, just be clean.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 116 =====