Chapter 295: Mission Selection and the Underdark

Exploration, investigation, bounty.

The three missions were of different types, but they were all choices that Xia Nan had carefully analyzed and were most suitable for his current situation.

He urgently needed funds to fill the deficit of the longsword recasting, and because of the replacement of his handy weapon, his combat power had declined, so it was best to avoid fighting enemies with too strong strength, or simply kill some weak magic beasts.

Also, because he had just returned from a long adventure journey, in a short time, at least before the longsword recasting was completed, he didn't want to go far, just planning to wander around River Valley Town.

To sum up, he selected these three commissions.

As for which one to choose specifically...

To some extent, Xia Nan could actually "want them all."

Anyway, he was a regular professional who had reached the second floor of the association, and the association would not limit the number of missions he could take at the same time.

The association even wished that the adventurers under its banner could complete five or six missions at once; after all, this was also a kind of performance for the Adventurer Association itself, with handling fees to earn, and it could also improve prestige.

But in reality, even knowing that it could be done, from newcomers who had just obtained professional levels at lv1 to legendary figures above lv20, as long as they had some understanding of this line of work, they rarely took two or more commissions at the same time (long-term missions are another matter).

Many times, even if the difficulty of the two missions was equivalent and both were within the ability range of the taker, the difficulty of completing them at once far exceeded doing them separately; the result of "1+1" was not 2, but could reach "3," or even "4."

The prolonged mission time would significantly increase the possibility of accidents during the adventure, and staying in the wild for a long time without good rest in human towns would also cause the adventurer's physical condition and mental state to decline significantly in the later stages of the mission, thereby affecting combat ability and leading to unnecessary danger.

Xia Nan was indeed short of money, but he hadn't reached the point of needing to sacrifice necessary safety to fight for gold coins.

And on the other hand, for an adventurer like him who didn't have space storage equipment and had to carry all supplies with him, the consumption of materials was also a link that had to be considered.

Taking multiple missions at the same time, if some emergency happened halfway, leaving him stranded in the forest... Xia Nan didn't want to play any wilderness survival in this magic beast gathering place.

Therefore, completing one mission after another with a sequence was the wisest choice for safety.

His gaze swept over the mission manual organized by Moli for him, and he carefully weighed the pros and cons of these three commissions, intending to make a choice among them.

The first to be excluded was the investigation mission with mission number "e-10257."

"Rotten Root Swamp" was located in the core area of the Mist Forest; normally, adventurer squads that dared to go deep to this extent were basically professional-level.

Even so, at least six squads had been attacked and gone missing, and the danger could be imagined.

In fact, considering the harm it had already caused, even if it was just an "investigation" type commission, Xia Nan also felt that the reward given by the association was relatively a little less.

In addition, the main reason that made him give up this mission was the association's uncertain description of the possible source of danger in the mission information.

Before truly encountering the mission target head-on, he didn't know what he was about to face.

Perhaps it was an Owl Bear that had just reached adulthood and had a challenge rating barely reaching "3," or it could be an adult Black Dragon with a challenge rating as high as "14" that had taken a fancy to this swamp and intended to include it in its territory.

If he was a bit unlucky and encountered some enemies that could restrict his freedom of movement, making his relied-upon high mobility unable to be displayed, and he couldn't even escape, then it would really be a disaster.

Therefore, out of caution, Xia Nan first gave up this investigation mission.

Then, the second one he crossed off the commission list was the exploration mission with number "d-7693."

Although it possessed the highest reward among the three commissions Xia Nan considered, it was also the most complex.

He might meet the requirements mentioned in the mission, such as "familiar with wild survival" and "possessing good sense of direction."

Regarding "mapmaking," he had no experience at all; it could be said that he knew nothing.

In this situation, if he finally drew the map with great difficulty, but because the quality of the map produced was poor, the mission reward was significantly reduced, and he only got the lowest grade, or even was judged as a failure, then it would be no different from wasting time in vain.

And on the other hand, in Xia Nan's understanding, drawing a map was definitely not a mission that could be completed in a day or two; if he took it, putting safety issues aside, he might have to go back and forth between the basin and the town to replenish supplies, which was too time-consuming and energy-consuming, and the money-making efficiency would be reduced instead.

Looking at it this way, he only had the last choice left.

The bounty mission with mission number "e-9368."

The target was a group of Goblins located in the core area of the forest, and the leader was a Hobgoblin.

The difficult point to note was the complex environment of the Goblin lair.

To be honest, when Xia Nan first saw this commission, he already had a preference in his heart.

After all, for him now, slaughtering those dirty and ugly green-skinned Goblins was less like a mission and more like a kind of enjoyment.

When "work" and "hobby" were combined, and the interest in the latter would not be diminished due to compulsory requirements, the work itself became a "wonderful" thing that made people feel happy.

Of course, before truly deciding, Xia Nan still had some specific information that needed to be confirmed.

"In the mission brief, what is the specific scale of this super-giant Goblin community that was once wiped out, and is there any additional intelligence that can be provided, such as the way it was wiped out at that time, the number of elite Goblin individuals inside, etc."

"And as the mission target, does this Goblin tribe have any substantial connection with the previous owner of the lair it occupies?"

Facing Xia Nan's question, Moli, who had been answering everything he asked and performed very professionally since he was promoted to a professional and became his exclusive receptionist.

A look of obvious apology appeared on her face, and she bowed:

"I am really sorry, Mr. Xia Nan."

"Regarding what you mentioned earlier, this large Goblin community that has been wiped out, I actually specifically checked it within the association when I was screening missions for you, but..."

"Insufficient permission."

"Normally speaking, intelligence related to Goblins cannot have such a high restriction level; this is the first time I have encountered something like this."

"Therefore, regarding the relevant situation, I don't know more than you."

"But regarding your later doubt, whether the Goblins currently occupying the lair are related to the Goblin community that was cleared before."

"My answer is that there is likely no direct connection."

Listening to the other party's answer, Xia Nan's brows furrowed slightly. After pondering for a moment while sitting in the chair, he finally made a decision.

"Fine, let's take it."

Xia Nan pointed his finger at the mission manual in front of him and said to the receptionist Moli who was waiting quietly beside him. ===== CHAPTER 296 =====