Chapter 377: A Passing Adventurer

The sunset was dark and heavy, and the dead light seeped from the cracks in the window, adding a few more points of oppression to the already dim room.

The so-called "floor" was mud that had been stepped on firmly; occupying the driest position by the wall was a crooked wooden shelf, on which were placed a few earthen bowls and jars with obvious traces of repair, and the rusty black iron pot hanging on the fire pit was the most valuable household item in the whole room.

Dinner had not ended long ago, and the fragrance of food still remained in the air.

But the family reunion, which should have been warm, was left with only silence at this moment.

No one spoke.

The father sat alone at the rough wooden table in the center of the room, his head lowered, as if he were carving something, making a rustling sound, his eyebrows locked in a frown;

the brother huddled in the corner of the room, sharpening the firewood knife over and over again, but repeatedly doing his own movements;

the mother stood in front of the wooden shelf, absent-mindedly wiping an earthen cup that was already clean, her eyes occasionally glancing at the few people in the room, showing a look of being full of worries.

Finally unable to endure the oppressive and silent atmosphere in the room.

"Thud!"

Kelin dropped the bean soup bowl in his hand heavily onto the desktop, stood up abruptly, his face that had not fully grown, carrying a bit of roundness, flushed with excitement, and took a deep breath:

"I've decided!"

"Before the goblin problem near the village is solved, I won't leave!"

The mother's rough palms wiping the cup couldn't help but pause; even if she had expected it, her face couldn't help but look a bit pale:

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

"You were the one who talked about going out to fight and becoming an adventurer every day before; now we agree, and we won't stop you anymore... you, you want to stay instead? Just for those green-skinned beasts!?"

Her tone was exceptionally excited, and her words even carried a bit of sharpness rarely seen in the past.

But as long as it was someone who understood her, they could feel the deep pleading from it in a very contrasting way.

"Mother, Uncle John said... these things have appeared more and more frequently recently, and they have even started to wander in the forest in groups."

The overly intense emotions in his heart made Kelin stutter when he spoke.

"I, how can I leave at such a time and abandon you."

Hearing this, the father, who had been sitting opposite the dining table and always remained silent, finally raised his head, his voice low as if stones were rolling:

"The kid from the Wilson family in the east, the one who herds sheep, hasn't had any news for two days. His family members all say outside that he just got lost and will be back soon, but the wounds on the sheep flock won't lie."

"Kelin, my youngest son, even if you really stayed... what can you do?"

"Use your small body to test whether the claws of those green-skinned beasts are sharp, or use the few wooden arrows you whittled to scare them away?"

"I can help!" The father's words stung the boy's cheeks, but he still held his neck high, "The patrol needs manpower; I can go stand guard, go keep watch! Even if it's just following behind Uncle John to help out, it's fine."

"No matter what, staying at home is better than leaving, and then having to worry and inquire about the village's news everywhere when you get to a distant place!"

"I'd rather you worry than want you to stay here and die!" The mother's voice even carried some crying, stepping forward and grabbing Kelin's hand tightly, "Kelin, listen to Mom, take advantage of the fact that the road out is still safe, and leave quickly!"

"You've always wanted to go to the Southern Islands to find your Uncle Padi, right? Mom agrees, just like you wanted, go to the Adventurer Association and see. There's your brother here, and so many adults like us, nothing will happen."

Speaking of this, seeing Kelin standing stubbornly in place, even if he didn't refute his mother's advice, he still indicated his attitude with silence.

His brother, who was huddled in the corner of the room sharpening the firewood knife, stopped his movements.

"Kelin, impulse can't solve problems."

"The situation in the village now... you should have learned a lot from following Uncle John."

"One more of you, one less of you, makes no difference at all."

"Listen to Mom, go south, stay with Uncle for a while, and we'll be at ease."

"Brother..." Kelin's body trembled twice, opened his mouth, and finally didn't say anything.

He naturally knew that what the other party said was the truth, but if he really followed his relatives' arrangements and left the village.

If he saw only a ruin after being destroyed when he came back later... the boy couldn't imagine what kind of mood he would be in at that time.

Dreaming of becoming an adventurer, young blood filled every part of his body; he had not experienced life and death, and he had never had a correct understanding of the preciousness of life.

Kelin at this moment just wanted to stay in the village, even if they died together... it was better than living alone.

And at the same time, similar events were happening in every household in this village, and in countless unknown small towns on this continent.

A goblin colony that seemed to have popped out of the ground was enough to force families and the entire village to a dead end.

This was reality.

Desperate and helpless.

They naturally did not sit idly by and wait for death.

Led by hunters and village chiefs with some experience, young and strong villagers regularly patrolled the outskirts of the village and main paths, monitored possible dangers and sent out information, and organized patrols;

used the few materials to build simple wooden walls, set up sharpened wooden stakes and obstacles, dug trenches, and even set up tripwires and alarms at night;

villagers voluntarily contributed useful items, transformed farm tools such as sickles and pitchforks into weapons, and organized basic formation and combat training.

No one went out in the dim morning and evening, farming, picking firewood, and fetching water were all done in groups, and some farmland and hunting grounds far from the village were temporarily abandoned.

The villagers consciously felt that they had made full preparations for this group of green-skinned goblins wandering around the village.

But knowing the habits and cruel personality of these evil creatures, they also had to consider the worst-case scenario and needed to be prepared.

Perhaps some people would ask, since they encountered the danger of such magic beasts, why not ask the nearby lord, or directly hire an adventurer team to help.

Located deep in the mountains and forests, too remote, not even a few merchant caravans passing by all year round, let alone the geographical location.

Regarding the former, those big figures living in beautiful and magnificent castles, how could they care about the life and death of this tiny village that couldn't pay much tax all year round.

And for the latter, hiring adventurers to help...

I can only say.

If they faced those goblins, the villagers still had the possibility of fighting to the death and finally winning.

Actively inviting an adventurer squad with strength far exceeding ordinary people to come to the village was almost handing the lives of all the villagers to the other party, especially in a place where few people visited.

It was a more fatal gamble.

If they encountered a few existences with relatively poor professional ethics, and had a little evil thought, there was only one outcome: the village would be slaughtered.

In some cases, adventurers were even more dangerous existences than goblins.

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

The sound of sharpening the firewood knife sounded again in the room, and the brother's movements were slow and powerful:

"A few days ago, Uncle John risked his life following a few goblins and found their nest. He said... the size of the nest entrance was unusual, and the number of goblins was far more than imagined."

"In case we didn't hold it, at least you are still outside, this family... can't all fold here."

The father also lit his pipe, and the spicy white smoke spiraled up, making his face blurry:

"This is no longer those circulating adventure stories, Kelin." ===== CHAPTER 378 =====