Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 115: Kill if You Must
"Hey!"

A cold light flashed in the dense forest filled with mist.

The tough and unyielding branches of the shrubs swayed violently, mixed with grass clippings and broken leaves, and light-colored juice splashed out.

Also from the "Rock Hammer" blacksmith shop, two heavy fine one-handed hammers were hung at the waist. As the body moved, they collided with the armor on the thighs, making dull sounds.

"Green Blood" Adeline walked at the front of the team, holding a machete in both hands for clearing the way, chopping and sawing the bushes and thorns in the jungle that stood like roadblocks in front of everyone.

His own strength is close to that of a professional, and his career direction is obviously still melee professions such as "warrior" and "barbarian", and his physical fitness is excellent.

After most of the day, I just sweated a little and breathed a little, but I didn't feel any effort.

In contrast, Abi, who was behind her, holding a shield in his left hand and a sword in his right hand, and remained on guard all the way, was very tired.

Even though eighty percent of the obstacles along the way had been cleared by Adeline, this newcomer who had just entered the industry still consumed a lot of physical strength due to the extremely high-pressure and dangerous environment in the misty forest and the heavy equipment and supplies on her body.

Without even engaging in a battle, their combat power has already been reduced by half.

However, he still had some professionalism. No matter how tired he was, he never said a word and just fulfilled his duties in the team. He cleared the way for Adeline in front and held a shield, alert to the dangers around him.

According to the division of labor that had been planned on the way here, Xia Nan stood slightly back, with his beheading sword already unsheathed and tightly held in his hand.

If they were really attacked by monsters on the way, after Abby blocked the first wave of attacks for Adeline who was clearing the way, he would need to step forward to hold the monsters back and buy time for his teammates to react.

A team positioning that tends to be "supportive".

At the end of the team, almost shoulder to shoulder with Xia Nan and only half a body length behind him, was naturally the long-range archer "Berg" who used the bow and arrow as his main means of attack.

The fresh fragrance of plant juice and the scent of earth in the humid air rush into the nostrils with breathing.

The chest rises and falls regularly and slowly.

He moved his feet, maintaining a position a few steps away from the two people in front of him.

Xia Nan devoted most of his attention to keeping an eye on the dense woods and long grass around him.

At this moment, more than half a day has passed since the few people left Hegu Town.

The progress can’t be said to be slow, but it’s not very fast either.

The four-man team is obviously much stronger in terms of overall combat power, but their moving speed is far slower than if they acted alone.

Not to mention the days when I was led by the "big boss".

If the barbarian "Fugan" was leading the way, it would probably take half a day, no, even one morning to finish this distance.

There is no need to worry about encountering any blind monsters. You can push forward all the way and freeze all the bushes and thorns blocking the way into ice chips and crush them.

Following behind, except a little colder, the speed is even faster than in town.

Of course, Xia Nan knew in his heart that this was a special experience that an ordinary adventurer would never encounter in his lifetime.

As it is now, it is difficult to walk, and one has to stop and be alert at the slightest movement around.

This is my normal state when I take risks now and for a long time to come.

"Wow!"

Not far in front of the team, a dense bush suddenly shook violently, shaking off many fallen leaves.

The team, which was originally advancing slowly, suddenly paused and then quickly changed its formation.

Abi's forehead was covered with sweat. He took a big step and moved to the front of the team. He held the iron and wood shield in front of him, facing the direction where the noise came from.

At the same time, Adeline did not hesitate to throw the machete in her hand that was used to clear the way directly to the ground, freeing her hands to hold the two one-handed hammers at her waist.

She also took two steps forward and stood next to Abby, but she was obviously paying more attention to the dense woods on the other two sides of the team - beware of ambushes.

Xia Nan held the beheading sword across his chest, with his knees slightly bent, obviously ready to exert force.

As for Berg, the archer at the end of the team, he had already climbed up a tall oak tree beside him lightly the moment the noise was heard, and the metal arrow flashing with cold light poked out from the dense tree canopy.

"Crash!!!"

The bushes shook more and more violently, revealing the vague outlines of creatures within them.

Heart beating fast.

Xia Nan could even see Abi, who was holding a wooden shield at the front of the team, with his arms trembling slightly due to excessive tension, and the skin on his cheeks stretched tight as his masseter muscles exerted force.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

"Oh!"

Carrying with it broken leaves and bits of dirt.

A fawn half the height of a man suddenly rushed out of the bushes.

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

Eyes as glittering as black pearls reflected the four adventurers in front of them who were facing a formidable enemy.

The eyes are clear and stupid.

……

"Crack!"

The orange-red flames burned fiercely, and the dead branches and firewood found everywhere in the woods were piled together to form a small bonfire.

In the dimly lit air, in addition to the increasingly thick fog, there was also the aroma of barbecued meat with oxidized fat and burned protein.

The little deer, which was alive and kicking just now, had its internal organs removed, skewered by branches, and placed over a scorching flame.

Xia Nan sat by the campfire, his back against a tree trunk, gently wiping the beheading sword with gauze in his hand.

On the side, Adeline had just finished setting up the trap and returned to the camp. She nodded slightly to him and said hello.

On the other side of the campfire, Abby was discussing something with Berg in a low voice, but the sound was blurry and unclear through the flames and fog.

After this whole day, he couldn't say that he knew these people very well, but Xia Nan had a general understanding of the personalities of these temporary teammates.

"Green-blooded" Adeline is almost identical to the image described by Chapton.

He doesn't talk much, but he works very seriously. As the team leader, he is responsible for the most dangerous and difficult job of clearing the way.

There was no nonsense, and even when there were occasional emergencies on the road, he calmly directed them to change formation.

As for her strength, one can tell from the fact that she was walking in the most difficult position in the team and had plenty of energy, only having to take a short breath for most of the day.

The paranoid personality mentioned by others may have not been revealed because they have not encountered the goblins yet.

Overall, it's really reliable.

Abby, a new guy at first glance.

He was undoubtedly a rookie. Unless he was a bard with master-level acting skills, there was no way he could hide his strength. It was not surprising.

After all, Adeline has always been in the habit of only accepting goblin-related missions, and except for hunting days, there will not be any senior adventurers joining in.

According to past practice, if Abby can stay in her team for a while and grow slowly, she should leave the team after becoming a senior adventurer and seek a team that can gain more.

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

Although we are of similar age, he rarely takes the initiative to communicate with me.

We haven't said much to each other since we met.

For some reason, he always had a feeling that the other party was competing with him secretly.

But every time Xia Nan used the mission as an excuse to talk to Abi, the other party acted a little timid.

It was as if he knew the gap between them and was afraid that his little thoughts would be exposed.

Xia Nan didn't care much about this.

Just temporary teammates, we will disband when the hunting day is over.

As long as it wasn't direct malice expressed through actual actions, he wouldn't mind if people said something bad about him behind his back.

As for the archer "Berg" ...

The impression given to Xia Nan is a bit similar to the previous Maggie, but his personality is more smooth and he greets everyone with a smile.

He behaves like an old hand.

But it was precisely this kind of person whose true colors he couldn't see clearly that made him wary.

It feels like the type of person who, when faced with a powerful enemy, would leave his companions behind without hesitation and turn around and run away.

His mind could not help but recall the struggle between Berg and the skinny adventurer in the association hall, and also the "gap-toothed" Bennett mentioned by the other party.

I couldn't help but feel curious.

The team is currently setting up camp and resting, so there is nothing to do.

Xia Nan asked Adeline beside him for relevant information.

After staying in River Valley Town for many years, he even earned the nickname "Green Blood".

Even though she usually didn't pay attention to these miscellaneous matters, Adeline had some understanding of the famous guys among the lower-level adventurers in the town through the influence of the adventurers in the tavern.

Seeing that Xia Nan wanted to know, he did not hide anything and directly told him what he had learned over the years...

Man is the sum of social relations.

No matter they are the lowest-level adventurers who are facing the risk of death at all times and cannot even fill their stomachs; or those human legends that have been passed down through the ages in epics and praised by the world.

As long as you are alive in this world, you will inevitably intersect with other people, forming small circles of varying sizes that overlap but do not completely overlap.

In River Valley Town, with the White Tit Tavern as the core place, adventurers who have not yet obtained a professional level but are not so low-level naturally have their own "small circle".

It was as if she had a special habit. She only targeted green-skinned goblins when she went out for adventure. As a result, every time she returned to the city, her body was covered in goblin blood, so she was named "Green-blooded" Adeline.

The origin of the name "Gaptooth" Bennett is, of course, because of his uneven yellowish-brown rotten teeth.

But on the other hand, even though no one has ever said it explicitly, it seems like some kind of unspoken rule among lower-class adventurers.

If someone has a widely circulated "nickname", it proves, to some extent, that he is recognized by the adventurers around him.

Even if this kind of "recognition" is negative.

Unlike Adeline, whose origin is unknown, the resume of "Gaptooth" Bennett is well known to the adventurers in the town because he often gets drunk and brags in the tavern, plus some revelations from his former teammates.

It is said that he came from a remote town in the west of the Kingdom of Serbia. He was born as a homeless child. Later, he was taken in by a kind-hearted carpenter out of pity and learned the craft from him for several years.

When he was fifteen, he had a conflict with a ruffian in the village and smashed off half of his head with a wood-carving chisel.

Then he was sent to the Cloud Climbing Province by the carpenter who took him in. He wandered all the way and finally came to the Valley Town, becoming a "glorious" adventurer.

No one knows what happened to him along the way, and it is possible that Bennett embellished his youthful character when he was drunk.

Anyway, when he really made a name for himself around River Valley Town and people got to know him.

This man with a mouthful of rotten teeth is already one of the most notorious figures among the lower-level adventurers in the town.

In fact, for adventurers, anything related to them that can affect their so-called reputation is only two things:
"Money" and "life".

As for the former, "Gap-Tooth" Bennett first started out by targeting those teams of new adventurers who were not very strong and had poor equipment.

Waiting near the town, even if the enemy can come out of the forest alive, they will have suffered heavy losses and will no longer be able to fight.

He took a few accomplices with him, surrounded the man, and under threats and inducements, he obediently handed over the spoils.

He even had a bit of common sense, and only asked those hapless rookie adventurers to hand over two-thirds of their spoils, leaving some wiggle room so as not to let them reach the point of a life-and-death struggle with them.

Later, as the number of adventurers killed increased, a professional heard the story and shouted a few words in the tavern, so Bennett stopped doing this kind of business.

But at this time, he had also obtained a large amount of gold coins by harvesting a large number of low-level adventurers, and based on this, he exchanged them for sophisticated equipment, powerful and like-minded teammates, and some upward channels.

Then, it transitioned from "money" to "life".

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

But after each mission, there are a lot of second-hand equipment returned to the grocery store, monster trophies beyond the mission objectives, and teams of adventurers who leave the town and never come back.

In fact, it has already hinted at his shameful and dirty deeds hidden deep in the jungle.

In recent years, the gradually spreading reputation of "Gaptooth" Bennett has even made some cautious adventurers wait until the mission is completed and the real person appears in the town before they dare to go out to accept the mission.

"Tsk."

After listening to Adeline, Xia Nan smacked his lips, but there was not much worry or anxiety on his face.

Without an authoritative regulatory agency, adventurers were allowed to develop according to the principle of "survival of the fittest". He had actually anticipated such events in his mind.

Nothing surprising.

I just thought that if I ever become enemies with the other party in the future, I must not hold back and should not drag it out if I can resolve it on the spot.

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

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

As soon as Bennett died, his men would scatter like birds and beasts, and no one would dare to step forward and avenge him.

——Kill those who need to be killed, and be quick and decisive.

(End of this chapter)