Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 175 Dangerous Vacation
night.

The outer edge of a misty forest.

The flickering orange flames were illuminated by the cold moonlight filtering through the gaps in the tree canopy overhead, while the air was filled with the gray-white mist unique to the forest.

A campfire, a few blankets, and four adventurers sitting in a circle, doing nothing.

—A very ordinary adventurer party.

The surge in goblin numbers during Hunting Day, coupled with the nearly doubled bounty, attracts countless adventurers eager to strike it rich.

In just two or three months, you can earn as much as you would in a whole year, or even several years.

Even those "old guys" who have long since retired and are living a stable life in the city sometimes find it hard to resist such temptations.

Over the years, on every hunting day, he would close the shop, take leave, and go to River Valley Town with three or five trustworthy old friends to earn extra money.

For retired adventurers living in the nearby towns, this has become the norm.

To some extent, this is true if we ignore the risks along the way and the high-pressure environment in the forest.

Every now and then, I can escape from the complicated and trivial family and work life, and drink heartily with friends and brothers who have gone through life and death together in a tavern, spending dozens of days without having to think about anything else.

For these families' pillars, fathers and husbands, middle-aged men in their thirties and forties.

Hunting day is like a dangerous holiday.

"This thing should be turquoise, right? How much is it worth?"

Reflected in the firelight, the fingertips, covered in dirt and grime, were like a translucent, light green gemstone.

Ben squinted, his face filled with the joy of his achievement.

As a seasoned adventurer with many years of experience, he certainly knew the approximate price of such small stones.

The question is only being asked now to lead into the topic at hand.

"I estimate it can sell for seven or eight gold coins? If we go to Kukunur's shop and try to negotiate the price, we might be able to raise it even higher."

"We're all old friends, so we naturally know his little scheme," a teammate chimed in.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, Ben immediately put on a smug look, clutching the turquoise tightly in his palm, and said boastfully:

"I told you, from now on, I'll be the one to handle things like opening boxes!"

"Having contributed so much to Him at the poker table, Lady Lucky should really give me a second glance!"

They gained a lot from this adventure.

Not only did they successfully complete the mission objective and wipe out a small goblin nest with fifteen goblins, but while cleaning up the battlefield, they were also quite lucky to discover a small money box that the goblins had somehow stolen.

Including the mission rewards and other miscellaneous loot, the four of them can each get about 10 gold when divided equally.

For an adventurer team of their caliber, this is considered very generous.

This made everyone feel quite good on the way back.

Seeing that they were gradually approaching the outer edge of the forest and the danger had dropped sharply, the group set up warning traps but did not rest or go to sleep immediately. Instead, they sat around the campfire and chatted.

"Buck, don't rush back after the hunting day is over. Let's take a few days to rest in Riverdale and give ourselves a break."

"It's a pity that Manbaojin's place seems to have been blown up by something, otherwise I could have gone over and had a go at it."

Faced with the suggestion from his old teammates, the burly middle-aged man named Buck hesitated for a moment before firmly shaking his head.

"You guys have fun. I have some things to take care of at home, so I can't stay any longer."

They were all old acquaintances, and even though they didn't live in the same city, they had all learned about each other's experiences to some extent during this period.

I know that Buck has recently run into business problems and has accumulated a lot of debt.

Seeing that the other party refused, the group did not press the matter and expressed their understanding.

Looking at the opponent's simple leather armor stained with goblin blood, Big Ben carefully put away the turquoise in his hand.

With a hint of concern in his eyes, he leaned closer and whispered:
"If you're really short of money, you can come find me after you get back to Newme."

“I have several channels. I don’t know how much money I can make, but it will definitely be enough to cover your family’s living expenses.”

"Of course, as for the specifics... don't be offended. For those of us in this line of work, besides taking on missions, this is the only way to make some quick money."

I only mentioned it briefly as a side note, and I didn't expect the other party, who had already settled down in the city and started a family, to agree.

Unexpectedly, Buck did not refuse on the spot. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded almost imperceptibly.
"I'll think about it and get back to you after the hunting day."

Feeling surprised, Da Ben thought to himself that the other person's life was far more difficult than he had imagined.

For a group of middle-aged men in their thirties and forties who don't have many entertainment activities on a daily basis.

Even though the conversation initially revolved around the adventure, it quickly shifted to the recent turmoil in Newm City's upper echelons and topics related to his children.

"Kids get interested quickly, but they lose interest just as fast. Is your son still clamoring to be an adventurer?"

"Sigh, he's been bothering me for almost half a year now, and no matter how I try to persuade him, he won't listen. I plan to teach him some basics when I get back, and as for the rest... we'll see."

"No, no, no, you absolutely can't do this! You know how dangerous our line of work is. We've worked so hard to save money all our lives, and now you're letting our family do this? All those years of hard work have been for nothing!"

"If you ask me, you should go home in a while and talk to your son directly to put an end to his thoughts."

"Or we could just spend money to send him to an academy. He can do whatever he wants after he gets out. It's better than him dying quietly in the forest."

"Keep your voice down, don't forget about that gnoll tribe!"

"Don't worry, we're almost out of here. If we do encounter any danger, it's unlikely to be any kind of monster."

"You know what, if 'Gap Tooth' hadn't died, I really wouldn't have dared to take this road."

"It seems like it was that newbie from the 'Green Blood' team who did it. I don't know where he came from, but he wiped out the whole team. He was really ruthless!"

"Hey, I got robbed twice by that 'gap-toothed' bastard before, serves me right!"

"..."

The casual conversation did not last very long.

After all, they were seasoned veterans with years of adventure experience. Even though the earnings from this trip far exceeded their expectations, they quickly calmed down their excited emotions once night fell.

After a quick tidying up, some rested, while others kept watch.

Ben and Buck were on duty for the first half of the night, so they sat by the campfire doing their own thing, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones.

Approaching the edge of the forest, I had thought that tonight would be no different from any other, and would pass peacefully in silence and dullness.

But in the dead of night, with the bright moon hanging high overhead and the silvery moonlight growing ever stronger.

For some reason, as Ben yawned, he felt the firelight in his vision suddenly dim.

Like a blown-out match, the flickering flame was extinguished in an instant, and even the stars in the sky dimmed.

In the blink of an eye, all that remained in my sight was an unusual, deep darkness.

He and Buck, who were on night watch, immediately realized what was happening. They shouted to wake their teammates and stood up, swords in hand, on high alert.

But for some reason, the already limited visibility in the forest felt even more cramped under this darkness.

Even the tall grass and bushes around the campsite were nowhere to be seen. The only thing that could be vaguely discerned was the blurry silhouette of the teammates beside him.

woo-

It was like the evening breeze rustling through the leaves, or perhaps a long, drawn-out cry.

A hazy black shadow, its outline barely visible, flashed through the air and vanished into the darkness of the night in less than half a second, as if it were an illusion.

For some reason, at this moment, Ben, who had experienced many dangerous situations and had many years of adventure experience, felt an inexplicable sense of fear welling up in his heart.

Fighting spirit and courage vanished without a trace, like a bonfire that had been extinguished.

As soon as there was a slight movement ahead, the wailing sound in the air suddenly became sharp, and he screamed, threw down his weapon, and turned to run away.

In the chaos, Da Ben vaguely remembered pushing someone and using them as bait to lure the enemy.

He then took the opportunity to escape in a direction away from the forest.

"Until later, when the three of us met on the main road leading to River Valley in the countryside, but did not see Buck."

"I then realized that the person I had pushed to the ground in the chaos that night was Buck."

At this point, Ben's unshaven face suddenly trembled, his body leaned forward, and his eyes widened involuntarily.

"Mr. Xia Nan, believe me, I... I'm really not that kind of person!"

"Even when I encountered that bear goblin a few years ago, I didn't just throw down my weapons and run away like I did that night."

"But I just don't know why, I..."

Xia Nan sat opposite Da Ben, and based on what the other party had said before, he already had an idea in mind.

The campfire suddenly went out, visibility plummeted, and willpower and mental defenses were weakened...

Clearly, Ootengu and his group must have encountered some kind of monster capable of influencing human minds, or an adventurer with such abilities, which explains their poor performance.

"What about Buck? He shouldn't have died yet, right?"

Waving his hand to interrupt Da Ben's attempt to continue explaining, Xia Nan asked.

I took a sip of hot tea, which calmed my turbulent emotions a little.

Ben nodded and recalled:

“We initially thought Buck had died in that attack, but…”

"The next day, the day after the three of us returned to Riverdale, Buck came back on his own."

"It seems he suffered a serious injury, but I didn't dare to ask any more questions."

"I only stayed in River Valley for a few more days before returning to Newme before the hunting day was over."

Da Ben paused abruptly, his eyes looking down at the wooden table in front of him, his expression complex.

“I’ve only been back for a short time. I was thinking of going to his house to talk to him and make things clear that it wasn’t my intention that day. But by the time I got to his house, the matter… had already been going on for many days.”

Having understood the situation and heard what the other party said, Xia Nan had a general understanding of the whole incident.

If things really develop as the sheriff speculated, and Buck, infected with "beastification syndrome," couldn't control his primal instincts and went berserk, killing his family members...

The source of his "beastification syndrome" is most likely the attack he encountered on his return journey from this adventure.

"Besides this, is there any other information that you think might be useful?"

"I think there aren't any left." Da Ben held the teacup in both hands, shaking his head somewhat blankly.

Seeing that the clues had gone cold again, Xia Nan sighed silently.

He got up and glanced around the messy room.

He greeted Tie Tou, who was waiting at the door.

"Let's go."

……

It was still that huge slum filled with mud and wastewater, with alleyways more complex than a maze.

Xia Nan followed Tie Tou, who was leading the way, and while keeping a close eye on the surrounding environment, he was also slightly lost in thought.

This trip has given us a general understanding of what happened to Buck and the others, as well as the possible reasons for the mission.

However, there has been no significant progress in finding his current possible hiding place.

According to what Big Ben just said, the other two teammates in their team do not live in Newme.

They might not even know about Buck's death yet, and probably don't know any of the inside story.

The last clue was thus exhausted.

"This is troublesome."

Iron Head, who had been standing by and knew more or less about the situation, seemed to have sensed Xia Nan's current mood.

Leading the way, he turned back and said:
“Mr. Xia Nan, if you don’t mind, our Badger Gang brothers might be able to lend a hand.”

"You helped drive away the rats and saved Boss Eight Fingers. The brothers are very grateful."

"Although there aren't many people in our gang, most of them are kids who grew up in the slums and know this place very well."

"I don't usually have much to do, so I'm just helping you find someone, it's just something I did on the side."

It was a well-intentioned offer, and Xia Nan, who was stuck in the middle of the mission, had no reason to refuse.

He nodded slightly, opened his mouth as if to say something.

But then he saw Tie Tou, who was leading him through the alleys, bump into a passerby at a corner where his field of vision was unusually narrow, because he had turned around to talk to him.

His burly body suddenly fell backward to the ground.

On the contrary, the passerby in front of him, who was wearing a large hooded robe and whose face was shrouded in the shadow of the hood, only took two steps back and then regained his balance.

"Damn it, can't you watch where you're going?!"

The pain in his back made Tie Tou grimace as he got up.

Even though they were in the wrong, they still glared at each other, wanting to go up and argue with the other party.

Perhaps they saw that Tie Tou might be a gang member and not to be trifled with, or perhaps they saw Xia Nan, who was fully armed, behind him.

The burly passerby, whose entire body was wrapped in an overcoat, did not utter a single word.

With a turn of his body, he disappeared into the depths of the intricate and winding alleyways.

"Damn it, if I hadn't had something to do today, would you have gotten away with it?"

While cursing and swearing, Tie Tou showed a hint of heartache as he cleaned the mud off his clothes.

As he patted and wiped the surface of the clothes with his palm, a few tiny, dark red crystals that refracted a metallic luster could be vaguely seen drifting down.

(End of this chapter)