Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 204 Upgrade and Sudden Discovery
Xia Nan was in a good mood.

On the one hand, it's naturally because of their ever-growing personal savings these days.

In a month and a half, including the initial "Tempor Night Wolf" mission, the Seathorn Squad completed a total of four tasks.

Of course, all the mission targets are wild beasts that have recently become inexplicably rampaging in the forest, and they are all the lowest-level "F" rank missions on the second floor.

The mission rewards, plus the loot collected during the adventure, were divided among the four members of the team.

It can only be said that the income of professionals is much higher than that of ordinary adventurers.

Currently, Xia Nan's bank deposits have soared from the original 270 gold to 463 gold, 7 silver, and 6 copper.

On average, each commission yields a profit of nearly 50 gold.

It doesn't seem like there's much more than before.

But you should know that this money was the result of the four people in the team dividing it up.

If Xia Nan continued with his previous lone wolf approach, without sharing any money with others...

If you achieve the same efficiency as a squad, and things go smoothly, you could even earn close to four figures in gold coins in a month.

It's really exaggerated!

And one more point must be made.

The average reward of 50 gold per task actually includes a relatively small percentage of the total reward from "task bonuses".

After obtaining access to the second floor of the association, a new concept was introduced—

integral!

There are many ways to obtain gold coins: animal pelts, crystals, second-hand equipment... If you want to make money, there are ways everywhere in River Valley Town.

However, at least for now, the only source of "points" is completing association tasks.

To redeem the valuable combat skills, rare materials, and discounted potions on the second floor that are impossible to obtain through normal means, points are essential.

Therefore, when turning in the task, Xia Nan exchanged some of the gold coin reward for corresponding points.

The amount isn't much, considering he needs money for daily supplies and living expenses, and also needs to prepare for the custom crafting of enchanted equipment in the future; a certain amount of savings is essential.

But it can be considered a decent start.

Over time, you can accumulate enough to eventually acquire a combat skill that suits your taste.

Sometimes, Xia Nan's thoughts would wander outwards.

For those high-level professionals who have already entered the "extraordinary" realm and possess vast wealth sufficient to cover their expenses.

After they complete the association's mission, the ratio of gold coins to points in the mission rewards might reach "1:9" or even "0:10".

I accept commissions simply to earn points, which I can then exchange for high-level materials or something else.

Although there was the possibility of "the emperor's golden hoe," he guessed that the reality was probably similar to what he had imagined.

On the other hand, what gave Xia Nan a strong sense of accomplishment was his improved combat skills.

The four missions, involving intense battles with various wild beasts, greatly accelerated the rate at which my skill level increased.

Among the combat skills I haven't maxed out yet, [Fang Hunt] is one of the most frequently used moves. It has already been demonstrated in the battle against the Night Wolf, so there's no need to hide it. Therefore, I've been using it freely these days, and my proficiency has improved extremely quickly.

It has now reached a level close to lv4.

In comparison, the speed of improvement from [Gravity Etching] is much slower.

The reason is that it has a daily limit on the number of times it can be used, as well as a special force field damage mechanism that ignores armor, which made Xia Nan regard it as one of his hidden trump cards.

It hasn't been exposed yet, so naturally it's impossible to use it in front of the rest of the squad during a battle.

They would practice occasionally, but only when the others weren't looking, they would find a secluded corner to train secretly.

In a month and a half, my proficiency increased by twenty points.

We have reached "lv1 (82/100)".

Compared to its level 1 proficiency, its speed is definitely not fast, but it's almost at the level to level up.

They were still training secretly.

Overall, I'm satisfied.

As for [gravity control], well...

——lv1 (8/100).

Good news, prices have gone up.

The bad news is that it only rose by 2 points.

Having long been accustomed to it, Xia Nan felt neither sadness nor joy.

I just hope that my proficiency in this combat skill can break through the double-digit mark before spring arrives.

In summary, this period of more than a month, or forty-odd days, has come to an end.

Xia Nan earned a lot of gold coins and accumulated some points. At the same time, he improved his proficiency in all the combat skills he had mastered.

Oh, I almost forgot, the armor is still intact.

Although there were some bumps and scratches on the surface, there was no serious damage that required major repairs or replacement.

He was sent to the blacksmith for maintenance twice in a long time, which even "Rockhammer" Barn was amazed by, asking him if he had been slacking off lately.

That's also why I've been able to save money.

"Same as always, one set meal number three, and a glass of dark beer."

Seeing two people waving at him from a corner of the tavern, Xia Nan raised his chin slightly and greeted them.

He then smiled and ordered food from Chappton, the owner of the White Tit restaurant.

Carrying two long swords on his back, he ignored the occasional glances from other tables.

He went straight up, pulled out a chair, and sat down at the table.

"Why are you so late today? Your sister has been waiting for you here for a long time."

Vera held the wine glass, took a small sip, her full lips slightly moist, and leaned closer.

I don't know if she sprayed some kind of special perfume before going out, but the air around her was filled with a sweet and cloying scent.

"I went to the association."

Rumors from the tavern and stereotypes about drow elves led Xia Nan to suspect that the fragrance might have some kind of alluring effect or hidden toxins.

He glanced at the other person, but his face remained expressionless.

However, her breathing rate slowed down almost imperceptibly.

"I went to the second floor and wandered around for a while."

"You're so young, why are you working so hard?" Sitting across the table, Cash chimed in, "Enjoy life while you can, it's okay to indulge a little."

"I remember when I first obtained my professional level, to exaggerate a bit, I was walking with my eyes looking up at the sky."

"It was only after taking on a few more missions and encountering some issues that I was able to calm down."

"With your current income, even if you only earn gold coins for three or four months a year and spend the rest of the time vacationing in Newme, you can still live a very comfortable life."

"If I became a professional at your age, I would be eager to..."

With Cash's boasting filtered out of his mind, Xia Nan leaned back in his chair, pondering.

Over the course of a month and a half, he could clearly sense a subtle change in the two people's attitudes towards him. On the surface, they remained as warm as before, and even became closer because of his performance on the mission, as if they truly regarded him as a reliable teammate.

However, in some details, a sense of alienation and defensiveness is revealed.

For example, they never arranged for him to keep watch alone at night; every night, he was accompanied by either Cash or Vera.

When traveling, although the formation always puts him at the back, the two never stand close to each other in front, exposing their backs to each other without reservation. Mint is usually in the middle to block the view, or she simply wanders along the side of the group.

And the starting point of all these changes seems to be the night he stabbed the leader of the Night Wolf pack to death in front of everyone.

Xia Nan roughly understood the reason.

Perhaps they are secretly wary of me?

Speaking of which, although he had teamed up with the half-elf guard "Wood" before, it was only for a short time. As for the so-called "professionals," they had a natural filter due to the influence of countless low-level adventurers in the tavern.

But after spending so many days with the Seathorn Squad, he realized that under normal circumstances, "professionals" didn't seem to be as strong as he had imagined.

He retains only two combat techniques, [Whirlwind Slash] and [Fang Hunt], hiding most of his true strength and relying solely on his physical abilities to fight.

It seems that among low-level professionals, this level of skill is already quite good.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride; the special skills and attribute points on the panel were definitely not accumulated for nothing.

At the same time, it was realized once again that even among professionals of the same rank, there are huge gaps in actual combat power due to factors such as the quality of combat skills, equipment, and physical fitness.

This gap will widen further as professional levels increase.

There are only ten mastery-level combat skills from level 1 to level 10, so you must choose carefully.

"You're young and haven't traveled far from home much, so you might not know."

"The adventurers' associations in each region differ not only in the types of combat skills they include, but also in their specific decorations and layouts."

At the dinner table, the conversation seemed to have turned to Cash's area of ​​expertise.

He held his wine glass, engrossed in conversation.

"For example, the association branch in River Valley is built with oak wood from deep in the Misty Forest. Although there are shrubs and other green plants, the overall dark color scheme is not too eye-catching, giving people a secluded atmosphere of misty fog under the canopy."

"The association in Shuyu Bay is decorated with a large number of fish specimens and coral decorations. The entire basement floor is submerged in seawater, and one whole wall is made of glass, allowing you to see the schools of fish and coral reefs coming and going."

"I've been to a few of the association's branches near the Underdark. Artificial spider webs, mushrooms, skeletal specimens... Heh, they're all quite interesting."

"If you're interested, just think of it as going out to see the sights; the experience should be quite good."

Hearing what the other party said, Xia Nan couldn't help but have some thoughts.

Having traveled to the present day, things seem to be in a rush, with a constant stream of missions.

In reality, they were just wandering between the towns of River Valley and Newme.

Although I don't particularly enjoy traveling, I've been given a second chance at life. If I have the opportunity, I might take advantage of breaks between missions, or even accept a mission that requires traveling far away, to go out and explore, and experience the local customs and culture. That would be a perfectly acceptable option.

"Tattoo."

Slightly hurried footsteps came from beside her ear, interrupting Xia Nan's thoughts.

Looking over, they saw Mint jogging towards them.

Even in the depths of winter, he still wore that thin, plain-colored robe, yet he didn't seem particularly cold.

As a legitimate professional, his physical fitness is better than that of the average person.

If you randomly pick a burly, strong man from the tavern, he might not be as strong as the seemingly thin and frail girl.

"Sorry, sorry."

Mint apologized repeatedly.

"I stayed at the herbal medicine shop a little longer than usual."

She was panting, and there were still some mud stains on the bottom edge of her robe.

Xia Nan didn't say anything, but moved her chair so that the other person could sit in the empty seat on the other side of the table.

His gaze swept over him rather naturally.

The mint has been behaving normally these past few days, with nothing unusual about it.

In battle, cast Thorn spells from the back row to support teammates and control enemies;
After the battle, he helped the team members heal their wounds.

Control and cure – it's all about these two approaches from beginning to end.

There must be something hidden.

But everyone in the team is the same, so there's not much to say.

Her origins, the forest located northwest of River Valley, are far removed from the so-called "Druid" mentor and cannot be verified.

There is absolutely nothing to doubt.

But precisely because of this, the more normal something is, the more he cares about it when he combines it with the subtle feelings he perceives.

But... it doesn't matter anyway.

Xia Nan shook his head slightly.

So much time has passed, regardless of what the people in the team are thinking or what their purposes are.

All I need to do is wait for this mission to end so I can get my hands on the "Corrosion Steel" as a reward; everything else is irrelevant to me.

While we waited, a steaming bowl of mushroom soup was brought over by the tavern's waiter.

"Is everything ready? We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"This trip will probably take a relatively long time, so we should prepare as many supplies as possible."

Cash's words of advice echoed in my ears.

"The objective of this mission is to investigate traces of the beastmen in the eastern part of the forest. We have already discussed the detailed plan beforehand."

"Before we set off today, there are a few points I'd like to remind you of again..."

Sitting at the table, Xia Nan focused his attention on listening to the other party's explanation of the key points of the task.

He unconsciously stirred the soup in the bowl with the spoon in his hand.

The slightly viscous broth, adorned with vibrant green parsley leaves, swirls and churns as it's stirred with a metal spoon.

Without paying attention, a small piece of brown mushroom flew out of the bowl and landed on the table.

Xia Nan snapped out of his reverie, his dark eyes reflecting the wooden table surface and the mushroom slices encased in the thick broth. His brows furrowed slightly.

As if sensing the gaze, she suddenly looked up.

Mint, standing to the side, seemed to be looking at her.

When he looked over, her fair and delicate face froze for a moment before she quickly lowered her head, looking away shyly to avoid meeting Xia Nan's gaze.

Her previously flawless acting seemed to suddenly reveal a flaw.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

He carefully recalled the changes in the other person's expression just a moment ago, and took the initiative to ask.

"No, no..."

Mint lowered her head and mumbled a reply as her lips moved.

Her short, dark brown hair, reflecting a faint green luster under the light, swayed gently, revealing her teardrop-shaped light green earring.

(End of this chapter)