Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 265 A Small Commission and Special Training

"Shh!"

The slightly rusty one-handed sword slashed down suddenly, the still-sharp blade cutting through the air with a sharp whistling sound.

Sweat streamed down his face, splashing onto the meadow and turning into glistening water droplets.

The boy with short brown hair had a determined look in his eyes. Even though his arm was trembling slightly from exerting too much force, he still maintained the most standard posture and swung the long sword in his hand again and again with perseverance.

Xia Nan sat by the stream not far away, turning his gaze away from the brown-haired boy.

Three days have passed since he arrived in Gray Valley Village.

Compared to the dangerous adventures he had faced before, life in the village, though far less fulfilling and exciting than in River Valley Town, allowed him to experience a long-lost peace amidst the wheat fields and streams.

Violet's small request before parting was actually very simple.

On the way back to River Valley, in a small village called Grey Valley, they found a boy named Leon.

Help the opponent master certain combat skills and gain the courage to face three goblins head-on, even when equipped with ordinary armor and weapons.

To be honest, this commission was not difficult; in fact, it was quite easy.

After all, if they were just ordinary green-skinned goblins, or even farmers who had never received professional training in the fields, they could easily defeat three of them if they picked up a hoe, gritted their teeth, and fought with all their might.

Moreover, what the other party commissioned was "courage" in the face of goblins, provided that the equipment was complete.

Xia Nan had already confirmed the other party's requirements with Violet in detail that day.

All I need to do is give this boy some combat experience so that he won't be caught off guard when facing goblins in the future.

He doesn't need to teach the other party any combat skills or conduct any rigorous special training for them.

Even when Violet entrusted the task, she was unusually casual, saying that it wouldn't matter if she gave up halfway if the situation didn't allow it or if any unexpected events occurred.

He was unsure of the mage girl's intentions in making this request. After arriving in Ashvale Village, he asked many people, including Leon and the village chief, who said they had never met any mages and were clearly unaware of Violet.

A sense of doubt crept into my mind.

But after all, Violet has always been mysterious, as if she has many things hidden in her heart.

After a brief moment of thought, Xia Nan, having made no particularly noteworthy discovery, put aside his concerns.

Anyway, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment while passing by.

While exploring the village for things that Violet mentioned might be helpful, he also provided Leon with targeted training as requested by her.

"Wow..."

The stream flows, its water so clear that you can see the rounded pebbles piled up below and the finger-sized fish swimming among them.

Xia Nan had no fishing rod in his hand and showed no intention of going into the water.

He simply sat quietly on the dark brown rocks on the shore.

Focus your gaze and concentrate your mind.

wow——

An invisible force was at work, and the originally naturally flowing stream suddenly underwent an unusual change.

The water flowed and collided, creating a spray of fine, pale white droplets.

Circling and winding.

Like some unprovoked undercurrent, a palm-sized whirlpool suddenly appeared in the middle of the stream amidst the crashing sound of the water, trapping the tiny fish that had no idea what was happening within it.

The fish thrashed its tail forcefully, as if trying to use the explosive power of its body to break free instantly.

Strangely, the vortex seemed to be alive, and with a slight tilt as it spun, it once again enveloped the small fish.

The whole process took only a few dozen seconds.

Until the fish stopped struggling and could only follow the whirlpool around and around like a leaf in the water, until its belly was almost turned up, the whirlpool suddenly disappeared into the clear water, just as it had when it was formed.

The dark eyes reflected the small fish swimming erratically in the water, as if they were drunk.

Xia Nan's breathing was long and even.

Although no semi-transparent characters indicating "proficiency +1" appeared in the void before him, he was not discouraged, but pondered in his heart.

Now that [Fang Hunt] has been trained to level 5 (the maximum level), his daily training schedule has naturally changed.

[Gravity Etching] Due to the limited number of uses, the training amount is fixed and regular, so it's useless to spend more time improving.

Therefore, the energy originally devoted to [Fang Hunt] naturally fell on [Gravity Control].

A drop in the bucket.

In Xia Nan's view, this ability, which involves the rules governing the operation of the material world, has already transcended the realm of "combat skills" as understood by ordinary people.

Its inherent quality and potential future growth are both excessively exaggerated.

Gaining even a little bit of proficiency requires far more time and effort than most people can imagine.

Often, even with intermittent practice, while recovering mental strength and practicing intensely for a whole day or even a week, one may not be able to gain even a little bit of proficiency.

The sense of frustration was too intense.

This level of combat skill is simply not something I, who has just become a level 2 professional, should be able to master.

Of course, you have to put in the effort, but considering my previous experiences in gaining proficiency in plurals, the right opportunity is also essential.

Blindly practicing like this actually reduces efficiency and wastes time and energy.

Perhaps... I should find a new combat skill as soon as possible.

He was thinking about his plans for the future.

Looking up at the sky, I saw that the sun had already set on the other side, with some evening glow adorning the horizon.

He stood up and clapped his hands in the direction of Lyon, which was not far ahead.

"It's about time, let's call it a day."

The boy, however, showed great appreciation for this hard-won and precious opportunity.

Clutching "the best sword in the village" tightly in his hand, he breathed heavily, his face showing a hint of pleading:
"Mr. Xia Nan, I'm not tired!"

"I can keep going!"

Xia Nan did not reply immediately, but glanced at the other person's arm, which was trembling slightly, and the hair on his forehead that was stuck together with sweat.

He then slowly began to speak:

"The allocation and control of physical strength is also an essential aspect that an adventurer must learn."

"Even in a safe town, you must be prepared to fight at any moment."

"Therefore, avoid putting yourself in a state of exhaustion unless absolutely necessary."

Children who grow up in hardship and poverty are often precocious, and the so-called rebelliousness of adolescence is nowhere to be seen in the boy in front of me.

Without uttering a single stubborn word, Leon obediently nodded:

"Ok, I see!"

"Thank you, Mr. Xia Nan!"

Then they quickly packed their things and went to get ready. The two of them were not far from the village. After wandering around in the woods for about twenty minutes, a small, secluded and peaceful village nestled deep in the dense forest came into view.

Wisps of smoke rose straight into the sky, and the colorful sunset reflected the outlines of several simple and natural wooden houses and houses further away. The pleasant breeze carried the faint sounds of villagers calling out.

Footsteps sounded behind me; it was a farmer returning from the fields after a day's work.

A middle-aged man, around forty years old.

His name seems to be... Mike?
Xia Nan has a good memory and has some recollection of it.

"Mr. Xia Nan." The middle-aged man first bowed respectfully to Xia Nan, his expression showing awe, but also a hint of fear—he was also responsible for cleaning up the battlefield after that night, and everyone on the field was frightened by the mutilated and bizarre goblin corpses.

Then he looked at Leon behind Xia Nan, his tone filled with undisguised envy:
"Little Lyon, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Learn from the teacher well. You only have a few days left, so don't be lazy."

Under normal circumstances, a young man of that age, being lectured like this in front of the person involved, would at least put on a defiant retort, if not argue back.

At this moment, Lyon simply nodded with a serious expression:
“I will be serious, Uncle Mike.”

Perhaps still haunted by the memory of the day they cleaned up the battlefield, Mike only exchanged a few pleasantries with the two of them and tentatively invited Xia Nan to his house for dinner that evening. After being politely declined, he took his leave and left without bothering her any further.

Although Xia Nan only stayed in the village for three days, he clearly felt the change in the villagers' attitude towards him.

At the beginning, while thanking him for helping the village get rid of the goblins, there was also fear and dread towards the powerful adventurer;

After discovering that Xia Nan was friendly to the villagers and did not rely on his own strength to bully or humiliate them, he gradually began to increase contact with him and became more and more enthusiastic.

Now, even the little ones in the village who previously only dared to hide behind the wall and peek out from afar are now willing to sneak closer when their parents aren't looking, or ask Leon about the details of the training when he's not around.

Xia Nan even overheard a woman washing clothes by the stream boasting to someone from a distance:

"My God, when I met Mr. Xia Nan this morning, he actually let me pass!"

As she spoke, the woman's eyebrows seemed to be raised to the sky.

This gave him a peculiar feeling.

Of course, I understand the villagers' reaction.

After all, for ordinary people in this world, especially farmers and adventurers living in remote villages far from large towns, they are, in most cases, more terrifying than the lords and lords in castles.

There are very few people like him who can help the village solve its problems without asking for any reward and who treat the villagers as "people" on a daily basis.

Xia Nan lives in Lyon's house.

This young man, who is only fifteen years old, lost both his parents to a goblin attack six years ago. His only surviving relative is his married older sister, who lives next door.

So he usually ate all his meals at his sister's and brother-in-law's house, and would only return to the empty wooden house where he was the only one left at night.

The three-day training session, despite the supervision and timely adjustments to the intensity, was still too taxing on the still-developing bodies of the teenagers. As a result, the two returned earlier than in the previous days.

At the door, they happened to run into Leon's sister "Janice," who was also returning home, and Janice's eldest daughter, "Lily," who was only nine years old.

Lily was very happy to see Xia Nan.

If I hadn't been carrying a small basket, I probably would have pounced on me.

This lively and adorable little girl adapted quickly to the presence of strangers in Xia Nan's village because of her connection with Leon.

By the second day, he was already able to grab onto the hem of his clothes and call out, "Brother, brother."

Upon seeing Xia Nan, he immediately trotted over with small, quick steps.

He lifted half of the coarse cloth covering the basket, revealing a brownish-white patch inside.

"Brother Xia Nan, look! These are the best-looking and freshest mushrooms!"

"Lily and her mother spent the whole afternoon picking mushrooms in the woods, and they'll have a delicious mushroom soup for dinner tonight!"

The girl smiled happily, revealing a mouthful of fine white teeth, with a little dirt still on her face.

Xia Nan, not wanting to spoil the fun, smiled and patted her head, while nodding to Janice, who was looking at him somewhat nervously.

It was only during dinner yesterday that he casually mentioned mushroom soup when asked if I had any favorite foods.

Unexpectedly, the other party actually took the child into the forest to pick the herbs for him today.

This surprised Xia Nan.

Of course, I couldn't help but look forward to dinner tonight.

……

Janice is a good cook.

It certainly can't compare to the professional chefs at hotels like White Tit or Resting Dragon Nest, but it's at least above average.

As for mushrooms, as long as you know how to cook them and don't have any special "tricks" to use, it's hard to make them taste bad.

Limited by the environmental conditions of the remote village, Janice was unable to make the creamy mushroom soup that Xia Nan had not tasted for a long time. Instead, she stewed a large pot of clear mushroom soup in the most basic and simple way.

It is seasoned with precious salt, wild coriander, onions, and a little lard, which fully brings out the natural umami flavor of the mushrooms.

She couldn't afford the expensive spices that controlled the flavors in town, nor could she find the restaurant ambiance and fancy plating that would whet her appetite.

The only way I can express my gratitude is in the simplest way to Xia Nan, who saved the village from the goblin siege, prevented her husband from likely dying in battle, and helped her younger brother with combat training.

There were more mushrooms than soup in that pot of mushroom soup.

The pillar of this small family, Janice's husband "Tom," was also present. At this moment, while Xia Nan was having dinner, he was outside giving instructions to his brother-in-law "Leon."

"This kind of opportunity, people like us might not even come once in a lifetime, so you must study hard."

"Your brother Tom may be stuck like this for the rest of his life, but Leon, you're still young. If you learn everything that Mr. Shanan taught you... believe me, Uncle Mike mentioned the scene in the forest a couple of days ago. To be able to take down so many goblins all by himself, and even bring along a giant goblin, he's definitely not an ordinary person!"

"We wouldn't dare think about being an adventurer, it's too dangerous, and your sister would worry."

"But there might actually be a chance to become a guard or militiaman in Vergerov."

"By then, our whole family will be able to move out of this small place, and we won't have to worry about those damned green goblins anymore."

With his parents' ordeal still vivid in his mind, this usually clever and mischievous, and sometimes stubborn boy nodded emphatically at his brother-in-law's admonition with utmost seriousness.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Xia Nan was enjoying the mushroom soup while also contemplating her next steps.

Violet had told him before that there might be something in Ashvale Village that could help her, but she was vague and didn't give any specifics.

He's been thinking about this these past few days, and realized that right now, there are only a few things that can actually help him:

1. The key and charging method for 【Dream Corridor】—urgently needed;

The special ability to significantly increase proficiency in a short period of time has left Xia Nan feeling like he has a mountain of gold but is blocked by a thin door, only able to watch helplessly.

2. Combat skills, equipment, or other enchanted items;
This goes without saying; every adventurer needs it.

In the past few days, in his spare time from training, he had explored the entire village but found nothing unusual.

"Could it be that I arrived at the wrong time and need to wait a while longer?"

"Or... why not just stay out of the village?"

He pondered carefully and decided to use the next few days to investigate further.

In addition, Lyon's training plan has reached the practical stage.

Tomorrow, maybe I can find two goblins, or some other common monsters, to give him some practice.

(End of this chapter)