Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 283 Flowering Season, Old Acquaintances

Kythorn, the sixth month of each year in the Arcane calendar.

On the continent of Aifara, it is also known as the "Month of Flowering".

The root cause is twofold. Firstly, June coincides with the late spring and early summer season on the mainland, when the climate is warm, rainfall is abundant, and sunshine is plentiful. This is the season when many plants bloom, making it a relatively lush and vibrant season, as if the entire mainland is covered in flowers.

On the other hand, it is also out of respect for the "Goddess of Magic," "Mistra."

Magic, as described by spellcasters on the continent of Efala, is a powerful, mysterious, and beautiful thing, associated with "flowers" since ancient times.

The release of a spell is like a flower blooming, bringing its inner beauty and power to the world.

The magic network controlled by Mistra, because of its ability to filter magical energy for spellcasters and facilitate spellcasting, which spreads throughout the entire universe, is poetically described as a magnificent structure formed by countless luminous, filament-like energy lines, resembling a huge, eternally blooming, strange flower.

For this reason, Mistra became the patron goddess of June, symbolizing that the power of magic reaches a prominent and easily accessible state in this month.

Of course, for most ordinary people on the continent of Aifara, "the month of blooming flowers" is just a name, and few people would actively explore its origin.

Irrigation, weeding, and pest control are all they can do this month in the hope of a bountiful harvest in autumn.

The same applies to the adventurers in River Valley Town.

As the most important economic production area in the vicinity, the misty forest is naturally formed by highly concentrated magical particles in the air. Although it breeds many dangerous and deadly monsters, it is also affected by magic, which keeps the overall environment in a relatively stable state.

With its mild winters and cool summers, it's like a natural greenhouse in some ways, and even with occasional weather fluctuations, it rarely reaches any severe level.

Therefore, for the adventurers in the town, the so-called "months" are basically the same throughout the year, except for special periods like "hunting days".

"Crench."

The muddy leather boots snapped tree branches underfoot, making a somewhat harsh sound.

A four-person adventurer party was cautiously moving through the fog.

The equipment wasn't particularly good, and there were no other professionals in the team with similar aura cultivation.

A very common, ordinary team of low-level adventurers.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a somewhat weathered face and a capable demeanor.

He walked at the very front of the group, gazing thoughtfully into the depths of the forest, as if considering something. Then he raised his hand to signal the others to stop and whispered:
"We're almost at our destination. Let's rest for twenty minutes."

"Everyone, get yourselves ready and prepare for battle!"

"Otherwise, if those green goblins break your legs, don't blame me for not warning you!"

The two teammates in the group didn't exactly laugh or joke at the middle-aged man's serious warning, but judging from his calm expression, they clearly didn't care much. They must have been seasoned veterans who had dealt with these monsters quite a bit.

Only the last young man, with dark skin and an exceptionally youthful face, was startled by their captain's warning, his whole body tensing up and appearing extremely nervous.

He subconsciously swallowed, then quietly tugged at the slightly older man beside him, who also looked young, and whispered:

"Brother Abby, we... we should be alright, right?"

As Abby adjusted his iron-inlaid wooden shield and brand-new one-handed sword, he turned away without looking back, a nonchalant expression on his face.

"There are only about ten goblins, nothing to worry about."

"Even if it were your aunt coming over with a pitchfork, she could probably kill two or three of them, let alone the four of us."

"Think about it from another angle. The bounty for a goblin is 3 silver and 7 copper coins, which is enough for you to throw a big feast at the White Tit. Save up for a few more years, go back and build a big house for your family, buy a few lambs, and marry a pretty girl you like. Wouldn't that be much more comfortable than your previous miserable life?"

They were all poor country boys, so Abby knew exactly what to say to get these naive young people, who were just like him in the past, to walk at the forefront as they ventured deep into the goblin's lair, and to enthusiastically pave the way for them.

He wasn't lying.

Making money is a fact (if one can come back alive), and the continent knows about the adventurers' lucrative income. However, he omitted the dangers involved and failed to mention that the living conditions in River Valley Town, and the spending habits that adventurers are likely to develop there, make "saving money for retirement" almost a pipe dream.

Oh, if it were me who was once in the "Green Blood" squad, maybe there really would be a chance.

The income from hunting goblins may not be high, but it is very stable. You'll be busy all year round and rarely have time to relax in the tavern. Plus, you'll have the help of Adeline, a seasoned adventurer known as "Greenblood." Over the years, you might actually be able to accumulate some wealth.

However, it's too late to think about these things now. Several months have passed since I left the team, and the once responsible but stubborn captain has almost embarked on the path of a professional.

Moreover... it's no longer realistic to expect him to return to the almost ascetic life he led in the Green Blood Squad, which was practically a "monk's life" for adventurers.

Unconsciously, many things came to mind, and even Abby's originally relaxed face was tinged with melancholy.

The dark-skinned young man in front of him didn't notice the emotions on his face, and was so engrossed in the beautiful future that Abby had painted that he couldn't pull himself away for a long time.

In just twenty minutes, they had already figured out how many children they would have in the future and what style of house they would build.

It wasn't until the squad leader spoke up and directed the team to continue that he finally snapped out of his reverie, a smug smile on his lips, and followed the team with light steps.

The middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader was experienced, and the group of four only wandered around in the woods for another half an hour before arriving at their destination.

A small goblin nest.

"Have you remembered everything I told you before?" The middle-aged man glanced at the dark cave in the open space in front of him, which was obviously much higher than the surrounding ground, and asked the young man in front of him.

"I...I've remembered everything, Captain!" The young man with slightly dark skin tensed up again, his palms turning slightly white as he gripped the wooden shield handle tightly. "Don't worry, I definitely won't hold the team back!"

As a new recruit to the team, his responsibility in this mission was to be at the forefront when going deep into the cave, and to buy time for the elderly behind him if danger was encountered while scouting the way.

Whether to retreat or attack, he only needed to follow orders.

The young man was certainly aware of the dangers involved, but as a newcomer who was significantly behind his teammates in terms of both experience and combat strength, this was something he had to do in order to officially join the team.

Born in the countryside and having worked in the fields since childhood, the simple philosophy of "you reap what you sow" has long been ingrained in his words and deeds.

Without the slightest complaint.

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction, patted him on the shoulder encouragingly, and then turned to look at Abby and another team member.

"Don't let your guard down, be careful and try to avoid unnecessary losses. We'll have a few more rounds of drinks when we get back, it's on me."

"Wow, Captain, you're so generous!"

"Don't worry, we understand."

Seeing that everyone was ready for battle, the middle-aged man no longer hesitated. He gestured for the young man to hold the wooden shield at the front, and the four of them approached the cave entrance.

But they had only taken two or three steps when a series of hurried, scattered footsteps suddenly echoed from the cave, accompanied by the sharp shriek characteristic of goblins. "We've been discovered?" The young man at the front of the group was also somewhat flustered, his legs trembling slightly.

In contrast, the three relatively experienced seniors behind him had expressions of caution and doubt on their faces.

Having dealt with hundreds, even thousands, of goblins over the years, they could clearly distinguish that the goblin howls emanating from the dark tunnel were not the usual manic and savage cries, but rather strangely tinged with... fear.
Feeling it was absurd, but faced with the rapidly approaching footsteps, the group immediately formed a battle formation, ready for combat.

"Hiss!"

A familiar, shrill scream echoed through the rock face, followed by the appearance of a short, thin figure.

Skin covered in sores and pus, greenish-purple pus; limbs as thin as tree branches; ugly facial features; and thick saliva dripping from the corners of its mouth…

This is an extremely common green goblin.

Everyone on the field looked very familiar.

But right now, the goblin rushing towards them at top speed through the cave passage did not have the greedy cruelty it displayed when it wreaked havoc in human villages, nor the bloodthirsty madness it showed when it attacked countless adventurers in the forest.

Rather, it is a kind of human-like quality, something that even the most skilled artists cannot replicate—something that comes from the very core of one's being.

Despair and fear.

what happened?
What kind of terror could cause a goblin to behave in this way?

A dragon?
It sounds absurd, but at this moment, Abby actually began to consider the possibility that a giant dragon was hidden deep within the cave in front of him.

But the scene that appeared before his eyes the next second shattered his illusions.

It was a hand with five slender, white fingers, a silver ring on each of the index and ring fingers, and some bloodstains on the skin.

Emerging from the depths of darkness, swift and precise, it seized the goblin by the scruff of its neck as it ran.

Like a rooster being choked, the terrified cries echoing between the stone walls came to an abrupt halt.

Suddenly, with a burst of force, as if lifting a chick, the green goblin's feet left the ground, and he convulsed and struggled as the hand pulled him back into the darkness.

The passageway was dimly lit, and the group could not see what was happening inside.

Only a few faint, terrifying sounds could be heard, sending chills down one's spine and making one's hair stand on end.

It's the noise of fingernails scraping against the ground and walls during a struggle, and the meaningless "hoarse" sound of someone being strangled.

"Crench."

That's the crisp sound of bones breaking.

Finally, there was a dull, muffled sound, a horrifying noise of flesh tearing apart and blood gushing out.

A brief pause.

Then, footsteps sounded again.

Compared to the goblins' previous panicked and hurried footsteps, the footsteps that rang out this time were noticeably slower and more deliberate, with a faint metallic scraping sound mixed in.

The four people were pale-faced and maintained the battle formation they had prepared earlier, but none of them dared to move.

Accompanied by the approaching footsteps, the increasingly strong and pungent smell of blood in the air, and the inexplicable, immense sense of oppression acting on my body.

Even the middle-aged man who was the squad leader felt his lips were dry and his eyelids were twitching.

"Tick."

The lingering warmth caused sticky drops of fresh blood to fall.

A tall, slender figure, shrouded in darkness, slowly emerged from the shadows.

A black-haired youth, half of whose face was obscured by shadows in the passageway, with sharp features and a cold, terrifying aura.

Unlike the four adventurers who were fully armed, this young man had no obvious armor on his upper body, only a dark shirt stained crimson with blood. A metal necklace was hidden deep in the collar, and the delicate white leg armor reflected a faint light under the dim light. A bloodstained flail hung from his waist, and the hilts of two longswords of different shapes protruded from behind him.

His eyes were dark, like a deep pool in the forest, devoid of any emotion.

But in the blink of an eye, even a single glance can convey immense pressure, as if a mere half-second of eye contact would be interpreted as a provocation and result in the beheading of the person in question.

"A professional! And not just any ordinary one!"

The middle-aged man felt only despair. Sweat had silently soaked his back. The suffocating feeling of life and death depending on the other person's decision made it hard for him to breathe.

Or rather, even breathing becomes more cautious, for fear of offending the other person by taking just one extra breath.

Just then, a hesitant voice came from behind him, causing his heart to stop and his thoughts to freeze.

"You, you are..."

Abby! How dare he!

Is now the time to build a relationship?
I knew this kid was unreliable. I shouldn't have agreed to Adeline's request and recruited him into the team!
What should I do? How can I salvage the situation?

As expected, that cold, suffocating gaze swept over them as the sound came in.

Clenching his teeth, the middle-aged man mustered his courage, forced a stiff smile onto his face, took two steps forward, and was about to explain.

Then the sharp-looking young man with short, jet-black hair suddenly raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes:
"Abby?"

His gaze swept over the other three people in the group.

"What a coincidence, out on a mission?"

They know each other!?
The middle-aged man was surprised.

Suddenly, the news that had been circulating in the town a few months ago came to mind.

Professionals, the "Green Blood" squad, Abby and Adeline...

Yes--

"Gray Sword"!?

(End of this chapter)