Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 299 Three Tasks
Suburbs of River Valley Town.

An inconspicuous old bungalow.

"Tap, tap."

Fingertips unconsciously tapped on the map spread out on the table.

Then, a subtle yet clear sound lingered in the dust and sawdust in the air.

Her long, dark golden hair was braided into a practical and neat plait and tightly tied at the back of her head, ensuring that not a single stray hair would interfere with her vision or movements, even in the most intense battle.
His skin was a healthy wheat color from years of exposure to the wind and sun. Beneath his long, sharp eyebrows, his calm and composed eyes were now filled with deep thought, as if he were pondering something.

Judging from the longsword leaning against the edge of the table beside her, and the polished, well-maintained, light and sturdy armor on her body, this heroic woman must be a seasoned adventurer.

She didn't speak, but simply sat at the only wooden table in the small house, gazing at the map in front of her, waiting quietly.

The air was incredibly quiet, but she wasn't alone in the room.

On the sofa below the window, a thin young man, wrapped in a loose brown robe, sat carefully.

He looked like he had just come of age; his tense and timid face still retained a hint of childishness, and his skin was unusually pale, a rarity among ordinary people in this world.

His eyes were large, but the unease, hesitation, and slight panic that flickered within them, along with his unfocused gaze and slightly furrowed brows, made those gentle, pale blue eyes unappealing.

Is it a student who has just graduated and hasn't had a chance to experience the harsh realities of the outside world? Or is it a privileged child born with a silver spoon in his mouth, raised in a sheltered environment, and lacking a complete and clear understanding of the world?
The answer might be found in the staff he held tightly in his hand, a classic design made of oak and dark crystal.

If you observe more closely, you can detect the third figure by listening to the faint, slow breathing in the room.

Located in the corner of the room, in the shadows where the sunlight from outside the window cannot reach.

A slender shadow, almost blending into the shadows, stood there indistinctly.

He has a thin face, high cheekbones, and is mean-spirited and suspicious.

A pair of cold eyes, hidden deep in the shadows, gazed out the window in the direction of the sunlight with undisguised sarcasm. A half-smile played on the corners of his mouth, as if he were excited about the sarcastic words that were about to be uttered.

The man was wearing a dark, soft, and almost non-reflective bodysuit, with slight bulges at the chest and shoulders, indicating the metal armor underneath for protection.

His right hand, covered in calluses and scars, was deftly wielding an extremely sharp dagger.

A chilling glint flashed in the room. The sharp blade, capable of easily severing hair, flowed smoothly between the palm, knuckles, and wrist under the control of the fingertips, without leaving a single wound.

Swordsman, mage, wanderer.

These were the three people in the room.

But clearly, that's not all there is to them.

For a professional-level adventurer team, such a composition of members is undoubtedly unreasonable.

The responsibility of controlling the battlefield and dealing damage from the back row falls to the mage.

The wanderer roams the surrounding area looking for an opportunity, while the swordsman takes the lead in the main battle.

However, from the perspective of role allocation, their adventurer team still lacks a defensive type who can stand at the forefront, draw enemy aggro for teammates, and buy time.

Adventurers with this kind of positioning are not hard to find.

In fact, any few orcs randomly selected from the people coming and going in the association would be capable of fulfilling this role.

Of course, since this is a team of seasoned adventurers composed entirely of professionals, the selection of teammates cannot be so casual.

They do indeed have a proven, reliable, and trustworthy teammate whom they can entrust their back to.

"Clap, clap."

The sound of heavy footsteps, steady yet somewhat hurried, came from outside the door, accompanied by the faint clatter of metal chains.

bang-

The door, which wasn't locked to begin with, was suddenly pushed open, and the loud noise startled the slender mage sitting on the sofa.

"Alright, alright, I'm here! I'm not too late, am I?"

The metal flail hanging from his waist clashed with the mace. The straightforward dwarf named "Soldin," who had just arrived from the trading room on the second floor of the Adventurers' Guild, wiped the sweat from his forehead and his loud, thunderous voice echoed in the room.

"Oh? 'Not too late'?"

As if it had been brewing for a long time, as soon as Soldin finished speaking, a cold voice with obvious sarcasm came impatiently from the shadows in the corner of the room.

"It's just to buy a toy for your innocent and adorable little nephew, and the three of us have to wait for you for so long..." The thin man deliberately drew out his words, speaking in a sarcastic tone, as he twirled a short dagger in his hand. "Is this what you dwarves often call the 'Forge Rules'?"

"Actually, it didn't take that long..."

Hearing the wanderer's harsh words, the young mage sitting next to him on the sofa, who had always had a good relationship with Soldin, subconsciously muttered something.

But before he could finish speaking, the mage was met with a single, cold, mocking glance from those eyes, and he instinctively shut his mouth, shrinking into the sofa like a startled quail, no longer paying attention to what was happening.

"Shut your stinking mouth, Sand Gold!"

The sharp, targeted sarcasm instantly enraged the dwarf, a fiery red flush rising from his neck and spreading across most of his face. He roared back:
"This isn't a toy, it's a top-quality flail! It's many times better than that shady leather armor you're wearing! One hit and it could smash your head open!"

As he spoke, Soldin patted the flail at his waist even harder, the thick palm striking the flail with a dull thud, as if this would prove its value.

"Oh~ that's quite a touching display of family affection." Wanderer Shajin chuckled, rolling his eyes. The excitement of their verbal exchange made him spin the dagger in his hand even faster.

"Hopefully, by the time your little nephew is waving his funny toy, we won't have wasted time on your pitiful sentiments and been torn to pieces by the demons of the forest."

"Speaking of which, is this thing really useful in actual combat? I thought it was something that those peasants in the fields used to process grain."

"I'm afraid it won't end up being used only to kill a few of the worst goblins, will it?"

“It’s better than you hiding in the shadows and stabbing people in the back!” Soldin almost roared in response.

“At least when I stab someone in the back, I won’t make the whole team wait for me to buy some gift for my nephew,” Sha Jin retorted, not to be outdone.

And just as the conflict between the two intensified, it gradually escalated into personal attacks and racial discrimination.

A clear, calm, and unquestionable voice cut off the argument.

"enough."

Sometime later, the finger that used to rhythmically tap the table stopped moving.

His serious and focused gaze shifted from the map to the two people in the room who had been interrupted.

As the captain of the "Oath Keeper Blackwood" squad, [Swordswoman] Margaret possesses absolute authority and command.

Even the notoriously harsh wanderer Shajin, or the enraged dwarf Soldin, could only lower their heads in frustration and dare not meet her gaze again in the face of her icy words.

He slowly rose, and with a swift and efficient movement, retrieved the map from the table into his backpack. He then picked up the longsword lying askew beside him and fastened it back to his body. Without even looking at the two men, he began to reprimand his team members as usual, without any politeness.

“Shajin, put away your harsh words. What our team needs is collaboration, not internal strife.”

"Soldin, now that we're all prepared, your personal matters shouldn't affect the team's mission. Hopefully, you can choose to handle them earlier or later in the future."

It's unclear how she established her authority, but this woman, who wasn't particularly tall, wielded incredible power within the team.

Even Shajin, who seemed to have a rather difficult personality, didn't dare to utter a single word in response to the other party's rebuke. He simply scoffed at the sound only he could hear before turning his head away and refusing to look at her again.

Soldin's anger vanished completely. He muttered a few words somewhat embarrassedly, smoothed his braid, and quickly nodded, saying, "Yes, Captain, you're right. I will never do it again!"

Then he quickly packed up his luggage, which he had left in the room beforehand, and made final preparations before going out on his mission.

"Joshua, what about you?" The sudden female voice made the young mage, huddled deep inside the sofa, tremble violently, like a student being called on by a teacher. "Have you prepared all the spells you were supposed to memorize?"

"My memory is good... alright, Captain Margaret," Joshua stammered, "including 'Blade Protection,' 'Protection from Good and Evil,' and some special spells for emergencies..."

His voice grew softer and softer until it sounded more like he was talking to himself.

Sensing the unease in the mage's words, the wanderer in the corner of the room let out a very soft, disdainful snort. However, due to the captain's earlier warning, he didn't say anything more offensive, at most silently mocking him with his mouth.

Ignoring Shajin's petty actions, Margaret showed exceptional leniency towards this valuable spellcaster in her team, softening her tone and adding a touch of encouragement:
"Very good. Remember to stay close to the team. We will protect you. You just need to focus on casting spells. Don't worry about anything else. We will take care of everything."

After offering quiet words of comfort, he noticed that the young man in front of him was no longer so tense, and his expression relaxed slightly.

Margaret took two steps forward, then turned around to face the crowd and clapped her hands twice.

The crisp, loud sound drew everyone's attention to it.

Her serious and steady gaze swept over the three faces, and Margaret's voice was loud and clear:
"Although I've repeated this many times over the past two days, I still have to remind you one more time before we set off."

"First of all, it must be made clear that the type of mission we are undertaking is not the usual 'bounty' or 'hunting,' but rather 'investigation.'"

"This requires everyone to carefully observe and analyze the information they obtain during the mission, to use their brains, and not to think with just their muscles like those orcs. Be more flexible."

"There is a time limit. Even if you exceed it by just one second, you will lose all the points and coins. You must pay close attention to the time. It is better to earn less than to lose all your previous efforts. You cannot waste a single second."

As she spoke, she glanced in the direction of Soldin, causing the dwarf to lower his head somewhat embarrassed.

"Secondly, the task assigned by the association was indeed just to conduct an investigation."

"If it really is a high-level demon or a devil noble, as the information in the commission suggests... I will lead you to retreat. Don't be foolish and go up there to fight to the death. It's not worth it."

As he spoke, his gaze turned to the mage Joshua beside him.

"Remember to prepare a 'running sprint' for yourself. In case of an emergency, you won't be completely helpless. At least you'll have a chance to escape."

"Understood, Captain." Joshua gripped his staff tightly and nodded emphatically.

Margaret looked away and then turned to look out the window at the sky.

"Time is tight, but since we're all ready, let's set off now."

……

……

The goal is to earn a large amount of gold coins in a short period of time to make up for the shortfall in reforging costs.

With Jasmine's help, Xia Nan went through almost all the recent quests around River Valley Town.

Aside from the goblin extermination quests that refresh frequently every week and are beloved by ordinary adventurers, as well as the material gathering quests that don't earn much money.

There are three options that offer relatively high returns and are suitable for my current situation.

……

[Mission ID]: D-7693
[Type]: Exploration
[Reward]: 500-1000 Gold / 15-30 Points / Negotiable
[Task Summary]:
We are now recruiting adventurers with relevant experience and meticulous and courageous qualities to conduct precise mapping in a basin located on the southwestern edge of the Misty Forest. You will need to draw detailed topographic maps, mark key resource points (such as water sources, mineral veins, monster distribution, etc.), and record any potential dangers or suspicious situations.

Finally, a complete regional map and exploration log must be submitted.

[Additional Information]:
1. The primary objective of this mission is exploration and documentation, not combat; therefore, avoiding danger is encouraged.

2. It is best if the adventurer's party has members who are familiar with wilderness survival and have a good sense of direction or mapmaking skills;

3. For more details, please contact Mr. Kukunur, the owner of "Kukunur's Grocery Store".

……

[Mission ID]: E-10257
[Type]: Hunting/Investigation
[Reward]: 30-300 Gold / 1-10 Points
[Task Summary]:
In the past three months, at least six small adventurer teams have completely lost contact near the "Rotten Roots" area in the heart of the Misty Forest.

We are now recruiting teams/individuals with insightful and adaptable abilities to investigate the reason for the adventurers' disappearance in this area, search for any possible related clues, and assess the current risk level of the area.

[Additional Information]:
1. The ground around the "Rotten Roots Muddy Pool" is soft and muddy, and the trees are dense and the light is dim. Adventurers should make the necessary preparations in advance.
2. A panicked gatherer (the last person to successfully return from the vicinity of the area) mentioned seeing "a moving, huge object that looked like a pile of mud and branches," but found no signs of a large-scale battle or the nests commonly found by large predators.

3. This area may contain dangers, including but not limited to: powerful magical traps, hidden and dangerous monsters, or harsh environmental hazards. Adventurers who accept the quest are advised to be vigilant (investigation is the priority, and combat should be avoided as much as possible).

……

[Mission ID]: E-9368
[Type]: Bounty
[Reward]: 30-300 Gold / 1-10 Points
[Task Summary]:
A massive goblin settlement that has been wiped out has had some of its lairs left in the core area of ​​the forest occupied by a newly formed goblin horde led by a goblin. Please go and eliminate them.

[Additional Information]:
The lair has a complex terrain and it is easy to get lost in it. Adventurers who accept the mission should mark the area and always maintain a sense of direction.

[Time Limit]: 25 days

　Thank you to "Lying Down and Doing Nothing" for the generous donation! There will be an extra chapter! However, due to limited production capacity, it will be delayed for a while. Sorry...

　　Also, I recommend the book "The Otherworldly Prison," which you can check out if you're interested.

　　——Introduction:
　　As the firelight died down, in the cold, dark cell, Sharon watched nervously as the evil leader's back twitched uncontrollably.

　　The next moment, the evil leader suddenly turned around, his fingers gripping his eye sockets, and slowly lifted his skull.

　　"I will give you new insights."

　　Sharon was overjoyed and quickly took out the secret book of evil magic from his eyeball, wanting to share his knowledge with the other party.

　　A few seconds later, the mad demon leader, wailing, crawled out of his cell and ran wildly out of the arcade that was gradually collapsing into endless darkness.

　　
　　Flow-saving version:
　　This is a death game where lives are at stake, and a carnival for madmen who pursue forbidden knowledge.

　　Desperate to cure his terminal illness, Sharon also chooses to join this mad and nightmarish feast.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)