Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 319 Losses and Gains

Bloodstained off-white bandages were wrapped around his lower abdomen, arms, and thighs, while the longsword, which had just been wiped clean, was sheathed and placed gently beside him.

Margaret huddled by the campfire, holding a cup of fragrant tea with leaves floating on the surface. The rising steam enveloped her face, still smeared with mud and dried blood, making her look even more dazed.

At this moment, she no longer seemed to be the team leader who possessed considerable prestige, always remained calm, and seemed to have everything under control.

He was just an ordinary adventurer who had just escaped death and was barely surviving the clutches of a ferocious monster.

Even now, she still doesn't quite grasp what happened.

What should have been a routine investigation mission resulted in the loss of two valuable teammates, and the enemy they encountered was even more unexpected—a great demon who appeared to be from the Ninth Hell of Bathor.

They didn't even need the other side to make a move; the so-called "minions" summoned by that being had already dragged their team into a deadly quagmire.

Even now that the battle is over and she has ample time and mental energy to calmly reflect, she cannot imagine any possibility of turning the tide.

Closing her eyes and waiting for death, praying that her soul could escape the devil's search and find peace, instead of being made into soul coins for secondary use, forever circulating and sinking in the wasteland of hell, seemed to be all she could do.

But precisely in this situation where there was no light and extreme despair, a turning point appeared... from an unimaginable corner, in an unbelievable way.

Perhaps many years from now, when she has retired successfully and handed over the "Oath Keeper Blackwood" team to a reliable successor, or when she is lying in some dark and damp cave about to die, she will not forget that fleeting scene in the blink of an eye.

Embers and sparks falling like snowflakes, crimson and mournful flames swirling around, molten sword light, and those pitch-black eyes like those of a solar eclipse...

The demons were beheaded, their heads gleaming in the firelight.

And the reason that brought about all this change, allowing me to continue sitting here as a living being, and ensuring the continuation of the "Oath Keeper Blackwood" team name...

Margaret suddenly looked up, her gaze fixed on the other side of the campfire.

What came into view was a black-haired young man intently devouring the crab meat in his hand.

The wound that had nearly killed him had healed, leaving only a hole in the middle of his black shirt, revealing smooth skin through which the outline of muscles could be vaguely seen.

There are minor burn marks on the shoulders, waist, and abdomen, but the bone armor on the legs and the dark shield on the forearms remain intact and show no signs of damage.

Her physical condition was much better than hers and Soldin's.

The same applies to mental state...

Margaret has been in this line of work for over ten years and has seen almost every type of adventurer.

But even the most cheerful and carefree among them would find it hard to relax after such a fierce battle that nearly wiped them out.

At most, he might exchange a few jokes with his teammates, grab some dry rations to tide him over, and it would take a couple of days for his stomach to gradually recover. He wouldn't be in the mood for celebrations until he returned to town.

But the expression of pure enjoyment on the face of the black-haired youth as he chewed and swallowed was something that couldn't be faked.

This added an indescribable strangeness to the already complicated expression on the female swordsman's face.

Seemingly sensing her gaze, the young adventurer named "Xia Nan" swallowed the food in his mouth and waved the crab meat in his hand at her, extending an invitation.

Somewhat awkwardly declining, Margaret subconsciously looked away and took a sip of tea.

A warm, refreshing aroma rises, leaving a sweet aftertaste on the tongue. The pain and fatigue that emanate from all parts of the body seem to be relieved by the fragrant tea.

Margaret's body trembled slightly with pleasure, and she exclaimed:
"This tea is really good..."

"Right?" Xia Nan raised an eyebrow at the similar taste in the food. "I specifically asked the receptionist at the association for it."

"If you want to buy some, you can check with Ms. Edwina. I remember she still has some in stock."

Margaret nodded in agreement, then turned her head and exchanged a glance with Soldin, the dwarf who was wrapped in a blanket and warming his hands by the fire.

Nod slightly.

The battle was over, and the group naturally exchanged information about their respective identities and purposes.

They knew that Xia Nan's mission was to wipe out the goblin nest they were currently in, and that the goblin knew they had come here by following the trail of the devil.

It was by sheer coincidence that we happened to be together, which led to what just happened.

Margaret was not a particularly noble person, and her identity as an adventurer made her far from being kind.

When considering issues, they are primarily driven by interests and security.

The situation is now very clear.

On a moral level, Xia Nan saved himself and his companion from the devil, allowing the Blackwood Squad to survive;
On a practical level, the opponent's previously displayed formidable strength was such that even if both he and Soldin were at their peak, they would still be no match for him.

To some extent, whether the two of them lived or died was just a matter of his own thoughts.

Given this premise, Margaret, with her rich experience as an adventurer, naturally behaved very "sensibly."

Before Xia Nan even had to speak, he brought up the issue of "profit distribution," which is the most sensitive topic for adventurers.

"Thank you for your help. To be honest, we didn't contribute much to the fight against those devils on the field. We won't participate in the distribution of the spoils."

"In addition, as I mentioned to you before, our team's mission was to investigate the traces of the devil in the petrified lizard's lair. Now, this situation can be considered as having been completed."

"However, the specific rewards will depend on the association's assessment of the completion level. Soldin and I have already discussed it and plan to convert a portion of the reward points into gold coins and transfer them to you."

"Please don't refuse. After all, without your help, the two of us probably wouldn't have the chance to sit here and drink tea now."

"Of course, we'll only know the exact number of gold coins after we return to River Valley and turn in the quest, but it shouldn't be too little, after all..."

As she spoke, Margaret glanced at the corpses of several demons beside her.

This decision fully reflects her experience as a seasoned adventurer.

On the one hand, by clearly and explicitly stating their withdrawal from the distribution of spoils immediately after the battle, they could minimize the possibility of unnecessary fighting due to suspicion or misunderstanding.

On the other hand, he even pointed out the commission rewards that could only be obtained after returning to town, and said that he would give Xia Nan a considerable proportion of them later.

In this way, the two of them would still have value to the other side, and wouldn't be beheaded on the road like those devils after their temporary alliance was dissolved.

It might leave a good impression on the other party, and there might be opportunities for cooperation in the future.

Xia Nan would certainly not refuse.

The demons on the field were all killed by him after he entered the "second phase" after activating [Echoes of Ember], so the spoils naturally belonged to him.

Although the Kuroki squad paid the price of losing teammates, they managed to hold out for a while under the siege of the demons.

But they weren't teammates, not even friends; they were complete strangers.

They became temporary allies simply because of a sudden common enemy.

This relationship naturally dissolved after the battle ended.

To be honest, before Abby signed the devil's pact, when the three parties first met in the lair, he was persuaded to leave by several people in a threatening tone.

If it were an adventurer with a slightly more extreme personality, the two people in front of him would probably have been killed by now, instead of drinking tea and warming themselves by the fire. However, since this female swordsman named Margaret was so sensible and even willing to share a portion of the guild mission rewards with him afterward, he, who was short of money to make up for the losses from weapon reforging, naturally wouldn't make a move.

With so many spoils on the field, he really does need help to bring them back to town.

Xia Nan suffered significant losses in this battle.

Plate chainmail, which requires replacement even more frequently than its maintenance tools, has once again met its most familiar end.

Completely scrapped, reduced to a twisted and heavy block of iron.

Also from the Rockhammer Blacksmith Shop, this specially crafted two-handed longsword, used during a transitional period and priced at nearly three figures, was chipped in the battle against the demons. Affected by the "Ember," it melted and shaved off the heads of those demons, leaving it pitted and completely losing its weapon properties. Xia Nan used it as a tool to crack open the shells with his pincers.

It's easy to imagine what Barn's expression will be when he returns to the Rockhammer blacksmith shop.

Adding the two together results in a loss of up to three digits.

This is almost equivalent to a year's income for those low-level adventurers.

I feel incredibly sorry for her.

What troubles Xia Nan even more is that if the embers that erupt after activating [Echoes of Ember] spread to the weapon, causing it to melt and thus damaging the weapon itself after the battle.

Does that mean he needs to prepare another consumable weapon on a regular basis, specifically for use in the "Ember" state?
Perhaps it doesn't need to be that complicated.

After all, the decapitation longsword, which should have been forged by now and is placed in the Rockhammer blacksmith shop, was reforged using the molten ash silver ingot that had been transformed by the flame crystal from the same secret realm as the Ember Echo, as well as the handle material of the Ember Instructor's Staff.

It might be compatible with residual fire, which would save a lot of expenses.

Of course, we'll have to wait until I get back to River Valley Town and get my hands on the new weapons to find out the specifics.

While there were losses, Xia Nan also gained a lot from this mission.

First, there was the reward he received for clearing out the goblin lair and for the Blackwood Squad's promised commission from the association.

It constitutes the largest portion of gold coin income.

The few hundred gold coins from these two items alone should be enough to cover the losses from reforging his longsword, and might even be enough to buy him a decent piece of armor.

Secondly, there's his spoils of war.

Since there are two more people on the way back, Xia Nan should be able to bring back more things.

The scattered gold coins found in the goblin lair, the body materials of armored monsters and thorn demons, the four steel forks left by the imps, and the thorn demon longsword that nicked the longsword.

I have no experience selling similar items and am unsure of their exact value.

But Margaret said that these demons' weapons were forged from purgatory ore, a specialty of the Nine Hells of Bathor, which belonged outside the material world.

Even if sold as secondhand, the blacksmith shops in town can offer quite good prices.

In this way, his savings, which had been completely emptied by the reforging of the longsword, should be able to recover some of the losses, so that he wouldn't be reduced to the point where he couldn't even afford cream of mushroom soup after paying the final payment.

Finally, and most importantly, this is the most crucial and significant takeaway.

Of course, it's that exaggerated effect, resembling the powerful combat skill of a boss in the second phase of a game.

Xia Nan stared into the void and summoned the attribute panel.

……

[Echoes of the Past] lv1: (5/100)

……

Yes, after the battle, its proficiency increased by 4 points, from "1/100" when it first started to "5/100" now.

This was completely unexpected by Xia Nan.

After all, before this, the skill with the fastest proficiency gain rate, [Gravity Etching], only increased by 1 point per practice session when you were just starting out.

[Echoes of Ember] is clearly a very high-quality combat skill, so leveling up its proficiency should be extremely slow, but...

Oh, I almost forgot.

Its cooldown period is thirty days.

Even if you use it once a month, you'll only get less than 50 proficiency points in a year.

Is it fast to be promoted one level every two years?

It's important to note that this is excluding the fact that the difficulty of gaining proficiency gradually increases as skill levels rise.

Moreover, as a crucial skill for survival, and the second most important trump card after the [Coin of Fate], Xia Nan couldn't possibly wait for the cooldown to end just to gain a little more proficiency before using it—unless he was willing to stay in town for the entire next month without going out.

It's definitely something you should always keep on hand, so you can use it as a key to turning the tide in dangerous situations like today.

Therefore, the actual rate of gaining 48 proficiency points per year is far from ideal.

"I wonder if there are any other ways to gain proficiency."

"【Dream Corridor】is one, but I still have no clue where to find the key. I can't put all my hopes on it."

"or……"

Then I recalled the training methods I used when I first started learning Echoes after returning from Ashenvale a few days ago.

"That method of controlling the residual fire energy in the body to flow along a specific path, which comes from the flame crystal of the cane, is something you can try when you have time. It might help you gain proficiency."

"As a result, the daily training schedule will also need to be revised."

　[Book Recommendation]: *Detective Conan: I'm a Zaibatsu in Tokyo*

　　——Introduction:
　　"Mr. Shoichi Sumitomo, why do the business owners who compete with you all die from accidental murder?"

　　Sumitomo Shoichi: "God feeds me."

　　"Mr. Zhengyi, there have been several bombings recently, destroying many buildings. Is your construction company involved?"

　　Shoichi Sumitomo: "The police's incompetence has nothing to do with me."

　　"Are the threats against several business leaders by terrorist organizations related to the security company you recently registered?"

　　Shoichi Sumitomo: "This is a malicious frame-up against me."

　　"Everyone says that you were able to achieve such success thanks to your family's help."

　　Zheng Yi: "Nonsense, I was clearly leaning on Conan!"

　　
　
(End of this chapter)