Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

John Jr. desperately wanted to kill his future father-in-law.

But he can't.

So he had no choice but to become an adventurer.

On an autumn morning in the forest, the mist had just dissipated, and a cool breeze still lingered in the air.

"Mary is the prettiest girl in our village, you're very lucky," Gunter said with a big laugh.

He walked ahead of little John, his long wooden stick snapping against the surrounding bushes.

"I remember when you were little, you tried to pull Mary's braids, and Mary chased you all over the village with a broom like she was chasing a dog, but you ended up falling into a pile of cow dung instead."

"I was still young then," John smiled shyly.

"Mary's a good girl." Gaunt stopped and looked around the bushes. "Then why are you an adventurer?"

"You know, Mary, she..." John hesitated, then stopped himself.

"Oh, I remember now, that old miser, he ripped me off when I left the village," Gaunt said bitterly.

Little John knew he was referring to Mary's father, the only blacksmith in the village, whose personality was indeed disliked by everyone.

He and Mary grew up together; they were childhood sweethearts. However, Mary's stingy blacksmith father never liked her, always saying that girls were no good for the blacksmith's business. This time, he even wanted to marry Mary off to an old man simply because the man was willing to pay 6 gold coins.

Little John knew that the rude old man had beaten his wife to death earlier this year. He confronted Mary's father, only to be met with the old miser's reply: "I'll give you six gold coins if you want."

John and Mary discussed it and decided to work together before winter arrived.

Mary spent her days washing clothes for the rich to save money, while he chose to become an adventurer.

There's no way around it; with only a month left until winter, earning 6 gold coins is extremely difficult.

Keep in mind that dockworkers only earn 6 silver coins a day. To make money like that, Little John would need to carry loads for 100 days without eating or drinking. The only way to save that much in a month is to become an adventurer.

"Don't worry, the forest may be dangerous, but you'll be fine with me." Gaunt said, holding up the long stick in his hand. "Look."

Little John looked closely and saw a red and black venomous snake coiled around the other end of the stick.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively stepped back: "It's a red-ringed snake, Brother Gaunt, be careful."

The red-banded krait is highly venomous and is nicknamed "the cold wind" by hunters, meaning that being bitten by it will cause numbness as if a cold wind has swept through the body. It is said that this snake can take down an elephant with just one bite.

Before he finished speaking, Gunter swung his long staff, and with two swift movements, the snake was cut into three pieces and fell into the nearby bushes.

Drawing and sheathing his sword in the blink of an eye—truly a seasoned adventurer. Little John sheathed his sword, looking at his opponent with envy.

"These are child's play for adventurers. Once you've gained more experience, you can easily earn 40 silver coins a time by going into the Nightmare Forest to collect herbs, hunt animals, and collect bounties. After deducting food, lodging, and equipment maintenance, it's no problem to save up 20 silver coins a day. If you can kill a low-level magical beast, you can sell a beast core for several gold coins."

"Money is easy to make, and those goblins even come to give us money—three silver coins for an ear," Gaunt laughed as he continued leading the way. "Come on, let's go to their burrow."

John immediately grunted in agreement. He glanced at the leather cord wrapped around his wrist, from which hung a small wooden plaque—a lucky charm Mary had made for him.

As a rather inexperienced hunter, I'm incredibly lucky to have Brother Gaunt, who left the village three years ago to become an adventurer, take me under his wing.

He quickly caught up with the other person, and the two figures disappeared into the Nightmare Forest.

Nightmare Forest, a vast expanse located in the center of three human kingdoms, has a history of thousands of years. Danger lurks everywhere in the forest, and even woodcutters and hunters are reluctant to venture deep into it, except for adventurers.

But if you ask a seasoned adventurer what's most abundant in the forest, he'll definitely say goblins.

This green-skinned dwarf looks like a malnourished child, with a round head, thin limbs, a mouth full of yellow, sharp teeth, and two long, pointed ears sticking out from behind its head. It is greedy and stupid, cunning and cowardly.

If there are 2 to 3 of them, they will only dare to hide in the grass and ambush lone travelers; if there are 9 to 10 of them, they will dare to attack passing merchant wagons at night; if there are more than 20 of them, they will even dare to harass the surrounding villages and rob supplies.

Every natural history book lists them as the most despicable monsters. The major kingdoms have funded the Adventurers' Guild to issue long-term bounty missions. A left ear can be exchanged for 3 silver coins. This "basic guarantee" mission has also made the profession of adventurer increasingly prosperous.

Unlike farmers, blacksmiths, and craftsmen, adventurers have no land or fixed assets. They live by taking on quests for a living, at the cost of their labor and even their lives. In major cities, people privately call these people "scoundrels," but on the edge of the Nightmare Forest, they have a more special name—ear cleaners.

"What kind of ear-cleaning masters are they? They're just jealous." Gaunt stopped and pulled a stained sheepskin map from his pocket.

After carefully determining the direction, he casually put the map back in his pocket and said with a smile, "This job is flexible and pays well. As long as you are diligent enough, you can't compete with those farmers and laborers."

"Thank you for your help," John said sincerely.

However, recalling the rumors he had heard before, he carefully chose his words and said tactfully, "I heard at the tavern that the forest has become quite dangerous lately."

"That's just for newbies. Those guys say that all the time. When I first became an adventurer three years ago, I went into the forest with two teammates. I wasn't afraid at all back then. But when we camped for the night, we heard a rustling sound in the grass and realized that six goblins had sneaked up on us under the cover of darkness."

Gaunt pulled out the greatsword from his back and brandished it proudly: "They were yelling and scaring us, but guess what..."

Little John looked at the other person with eager anticipation, waiting for what would happen next.

Gunter swept his greatsword across the bushes in front of him with a whoosh, and with a shout, charged and cleaved.

"His head flew off."

Green grass clippings fell one after another, as if to recreate the former glory of Gunter.

Little John also clapped and cheered.

In the past two days at the Ear Cleaner's Tavern, he heard that an entire adventurer team had disappeared without a trace.

Moreover, they are a long-standing team with a balanced mix of ranged and melee classes.

It's not uncommon for adventurers to die, but it's very strange that none of the three members of the team escaped.

This unexpected turn of events sparked much discussion among the adventurers in the tavern, who prepared to form larger teams to venture into the forest.

However, seeing Gunter's skills, John felt relieved. He thought that with Gunter's help, the goal of 6 gold coins could definitely be achieved.

"Tired? The lair is just ahead." Gaunt handed him a water bag. "Stay close to me, we're going to the goblins to get the money."

"Okay, thanks to Brother Gunter." Little John took the water bag and tilted his head back to take a big gulp.

"It's not far." Gunter took back the water bag, but instead of drinking from it, he put it back in his bag.

After taking a few steps forward, John slowly began to feel dizzy. He staggered unsteadily, saying, "Brother Gaunt, why do I feel...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he fell to the ground with a "plop".

"How are you feeling?" Gaunt walked over to the unconscious John and looked down at his junior. "Dizziness is normal."

"Since you call me 'big brother,' I'll teach you your first lesson in the forest: don't eat or drink anything given to you by strangers."

Then, he crouched down and slowly drew the longsword from Little John's waist.

"It's a good sword, worth at least 2 gold coins." Gaunt turned the longsword over and examined it from all angles.

"Look," he said with a smile, holding the sword to Little John's neck, "making money in the Nightmare Forest is really easy."

As he spoke, Gaunt was about to draw his sword.

Just then, a bird called out "coo coo" from the woods.

Gunter suddenly stood up, held his longsword horizontally in front of him, and then took a deep sniff; there seemed to be a faint stench in the air.

"Something's come up." He moved slowly, searching around.

With a "click," Gunter felt as if he had stepped on something. Immediately afterward, the bushes a dozen meters ahead rustled, and three green objects emerged, which looked like goblins.

"9 silver coins."

Before he could think any further, Gunter had already charged forward with a loud shout.

He held his greatsword at an angle, like the wind.

It's only a few meters away, just a few steps away.

Twist your waist.

Stomp again.

Then, just use a cleave attack to end the battle.

As a result, Gunter suddenly felt his feet slip and fell into the trap with a "thud".

"Ah—" A sharp scream echoed through the forest.

A clump of grass in the distance was suddenly ripped open, and a green goblin charging at you with a spear, yelling, "You're dead, you're dead!"

He rushed to the edge of the trap, looked at Gaunt, whose body was still convulsing with spears piercing through it, and wondered, "Chief, he's not a wild boar."

Another, slightly shorter goblin with a bald head walked up behind him, kicked him aside, and then stared calmly at Gaunt, who was dead in the trap, saying, "I saw it."

"Green Egg Leader, there's another one alive over there."

"Shut up, call me Handsome Leader."

"Yes, Green Egg Leader."