Archer's Adventure Manual

A short while later, Noah also woke up. His reaction was similar to Lin Wen's, but not as strong.

"This reminds me of the last time, but I wasn't this powerless last time. How could that wild boar's defense be so strong? And what kind of powerful being killed it..."

Noah simply remarked that he seemed to have experienced many life-or-death moments.

"There's a banquet being held in the village square. We can go too; everyone must be hungry," Loran said to the two.

Lin Wen stretched, her eyes shining. "Really! Great! I'm actually hungry!"

And so, the group joined the dinner party midway through and were given some wild boar meat and broth.

"So, the village also experienced an attack by wild boars? There were three wild boars in total!" Lin Wen couldn't help but feel a little scared.

"Yes, all three mountain boars are mutants. They have strong defenses. If it weren't for Elfin, who possesses magic, the village would be in a much worse situation," Loran explained.

"Elfin? Is that the half-elf ranger from the Great Blade?! Wasn't he missing? How come he's here now!" Lin Wen exclaimed in surprise.

"I spoke with him privately. He said that he was pulled to a certain place in the forest by a force, and then found the legacy left by the ancient elves. He turned misfortune into blessing, but he didn't understand how that force came about."

Hearing Loran's words, Noah frowned slightly. "The probability of a mountain boar variant appearing is extremely low. It's really unusual that three of them have appeared at once."

"Also, the half-elf ranger just happened to appear at this time. Isn't that too much of a coincidence? Could there be some connection between them?" Noah added, analyzing the situation.

"Perhaps so. Although everyone knows this is unusual, no one knows why, and our power probably can't affect anything," Loran said helplessly. "Let's leave it to the Adventurers' Guild."

Lin Wen agreed, saying, "Yes, yes, after what happened, the Adventurers' Guild definitely bears a lot of responsibility. I'm already being lenient by not making them pay me back!"

"As for that half-elf ranger, although his disappearance and the timing of his reappearance were both questionable, he still saved the people in the village overall, and his motives were good."

"That's true, let's not talk about that anymore. Let's clink glasses to celebrate our survival and to celebrate our Captain Linwen mastering his first skill!" Loran said with a smile, raising a glass of ale.

Upon hearing Loran say this, Lin Wen was wide awake. His face beamed with smugness, his smile brighter than any chrysanthemum!

"Hehe, as a captain, it's only natural that you have some skill. And Luo... Zhao Xin, you too, you've mastered the skill as well, you deserve praise!" Lin Wen puffed out his chest confidently and clinked glasses with Luo Lan and Noah.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

"By the way, just call me Loran from now on. Zhao Xin is just a nickname I came up with. I still think Loran is better."

"Hey, our Brother Zhao Xin, why did you suddenly change your mind? Hmph, what a fickle fellow!" Lin Wen snorted.

Loran curled his lip. "When it comes to fickleness, you're second to none."

"Loran! What do you mean?! Don't think I'm afraid of you just because you've mastered some skills. I challenge you to a one-on-one duel!"

"Hey, see? Still not fickle?"

……

After the villagers had eaten and drunk their fill, they continued to repair the defenses. As night approached, they needed to increase the number of guards to prevent any unforeseen events.

Lorraine and Brian were also assigned to a position; after all, since they had been paid, they had to do their part.

As for Linwen and Noah, they were wounded and therefore not included in this category.

"Brian, our task today is to observe the situation here until late at night, when someone will come to relieve us," Loran said to Brian beside him.

"Mission accomplished, woof!" Brian raised his head solemnly.

Loran was also somewhat surprised; Brian's language skills seemed to be taking shape.

So he continued to ask tentatively.

"Brian, have you realized you can speak human language?"

A thoughtful look appeared in Brian's eyes. He looked at Loran and seemed to understand the meaning of Loran's words.

"Woof...Do you speak the language of two-legged creatures, woof?"

"Yes, the language of two-legged creatures."

"Looks like I really can! Woof~"

This night wasn't so boring, because Loran could train Brian's language skills while keeping watch.

Those on watch nearby were dumbfounded to see Loran seemingly talking to a dog, and doing so with great enthusiasm. They wondered if this guy had a... minor problem with his head.

After Lorraine had sufficiently trained Brian's language skills, he began to slowly inquire about some more serious matters concerning Brian.

"Brian, do you remember that rainy day when you were injured, the day I brought you back to town? What happened?" Loran asked.

Although Loran has come to terms with the existence of the headless monster, things might change if he could learn more.

He is optimistic and open-minded, but he will not sit idly by and wait for his fate.

"It was raining... That day, Woof? I... I remember, I was trying to find my old master because he often took me to that forest, but... I encountered a wolf, it was very fierce, and I got hurt."

Brian spoke haltingly, and it was clear that he was still trying to adapt to human language.

Hearing this, Loran patted Brian's head. "Yes, let bygones be bygones. Your old master would want you to live a good life, right?"

"I think so!" Brian nodded firmly and seriously.

"Okay, next I'd like to ask what happened to you at Thompson's antique shop, you know, that short old man. I left the shop and forgot about you. What did you see there?"

Loran then asked, and although the first answer did not yield any useful information, that did not matter; the second question was the more crucial one.

After careful consideration, Brian answered thoughtfully:

"I'm so afraid that you'll end up like your old owner, never to come back... So I really wanted to go out and look for you, but I couldn't open that door, so I found a door behind me and went in, woof."

"But there was no exit inside, and I felt very disappointed. Then a lot of thick things fell down and hit me. One of them was even open and glowing!"

"So I touched the book, and then everything went white before my eyes. I think I fell asleep for a while, and then I started hiccuping and my head was spinning... and then you came back, Master."

Loran nodded. "I see. Good dog, do you feel anything unusual? Also, how did you feel when that huge wild boar crashed into you?"

"That big guy? I was biting its tail when it flew into the sky. I was too scared to move, and then I felt something very heavy, and then... I don't remember anything else."

Loran was astonished. According to Brian's description, this guy actually withstood the full power of the mountain boar? And he was completely unharmed. Brian had indeed changed, and there were changes related to the runes.

Runes...runes again. What exactly are they?