I'm not a Witcher anymore.

「『已达成』里程碑——哥布林克星：击杀50只哥布林杂兵（当前击杀数：21→61）、1只哥布林萨满（已击杀）、1只大哥布林（已击杀）」

"Gift Arrives: Agility +1 (Attribute)"

Current Agility: 5 → 6

Almost the instant the words froze, Zieg felt a familiar, warm energy burst forth from the depths of his heart.

But unlike the heavy, scorching wash when you're gaining strength, this time the energy is lighter and faster, like a thin, sharp warm current that sweeps along your spine and instantly spreads into your extremities.

He could feel the muscles in his shoulders, arms, waist, and legs that were responsible for generating power and turning rapidly tensing up, and the connection that was originally only half a step away was gradually coming together.

A very faint snapping sound came from deep within the joint, as if a slight, previously stuck sensation had been silently released.

The slight, almost imperceptible stagnation between mind and body was instantly smoothed out.

The most direct feeling is that, with the change in vision brought about by "archery proficiency", he is no longer in a state of "seeing with his eyes but being half a beat behind with his body".

Zig remained seated cross-legged on the boulder, a gentle breeze rustling through it, stirring up a few withered leaves.

He simply raised his right hand very naturally.

Swish.

He caught a withered leaf falling from above with two fingers in mid-air.

The movements were light and decisive.

At that moment, the book of adventure in my mind turned a page lightly without any wind.

The ink meandered and flowed across the blank parchment, revealing new words:

"Unlock a new milestone - Goblin Nemesis: Defeat 300 Goblin Troops and 1 Goblin Hero"

"Um?"

Zieg suddenly noticed a detail.

The kills of the goblins by the other members of the team were also attributed to him.

From this perspective, it's more cost-effective to team up whenever possible in the future.

The thought flashed through his mind for only a moment before being interrupted by the approaching sound of wheels in the distance.

Zig opened his eyes and listened for a moment.

At the end of the forest path, the first sound was the muffled thud of horses' hooves crushing dry branches, followed by the rumbling of a cart axle rolling over the mud.

Eileen and Kevin finally returned, followed by a two-horse carriage sent by the guild, and two staff members wearing thick cloaks.

"Mr. Zieg!"

Kevin ran over quickly, his face still flushed from rushing all the way, but his voice clearly showed relief.

"Both the people and the car were brought."

After the two guild members approached, they first glanced at the girls in the open space, then at the weapons and armor plates with blood still wet around them, and their expressions immediately darkened.

They had obviously heard the gist of what had happened from Kevin and Eileen, but when they actually saw the rescued victims, their faces still turned grim.

The older one nodded to Zieg, his tone solemn.

"Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to us. The guild will take care of sending them back to town for resettlement and then contacting the nearby villages to verify their identities one by one."

Without saying a word, Zieg turned and walked to the side, taking out the bags of grain he had found in the cave from the Book of Adventure.

The burlap sack fell to the ground with a few dull thuds.

"These were also found in the lair." Sieg patted the muddy rope at the opening of the bag. "They were probably stolen from the village by those goblins. When you get back to town, please give them to the owner for me. If you can't find the specific owner right away, just register them under the guild until someone comes to claim them."

The older staff member was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to have brought these things along.

He looked down at the bags of grain, his expression growing increasingly solemn, and finally nodded solemnly.

"I will register in person."

The rest was much simpler.

Petra and Irene helped the dazed girls onto the carriage one by one.

They moved very gently, as if afraid that even the slightest bit of force would shatter these people who had been barely dragged out of their nightmares once again.

Isabella helped by handing out water and blankets.

Kevin worked with the guild members to move things, loading as much as possible onto the truck.

Zig stood aside, watching everything until he was sure nothing was missed, before finally turning over and sitting down next to the carriage shaft, accompanying it all the way back to the border town.

By the time they arrived in town, it was already getting dark.

Lights began to illuminate the streets, and people were already waiting to greet them in front of the guild.

The rescued girls were quickly and carefully taken in by the guild members and sent to a safer location.

The subsequent registration, identification, and notification of villagers naturally fell to them.

After doing all this, the older staff member turned around and whispered to Qige:

"Thanks to you all today. Leave the rest to us."

Zieg nodded.

After watching the carriage and guild members disappear with the girls at the end of the street, he turned around and looked at the four newcomers beside him who seemed to have been pulled out of mud and blood:

"Are you all hungry? Come on, it's on me."

The team members naturally had no objections.

Sieg led them to the tavern next to the guild.

It was dusk, and the tavern was already full of adventurers who had finished their day's quests. The air was filled with rough noise and the clinking of cheap ale.

Zieg requested a quiet private room, completely shutting out the noise of adventurers from behind the heavy wooden door.

The private room's window faces the town's street, offering a view of the peaceful lights of countless homes outside.

Before long, the tavern waiter came in carrying a heavy tray and filled the entire wooden table with steaming food.

Thick-cut bone-in steaks, roasted until crispy and sizzling with oil, exude a strong aroma of coarse salt and black pepper;

The freshly baked rye bread was still steaming hot, with a hard crust and a soft, slightly sour interior from the fermentation of grains.

It was accompanied by a large slice of smoked cheese, several handfuls of freshly washed, crisp berries still glistening with water droplets, and a large pot of stewed cabbage and meat soup that was tender and flavorful.

Of course, there were also several large glasses of ale with a thick layer of white foam on the surface.

Everyone was starving. They hadn't eaten anything properly all day since they set off in the morning.

The life-or-death struggle that lasted for several hours in the goblin cave completely drained them of every last bit of strength.

For a moment, there was no sound of conversation at the table, only the sounds of tearing into roast meat, chewing coarse bread, and gulping down ale.

Everyone buried their heads in their food without any regard for appearances, as if filling their stomachs would suppress the disgusting and bloody memories of the cave.

……

Finally, about half an hour later.

The meal ended in a whirlwind, leaving only cleaned bones and an empty wooden cup on the table.

When the act of eating stopped, a deep-seated fatigue instantly surged up.

The atmosphere in the private room suddenly became extremely quiet, so quiet that it was almost suffocating.

Zieg put down his glass, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, breaking the silence: "It's late, everyone go back and rest. We'll meet at the Adventurers' Guild tomorrow at noon to settle our rewards."

Kevin and Eileen exchanged a glance.

The boy gripped the empty wine glass tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

He subconsciously touched the wound on his thigh that had just healed, where there seemed to be lingering phantom pain from the toxins eroding his nerves.

He bit his bloodless lips and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Zieg..." Kevin's voice was dry and hoarse, with a slight tremor, "After the settlement tomorrow... I won't be an adventurer anymore."

The moment those words were spoken, the private room fell into an instant silence.

Isabella and Petra both looked up and stared at him blankly.

"I admit, I was too naive before."

Kevin closed his eyes, and images of the dark tunnel, the surging goblins, and the near-piercing of his stomach by a short spear flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

"Those few hours in that cave...it felt like centuries. Not only was I not helpful, I almost got everyone killed."

The boy lowered his head, his eyes slightly red, his voice filled with utter defeat and lingering fear.

"I can't stand the fear of dying in a gutter at any moment... I can't do it, I really can't."

He was not a coward; the boy who dared to face the monster was already braver than most ordinary people.

But he finally realized that he was not prepared to become a hero.

The private room was so quiet that only heavy breathing could be heard.

At that moment, Eileen suddenly let out a long sigh of relief. She put down her glass, looked at Zieg with a sense of relief, and said softly:

"Mr. Zieg, I don't want to be one anymore either."

Instead of disappointment, the girl wore a relieved smile: "Actually, I didn't come here to be an adventurer. I was just afraid Kevin was too reckless and would die out there, so I gritted my teeth and came along. Now that he doesn't want to do it anymore... I have no attachment to this line of work."

After hearing their words, Isabella, who had been silent all along, gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

"I'm quitting too." Isabella shook her head bitterly. "If it weren't for Mr. Zieg... I would already be here today... I don't want to die in such a filthy place without knowing why."

The frail priestess Petra didn't speak, but silently lowered her head, large tears falling onto the back of her hand.

Those weren't tears of sadness, but rather the catharsis of a broken nerve after crawling out of hell.

Clearly, she made the same choice.

Zig sat quietly in the shadows, his gaze sweeping over the four young people who had just escaped death.

He originally thought it would be a simple celebration banquet, but it turned out to be a farewell dinner.

But then again, in this cruel world, how many passionate newbies, because they failed to recognize reality, rotted away forever in the dark goblin lair?

Recognizing one's own weakness and choosing to withdraw before death truly arrives is by no means cowardice.

This is the most valuable survival wisdom for ordinary people.

"I understand your decision."

Zieg stood up, picked up the wine jug, and refilled everyone's glasses: "I respect your choices. The fact that everyone is alive and facing reality is the best possible outcome."

"Well then, see you tomorrow at noon. After we settle the payment, we'll go our separate ways."

He tilted his glass slightly forward:

"To the wisdom of ordinary people, and to our brief but remarkable collaboration—cheers!"

The other four, with red eyes, raised their glasses as if they had finally let go of something.

"Cheers!"