Goblin Heavy Dependence

Chapter 384 Let Fear Guide Me

Limited by their own upbringing and education level, these naive teenagers growing up in remote mountainous areas of the continent of Aifar often lack a clear and comprehensive understanding of the world they live in.

Many of them, even into adulthood, never had the experience of leaving their birth village for an extended period of time.

All that the village knew about the outside world, besides the heroic epics and local anecdotes that the village elders had told countless times, was the drunken ramblings of merchants who had traveled all over the continent when caravans passed by.

In this situation, a classic example is a naive young man like Colin, whose heart is filled with beautiful dreams for the future, who has unnecessary fantasies about the profession of "adventurer".

Of course, this is precisely why, even though the mortality rate in the "adventurer" industry is extremely high, there has never been a shortage of fresh blood.

Perhaps, it won't be until someday in the future, when they have their bones broken by goblins and lie in the depths of a dark, sunless cave; or when they have lost all their money at a tavern card table and spend the night alone in a cold alley in the freezing wind, that they will truly realize what the word "adventurer" means on the continent of Aifara.

“Mr. Xia Nan, if I were as powerful as you, my village would definitely not be in this state now, almost destroyed by a group of goblins.”

"Isn't that important?"

Colin's deep blue eyes were filled with the youthful vigor unique to teenagers, and his face carried a touch of stubbornness.

"It's better than... staying in the village and farming for the rest of your life!"

Xia Nan did not reply.

As an adventurer himself, he knew how dangerous this industry was. Every mission was like dancing on the edge of a knife. A small accident during a mission could turn decades of hard work into a meaningless death, leaving no trace of the body.

However, at the same time, it must be admitted that for the vast majority of ordinary people in this world who are trapped in their predicaments and unable to extricate themselves, "becoming an adventurer" is the only solution to the problems they face.

John, the hunter standing beside him, was watching Xia Nan's expression with extreme tension. If Xia Nan showed even the slightest sign of dislike or impatience, John would immediately interrupt Colin and then lead his apprentice to apologize to the young adventurer whose strength was unknown.

Of course, the hunter's cautious behavior was noticed.

However, the other party was overthinking it.

Having a soul from another land, Xia Nan didn't have a strong sense of hierarchy. No matter how much Colin said, it was just an ordinary exchange between people to him.

I didn't feel offended at all.

They even went along with the other person's topic and continued the conversation.

"This is not a question of whether it is important or not."

Xia Nan raised his right hand, extended his index finger adorned with a silver ring, and pointed to the dent left by the Crystal Man on the surface of the [Purgatory Pulse] armor.

"Colin, can you afford to pay with your life?"

The boy froze for a moment, staring blankly at the dent on the surface of the silver-gray armor, feeling his throat go dry.

He paused for a moment before answering:
“I…I can learn, I’m not afraid of the consequences! My uncle once told me about the outside world…”

"uncle?"

“Yes!” Colin nodded emphatically, a longing look on his face. “His name is Paddy, and he works in the Southern Islands!”

"He said there were huge sailing ships there, merchants and sailors from all over the world, and every tavern was filled with adventurers of different races."

"He said if I ever have the chance to go there, he can help me find a job on a ship, or learn something from a caravan!"

Southern Islands...

Upon hearing the key words that suddenly came out of the other person's mouth, Xia Nan's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly for a moment.

"I overheard your parents and older brother talking about it yesterday; it seems you've been preparing to head south for quite some time now?"

"Hehe." Colin scratched the back of his head and chuckled foolishly. "I was planning to set off in the next couple of days, but as you know, I'm a little worried about these goblins that suddenly appeared near the village."

Hearing what the other party said, Xia Nan couldn't help but have some thoughts.

He left River Valley Town for Fish Bay for two reasons. First, someone there wanted to buy the [Tidal Lure Pole], and he wanted to bring the equipment with him to negotiate the price in person. Second, and most importantly, he wanted to find information about the [Dream Corridor] key.

But since they are unfamiliar with the place and the people, even if they are quite capable, they will have to spend a lot of time developing channels when they suddenly arrive in such a completely new environment.

Making a name for oneself like "Grey Sword" from River Valley Town is probably not easy.

Given this premise, it would be great if a local could help you integrate, even if it was just introducing some necessary customs or taboos.

After organizing his thoughts in his mind, he intended to ask Colin for more information about his uncle who worked in the Southern Islands.

Before Xia Nan could even open her mouth, she swallowed the words that were already on the tip of her tongue.

He drew his sword and stood up.

The words reached the ears of the other two people on the field.

"The enemy is coming. Prepare for battle."

The ability to perceive the 12 o'clock position was fully demonstrated at this moment.

Specifically, for Xia Nan, it first manifested as an inner inspiration, a subtle threat that felt like a sharp object lightly touching the skin. When attention was drawn to it and further focused, the sensation became a tangible reality: the stench that was almost undetectable from a distance, and the soft footsteps that dissolved into the rustling of swaying leaves.

This entire process probably took less than a second, which was enough for him to confirm the presence of the enemy.

They were completely unaware of the two people in front of them.

It wasn't until Xia Nan stood up and warned him that John seemed to jump up from the ground as if by muscle memory, climbing up the thick tree trunk like an ape, hiding his body in the shadow of the canopy, his hands tightly gripping the longbow.

Colin's reaction time was noticeably slower, but just as John had assured him before the trip, his young apprentice did not hold the team back.

Even though they didn't know what they were going to face, they still climbed the tall oak tree on the other side, just like John, after being reminded.

However, seeing that his hands and feet were trembling slightly, it was clear that he was extremely nervous.

Under normal circumstances, a slightly disciplined adventurer party, when encountering dangerous situations in the forest, will tend to retreat inwards while maintaining formation, in order to maximize the team's margin for error and ability to respond.

But the current situations of these individuals are quite different.

From the perspective of team roles, two archers and one warrior is a completely unreasonable team combination; the difference in their strength is also huge. The two hunters are more like "attachments" responsible for leading the way than helpers.

Xia Nan naturally no longer needed to follow the unspoken rules of adventurer teams, such as retreating and shrinking back.

Moreover, at this moment, he had already determined the enemy's identity and approximate number through the all-too-familiar, even somewhat nostalgic, fishy smell in the air, as well as many other details.

A strange smile, barely perceptible to others, flashed across the face shrouded in shadow. With a few steps, he vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

From Colin's perspective, who is hiding under the tree canopy, he has only just climbed up the tree trunk, drawn his bowstring, and nocked an arrow.

The fully armed black-haired adventurer had already disappeared from sight.

The air suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Colin could even faintly hear his heart pounding in his chest amidst his increasingly rapid breathing.

The arrows, gleaming coldly in the sunlight, pointed haphazardly forward, like dense bushes from which enemies might leap out at any moment. His mind involuntarily drifted back to the chilling images of monsters he had heard of before. There was no strenuous exercise, but the intense tension and taut muscles caused sweat to silently soak through his clothes.

At this moment, Colin was extremely nervous.

The deathly silence was broken by a piercing scream, filled with agony, emanating from the depths of the dense forest.

Colin nearly shuddered, almost dropping the bow and arrow from his hand.

His first thought was whether the young adventurer named "Xia Nan" had encountered some danger.

After all, in Colin's view, it was far too reckless to venture alone into the dark forest in the face of a possible enemy lurking in the shadows.

If he...

Do not!
Colin shook his head, quickly realizing what was happening.

The mournful cry was noticeably higher-pitched than that of an ordinary human, so it most likely did not come from the adventurer.

So, the other side has already engaged in combat with the enemy?

Colin hesitated, wondering whether he should go to provide support.

But then, another piercing scream, filled with pain, rang out from the forest.

One after another, they resounded.

A faint smell of blood mingled with the air, and the faint sounds of branches snapping and sharp objects whistling through the air could be heard.

Young people lack experience and therefore cannot make decisive judgments.

As I hesitated, the sounds coming from the depths of the dense forest ahead had ceased.

Instead, a terrifying, deathly silence surged up once again like a tidal wave.

"The battle...is over?"

Colin guessed to himself.

Recalling the continuous screams from earlier, he figured that Xia Nan had most likely won the final victory.

But what if something unexpected happens, or if the monsters they encounter are too powerful, what should they do if they are left here with Uncle John?
Will I be able to get back alive?
Extreme nervousness caused this overly naive young man to start having wild thoughts.

The excessively quiet environment and the failure to see the returning adventurers further intensified his panic.

Colin even considered risking shouting loudly to Uncle John in the other tree to make sure that the other man hadn't abandoned him and left him alone in the same spot.

That's when.

"Squeak!"

Suddenly, a clump of bushes ahead began to sway, and the sound of light, hurried footsteps abruptly rose from within, rapidly approaching at an extremely fast speed.

Colin held his breath for a moment.

He instinctively drew the bowstring taut, his arm trembling slightly from the force of the pull, and the sharp arrow pointed at the violently shaking bush.

Boom—

A thin, deformed, and ugly figure suddenly burst out from the depths of the bushes, shrouded in fallen leaves and broken branches.

Its figure was hunched and twisted, its rough, nauseatingly greenish-purple skin covered with boils and mud, its soles encased in slippery, decaying leaves and rotten mud, and its pair of brownish-yellow eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets.

Goblin!
Colin's mind went blank.

Under the tutelage of John, a hunter in the village, the boy had gained some experience hunting in the wild and had seen dangerous monsters that were like cockroaches, found everywhere in the world.

But for safety's sake, John never let him get close, only giving him a quick glance from afar before leading him back.

Let alone killing one or two with my own hands, I've never even had close contact with them.

And perhaps that is precisely why.

At that moment, when Colin saw the goblin's bald, ugly head covered with blue veins and warts, saw the thick saliva seeping from its jagged, yellow, and rotten teeth, and felt the extremely strong, primal smell in the air, a mixture of sweat, blood, and mud.

A sense of fear rose unconsciously in my heart.

The longbow, which had been fully drawn in his hand, was suddenly released, the bowstring snapped back, and the arrow shot out.

However, his excessive nervousness caused Colin to lose some accuracy with his arrows, which should have hit the target every time at such a distance.

The arrow whistled past the goblin and landed directly in the woods behind it.

"Hiss!"

A sharp, piercing whistling sound erupted.

The unexpected mistake left Colin's mind blank.

The scream of the goblin, startled as he ran, and his instinctive glance toward the direction from which the arrow had come, made the 16-year-old boy freeze.

My foot slipped, and I lost my balance.

He fell straight down from the tree.

At this moment, Colin, who was inexperienced and extremely nervous, had lost the ability to think.

He didn't notice why his body fell from the tree at such a slower speed, like a falling leaf, almost floating to the ground.
I never thought about why the goblin, seeing that I had landed on the ground and lost my height advantage, didn't have the slightest intention to attack. Instead, it took even more strides with its two short, withered legs and ran wildly away from me.

They were even less likely to notice the blood on the goblin's body and the undisguised panic and fear in his expression.

Driven by his muscle memory, he leaned against the tree trunk, drew an arrow from the quiver on his back, nocked it, aimed at the fleeing goblin ahead, and pulled back the bowstring with all his might...

"Snapped."

An unfamiliar hand reached out from behind him and grabbed the shaft of the arrow he was about to shoot.

Colin could even see his own sweaty, dazed face reflected in the dark, cold, smooth arm shield.

"Don't worry."

A familiar voice rang out from behind, accompanied by an extremely strong smell of blood.

Just like when my brother opened the door, there was a deep silhouette with the edges glowing in the sunset, a tall and slender figure standing there, backlit.

"Let its fear guide us."

(End of this chapter)