Adventurer's Investigation Log

The town of Heixi was still shrouded in a thin mist in the early morning, but the sound of hammers striking the blacksmith's shop had already begun.

Standing in front of the checkpoint on the east side of the town, Ronan did a final check of his equipment.

The short sword hangs on the left side of the waist to ensure it won't be tripped by the backpack strap when drawing it.

The spear is held in the right hand, and the small round shield is secured to the left forearm with a leather strap, which allows it to be raised quickly when needed without hindering arm movement.

The reinforced leather straps are adjusted to the most comfortable position so they won't come loose while running, and the hard leather wrist guards and shin guards fit snugly against the hands and feet, providing a sense of security.

Taking a deep breath, Ronan finally stepped out of Black Creek.

Ronan had no intention of joining the adventure team. Putting aside the fact that no newcomer like himself, who would be kind enough to take him in, given that he had neither the skills nor the equipment?

Even if someone were willing to let him join, Ronan would have to carefully consider whether the other party had ulterior motives.

Although I am penniless, sometimes I can break myself down into many parts and convert them into money.

The road underfoot gradually transformed from a solid dirt track into a weed-covered path, eventually disappearing completely in front of a dense birch forest.

Generally speaking, low-level monsters do not appear around towns. The guards who occasionally clear out monsters and passing adventurers do not mind kicking goblins wandering around the town to death.

Therefore, to kill monsters, you must leave the town area and enter the real wilderness.

The woods were darker than I had imagined.

The tall canopy blocked most of the sunlight, with only scattered spots of light filtering through the layers of leaves and falling onto the thick layer of humus on the ground.

The air was filled with the smells of earth, rotten wood, and some indescribable dampness.

Ronan slowed his pace, his right hand unconsciously tightening its grip on the middle of the spear.

Before officially embarking on his adventure, Ronan consulted with the militiamen from his previous village. Although these were just fragmented, unsystematic techniques, not even real moves, they were enough for a novice adventurer whose goal was to become a goblin.

His gaze swept back and forth, trying to capture and analyze any potentially useful information.

Three meters to the left front, there are trampled marks on a patch of ferns.

On the right side, a small piece of bark has been scraped off the trunk of a birch tree, revealing light-colored wood. The bark is about waist-high, and it may have been left by some animal scratching itself.

Judging from the faint marks underfoot, this seems to be an animal trail.

The experience of [trace identification] flickered almost imperceptibly.

Ronan could feel that the details he had observed were remaining in his mind in the form of extremely vivid images.

After the panel appeared, in addition to the talents of trace identification and anomaly perception that were given upon awakening, Ronan's abilities in memory and observation seemed to be enhanced.

My mindset has calmed down considerably.

Without this boost, Ronan might not have been so quick to decide to embark on the perilous path of adventurer.

Every so often, Ronan would stop to carefully discern the road, listen intently to the sounds around him, Bourne's words still echoing in his mind:

"Be careful of everything that moves or doesn't move in your field of vision."

A brightly colored beetle crawled out of the rotting wood, stopped at a distance, and continued on its way only after confirming that it was just an ordinary insect.

A cluster of strangely shaped mushrooms grew at the base of a tree. I silently walked around them, wondering if the mushrooms in this world would jump up and punch me.

"I should have memorized the entire newcomer's handbook from the Adventurers' Guild before setting off."

As Ronan crouched under the rocks, marking the map, he couldn't help but think.

The Adventurers' Guild is very generous to new adventurers, not only providing a free beginner's manual but also offering dedicated instructors to guide them and advise them on what kind of quests to choose.

Ronan chose the goblin-clearing mission on the other party's recommendation.

The mission itself is long-term and stable, and the monsters are not particularly strong. As long as you are vigilant enough, it is not easy to fail.

It's a pretty good first experience for newcomers.

About half an hour later, the trees began to thin out, and the sound of water could be faintly heard.

Parting the bushes, the stream appeared before Ronan's eyes.

The murky stream, a dark reddish-brown resembling rust, flowed slowly down the mountain, staining the rocks and soil on both banks with the same color.

"Rust Valley... truly lives up to its name."

Ronan squatted by the stream, observing. A few withered leaves floated on the surface of the water, and a small fish about the length of a finger swam quickly by and disappeared into the shadow of the rocks.

There seems to be nothing unusual, but it's best not to fetch water here just to be on the safe side.

I patted my backpack; it contained a bottle of water I had filled at the hotel before setting off, so I didn't have to worry about water resources for the time being.

Less than fifteen minutes after walking upstream along the stream, the first real discovery was made.

On the muddy ground by the stream, a clear trail of footprints stretched into the depths of the woods.

Ronan immediately stopped, squatted down, and examined the area closely.

"The footprint was about half the size of a palm, with three toes and obvious gripping marks."

"It's a goblin."

The footprints were clear, and there were only one or two, so it was probably a lone animal that had passed through here within the last hour or two.

Standing up, Ronan did not immediately follow the footprints. Instead, he looked around to make sure there was no other movement before cautiously entering the woods to follow the direction of the footprints.

The footprints meandered through the forest for about one or two hundred meters.

There were obvious signs of a fight in an open space, with several pieces of dark green, rough cloth hanging from the branches of a shrub.

Ronan moved closer and used the tip of his spear to pick up a piece of cloth, which was stained with dark brown, dried stains.

"It looks like cheap fabric that goblins would use to cover their bodies. Is it infighting? Or...?"

"Gah!"

A piercing scream came from the right.

The bushes were roughly torn apart, and a goblin rushed out.

Ronan almost instinctively leaped back a step, gripping his spear tightly with both hands.

At this distance, Ronan could clearly see what the goblins looked like.

He was shorter than Ronan had imagined, only reaching about chest height, with dark green skin covered in bumps and warts, pointed ears, and a gaping mouth revealing jagged yellow teeth.

Holding a rusty dagger in his hand, his eyes flashing with ferocity, he charged straight at Ronan.

"calm......"

Just as he had practiced countless times in his memory, Ronan took a half step forward, exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and thrust the spear forward fiercely!

The carbonized spearhead sliced ​​through the air, aimed straight at the goblin's chest.

The goblin clearly hadn't expected this seemingly frail human to attack first. It hastily tried to parry with its dagger, but the spearhead was already piercing its face.

It barely managed to turn to the side, the spear tip grazing its left shoulder, leaving a bloody mark.

"Gah!"

The fierce glint in its eyes quickly vanished, replaced by a look of cowardice, and the goblin almost turned and ran away.

Seize the opportunity, quickly retract the spear, and then thrust it out again.

This time he adjusted his angle and aimed at the goblin's relatively vulnerable abdomen.

However, at the very moment the spear was thrust out, Ronan saw a hint of human cunning in the goblin's eyes.

With a powerful slash, the short sword struck the spear shaft with a clang. The force was not great, but it distorted Ronan's movements.

With a grin spreading across its face, the goblin seized the opportunity to charge forward, trying to close the distance. Once it entered the effective range of the short sword, the advantage of the spear would be completely lost.

In that critical moment, Ronan made a move that even he hadn't expected.

He suddenly raised his left arm and swung the small round shield forward with great force!

"Bang!"

The shield slammed solidly into the goblin's face. It was a simple, brute-force attack, but it was effective enough to leave the goblin dizzy and staggering backward.

The distance has been widened again.