The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

"Uh...please calm down. I just received this assignment myself. Let's deal with the problem first..."

Lorraine tried her best to comfort him.

Old Hunter crouched down, buried his head in his hands, and his voice was trembling with sobs:

"My wife scolds me every day, saying I'm useless and can't even keep an eye on a barn. My son says, 'Dad, are you getting old? Maybe we should stop farming and go out and become adventurers.' I...I..."

Lorraine is numb.

He looked down at the parchment in his hand; it did indeed not seem to have a publication date written on it.

"Should we check the situation first...?"

"Why...!"

Old Hunter seemed to have accepted reality, and only then did he have time to look up and glance at Lorraine.

"You came here alone to kill rats?" he asked suspiciously.

Lorraine smacked her lips and replied, "I don't see any limit on the number of people on this commission."

The man stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly stood up, took a deep breath, as if he had made a major decision.

"Fine," he said. "Kill as many as you can, and if you can't kill them all... I... I'll accept it. But if you can take them all away, I'll give you five more silver coins."

"become."

Lorraine immediately agreed. The mission hadn't even started yet, and they were already offering extra money? What a great deal!

Old Hunter then led him over.

The barn was surrounded by a square-shaped fence, and inside there were chicken droppings and feathers everywhere, but no bloodstains, showing that the man had protected his chickens.

Lorraine carefully stepped over the chicken droppings, taking the rusty throat off his back as he did so.

Rusty throat

Equipment type: One-handed longsword / Two-handed

Quality: Excellent (Green)

Weight: 4.6 kg

Length: 43 inches

Durability:115/100

Equipment effects:

[Heavy Slash]: Attack speed -7%, but damage dealt +12%.

【Durable】: Not easily damaged

[Sharpness]: Sharpness +20% (Only effective when durability is greater than 90)

Remarks:

Lao Tzu's craftsmanship is the best in the world!

—Hope, the blacksmith from Shallow Beach Town.

......

Old Horton reforged the longsword, re-wrapped the blade with a layer of soft steel, and then carefully polished it.

He even applied a layer of sword oil, a gift from Karl, to his sword before setting off, and the effect was remarkable.

The sword now gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and Lorraine thought it was so sharp it could even kill a dwarf with a single blow.

Seeing Lorraine draw his longsword, old Hunter finally began to believe he could handle the rats, and his tone became somewhat ingratiating:

"Let me open the door for you. Those beasts have been here for days, and I don't know how many there are now—"

"etc!"

Lorraine felt a chill run down her spine.

If he remembers correctly, rats have a very short reproduction cycle... This thing is even a mutation, so it might reproduce even faster.

But it was too late.

Old Hunter has opened the barn door.

Sunlight streamed through the gate, but the barn was empty of grain. Dozens of red-eyed rats stared coldly at the two people in the doorway.

Some of these rats were even larger than adult cats, while the remaining twenty or so were about the size of chickens.

Their gray-black fur was glossy and shiny, with the hairs on their backs standing up like steel needles.

There were several dead baby mice on the ground, clearly indicating that the adult mice, unable to find food, had begun to kill their offspring.

Upon seeing the two living creatures before them, they paused for a second, then instantly sprang to their feet and surged towards the door like a tidal wave...

Holy crap!

The one in the lead was as fast as a black phantom, and almost instantly it darted in front of old Hunter, lunging for his throat.

Lorraine realized what was happening.

He rushed forward, grabbed old Hunter, and pulled him backward forcefully.

Old Hunter stumbled and fell to the ground, rolling twice just in time to avoid a rat that pounced on him.

Lorraine gripped the rusty throat tightly with her other hand and swung it forward with force.

Driven by immense force, the blade easily pierced its head; the thick skin and bones that the monster rat relied on for survival were utterly useless against it.

The rat was instantly split in two and fell to the ground, its internal organs and blood mixed together and spilling all over the ground.

[First Enemy Kill - Red-Eyed Giant Rat]

[Reward: 30 Exploration Experience Points]

Current balance: 77 exploration experience points

The unique stench of wild animal entrails, mixed with the indescribable musty smell of the giant rat, made Lorraine wrinkle her nose.

"Cough..." He held his breath and almost vomited.

Before he could even marvel at how useful the new weapon was, two giant rats had already stepped over their companion's corpse, scurried to his feet, and started biting at his calves.

"Get out of here!"

Lorraine kicked one away, plunged its rusty throat downwards, and the other was stabbed into the mud. Its four legs were still digging wildly at the ground, emitting a series of sharp screams.

He gripped the sword hilt tightly and stomped hard on the back of the rat's head. The giant rat's neck made a cracking sound before it stopped twisting.

Lorraine yanked the rusty throat off the ground and yelled at old Hunter, who was sitting there dumbfounded, "What are you sitting there for? Go get some kerosene!"

"But...but the barn..." Old Hunter trembled as he got up.

"Do you still have any grain in your barn?! Go get it now!"

Lorraine said with a sense of disappointment.

"Okay...okay, I'll go right away."

Old Hunter is safe now, but Lorraine is surrounded by the giant rats.

He swung his sword back and forth, cutting down two giant rats that tried to jump up and bite him, but a giant rat had already scurried to his feet and bit his trouser leg.

The sharp teeth pierced his flesh, causing him to gasp in pain and nearly vomit from the stench.

Damn it, how can someone who's dead still be used as a stink bomb?

He regretted not buying an antidote. It was his first time exploring, and he clearly lacked experience. He didn't know if these giant rats carried any viruses.

This can't go on. There are just too many giant rats. Although they're weaker than goblins, even one rat can't take down Lorraine...

Lorraine stepped over the fence and backed away, throwing the bundle on her back far away to lighten her load.

He dared not turn around and run away directly. His injured calf made him unable to run fast at all, and leaving his back completely undefended would be tantamount to courting death.

Unfortunately, the fence itself was made of wood, and those giant rats gnawed it to pieces in no time, so it wouldn't last long at all.

As Lorraine raised his sword and cleaved a giant rat that was trying to climb over the fence, he quickly glanced around.

He had already walked around the area before he came, and vaguely remembered that in the open space outside the barn, besides some farm tools, there was also a patch of weeds.

Sure enough, the patch of weeds was not far away.

The grass had long since withered, standing a full two feet tall, its yellowish-brown stems densely packed together, rustling in the wind.

Lorraine's eyes lit up.

Dry grass, fire.

The thought flashed through his mind instantly.

Old Hunter's kerosene might not be reliable; he figured the man had probably already run away. He'd just have to give it a try.

Lorraine took a deep breath, pushed off with her hands, and stepped over the fence again.

Instead of running away, he placed his hand on the fence.

Lorraine's Burning Hand

Flames erupted in the blink of an eye, and the section of railing that Lorraine was holding was almost instantly reduced to charcoal. Fire snakes slithered across the wood scraps on the railing and quickly spread throughout the entire structure.

This should hold them off for a while... he looked on expectantly.

The largest rat let out a piercing screech and lunged forward, crashing into the charred section of the fence.

The carbonized wood was shattered instantly.

"grass!"