Starting with the goblin extermination

Logan opened his eyes, his whole body numb, the wounds on his face burning in the scorching sunlight.

It was already afternoon.

When Logan returned to Riverwood yesterday, it was already dawn. After settling Elsa, who was seriously injured, with Lily, he found himself unable to fall asleep.

Perhaps the brutal battle last night prevented him from calming down completely. The lingering feeling of dancing on the edge of a knife made him see the corpse he had smashed as soon as he closed his eyes.

Or perhaps his worry for Elsa kept him from closing his eyes; he sat motionless in the chair for hours.

Only after the half-elf woke up did he finally relax and fall into a deep sleep on the bed.

Logan lay on the bed for a while, his gaze sweeping over the dusty gray ceiling above him.

This is Elsa's home in Riverwood. It's a dilapidated bungalow located in the West End.

The house is said to have been left by Elsa's long-deceased parents.

The house is small, with two cramped bedrooms, a living room that can barely fit two tables, a tidy kitchen, and a small bathroom.

West District...

Logan thought back to the past, when he first arrived in Riverwood, his first mission was in the West District.

I never expected to come full circle and end up back here.

In the West End, a place with a poor reputation for crime, the two sisters probably didn't have an easy life. If Lily hadn't been captured and enslaved, Elsa might have already saved enough money to move with her sister to the slightly more respectable East End.

After all, they were her only family.

Family members...

Logan rubbed his eyebrows with his fingers, his mind wandering uncontrollably to his past.

In North Nordland, from the time he could remember, his world consisted only of himself and his stern-faced father. And as an orphan in his previous life, his concept of family was extremely vague.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh at himself.

Now my father is nowhere to be found. I never imagined that, even after two lifetimes combined, I would still end up a lonely person.

I don't have time to be sad.

Logan sat up and stretched his body.

With a cracking sound from his joints and a pulling, aching pain from the wounds on his left waist and right arm, he took a deep breath and began to recall what had happened last night.

Instructor Soben and the others mentioned on the carriage that the team that intercepted them was a squad of level two professionals, led by a "blonde bastard".

Logan recalled the blond man he had encountered when he met the Dire Wolves, who had slaughtered a half-elf.

Slank.

As former enemies of the father, they appeared in Riverwood and were even involved in the Bloodhounds' slave trade.

What are they plotting?

With more information available, Logan felt caught in a whirlpool and became increasingly uneasy.

However, Logan's anxiety didn't last long.

He knew very well that without power, knowing more secrets would only lead to his own demise.

Last night's kill on that level one ranger required both skill and luck, but he hopes to minimize the role of luck in the future.

Logan had a thought and summoned a panel that only he could see.

......

Name: Logan

【property】:

Strength: 6 (Muscle strength and physical strength)

Agility: 6 (Reaction time and physical dexterity)

Constitution: 5 (Endurance, Vitality and Resistance)

Intelligence: 6 (Memory and thinking abilities)

Perception: 5 (Intuition and Sensation)

Charisma: 6 (Charisma and Influence)

【Skill】

Thrust LV3 (35/100)

Wolf Attack LV1 (10/100)

Parry LV1 (2/100)

Specialty

Wind-piercing hand

......

My proficiency with [Thrust] and [Wolf Attack] improved significantly during last night's battle.

The most urgent task is to quickly train [Thrust] to the mastery level, since I have finally collected all three combat skills.

Logan had somewhat underestimated the practical value of the special combat technique he learned from monsters, the Wolf Raid.

Last night's combat proved that the Wolf Strike's burst damage is extremely strong, making it very useful for both avoiding fatal attacks and forcing close-quarters combat. It has become an indispensable part of Logan's fighting style.

Unfortunately, Logan didn't know if it could form an effective job combination with the other two combat skills.

"There's no use thinking about it anymore. Once I've mastered [Thrust], I'll know whether I can get the job."

While Elsa is recovering, I'll go out and grind some monsters in the outer areas.

Thanks to the mage's [Basic Healing] spell, and the healing potion Elsa had drunk earlier, her injuries weren't as fatal as they seemed. Perhaps after a few more days of rest, she'll be able to move around normally again.

Besides, I haven't seen that old dwarf Thorin for a few days. It's a good opportunity to team up with his [Skullcrusher] squad on some reliable clearing missions, grind down old goblins, and improve my proficiency.

dong dong dong.

A soft knock came from outside the door.

"Brother Logan, are you awake? The sun's already high in the sky!"

Logan pushed open the door, and Lily was standing in the doorway, looking at him with a smile.

Although the little girl's eyes were still a bit red and swollen, the gloom on her face had completely disappeared.

"Come and eat something! Your sister said you must be starving!" Lily tugged at his sleeve and led him to the living room. "I specially added some extra jerky; you worked so hard yesterday, you have to eat more!"

Logan subconsciously touched his shrunken belly and swallowed.

It's true, I haven't had a drop of water since last night.

I'm so hungry.

Although the living room was small and the furniture was somewhat worn, it was kept very clean.

Elsa is now able to get out of bed.

She was wearing a slightly oversized loungewear, which covered the thick bandages but couldn't hide her figure.

Although Logan had already seen what he should and shouldn't have seen when he was treating Elsa's wounds, he still couldn't help but think to himself: Elsa's figure is truly a hidden gem.

When Elsa saw Logan sit down, her hand holding the bread froze for a moment. She was clearly reminded of her embarrassing moment of crying not long ago, and that kiss.

"......woke up?"

She managed to suppress her chaotic emotions.

"Hmm, how's the injury?"

Logan picked up a piece of bread and began to chew it without any hesitation.

"Much better." Elsa took a sip of the broth, trying to regain her usual cold tone, but her eyes softened involuntarily when she met Logan's gaze. "In a few days, I should be able to go on missions again."

"No rush, let's talk about it after your injury has fully healed."

Lily sat between the two, grinning as she looked left and right, breaking her bread into small pieces and stuffing them into her mouth like a little squirrel. Then, she leaned closer mysteriously and said, "Brother Logan, I'll tell you a secret..."

She put her ear close to Logan's, speaking deliberately very loudly.

"Actually, after you went back to your room to sleep, your sister fell asleep too. She kept calling your name in her sleep—"

"Lily!" Elsa's cheeks flushed instantly, her voice cold but clearly lacking in confidence.

She glared at her sister and reached out her hands as if to pinch Lily's cheeks.

"Oh no! My sister killed someone to cover it up!"

The two sisters were playing around in the small living room, while Logan sat steadily on the table, drinking large gulps of meat soup.

Although the food was simple, consisting of bread and a thick soup with dried meat and potatoes, for some reason, the soup with coarse salt grains felt incredibly comforting in my stomach.

Looking at the two sisters laughing and joking in front of me, and listening to their laughter.

Maybe I was really hungry.

The bread and soup were quickly gone.

Logan wiped his mouth contentedly and was about to get up to tidy up when Elsa suddenly stopped.

Logan.

"Um?"

"...Would you like to move out of the tavern and stay here? There are spare rooms, I can sleep with Lily."

She finished speaking in one breath, then immediately lowered her head, trying to appear indifferent, though the tips of her ears turned slightly red.

Lily, who was standing next to her, was covering her mouth and chuckling.