Starting with the goblin extermination

Logan's bed wasn't comfortable.

It was a hard wooden bed, the thin planks loosely held in place by the frame, creaking and groaning whenever Logan turned over.

Not to mention the noise caused by the mice running and jumping around the room; in his previous life, Logan would never have been able to sleep here.

But he was sleeping soundly.

He didn't even have a dream.

This was his first peaceful sleep after his memories were awakened. Before this, his nerves had been constantly on edge, his teeth always clenched tightly, never relaxing for a moment.

After all, as soon as he fell asleep, his father, the wind and snow, and the giant dragon appeared in his dreams.

Logan opened his eyes as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the dusty window. His hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword under his pillow, and only after a few seconds did his tense muscles slowly relax.

He's still alive. In Riverwood.

After enjoying a delicious breakfast at the tavern, Logan went to the Adventurers' Guild.

It was still as noisy as ever, with all sorts of adventurers shouting. Logan didn't go straight to the bulletin board like he did yesterday.

He wants to find a small team to take on missions with higher pay.

He is not alone in thinking this way. After all, lone wolves are generally limited in ability, cannot make a lot of money, and often die the fastest.

Therefore, most people want to find a reliable temporary team, and teams also hope to find reliable temporary teammates. If both sides are satisfied, they may even develop into official team members.

Logan moved in and out of the crowd, his eyes scanning over the small groups of people shouting their wares.

"The Berserker Ape Extermination quest needs a fearless shieldbearer! Must possess a combat skill! Excellent reward!"

"We need a magic user for the Dire Wolf hunt quest! Even just knowing Fire Arrow will do!"

These are all teams recruiting experienced adventurers. You can see that the captains shouting are well-equipped and exude a dangerous aura. They wouldn't even glance at Logan.

However, Logan still managed to spot a small squad.

Three figures were standing next to the bulletin board, and Logan looked very familiar with the two shorter ones.

Leading the way was a dwarf. He wore a suit of chainmail that had been repaired many times, and his large beard looked like tangled steel wire, still speckled with beer foam from the previous night.

He stood with his thick arms crossed, glaring impatiently at the onlookers.

Behind him stood two much younger men who were clearly much more immature.

One was a young dwarf, probably a relative of the older dwarf. He wore a brand-new leather armor, clutching a small round shield tightly in his hand, but his eyes darted around nervously.

The other was a human girl with long, fluffy brown hair draped over her shoulders, and her wheat-colored skin glowed with a healthy sheen in the sunlight. She carried a longbow almost as tall as herself, and even from several meters away, Logan could see the smooth, firm muscle lines on her arms.

This is a real piece of work, not some delicate vase.

These two dwarves must be the same two I met at the tavern last night.

"Isn't there a single one with guts?!"

The bearded dwarf roared, spitting as the adventurers in front of him stumbled backward. "We're going to the outskirts of the Hecatos Mountains, not to have a picnic in our own backyard! Your skinny arms and legs can't even lift my balls, and you think you can go chop down goblins?"

The adventurer blushed and slipped away.

Goblin? Logan looked at the bearded dwarf, who appeared to be a seasoned adventurer.

A veteran leading two rookies. This team composition is average in strength, but it's suitable. After all, defeating goblins isn't a particularly difficult task for Logan.

This is it.

Are you still hiring?

The bearded dwarf turned his head, his eyes beneath thick eyebrows scanning Logan up and down, but Logan remained unfazed.

As expected, his gaze lingered on the tattered leather armor and the longsword for quite a while.

"Ha!" The bearded dwarf let out a short, mocking laugh. "Another overconfident brat. You look a bit more muscular than the last one, but what are you wearing...? Are you planning to use it to wipe goblins' butts?"

The young dwarf next to him tugged at the big-bearded man's sleeve somewhat awkwardly, as if he felt it was too hurtful.

The girl carrying the bow curiously peeked out and looked at Logan's blond hair.

"It's alright, we probably won't need it," Logan said, not angry, but simply patting his leather armor. "I have combat skills."

These two words caused the big-bearded dwarf's laughter sound effect to get stuck in his throat.

After all, in this world, there are plenty of people who can wield a sword, but very few who know combat skills. Combat skills are the threshold that distinguishes cannon fodder from professionals; they are the product of the combination of magic and flesh and blood, and the first step for mortals to touch the extraordinary.

Even a veteran like the bearded dwarf has only mastered three combat skills to date.

"Combat skills?" The bearded dwarf's eyes changed. "Anyone can talk about it."

As he spoke, he reached out without warning and grabbed Logan's right hand.

His hands were like iron clamps, with astonishing strength.

He roughly flipped Logan's palm open and rubbed his thumb hard against the web between Logan's fingers and the base of his fingers.

There was a thick layer of calluses there, the marks left by Logan's predecessor's sixteen years of swordsmanship training, and also proof that he learned combat skills from his father.

Unfortunately, he was of average talent in the past and only learned one combat skill.

The bearded dwarf nodded thoughtfully, the disdain in his eyes fading slightly. After all, words can lie, but actions don't. Only someone who has swung a sword thousands upon thousands of times would develop hands like that.

"If you know combat skills, how did you end up like this?" The bearded dwarf released his grip and patted Logan's shoulder in confusion.

"Because I fled from the north," Logan withdrew his hand, pointed to his hair, "I lost all my money on the way, and all I had left was my life and this skill."

The bearded dwarf remained silent for a moment, then accepted the explanation.

After all, there have been quite a few blond refugees in Northern Nordland recently, but there aren't many with his abilities.

"The goblin ears belong to the person who killed them, and the loot will be distributed according to the team's contribution. Is that alright?"

"make a deal."

Just then, a soft, sweet voice interrupted from the side.

"I'll join too."

Logan and the bearded dwarf turned their heads at the same time.

A figure draped in a gray robe appeared in the shadows of the bulletin board.

They came without a sound.

Half of her pretty face was visible beneath the cloak, still wearing a mask, but Logan recognized her instantly by her sapphire-like eyes.

It was the girl who wanted to take on the same mission as me yesterday.

"The Wanderer".

The girl was sparing with her words, and her voice sounded a little muffled through her mask, but it was pleasantly soothing to listen to. "I can sneak, dismantle traps, explore, and pick locks."

The bearded dwarf raised an eyebrow: "Wow, quite the boast, but how do I know you're not just bragging?"

The girl did not speak.

She simply raised her hand and flipped her palm over.

A brass pipe appeared between her slender fingers. It was the jewel the bearded dwarf always carried on his belt, which she had taken off at some point.

The bearded dwarf instinctively touched his waist, his expression changed, and then he burst into laughter.

"Good! Impressive skills!" He slapped his thigh loudly. "I like capable people! They're much better than spineless brats who only know how to brag! You pass!"

The girl casually tossed the pipe back to the dwarf, her blue eyes lingering on Logan for a moment.

She didn't speak, nor did she glare at Logan like she did yesterday; she simply nodded and then looked away.

Logan didn't say anything, he just nodded slightly.

That's good. After all, everyone's just in it for the money. Logan's past work experience has made him prefer a cold, hard working relationship to insincere enthusiasm.

This actually made him feel safer.

"Now that everyone's here, let's stop dawdling!"

The bearded dwarf waved to the crowd like a general.

"Listen up, our target this time is that nest of goblins north of Riverwood, at the pass of the Hecatetus Mountains. These green-skinned bastards are more prolific than rats in heat; they've already robbed several caravans. Our mission is to clear out their camp and, while we're at it, see if we can sneak in some loot."

He patted his chest, and his chainmail jingled.

"My name is Thorin, the captain of this squad. Although I'm not a professional yet, this axe has chopped off more heads than you've eaten salt. If you don't want to die, you'd better listen to me!"

He pointed to the reserved young dwarf behind him.

"This is my nephew, Baron. He's a shield guard who's still learning how not to wet his pants."

"Uncle!" Baron protested in a low voice, his face flushed.

"This is Papa," Thorin said, pointing to the fit young girl, "a girl who can't do anything but archery and silly laughter."

"Hey! Uncle! I heard you!" Papa waved her fist in annoyance. "I can cook too!"

"If you call roasting meat to charcoal a meal," Thorin rolled his eyes.

This is a very energetic team; it seems the journey won't be boring.