Becoming a god starts with enhancing fire arrows.

"Hey friend, don't be nervous."

A tall, thin man carrying a long-handled sword was pleased to see that the two people in front of him were human and greeted them:

"We are adventurers from the town of Phil."

"Kulin".

Kurin then pointed to a man and a woman slightly shorter than himself beside him: "They are Archer and Daisy."

"Rhodes." Rhodes saw that it was a human and relaxed his guard slightly.

In this world, seeing someone of your own kind in the wild still gives you a great sense of security.

He glanced at him briefly.

The leader, Kulin, wore light armor, and his thick arms were covered in large muscles.

The men and women on either side were dressed in rough priest robes and mage robes, respectively.

A standard warrior-mage-priest combination.

"Are you two adventurers too?"

Kulin was also observing the two men's clothing. He was curious to see that they were dressed in coarse cloth, like commoners, yet they dared to wander around in the jungle.

"We're adventurers too! He's a mage, and I'm a priest. And we're also heading to Phil Town."

Paril puffed out her chest with a hint of pride.

Rhodes frowned.

I didn't want to say so much to a stranger I just met, but this little girl just blurted it out.

Kulin smiled kindly: "What a coincidence! Our team has just finished our mission and is heading back. Why don't we travel together?"

According to the original owner's memories, this location is about three hours away from Phil Town. It would be better to travel together for a while, at least to reduce unnecessary dangers along the way.

"Alright, let's go together then."

Seeing Rhodes nod, Cullin immediately made tactical arrangements:

"Triangle formation".

"I'll lead the way, Archer and Daisy will guard the rear, and you two will deal with any emergencies in the middle."

Are they treating the two of them like novice adventurers who have just arrived?

Oh, we really are noob adventurers.

That's fine.

Seeing that Paris looked confused, Daisy gently explained:

"This is our usual protective formation. In case of an enemy attack, you will be much safer in the middle."

Paril nodded in realization.

"By the way, you can also take note of the route we're taking back. It's a bit of a detour, but at least it's absolutely safe," Kulin added.

specialized!

Rhodes secretly praised him and thanked him.

Having a soldier clearing the way in the team gives me an overwhelming sense of security.

......

The group walked very quickly.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappling the ground with scattered light and shadow.

The refreshing morning breeze, carrying the earthy scent of grass and trees, dispersed the thin mist.

The sound of footsteps echoed softly through the jungle.

Kulin held a long-handled sword in his right hand and a long shield in his left, watching for any movement ahead.

The atmosphere at the back of the line actually became more relaxed.

Archer, a young mage with a still-childish face, came to talk to Rhodes.

Perhaps seeing someone in the same profession, an excited and thrilled expression appeared on his face:

"Rhodes, how did you become a mage?"

"Ah, that's a long story," Rhodes replied after a moment's thought.

"I grew up in a nearby village. When I was a child, a white-bearded wizard named Gandalf came to the village."

"This old man was kind and loved children. He set off all sorts of fireworks for us every day."

"Later I learned that this old man was originally a genius from a magical family, but he was accidentally expelled from the family. He was also ambushed by the chief disciple during a ritual magic, and could only exist in soul form."

"He saw my talent and treated me as his second personal disciple, giving me a scroll."

"I hope that one day I will become a legendary mage and be able to rebuild Elder Gan's physical body."

The young mage's eyes revealed shock: "You're really lucky. Many people have the talent to be mages, but unfortunately, they have no one to guide or teach them their whole lives, and they never become mages before they die."

Rhodes touched his nose: "Just lucky."

Paril stared wide-eyed at her.

Rhodes' story is so fascinating; it's a pity I don't have such good luck.

The priest's study of magic is particularly difficult.

Unlike warlocks who have natural bloodline talents, mages who can copy scrolls, and physical classes who can learn skills in battle, priests are not a class that can learn skills through combat.

Aside from instruction from a mentor, the only way to acquire skills is through continuous study of meditation in books, with a very small probability of success.

A small pang of envy welled up in Paril's heart.

The mage Archer seemed to really enjoy chatting with Rhodes, asking incessantly:

"Why are you going to Phil Town? Do you want to become adventurers?"

Rhodes chuckled: "Yes, adventurers with even a little bit of skill earn several times more than ordinary families."

"Now that I've managed to get a job, why not give it a try by joining the Adventurers' Guild?"

Archer nodded in agreement: "Indeed, but I've heard that the mage assessment for joining the guild is very rigorous. I suggest you prepare well."

"Thank you," Rhodes nodded.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck me.

Will adventurers who have passed the assessment display their corresponding level under the Appraisal skill?

Once the appraisal technique is cast, the information is only visible to the person who cast it; it has no effect on anyone else.

Fortunately, my identification skills can be used on living organisms.

To avoid offending Archer, Rhodes quietly sang when Archer wasn't looking at him.

Identification techniques.

Race: Human

Age: 20

Occupation: Wanderer

[Rating: Trainee Level]

[Description: A hitman who roams the shadows of the small town, often handling his employer's shady troubles.]

Rhodes' expression froze on his face.

A wanderer?

A wanderer?!

Rhodes secretly gave Daisy another blow.

Race: Human

Age: 19

Occupation: Wanderer

[Rating: Trainee Level]

[Description: A thief roams the shadows of the town, stealing not only gold and silver treasures, but also human infants.]

What about Kulin, who was in charge?

Race: Human

Age: 26

[Class: Warrior]

[Rating: Trainee Level]

[Description: Members of the town's underground organization "Black Hand," responsible for human trafficking.]

Human traffickers, right?

Rhodes looked at the enthusiastic and cheerful Archer, the gentle-smiling Daisy, and the kind Kurin.

I just realized that the purpose of the triangular formation is not to protect, but to surround.

I wondered why they were standing so close to us.

Wearing robes and priest's robes was probably just to draw attention and make it easier for them to approach their targets while doing dirty work.

Then the so-called safe road is probably not real either.

Perhaps the group is currently on their way to the territory of another race.

Great!

Rhodes didn't have much regret; instead, he was calculating how much of a chance he had of success if he actually took action.

The enhanced fire arrow could easily kill one, but there were two roamers nearby who were known for their agility and dexterity.

The mage who got close was nothing more than a roadside figure.

Moreover, Paril was completely unaware of the situation.

She'd be caught off guard if he suddenly made a move.

What should I do?

If we could find a way to distract one or two of them, our chances of winning would be much greater.

Rhodes suddenly had an idea.

I was just about to speak.

Kulin, who was leading the way, stopped.

The group stopped accordingly.

Paril asked curiously, "Why have you stopped? Are you going to rest?"

Kulin's smile remained friendly as he pointed to the cave in the distance: "That's the ogre territory ahead. I'm planning to discuss a business deal with an old friend."

Before he could finish speaking...

Daisy and Archer simultaneously drew a dagger, smeared with a pale green liquid, and stabbed at the two men respectively.

Rhodes was prepared.

He used his left hand to block with his shield, and with his right hand, he yanked Paril towards him.

Seeing that her first strike had failed, Daisy smiled and said gently, "Don't worry, the dagger is coated with an anesthetic, it won't be fatal."

"Don't be afraid, you'll at least be kept like livestock for many years, you won't die."

Paril's eyes were filled with fear. She never expected that her teammates, who had been laughing and joking just moments before, would turn around and attack them.

Archer saw Paril's expression and smiled with satisfaction, but then his tone turned regretful:

"It's a pity that I have to sell this tender young girl to cannibals before I can even enjoy her."

Daisy shook her head: "You should think long-term."

"Selling these magical items is worth more than the price we made from trafficking several batches of babies."

He then turned to look at Rhodes, a hint of disdain on his face:

"I never expected a third-rate mage to have such a reaction speed."

That's because I was on alert.

Rhodes ignored them and kept moving.

However, the three-person encirclement remained unchanged.

No matter how you move, there will always be someone appearing in your blind spot.

Whoosh!

A flaming arrow streaked across the sky, striking Kurin's shield and exploding softly.

Swish!

Another beam of deep blue light struck the shield.

Kulin felt his movements becoming sluggish and shouted a warning: "Fire Arrows, Freeze Rays, Enemy Attack!"

Then two arrows flew toward Daisy and Archer.

Rhodes' pupils constricted.

A goblin?!