Chapter 5: Cleaning Up the Battlefield

Calling it “cleaning up the battlefield” was mostly a formality, as there was really nothing worth collecting.

These green-skinned little things wore nothing but a single rag across their entire bodies, and the weapons in their hands were crudely manufactured, not even as sturdy as a hoe used in the fields. No one would want them even if they were given away, so extra loot was completely out of the question.

Xia Nan and the others merely cut off the left ears of the goblins, then found a pit to bury them—

This would prevent the odor of the corpses from spreading further into the air, which might attract other dangers.

“Shovel.”

The moist mud was scattered down, gradually burying the stacked corpses inside the pit.

It was worth mentioning that Erki was among them.

His status as a former squad member earned him no privileges whatsoever; instead, he was casually tossed into the burial site along with those similarly short goblins.

Leader Maji had even “thoughtfully” stripped him of his rudimentary equipment and supplies, leaving him with only a patched, thin undershirt.

Gagu stood by the edge of the pit. Most of the blood on his upper body had been wiped dry, but a few wounds were still faintly oozing drops of blood.

He stared at Erki, who was gradually being covered by the sandy soil below, his eyes slightly bloodshot.

But do not misunderstand,

This was by no means due to a surge of emotion caused by the death of his companion. It was highly likely just the lingering remnants of his bloodline being stimulated from the earlier battle.

At least based on Xia Nan’s understanding of these people over the past few days.

Perhaps this thin-blooded half-orc truly felt a twinge of regret deep down for the departure of his teammate, but that was certainly an extremely minuscule amount.

More than anything, it was likely resentment that the effort put into this mission was disproportionate to the income.

The relationship between adventurers, especially in this kind of bottom-tier squad where casualties frequently occurred, was far more realistic and cold than he had imagined.

And in fact, that was exactly the case.

After helping Maji fill and bury the pit.

Gagu’s very first sentence was a complaint:

“Orc profanity, one dead, and we barely made less than two gold coins. Can’t even buy a donkey, truly bad luck!”

Although the bounty for five goblins seemed like a “huge sum” to Xia Nan, the half-orc was clearly not satisfied.

The resentment in his heart even caused him to walk with more force than usual, leaving deep footprints on the grass.

And just when Xia Nan thought his first adventure would end so abruptly.

Maji, who had remained silent since the end of the battle and was silently packing his luggage, suddenly said out of nowhere:

“Actually, just like the greedy dragons in the legends, goblins also like to hoard their loot inside their nests.”

The atmosphere on the field seemed to freeze at this very instant.

The half-orc Gagu widened his eyes and spun around fiercely:

“You mean…”

“According to the mission information provided by the Guild, the number of this goblin settlement will not exceed twenty at most.”

Maji swung the refilled quiver back onto his shoulder and slowly stood up.

“The ones we dealt with just now were highly likely their main force, and that means…”

“The nest!” Gagu’s deliberately lowered, excited voice sounded somewhat sharp. “An empty nest!”

Maji nodded with a seemingly calm expression, yet the depths of his eyes were similarly filled with excitement and glee.

A goblin nest that was highly likely lacking defenses, and a bottom-tier adventurer squad that retained most of its combat strength.

There was a bit of risk, but compared to the potential returns, what did this tiny bit of risk amount to?

Moreover, as an adventurer, if one was not even willing to take a little risk… it would be better to just go home and farm.

Subsequently, driven by the greed in their hearts, Gagu and Maji rapidly and enthusiastically mapped out the location of the goblin nest, the preparations before entering, and even the distribution of the loot within.

Xia Nan did not participate.

As a newcomer adventurer who had just transmigrated into this world, he did not understand much about the judgment of the current situation on the field or the habits of goblins.

Although he faintly felt that returning directly would be safer, the arguments of the two men were not without reason.

Furthermore, even if he refused, whether he stayed behind to wait for the two to return or headed back to the nearby town, he would have to act alone.

In a place like the Misty Forest which was teeming with monsters, acting alone was far too dangerous.

Therefore, it was better to just tag along.

Looking back, he might even be able to earn a few more gold coins.

For adventurers, “money” was the most effective catalyst for all actions.

The bottom-of-the-barrel party displayed extremely strong execution when facing potential treasure.

In just a short dozen minutes, Gagu and Maji completed a plan that seemed crude but was not particularly sophisticated either.

They intended to rest patiently for the night to recover their stamina, then set out at dawn tomorrow to search for the goblin nest.

…

…

The campfire flickered.

Rhythmic snoring echoed from the rudimentary sleeping bags beside him, interacting with the unknown insect chirping within the dense forest behind.

The warm firelight shone on Xia Nan’s face, reflecting an orange-red glow.

At this moment, the bottom-of-the-barrel party had already switched to a different location to set up camp.

The hunter Maji had likewise set traps in the surroundings, but considering the gnome Erki who was already buried in the ground, Xia Nan did not put much faith in the quality of these traps.

Consequently, when it was his turn to keep watch, he was exceptionally focused.

He even moved his seat to a position close to the inner ring of the campsite—this way, even if something bypassed Maji’s traps, he would have sufficient time to react.

The late night was quiet.

And it was not until now that Xia Nan finally obtained his own time without drawing the attention of others.

He placed his one-handed sword horizontally across his knees, holding a piece of gauze in his right hand as if seriously maintaining it.

But his eyes were not focused on the longsword itself.

Instead, utilizing the firelight in front of him, he stared at his own reflection cast upon the surface of the blade.

One second, two seconds…

As his attention slowly concentrated, lines of semi-transparent block characters emerged before his eyes.

…

Name: Xia Nan

Attributes:

Strength: 5 (Muscular strength, athletic training, and the physical potential that can be exerted)

Dexterity: 5 (Reaction speed, balance ability, and level of agility)

Constitution: 5 (Endurance and vitality)

Intelligence: 5 (Memory, logic, and thinking capacity)

Perception: 5 (Observation and insight capacity, also representing the level of harmony with the surrounding environment)

Charisma: 5 (Personality and temperament)

Skills:

Whirlwind Slash Lv4 (99/100)

…

“As expected!”

Xia Nan thought to himself.

Ever since the characters “Proficiency +1” flashed before his eyes during the battle with the goblins, he had been very concerned about it in his heart.

Right now, he had only slightly attempted to verify the conjecture in his mind, and sure enough—

“Not only the stats of items and equipment, but through the reflection, I can also see my own attributes!”

(End of Chapter)