Chapter 116 Moonstone

"Ding."

Reflecting a faint green glow, the metal hammer tapped gently against the stone wall.

A little dust drifted down, the moss oozing a few drops of pus.

The crisp ring echoed softly, fading into the deep, dark tunnel like the dim light in the air.

Adeline turned slightly, her expression entirely focused as she carefully gauged the fluctuating frequency of the echo.

A few seconds later, when the tapping had completely faded away, she gave the others a silent nod to signal their advance.

Following the general coordinates provided by the Association, they had finally arrived at their destination: a Goblin Lair on the outskirts of the Misty Forest.

They moved with extreme caution.

Unlike Xia Nan, who had picked up this trade halfway through his life, Adeline and the others were meticulous and professional. They clearly possessed a wealth of experience in clearing out Goblin Caves.

Rather than blindly trusting the numbers provided by the Adventurers' Association, they held off on rushing in the moment they found the Goblin Cave's entrance.

Instead, they first scoured the perimeter. By examining feces, footprints, odor density, and the remains of prey, they confirmed the rough number of greenskins inside and ensured there were no elite variants like hobgoblins or Bugbears.

Only then did they adjust their formation. Abi took the vanguard with his shield to ward off sudden threats, followed closely by Adeline. Xia Nan stood in the middle, while the archer, Berg, took the rear.

As they marched, Adeline periodically tapped the stone walls with her One-Handed Hammer—striking just hard enough to gauge the lair's depth from the echoes, but too soft to alert the enemy.

Xia Nan kept quiet in the middle of the formation, secretly memorizing their every move and absorbing this vital experience.

His predecessor had only been an ordinary farm boy, and he himself hailed from a highly developed modern society. Even with decent innate talent and the support of his Attribute Panel, his current combat strength was merely adequate.

These fine details and adventuring techniques—things that would never be written in the [Adventure Manual] or heard from a drunkard in a tavern—were exactly what he desperately needed.

He recalled his solo adventure a few days prior. Because the greenskins liked to nest underground, they had reminded him of burrowing creatures like rats.

In a fit of whimsy, Xia Nan had lit a fire at the cave entrance, hoping to use the thick smoke to flush out the Goblins lurking deep within.

He had planned to use the narrow chokepoint to cut down the fleeing Goblins one by one, saving effort and avoiding the danger of entering the lair alone.

To his surprise, the nest had other exits.

After standing outside and smoking the place for ages, he barely managed to kill any Goblins. Instead, the stunt only spiked his risk, attracting the attention of several nearby "Vine Blights."

Fortunately, those magical monsters made of roots and vines didn't excel at pursuit. A few bursts of [Fang Hunt] had opened up the distance, allowing him to escape easily.

After returning to town, he spent some coin to ask around carefully. He finally figured out that flushing greenskins out with thick smoke wasn't impossible, but it required thoroughly scouting the terrain beforehand to ensure the cave had no other exits.

Otherwise, the fleeing Goblins would scatter into the forest like drops of water in the ocean, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Furthermore, the battle had to be resolved quickly. The thick stench of blood from corpses piling up at the entrance would easily attract other dangers.

Because of this, most low-tier adventurers in Rivervale Town relied on the "dumb method" of exploring the caves in person. It was strenuous, but much safer—a bit counterintuitive.

"Scree! Scree!"

Shrill screeches suddenly rang out from ahead, and a faint flicker of firelight appeared deep down the tunnel.

They stopped in their tracks.

Without needing any extra commands, Adeline simply raised her arm and hefted her iron hammer high.

The group instantly prepared for battle.

Standing at the very front, Abi's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed nervously. His grip on the shield handle tightened again and again, his body trembling at the prospect of the impending fight.

Xia Nan gripped his wooden sword, [Green Pine], staying completely still and waiting patiently, just as they had agreed before entering the cave.

From behind him came the faintest sounds: an arrow rubbing against a bow riser, and a bowstring groaning as it was drawn taut.

"Whoosh!"

A strong breeze brushed his cheek, stirring his loose hair as a thin, sharp shadow gleaming with cold light flashed past him, vanishing into the darkness in an instant.

A sharp, agonizing shriek immediately followed.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Arrows repeatedly tore through the air.

Followed by three more wretched wails that were abruptly cut short.

Only then did those slow-witted, green-skinned fools finally realize they were under attack.

A chorus of "screes" echoed endlessly as they scrambled for their weapons.

"Charge!"

Adeline roared, already charging to the front with her iron hammer raised.

His blood boiling, Abi seemed to temporarily forget his fear. Bellowing like an orc, he charged forward.

Xia Nan naturally wouldn't drop the ball at a time like this. He took a few rapid strides forward, plugging the final gap in the formation.

Their battle plan had been settled long before they entered the forest.

Once the battle truly began, Adeline, as the captain, took over rookie Abi's position and unapologetically anchored the very front of the team.

She wasn't obsessed with one-hit kills. Driven by muscles more robust and powerful than most grown men's, her heavy metal hammer simply rose and fell. The Goblins in her way were tossed around like children's toys—either sent flying directly or smashed to the ground, gasping for air and utterly incapacitated.

Abi clearly lacked combat experience, and whatever techniques he had learned were completely washed away by the adrenaline.

He simply raised his iron-studded wooden shield, tucked his head behind it, and swung his single-handed sword wildly.

Strangely enough, it actually worked.

Goblins were already small and scrawny, their bodies barely reaching an adult's waist. Shoving a shield forward basically negated eighty percent of all frontal attacks.

With his height and long legs, even his single-handed sword boasted a much farther reach than a Goblin's short, stubby arms.

They couldn't break his defense and struggled to close the gap, and with a fierce warrior wielding a hammer by his side, they couldn't flank him either. For a time, he actually managed to hold off the Goblins on his side.

Meanwhile, Berg stood at the rear-center of the formation.

Showcasing the true colors of a seasoned veteran, he gripped his longbow and surveyed the entire battlefield.

Whenever a Goblin slipped past, or a teammate was struggling against a swarm, his arrows would howl through the air to bail them out.

As for Xia Nan—there was little need to say much.

Once the battle fully erupted, he entered his comfort zone.

With his wooden sword sheathed, he swept his Decapitating Longsword horizontally. A row of Goblins was instantly reduced to fragmented limbs in a spray of blood and viscera.

Unlike his previous solo fights, having teammates to ease the pressure made things much easier. He even had the spare energy to check if the others needed backup.

Their four-person formation was crooked, but exceptionally sturdy.

It took only a few minutes to wipe out over twenty Goblins.

Before Xia Nan could even find a suitable opening to use [Fang Hunt] to grind his proficiency, there were hardly any green-skinned Goblins left in front of him.

"Squelch," the sound echoed as he pulled his Decapitating Longsword from the chest of the last Goblin on the battlefield.

He felt mildly helpless.

'I'll let it go this time, but on future missions, I need to seize the chance to use [Fang Hunt] a few more times,' he thought.

'Otherwise, by the end of the fight, these terrified Goblins will only know how to run, defeating the whole point of training.'

With the battle over, it was naturally time to clean up the battlefield.

Given his rich experience, Berg took the lead, guiding Abi through the cave to search for any extra loot.

Xia Nan stayed with Adeline to slice the ears off the dead Goblins, which they would exchange for the bounty back in town.

"Bang!"

The metal hammer, its surface dripping with viscous blood, smashed down abruptly!

On the ground, a Goblin that had been severed at the waist and left with only half a breath had its round head pop open like an eggshell.

A red-and-white slurry of blood and brain matter splattered against her Scale Armor, a few drops even catching her cheek.

But Adeline didn't so much as blink.

Slice the left ear, smash the head.

Slice the ear, smash the head.

Slice, smash...

Even for the greenskin corpses that were completely dead, their limbs no longer twitching, she still diligently followed up with a crushing blow.

It was as if she could only truly confirm a Goblin's death by personally feeling the heavy crunch of its skull shattering through the hammer's handle.

Standing off to the side, Xia Nan watched her figure, utterly drenched in greenskin blood, her short hair dyed red from the gore. He couldn't help but recall the moniker the other adventurers used for her: "Greenblood" Adeline.

"Found something!"

A voice brimming with overwhelming excitement suddenly echoed through the cave.

Abi abruptly straightened up, the flush of battle still lingering on his face, his right hand raised high in the air.

Pinched between his dirt-stained fingers was a translucent, nail-sized stone emitting a pale blue glow.

'A Moonstone?' Xia Nan thought instinctively, recognizing the familiar luster in Abi's hand.

It was a rather expensive gemstone.

The last time he went "sweeping for goods" with Forgan, he had found one inside a hobgoblin's storage chest. It was smaller than the one before him, yet it still sold for a hefty price of "35 gold."

To think that a completely ordinary Goblin Lair would yield such a harvest.

'Could it be beginner's luck?' Xia Nan's gaze toward Abi suddenly turned strange.

To Xia Nan's surprise, despite being the first to find the Moonstone—and judging by his reaction, clearly knowing the little stone's value—Abi merely examined it in his hand for a moment. No matter how excited he looked, he walked straight over.

His face beaming with a smile unique to rookies, he handed the Moonstone directly to Adeline without a shred of reluctance.

This followed the distribution rules that had been clearly explained to Xia Nan when they formed the party: the bounty for Goblins, sitting at a solid 5 silver coins each, belonged to the killer.

However, any loot discovered inside the Goblin Lair was considered team profit. It would be converted into gold coins upon returning to town and divided equally among all party members.

Of course, there were exceptions. If someone made a massive contribution to the team, or if the loot was a piece of equipment a specific member desperately wanted, they would hold a group discussion back in town to reach a universally acceptable conclusion.

Right now, aside from being sold to the general store, the "Moonstone" held no practical value to anyone on the team.

Moreover, the division of labor in the recent battle had been clear-cut. Even if the number of Goblins each person killed varied slightly, no one had reached the level of a "special contribution."

Therefore, this expensive, nail-sized crystal would be exchanged for gold coins back in town, and distributed among all team members along with the Association's quest reward.

'Adding it all up, our cut should be somewhere around a dozen gold?' Xia Nan calculated mentally.

Without a doubt, the profits from partying up were much lower than operating solo.

For the same Goblin Cave, even if they cleared it much faster, the total value of the loot remained the same.

In a four-person squad, even if they earned 100 gold from a single mission, an equal split meant everyone only got twenty-five gold.

That was practically just the loose change from Xia Nan's past few missions.

While it wasn't to the point where he "looked down on it," it was far from enough to make his heart flutter.

Of course, ordinary bottom-tier adventurers couldn't possibly be like him: obtaining a magical item on his very first adventure, stumbling directly into an otherworldly secret realm while gathering herbs, getting dragged into a conspiracy while escorting a merchant caravan, and finally managing to hire a Class Holder to train his combat techniques—only to discover the man was a Transcendent Tier existence brushing up against the Legendary rank.

He hadn't thought much of it at first, but looking back on it now, Xia Nan couldn't help but wonder if someone had tweaked his "game difficulty" when he transmigrated.

Regardless, for low-tier adventurers who spent year after year scrapping on the outskirts of the Misty Forest with Goblin bounties as their main income, earning ten to twenty gold coins on a single mission was already considered excellent.

At least for Abi, that was absolutely the case.

Even when they finished sweeping the Goblin Lair and prepared to leave, he remained visibly ecstatic.

It seemed to be the first time in his life he had ever earned such a large sum of money.

He kept muttering about it, calculating how many days and nights his entire family would have to toil in the fields to buy the amount of wheat these gold coins could afford.

Even his steps were noticeably lighter.

Having just concluded a relatively intense battle, no one wanted to rain on his parade.

After a final check to ensure nothing had been missed in the cave, Xia Nan and the others didn't linger any longer, turning around and heading down the exit tunnel.

They planned to return directly to town rather than venturing deeper into the forest. Furthermore, since the lair was located underground, they didn't even need to dispose of the corpses.

The scent of blood drifting out of the cave would be more than enough to lure the forest's scavengers inside for a feast.

By the next day, they would likely have gnawed everything clean, without leaving a single trace of blood behind.

"Patter, patter—"

With the Goblins completely wiped out, there was naturally no longer any need to muffle their footsteps.

Navigating the tunnel back to the surface, the group unanimously picked up their pace.

Abi was in exceptionally high spirits. Walking at the very front, he barely even bothered to keep his wooden shield raised in his left hand, looking as though he was already contemplating how to spend his impending windfall.

"Wait!"

Just as they reached the end and were about to exit the cave, Adeline suddenly shot her hand out, yanking Abi back.

Her brow furrowed tightly.

Her gaze locked intensely onto a few small pebbles near the tunnel's entrance—pebbles she had purposefully arranged before they entered the cave.

Now, those little stones she had placed in specific spots had been silently moved, scattered across the ground near the exit.