Chapter 265 Human Nature, Desire, and the Bottom Line

Over forty goblins, led by an adult hobgoblin.

Under most circumstances, this was a terrifying force that bottom-tier adventurers without a Class Level could never hope to match.

The sheer number of goblins crowding the gaps between the trees, their fearless frenzy, and the tactical command of a hobgoblin were enough to tear a standard, well-equipped adventurer squad to shreds.

Even Xia Nan, back when he had yet to advance but had already learned [Fang Hunt], rarely dared to venture deep into goblin lairs with obvious hobgoblin leaders and numerous traps while he was earning extra money and practicing combat techniques on the greenskins in the Misty Forest.

Now, however, the situation had changed.

For one, while the goblins were numerous, the terrain was not a cramped, narrow subterranean lair where combat techniques were difficult to execute.

Instead, they were in a dense forest with flat ground and no rock walls to restrict movement.

The thick clusters of trees might still be a nuisance, but the combat environment was undoubtedly far better than a Goblin Lair.

More importantly, and this was the crucial factor, Xia Nan was now a Level 2 Class Holder, and his combat prowess had skyrocketed.

It was a pure, overwhelming disparity in strength.

With 8 Strength and 10 Agility, he didn't have enough points of reference to know where his physical stats placed him among normal Class Holders.

But against these ugly goblins with their spindly limbs, Xia Nan could literally tear them apart barehanded.

Yes, barehanded.

He had tested this very fact on his way here, and it had been incredibly easy.

He didn't even need to exploit vulnerable spots like joints; he only had to grab their shoulders or simply rip horizontally across their chest and abdomen.

With just a little force, foul-smelling blood would spray, and the familiar, pleasant sound of tearing flesh would echo in his ears once more.

Their thin arms, frail as rotting wood, and the ridiculous wooden clubs they swung, looked like slow motion to him, decelerated countless times over.

As long as he paid a little attention, they wouldn't even leave a scratch on his armor.

Given this chasm in strength, unless their numbers reached some astronomical figure to force a qualitative change, the sheer quantity of goblins was meaningless to Xia Nan.

With that as a baseline, and adding his Level 5 Mastery of [Fang Hunt], his assault was truly like crushing dry weeds and rotting wood.

Take the battle just now as an example.

After using his sharp Perception to determine the rough number of enemies and locate their elite individual, Xia Nan launched a single opening strike—unleashing [Fang Hunt] to plow straight through the goblin horde and decapitate that hobgoblin.

The passive trigger of his Feat, [Night Mother's Gaze], completely shattered the mental fortitude of every remaining greenskin on the field.

Not a single one dared swing a club at him; driven by boundless terror, they could only scream and flee.

It turned the battle into a one-sided slaughter.

And given Xia Nan's personality, it was impossible for him to let a single goblin escape under his watch.

His iron-gray sword light flashed incessantly under the night sky, resolving a disaster that could have wiped Ash Valley Village from history and left hundreds of commoners homeless.

...

...

Late into the night.

At the center of Ash Valley Village stood a wooden cabin, looking just as shabby as the houses around it.

Two longswords leaned diagonally against the wall, crossing over each other.

Xia Nan sat in a creaky wooden chair. The table before him held a basket of barley bread, several plates of smoked meat, a whole roasted chicken with crispy skin, a steaming bowl of porridge mixed with eggs, a large block of yellow-white cheese, and some fresh green vegetables.

Though he felt a twinge of regret that none of his favorite dishes were present, he knew this was the absolute highest standard of hospitality the village could offer a guest.

He didn't show the slightest dissatisfaction, simply eating bite by bite to recover the stamina drained from trekking through the forest for days.

Going by the general conduct of adventurers in this world, having saved Ash Valley Village from destruction and cleared out the goblins besieging them...

Xia Nan could have easily demanded an exorbitant reward, or even lorded over the village like a tyrant—just like the countless examples he had heard about in the tavern.

In fact, the elderly but robust and surprisingly vigorous village chief, Clapham, had fully prepared himself for exactly that.

After Xia Nan killed the last goblin right in front of everyone, Clapham had led the villagers in offering their sincere thanks, and then proactively offered to pay him a reward.

And the figure the old man quoted—even Xia Nan, who had little understanding of this world beyond his predecessor's memories, knew clearly that the village was bleeding itself dry to pay it.

As for the reason, part of it was their pure, honest gratitude for his help. The other part, he guessed, was to use the monetary reward to express their submissive stance, hoping Xia Nan wouldn't bully the villagers too harshly afterward.

Knowing that if he took the money, Ash Valley Village would likely suffer through several harsh winters to come...

Driven by the proper moral values instilled by his past life's education, and his own abundant wealth, Xia Nan refused the reward. It was a trifling sum to him, but a crushing mountain of debt to these simple farmers.

Besides, truth be told, he really wasn't short on cash right now.

The payment from the escort quest alone had bloated his net worth by 630 gold.

He had already disposed of the weapons belonging to the two veteran Class Holders, as they were inconvenient to carry on such a long journey.

Lawson's rapier had decent stats on the information panel, but it wasn't enchanted gear, so it depreciated as a secondhand item.

He had sold it to the blacksmith in Vergrove Town. The offer was mediocre, but pressed for time and too lazy to haggle, he settled for 95 gold.

Trevelyan's heavy longsword had its family motto engraved on the blade, making it highly recognizable. Moreover, the Morton Family was currently investigating Trevelyan's disappearance.

After careful consideration and for the sake of caution, Xia Nan ultimately chose not to sell it. His previous idea of melting it down into scrap metal to sell was also scrapped because he couldn't find a trustworthy blacksmith on short notice.

In the end, he found a suitable spot deep in the remote Wilderness, far from any human presence, and buried it.

There was no need to risk his life out of greed for a few dozen gold coins.

Of course, the silver ingot Trevelyan left behind after his death was easy to carry. Xia Nan hadn't fenced it yet, and it now lay quietly at the bottom of the backpack behind him.

He planned to have Barn appraise it once he returned to Rivervale Town; it might just give him a pleasant surprise.

Tallying all this up with his original savings, his funds had finally reached four digits again!

—1,246 gold, 3 silver, and 7 copper

With such a massive sum of money, even in a bustling metropolis like Nym, a little careful management would easily cover a large family's expenses for years.

Given Xia Nan's spending habits—usually only spending money on adventuring gear, or food and lodging to treat himself right—he could do absolutely nothing and comfortably lounge in the White Chickadee Tavern for five or six years.

However, Ash Valley Village's chief didn't know Xia Nan's true personality or actual financial situation.

From the old man's perspective...

In the midst of a disaster that could have wiped out the entire village, a foreign adventurer had suddenly appeared and solved the problem for them.

Although he looked fully armed, his metal armor was clearly mottled and showed signs of damage. Coupled with a long trek through the forest that left him covered in leaves and dirt, he didn't look remotely associated with the word "wealthy."

And yet, under such circumstances, he had sternly rejected the generous reward the chief had gritted his teeth to offer, demanding only a hot meal.

It was inevitable for the chief to overthink things and grow increasingly terrified and uneasy.

If Xia Nan hadn't raised his voice to forcefully dissuade them, the man would have even dragged out one of the village's precious draft oxen—a critical tool for their livelihood—to slaughter for his meal.

Xia Nan scooped up a spoonful of hot soup and glanced across the table at the fidgeting, incredibly tense men.

He said nothing, but inwardly, he understood their reaction.

In a fantasy world like this, brimming with extraordinary powers and immensely strong individuals...

For a remote, isolated little place like Ash Valley Village, lacking the protection of any governing authority...

There were simply too many things a single adventurer could do.

The only thing restraining them was the paper-thin moral bottom line in their hearts, fragile enough to shatter with a single poke.

And the bottom-tier adventurers of this world basically had no education. Just being fluent in Common was considered good. Concepts of honor, righteousness, and shame were entirely dependent on whatever their parents and elders had managed to teach them.

Just a slight impulse, the most minuscule of thoughts, could send them sliding into the abyss.

It allowed the ugliness of human nature to endlessly amplify under the sway of primal desire.

To put it bluntly, if Xia Nan demanded the villagers pack up and leave Ash Valley Village right now to find somewhere else, under the threat of death, they would have no choice but to immediately gather their belongings and abandon the home their families had lived in for generations.

Of course, he wasn't going to do that.

Seemingly unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere in the room any longer, after a tense exchange of glances with the others, the village chief, Clapham, gave in to his lingering anxiety. He carefully waited for the exact moment Xia Nan finished chewing, swallowed his food, and had yet to raise his spoon again.

With an exceedingly prudent manner and wording so cautious he seemed terrified of angering the adventurer before him, he gingerly said, "Mr. Xia Nan, all the villagers of Ash Valley Village sincerely and earnestly thank you for your heroic deeds."

"Although we are rural farmers who spend our lives dealing with crops in the fields, that doesn't mean we are ignorant fools who don't understand morals and etiquette."

"You helped the village deal with those sinister, cruel greenskin goblins. It is only right and proper that we offer you a reward."

"If you feel this isn't enough, we..."

Xia Nan waved his hand, interrupting the old man's words.

He had originally planned to be a little subtle and roundabout in asking about the village's situation.

But going by how things were developing, if he didn't speak up soon, these people wouldn't be able to sleep at all tonight.

So he set down his spoon. With a serious demeanor but a gentle tone, he slowly said, "I accept the sentiment behind your gratitude. But honestly, this reward isn't enough to tempt me, and I have no intention of demanding payment from you."

"Killing those goblins was just something I did in passing. They weren't exactly difficult enemies for me to handle. I won't use this as leverage to extort anything from you."

Xia Nan's face showed no emotional fluctuations as he spoke; he was incredibly solemn.

But strangely enough, this visibly calmed the exceedingly anxious men across the table, and they listened to him carefully.

"I mentioned it briefly just now, but given the situation, I might not have made myself clear. Let me explain again."

"I am indeed not a wanderer lost in the forest, nor am I an adventurer who stumbled into this place by accident during a quest."

"Ash Valley Village was definitively and absolutely my destination."

"And the reason I came here is because of a commission from a friend."

Xia Nan didn't offer any polite pleasantries, nor did he use flowery language that required interpretation to dress up his intentions.

He simply and directly explained the reason and purpose of his visit to Ash Valley Village to the men before him in a highly straightforward manner.

Faced with his candor, Clapham and the others visibly relaxed a little. Clearly, his blunt explanation had eased the oppressive anxiety weighing on these farmers.

"Then, may I ask the specific reason you came to our village... If possible, all the villagers of Ash Valley Village are willing to offer you our help, so long as you ask," Clapham said.

"Hmm..." he murmured, recalling the contents of the minor commission Verol had requested the day they parted, right after handing him the slip of paper bearing the address to Ash Valley Village.

Xia Nan pondered for a moment. Meeting the village chief's gaze, he opened his mouth and probed, "Does your village have someone named 'Leon'? He shouldn't be too old, maybe a teenager?"

The instant they heard the name "Leon," the eyes of the men across the table flickered noticeably. Clearly, they were no strangers to the name.

As soon as his voice faded, one of the men cautiously stood up at a signal from the chief and hurried out the door.

"If the person you're looking for is a fifteen-year-old boy named 'Leon,' we do indeed have one in our village."

Chief Clapham's face carried a hint of hesitation as he answered carefully, "But Ash Valley Village's 'Leon' has lived here since birth and has never left the village."

"We know the backgrounds of the few outsiders he's met; they're all ordinary folks making a living in the fields."

"Perhaps... he isn't the same 'Leon' you are looking for."

Xia Nan's expression remained neutral, though he felt a subtle twinge in his heart.

He only replied, "So there really is a teenager named 'Leon' in Ash Valley Village, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Xia Nan."

"Then that's all that matters."

After all, that was already the entirety of the information Verol had given him.

As for anything else... Xia Nan himself had no idea.