Chapter 284 Bloom, an Old Acquaintance

Kythorn, the sixth month of the year in the Arcane Calendar.

On the Aifala Continent, it was also known as the Month of Bloom.

The name had two origins. For one, the month of June corresponded with the transition from late spring to early summer on the continent. The climate was warm, rainfall abundant, and sunlight plentiful. It was the season when many plants blossomed—the most lush and vibrant time of the year, making the entire continent look as though it were covered in flowers.

For another, it was out of reverence for the [Goddess of Magic], "Mystra."

Spellcasters on the Aifala Continent described magic as something powerful, mysterious, and beautiful. Since ancient times, it had been associated with "flowers."

Casting a spell was like a flower in full bloom, bringing its inner beauty and power into the world.

Furthermore, because it filtered magical energy for Spellcasters and spanned the entire universe to facilitate spellcasting, the Magic Weave controlled by Mystra was poetically described as a magnificent megastructure woven from countless glowing, filament-like lines of energy. It resembled an unimaginably massive, eternally blooming exotic flower.

It was precisely for this reason that Mystra became the patron deity of June, symbolizing that the power of magic reached its most prominent and accessible state during this month.

Of course, to the vast majority of ordinary people on the Aifala Continent, the "Month of Bloom" was nothing more than a name. Very few would actively delve into its origins.

Irrigating, weeding, repelling insects, and hoping for a bountiful autumn harvest was all they could do during this month.

The same was true for the adventurers in Rivervale Town.

The Misty Forest was the area's most important source of economic output. The fog, naturally formed by the highly concentrated magical particles in the air, birthed many dangerous and lethal monsters, but the magic also kept the overall environment in a relatively stable state.

Warm in winter and cool in summer, it was, in a way, like a natural greenhouse. Even when the weather occasionally fluctuated, it rarely reached severe extremes.

Therefore, to the town's adventurers, the passing "months" essentially meant nothing different year-round, except during special periods like a "Hunting Day."

"Snap."

A mud-caked leather boot snapped a fallen branch, producing a grating sound.

A four-person Adventurer Squad was moving carefully through the fog.

Their equipment could hardly be called Fine, nor did anyone among them possess the refined aura of a Class Holder.

They were an incredibly common, bottom-tier Adventurer Squad.

Leading them was a capable-looking middle-aged man with a weathered face.

Walking at the very front of the squad, he gazed far into the Deep Forest. A thoughtful expression crossed his face, as if he were weighing something, before he raised a hand to signal the others to stop.

"We're almost at the target location. Rest here for twenty minutes," he said in a low voice.

"All of you, look sharp and get ready for battle!"

"Or else don't blame me for not warning you when those Green-Skinned Goblins break your legs!"

The other two squad members didn't go so far as to joke around at the middle-aged man's stern warning, but given their calm expressions, they clearly didn't care much. They were seasoned veterans who had dealt with these monsters plenty of times.

Only the last member—a dark-skinned youth with a particularly green, inexperienced face—jolted in fright at the captain's warning. His whole body tensed, and he looked exceedingly nervous.

Swallowing hard, he discreetly tugged at the man beside him, who looked similarly young but slightly older.

"Big Brother Abi, we... we should be fine, right?" he whispered.

Adjusting his iron-studded wooden shield and brand-new single-handed sword, Abi didn't even turn his head, an expression of indifference on his face.

"It's just around ten goblins. Nothing to worry about," he said.

"Even if your aunt came over with a pitchfork, she could probably skewer two or three of them, let alone the four of us."

"Think of it from another angle. The bounty for a goblin is three silver and seven copper coins. That's enough for a brat like you to throw a huge feast at the White Chickadee. Save up for a few years, go back and build a big house for your family, buy some lambs, and marry a pretty girl you like. Wouldn't that be much more comfortable than the miserable life you had before?"

Having come from a poor rural background himself, Abi naturally knew exactly what to say to make these naive youths—who were just like he once was—walk at the very front when venturing deep into a Goblin Lair, enthusiastically scouting the path for them.

He wasn't lying.

Making money was a fact—provided one came back alive. The lucrative income of an adventurer was known across the entire continent. But he had omitted the dangers, just as he had left out the living conditions in Rivervale Town and the spending habits adventurers were practically guaranteed to develop, which made "saving up to retire" almost an impossible dream.

Oh, if he were still with the Green Blood Squad, there might have actually been a slight possibility.

The income from hunting goblins alone wasn't high, but it was very stable. Busy year-round, they barely had time to relax in the tavern. Furthermore, with the veteran adventurer "Greenblood" Adeline taking care of things, someone really might be able to save up a modest fortune over a few years.

It was just too late to think about that now. Several months had passed since he left the squad, and that responsible yet stubborn captain of his had nearly stepped onto the path of a Class Holder.

Moreover... going back to the almost ascetic lifestyle he had led in the Green Blood Squad was no longer realistic for him.

Unknowingly, many memories resurfaced, and a touch of melancholy crept onto Abi's previously relaxed face.

The dark-skinned youth in front of him didn't notice his shift in emotion. He was entirely immersed in the beautiful future Abi had sketched out, unable to extricate himself for a long time.

During their twenty-minute rest, he even figured out how many children he would have and what style of house he would build.

It wasn't until the squad captain called out, ordering the team to move forward, that he finally woke from his fantasies. A delighted smile hung on his lips as he followed the squad with light, eager steps.

The middle-aged man acting as their leader was highly experienced. The group of four only wound through the forest for another half hour before arriving at their destination.

A small Goblin Lair.

"Have you memorized everything I told you earlier?" the middle-aged man asked the youth in front of him, glancing at a dark cave in the clearing ahead that sat noticeably higher than the surrounding ground.

"I... I remember it all, Captain!" The slightly dark-skinned youth grew nervous once more, his grip on the wooden shield's handle so tight that his knuckles faintly paled. "Don't worry, I definitely won't drag the squad down!"

As the new recruit, his duty on this mission was to stand at the very front when delving deep into the cavern. While scouting the path, if they encountered danger, he was to buy as much time as possible for the veterans behind him.

Whether it was to retreat or attack, all he had to do was follow orders.

The young man naturally knew the dangers involved. However, as a rookie who lagged significantly behind his teammates in both experience and combat power, this was what he had to do to officially join the squad.

Born in the countryside and having toiled in the fields since childhood, the simple philosophy of "you reap what you sow" had long been deeply ingrained in his mindset.

He didn't harbor the slightest complaint.

Hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction and reached out to pat his shoulder encouragingly, then turned to look at Abi and the other squad member.

"You two shouldn't let your guard down either. Be careful and try to avoid unnecessary losses. Once we get back, we'll have a few good rounds of drinks. My treat."

"Whoa, Captain, you're too generous!"

"Don't worry, we understand."

Seeing that everyone was ready for battle, the middle-aged man no longer hesitated. He made a hand gesture, instructing the youth to take point with the wooden shield, and the group of four approached the cave entrance.

However, they had only taken two or three steps when a flurry of rapid, panicked footsteps suddenly echoed from within the cave. Accompanying the footsteps was the piercing screech unique to goblins.

"Have we been discovered?" The young man walking at the front of the group was just as panicked, his legs trembling faintly.

In contrast, the three relatively experienced veterans behind him wore expressions that leaned more toward caution and confusion.

Having dealt with triple- or even quadruple-digit numbers of goblins over their combined years, they could clearly distinguish that the screech echoing from the pitch-black tunnel right now lacked the usual madness and bloodthirsty cruelty. Instead, it bizarrely carried a trace of... fear?

Though they found it absurd, facing the rapidly approaching footsteps, the group still immediately fell into formation and readied for battle.

"Screee!"

The all-too-familiar shrill cry reached their ears, echoing off the rock walls. A short, emaciated figure soon appeared before them.

Pus-filled green skin covered in sores, slender limbs like tree branches, hideous facial features, and thick drool dripping from its mouth...

It was an incredibly common Green-Skinned Goblin.

Everyone present was intimately familiar with it.

But right now, the expression on the face of this goblin sprinting wildly toward them through the tunnel was not the greedy cruelty it showed when pillaging human villages, nor the bloodthirsty madness it displayed when attacking countless adventurers in the forest.

Instead, it was a humanoid expression that even the most skilled actor could never replicate, welling up from the very core of its being—

Despair and terror.

What happened?

What kind of horror could make a creature like a goblin react this way?

A dragon?

It sounded a bit absurd, but at this moment, Abi genuinely started pondering the possibility that a dragon was hiding deep within the cave before them.

In the next second, the sight unfolding before his eyes crushed that fantasy.

It was a hand with pale, slender fingers, bearing a Silver Ring on both the index and ring fingers, with traces of blood clinging to the skin.

Reaching out from the depths of the darkness, it was swift and precise, clamping down on the running goblin's nape.

Like a rooster seized by the throat, its terrified scream echoing off the stone walls came to an abrupt halt.

With a sudden burst of force, the Green-Skinned Goblin was lifted off its feet like a little chick. Twitching and struggling, it was yanked back into the darkness by that hand.

The tunnel was dimly lit, and the group couldn't see exactly what was happening inside.

They could only faintly hear a few horrifying sounds that made their blood run cold and their hair stand on end.

It was the scraping noise of nails against the floor and walls during a struggle, followed by the meaningless "ghk, ghk" of a crushed throat.

"Crack."

That was the crisp sound of breaking bones.

Finally, there was a sluggish, muffled, horrifying squelch of tearing flesh and gushing blood.

A brief pause.

Immediately after, footsteps rang out once more.

Compared to the goblin's hasty, panicked steps from before, these footsteps were clearly much heavier and slower, faintly mingled with the soft scrape of metal.

The group of four were pale, still maintaining their prepared battle formation, yet none of them dared to move.

With the gradually approaching footsteps, the increasingly pungent stench of blood in the air, and an overwhelming sense of pressure inexplicably bearing down on them, even the middle-aged squad captain felt his lips go dry and his eyelids twitch incessantly.

"Drip."

Viscous blood, still holding residual warmth, dripped down.

A pitch-black, slender silhouette slowly emerged from the darkness.

It was a black-haired youth with half his face obscured by the tunnel's shadows. His features were sharp, and his aura coldly terrifying.

Unlike the four heavily armed adventurers, this youth's upper body lacked obvious armor. He merely wore a dark shirt dyed crimson with blood. A metal necklace dipped deep into his collar, and fine bone-white leg armor refracted a faint glow under the dim light. A bloodstained flail hung at his waist, and the hilts of two distinctly shaped longswords poked out from over his shoulders.

His eyes were pitch-black, devoid of any emotion, like a secluded pool in the woods.

Yet, as his gaze swept past them, a single glance was enough to make them feel the immense pressure he carried. It felt as though maintaining eye contact for even half a second longer would be seen as a provocation, resulting in their heads being lopped off.

'A Class Holder! And not an ordinary one at that!'

The middle-aged man felt nothing but despair. Sweat had silently soaked his back. The suffocating feeling that their lives and deaths rested entirely on this person's whim made it hard to breathe.

Or rather, his breathing became increasingly cautious, terrified that drawing even one extra breath might enrage the stranger.

And it was right at this moment that a slightly hesitant voice from behind him caused his heart to stop and his thoughts to freeze.

"Are... are you..."

'Abi! How dare he!'

'Is this the time to try and play on connections?!'

'I knew this brat was unreliable. I never should have agreed to Adeline's request to let him join the squad!'

'What do I do? How do I salvage this?!'

Just as expected, that icy, suffocating gaze swept over at the sound of the voice.

Clenching his teeth, the middle-aged man mustered his courage, forced a stiff smile onto his face, and took two steps forward, just about to speak up and explain.

Then he saw the sharp youth with messy black hair suddenly raise an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his gaze.

"Abi?"

His gaze swept over the other three people in the squad.

"What a coincidence. Out on a mission?"

'They know each other?!'

The middle-aged man was astonished.

Suddenly, the rumors that had been circulating in town a few months ago surfaced in his mind.

A Class Holder, the Green Blood Squad, Abi, and Adeline...

It was—

'"Greysword"!?'