Chapter 63: Mild Goblin Dependence

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Mild Goblin Dependence

Erin took down the crumpled quest parchment and placed it on the counter. Looking at the two clueless idiots, she asked, "Don’t tell me you two don’t even know what a Bear Goblin is?"

Pip shrank his neck, not daring to make a sound.

"A super-sized brute?" Lorin wondered.

After all, he had never actually seen a Bear Goblin in this world, so it was best to let their dear Teacher Erin explain it to them.

"Never mind, I’ll explain it simply." She tapped the tabletop with her index finger. "Bear Goblins are the largest of the goblinoid species. They have thick skin and immense Power, but their intelligence isn’t very high."

"Pip knows! It’s just like that salamander!"

"Yes, they are both creatures that only rely on brute force. We have experience dealing with this kind of brute, and it won’t be any harder to handle than a Rock-dwelling Salamander," Erin nodded approvingly.

"However, Bear Goblins have incredibly sharp noses. They can smell the sweat on you, the scent of blood, and even what you ate for breakfast this morning.

"There’s definitely no way to ambush them this time; we have to face those guys head-on."

"We also need to be careful of those goblins. Although they can’t withstand a single blow, it would be troublesome if we get bogged down by them," Lorin added.

He then picked up the quest parchment on the table and examined it closely.

[Goblin Camp Extermination]

[Type: Extermination]

[Reward: 40 Gold Coins]

[Quest Description]

A Goblin Camp has been discovered near the Mist Forest, approximately one day’s journey northeast of Frost Valley City.

According to reconnaissance, there are over a dozen goblins in the camp, led by a Bear Goblin chieftain.

These goblins have frequently attacked passing merchant caravans and hunters, causing multiple casualties.

The requester demands the camp be cleared, and all goblins and the Bear Goblin eliminated.

[Time Limit: None]

[Note: To claim the reward, the head of the Bear Goblin and no fewer than ten left ears of the goblins must be submitted as proof.]

...

"Should we take this quest to warm up then?" Lorin placed the quest parchment back on the counter and tapped his finger on the reward section. "A reward of 40 Gold Coins, plus the bounties on the Bear Goblin and the goblins themselves, will be quite a lot when divided up."

"Pip agrees! Pip didn’t get to smash enough last time!"

"Whatever." Erin hugged her Magic Staff and leaned casually against the counter, seemingly uninterested in the reward.

"It must be nice to be rich," Lorin thought, glancing at her enviously.

"Alright, then we’ll take this quest." He slid the parchment over to Vanessa. After completing the registration, he folded it and tucked it away.

The three of them walked out of the Adventurer’s Guild.

The sun had risen a bit higher by now, and the streets were bustling with far more people than in the morning. A cart selling meat pies passed by them, its rich aroma making Pip’s head spin to follow it.

"Let’s go back and pack our things; we’ll depart shortly," Lorin said.

"So soon?" The little guy reluctantly tore his gaze away from the cart.

"It takes a day’s journey to get there. If we leave now, we’ll arrive at the camp while it’s still daytime. The goblins have Dark Vision, so it’s best we don’t fight them at night," Erin explained, a rare occurrence for her.

"Okay!" Pip lowered his head and bit hard into the pie crust, happily slurping up the savory filling and broth inside, deciding they made a valid point.

The three of them walked back while eating their meat pies. These pies were actually quite a bargain—only six Copper Coins each, and they contained a generous amount of meat.

The tavern was livelier than in the morning. Quite a few Adventurers were already having their lunch there, and seeing Erin dressed as a Mage, they couldn’t help but cast frequent sidelong glances her way.

Back in their room.

Lorin put on the Chest Armor with the little guy’s help. He meticulously checked his equipment over again to ensure nothing was left behind.

The little guy’s gear was much simpler. Donning a set of Leather Armor and grabbing his hammer, he finished preparing in mere minutes and could only sit bored on the bed, waiting for Lorin to be ready.

When the two left the room, they found that Erin was already leaning against the corridor wall waiting for them. She had taken off her familiar burgundy Mage Robe and changed into an outfit Lorin had never seen before.

She wore a fitted dark green short jacket on her upper body and a dark gray woolen skirt on her lower half. The hem reached her knees, with slits on both sides for ease of movement. A wide leather belt was fastened around her waist, adorned with a few pouches. Her long red hair was tied back into a simple ponytail, making her look exceptionally sharp and capable.

Lorin couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.

"What are you looking at?" Erin frowned, wearing a "don’t ask for trouble" expression.

"Nothing. You look quite nice in that outfit," Lorin praised.

Erin froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting him to say that. She glared at Lorin, then walked straight toward the stairs.

"Let’s go," she said.

Lorin chuckled and followed her down the stairs. At the bar, he spent ten Copper Coins to stock up on some jerky, bread, and fresh water as provisions for the road.

The three of them once again exited the city through the north gate.

The four Guards who had extorted them at the gate previously were nowhere to be seen, replaced by several unfamiliar newcomers. The leader simply took one glance at them before waving his hand to let them pass.

"Northeast of the Mist Forest." Lorin glanced at the simple map he had obtained from the Guild. It was far more professional than the one the Old Gnome had drawn, with several roads and rivers clearly marked. "We’ll follow the main road first, then head north when we reach the fork."

"Lead the way," Erin said.

They followed the map for a while and could soon see the edge of the Mist Forest.

Along the way, Erin took the time to correct his pronunciation of Flaming Arrow again. That Spell’s bizarre syllables were simply too difficult to chant; there was absolutely no way to speak them using conventional pronunciation methods.

Lorin could now roughly pronounce every syllable correctly, but shockingly, Spells also required specific intonations, and he was currently stuck on this part.

"Agnir↑ Ign↓is!"

"Idiot, it’s still wrong. You have to raise the pitch starting from ’agn’ and then draw out the final trailing note," Erin critiqued sharply.

"Alright, alright, I’ll try again..." He pressed his fingers to his throbbing temples.

"To think that my very first step to becoming a Mage would get stuck here. Foreign languages are truly detestable!" he thought.

Upon entering the Mist Forest, the continuous snowy weather had turned almost everything in sight ashen white. The temperature was even lower than when they had previously come to harvest Fire Oil Grass.

Erin rubbed her cold, reddened hands together and blew a breath of hot air onto them. "How much further?"

"About another half day or so." Lorin glanced at the sky.

The sun had already begun to set, leaving only a stretch of orange-red glow on the distant horizon. The light inside the woods was dimming rapidly; pushing further would be somewhat dangerous.

"Let’s set up camp first." He sheathed Rusted Throat, which he had been keeping a firm grip on, and swept his gaze over their surroundings. "The terrain here is relatively flat. We’ll rest for the night and set out again early tomorrow morning."