Chapter 4: Whirlwind Slash

Maji remembered it clearly: that afternoon a few days ago.

When he and Erki and the others arrived at the Adventurers' Guild, looking for a suitable quest on the notice board in the lobby.

That shy-looking farm boy, led over by the guide.

Although the boy claimed to have mastered a professional "Combat Skill," Maji hadn't really taken it to heart.

He had seen too many greenhorns like Xia Nan, whether in the mountains on the kingdom's border or here in River Valley Town.

They would project themselves into the heroic epics sung by bards, learn a few moves from the village militia, and then think they were qualified to go out adventuring.

Then, harboring unrealistic fantasies, they would plunge headlong into the continent's vast forests and dungeons.

Only to end up as fertilizer nourishing the plants in the soil.

"Combat Skills"—those were one of the essential requirements for becoming a professional!

Even an "old guy" like himself, who had been roaming the world for years, had only managed to learn a move or two. How could this wet-behind-the-ears kid, who couldn't even plow a field properly, master one just by spending some time with a few scraps of paper?

One had to know that even the noble scions born in the city had their families spend vast sums of money to hire professionals who had already mastered combat skills to train them from childhood, often supplementing their training with expensive medicinal herbs and equipment.

Only then could they barely achieve a professional rank.

Although that was what Maji thought at the time, his wealth of experience kept it from showing on his face.

On the contrary, he welcomed Xia Nan, who joined the team as a temporary member, very enthusiastically, and even spent a "small fortune" to treat him to a grey-rat fried rice at the White Tit Tavern next door.

After all, given the intensity of the quests their squad usually took, the combat power of the three of them was already sufficient, but they still needed a member to do the dirty work.

And if they encountered any emergencies, a novice unfamiliar with the forest terrain could, to some extent, buy them time to escape.

He just hadn't expected...

"Swish!"

Maji released his grip abruptly, and the wooden arrow vanished from the bowstring in an instant.

Accompanied by a brief, numbing vibration in his fingertips, a sharp, shrill scream erupted from the ground beneath the canopy.

His mind replayed that flash of silver that had flickered through the woods just moments ago.

That level of skill—it was definitely a Combat Skill!

Could it be... did this kid actually have such incredible luck that he really managed to master it?

Regardless, Xia Nan had truly mastered a "Combat Skill."

Perhaps the boy's position in his squad should be reconsidered?

Draw bow, release arrow.

Maji’s hands didn't stop, but his mind had already begun to wander.

"Erki is dead; the squad is just short of a combat-ready member."

"After this quest is over, I'll bring this kid into the team permanently."

……

……

His chest heaved.

Xia Nan slowly let out a long breath.

His arms trembled slightly from overexertion, and he felt the solid grip of the sword hilt in his palm.

He recalled the sensation of subconsciously unleashing [Spinning Slash] just now.

It was hard to describe.

After countless practices over the past few years, this move seemed to have become his instinct.

Gather strength, aim, swing the sword.

It wasn't until the shrill wail of the goblin reached his ears that he realized what was under his blade this time wasn't straw, but real flesh and blood.

A pool of blood gradually spread across the meadow, and scattered limbs lay on the ground.

Xia Nan felt a slight urge to vomit, but since the gruesome sight before him came from a goblin—even if they were sentient beings, the gap in height and build was still too great.

Without such a strong sense of familiarity, the discomfort in his stomach was barely tolerable.

Roar—

The sounds of fighting came from behind him, pulling him back from his reflection into reality.

The battle was not yet over.

Although Xia Nan was a newcomer, he had no intention of backing down.

Perhaps that sword strike had dispersed the fear in his heart caused by Erki's death.

Without thinking further, he tightened his grip on the sword hilt and hurried toward the direction of Gaguo to provide support.

Roars, shrieks, arrows piercing the air, blades entering flesh...

The battle came suddenly, and it ended just as hastily.

In less than ten minutes total, the forest returned to silence.

Leaving only a thick, pungent smell of blood in the air.

The goblin ambush could be considered highly effective.

In the first moments of the battle, they had successfully reduced the "Stinky Fish and Rotten Shrimp" squad's numbers, causing them to lose a primary combatant.

But subsequently, they displayed their true colors as low-level monsters.

Facing the resistance of the rest of the squad, they gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Especially after Xia Nan cleaved two goblins in half with one strike, the situation collapsed instantly and tilted in the squad's favor.

Without the courage bolstered by "gang activity," even though the goblins still held weapons, their combat effectiveness plummeted.

Gaguo stood at the very front, his two-handed axe dancing with fierce momentum; Xia Nan drifted along the side of the battlefield, finishing off enemies and guarding the flanks; from time to time, wooden arrows flew out from the dense canopy overhead—though not hitting the mark every time, each arrow served a purpose.

There were sixteen goblins in total.

Xia Nan took care of five, and Maji shot six with his bow alone.

Gaguo was covered in blood, looking incredibly fierce, like a veteran warrior on the battlefield.

Yet, all in all, he had only chopped down five goblins, the same as the newly joined Xia Nan.

Cleaning up the battlefield.

Following the movements of the hunter Maji, Xia Nan stepped on a goblin's head and used his one-handed sword to cut off its left ear.

This was his trophy.

Although the process made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, the thought that the bounty for just one goblin was nearly four silver coins—almost the pay for two days of hard labor in the city—made his movements unconsciously lighter and more efficient.

"Here, take it!"

A blood-stained goblin ear was handed over.

Xia Nan looked at Gaguo, feeling a bit surprised.

If he remembered correctly, although he had delivered the final blow to this goblin, it had already been struck in the forehead by Gaguo's two-handed axe before he acted, leaving it nearly dead.

He had assumed this would count as the other man's kill, so he hadn't bothered with it, but he hadn't expected this half-orc to take the initiative to cut off the ear and hand it to him.

"Kid's got some skill. I'll buy you a drink later!"

Gaguo patted Xia Nan on the shoulder with his blood-stained hand, his voice gruff.

In reality, the two hadn't exchanged much before this battle.

Part of it was because Xia Nan had been acting dazed while digesting the memories in his mind.

On the other hand, it was also because Gaguo had actually looked down on this newcomer.

Possessing orc blood, the concept of "might makes right" permeated almost all his perceptions.

Without thinking as deeply as Maji, he only felt that Xia Nan had joined the team to drag them down and had no value whatsoever.

It wasn't until just now, when Gaguo saw the other's performance in battle with his own eyes, that he was truly convinced.

He now regarded him as a part of the team.

(End of chapter)