Magi clearly remembered that afternoon a few days ago.
When he and Elki were at the adventurer association, searching for suitable quests on the notice board in the lobby.
That shy farm boy who was brought over by the guide.
Even though the boy claimed to have mastered a "Battle Skill," Magi didn't really take it to heart.
He's seen too many like Xia Nan, naive hotheads, whether in the mountains at the kingdom's borders or now in River Valley Town.
They imagine themselves as the heroes sung by the minstrel, learn a few moves from the village militia, and think they're ready for adventure.
Then, with unrealistic dreams, they plunge into forests and dungeons across the continent.
Only to become nourishment for the plants in the soil.
"Battle Skill," that's one of the prerequisites for becoming a professional!
Even an old hand like Magi, who's roamed outside for years, has only learned one or two moves. How could this clueless kid, who doesn't even know how to plow the fields, learn it by practicing on a few scraps of paper?
You know, even those noble city-born offspring,
have families who spend a fortune hiring professionals who are already proficient in Battle Skills, train them from a young age, and even supplement with expensive herbs and equipment.
Only then do they manage to achieve a professional level.
Back then, although this was what Magi thought, his rich experience allowed him to keep a calm face.
On the contrary, he warmly welcomed Xia Nan to join the team as a temporary member, even spending "big" to treat him to a plate of grey squirrel fried rice at the White Sparrow Tavern next door.
After all, with the difficulty of tasks their small team usually undertook, the strength of the three of them was sufficient, but they still needed someone to handle the dirty and tiring work.
And if there was an emergency, a newbie unfamiliar with forest terrain could also buy them some time to escape.
But unexpectedly...
"Whoosh!"
Magi released the arrow, which instantly vanished from the bowstring.
Accompanying the brief tingle on his fingertips, a sharp scream sounded from the ground under the treetop.
He recalled the fleeting silver glint among the trees just now.
That level, it was definitely a Battle Skill!
Could it be... this kid got lucky and actually practiced it?
No matter what, Xia Nan had indeed mastered a Battle Skill.
Perhaps his role in the team should be reconsidered?
Pulling the bow, releasing the arrow.
While Magi's hands continued moving, he was already contemplating.
"Elki is dead, the team happens to need an immediate force."
"Once this mission is over, let's bring this kid into the team."
...
...
His chest heaved.
Xia Nan slowly exhaled a long breath.
His arms trembled slightly due to overexertion, and the solid feel of the sword hilt pressed into his palm.
He recalled the feeling when instinctively using the Vortex Slash just now.
It's hard to describe.
After countless practices over the years, this move seemed to have become second nature to him.
Charging, aiming, swinging the sword.
It wasn't until the goblin's screech of pain reached his ears that he realized it wasn't a straw dummy under the blade but real flesh and blood.
The blood pool spread over the meadow, fragments of limbs scattered on the ground.
Xia Nan felt slightly nauseous, but considering the gruesome scene was caused by goblins, the size and stature difference with humans was significant, even though they were both intelligent creatures.
The sense of reality wasn't as strong, so the discomfort in his stomach was barely manageable.
Roar——
The sounds of fighting came from behind, pulling him from his reverie.
The battle was not over.
Although Xia Nan was a novice, he had no intention of retreating.
Perhaps that sword had dispelled the fear in his heart caused by Elki's death.
Without much thought, he tightened his grip on the sword hilt and quickly moved in the direction of Gag to support him.
Roars, screeches, arrows slicing through the air, blades piercing flesh...
The battle erupted suddenly and ended just as quickly.
Altogether it didn't even last ten minutes, and the forest returned to silence.
Only the rich scent of blood lingered in the air.
The goblins' ambush could be said to be quite effective.
At the start of the fight, they successfully reduced the "Stinky Fish and Shrimp" team by taking out a key member.
But subsequently, they showed their true nature as bottom-tier demons.
Faced with resistance from the other team members, they gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Especially after Xia Nan cut two goblins in half with his sword, the situation instantly collapsed, swaying in favor of the team.
Without the courage of "gang acts," the goblins, even while still wielding weapons, suddenly saw their fighting power plummet.
Gag held the front line, a Dual Handed Axe in his grip swinging furiously; Xia Nan roamed the battlefield's flanks, finishing off enemies where needed; wooden arrows occasionally shot out from the dense canopy above, perhaps not hitting every time but still proving effective.
A total of sixteen goblins.
Xia Nan took down five, while Magi shot six with just his bow and arrows.
Gag, covered in blood, appeared fierce and heroic on the battlefield.
Ultimately, he only cut down five goblins, the same as the newly joined Xia Nan.
Cleaning the battlefield.
Imitating Hunter Magi's actions, Xia Nan stepped on the goblin's head and used the One Handed Sword to cut off its left ear.
This was his trophy.
Despite feeling slightly uncomfortable with the process, knowing that the bounty for just one goblin could reach nearly four silver coins, almost equivalent to two days of work for a city laborer,
Xia Nan's hands moved more swiftly and forcefully.
"Here, take it!"
A goblin ear, stained with blood, was handed over.
Xia Nan looked at Gag in surprise.
If he remembered correctly, this goblin, although finished by him, had actually been almost dead after Gag's Dual Handed Axe struck its head before he even moved.
He thought that should count as Gag's kill, so he didn't concern himself with it. He didn't expect the half orc to help him cut the ear and hand it over.
"You've got some skill, kid, I'll buy you a drink later!"
Gag slapped Xia Nan's shoulder with his blood-stained big hand, speaking in a gruff voice.
In fact, before this battle, the two hadn't interacted much.
Xia Nan was somewhat dazed from trying to absorb memories in his mind for one.
On the other hand, it was also because Gag somewhat looked down on the newcomer.
With beastman heritage, the concept of "respect for the strong" permeated all his perceptions.
Unlike Magi, he didn't think much about it; he only saw Xia Nan joining the team as dead weight with no value.
Until just now, when Gag saw Xia Nan's performance in battle firsthand, he truly acknowledged him.
He considered Xia Nan as a part of the team.