Chapter 120 Advanced Squad

Rivervale Town, Adventurers' Association branch.

"Hunting Day" had been ongoing for over ten days, and the association hall remained packed to the brim.

Other than the slightly quieter stairs leading to the second floor, adventurers could be seen hurrying about everywhere else.

Some hadn't even washed the blood off their bodies, tracking mud as they tossed dripping loot sacks onto the front desk for a stack of gold coins. Before they could even catch their breath, they rushed back into the hall to accept their next quest.

It was as if delaying for a single second meant earning a few less gold coins.

It was incredibly busy.

Because of this, the White Chickadee Tavern—usually filled with adventurers twenty-four hours a day—had seen a significant drop in business over the past few days.

This allowed Xia Nan, who lived on the tavern's second floor, to get a good two days of sleep for the first time in a while.

This was in stark contrast to the other adventurers in town, who seemed hell-bent on earning an entire year's worth of drinking money during "Hunting Day."

The Greenblood squad, originally considered diligent for resting in town for only a day or two between quests, instead gave off a false impression of being "leisurely."

Adeline viewed green-skinned goblins as her mortal enemies. She had been in the business for many years but only accepted goblin-related quests, showing extreme paranoia and obsession.

But the fact that she had managed to survive all these years and even build up a bit of a reputation in town proved that she wasn't a madwoman.

No matter how flexible a string was, it would eventually snap if kept constantly taut.

Adventuring in the Misty Forest carried immense pressure, making rest necessary after returning to town.

Otherwise, poor form—or even the onset of mental illness—would drag the entire team into the abyss.

Berg didn't complain in the slightest. Like a seasoned veteran, he followed Adeline's orders.

When there were quests, he made full preparations and followed the squad out of town; when there was nothing to do, he could sit in the tavern all day drinking.

To some extent, the fact that he stayed with the Greenblood squad despite his experience and skill level already showed that he valued something else more than gold coins.

Xia Nan shared Adeline's mindset.

Pacing oneself and balancing work with rest.

His memories and worldview from his past life in modern society made him fully realize the importance of this.

He didn't have a death warrant urging him on, and things like skill proficiency couldn't be maxed out in just a day or two anyway.

He wasn't eager for quick success. It was better to be cautious and advance steadily.

He had that kind of patience.

In the entire team, only Abi harbored a bit of resentment.

Having just joined the profession, he had earned a massive fortune he had never seen before in just a few quests.

This made him wish he could chop down hundreds of goblins every day and shovel money into a sack.

It was just that his words carried no weight.

No one cared about the naive thoughts of a rookie like him.

He could only hide in a corner and sulk by himself.

Right now, having finished their customary rest, the group prepared their supplies once again and arrived at the Adventurers' Association.

"Isn't there a cheaper general store in town!"

Squatting in the corner of the hall, Abi rummaged through his backpack to check for missing items, an uncontrollable look of heartache on his face.

"A field sleeping bag and a few blankets cost me two whole gold coins!"

"He wasn't even willing to throw in a piece of flint. That boss's wallet is so tight, even a beholder couldn't find the opening!"

After becoming an adventurer, he was earning gold coins that would have taken him years to save up in the past, but the related expenses also exceeded his expectations.

Abi didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like if, one day in the future, he followed Captain Adeline's advice and spent an exaggerated fifty gold coins to buy a finger-sized Healing Potion.

It would be an absolutely suffocating experience.

"I bet even my great-grandfather would crawl out of his ancestral grave to scold me for being a spendthrift."

Abi muttered quietly, his face full of grievances.

Beside him, Berg smiled and patted his shoulder, as if he had already anticipated his reaction.

"It's 'Hunting Day.' It's like this every year."

"Everything in town goes up in price during this period. If your income doesn't rise with them, you're essentially losing money."

"It's just these two months. It'll be fine once it passes."

Saying this, he deliberately lowered his voice and leaned in to give a pointer.

"You know Kukunur, right? That famous general store boss."

"Interact with him more often and build a good relationship."

"There are discounts."

At this, Abi's eyes instantly lit up.

He stood up abruptly and began discussing it enthusiastically with him.

Xia Nan stood beside the two of them, leaning against the wall.

He pricked up his ears, silently memorizing the contents of their discussion.

At the same time, he sized up the adventurers passing by in front of them.

Accepting association quests only required one person; the whole squad didn't need to be present.

But for convenience's sake, to avoid making another trip to the inn, they had followed Adeline to the association hall. Once she accepted the quest, they would head straight out of town.

His gaze suddenly paused.

In the crowd ahead, Adeline seemed to have bumped into an acquaintance. She was saying something to a man wearing silver-white armguards as they walked toward the group.

"Iron Hand George," Berg introduced from the side at just the right moment, as if sensing Xia Nan's inner confusion.

Adeline had stayed in Rivervale Town for many years, and her strength was considered quite good among the bottom-tier adventurers who had yet to obtain a Class Level.

Although she didn't have the kind of personality that was well-rounded and socially adept, she could be considered a responsible captain.

She had a good reputation.

It was just a pity that her paranoid obsession with solely targeting goblins made the team's profits fall far short of what they should have achieved with her strength.

Outside of "Hunting Day," her quest frequency far exceeded that of other adventurer squads in town during normal times.

They worked a lot but earned very little.

This meant that even though Adeline had some fame, she simply couldn't retain people in her squad.

Those newcomers would often just establish a slight foothold before leaving the squad to find another way to make a living.

Iron Hand George was one of Adeline's earliest squadmates.

Many years ago, he had also been a member of the Greenblood squad.

After leaving, he had formed his own squad and made a name for himself in Rivervale Town.

And his past experience as her teammate allowed him to maintain a good relationship with Adeline, which lasted to this day.

"He's just a deserter. It's only because the boss doesn't care. If it were me, I wouldn't say a single word to him!" Abi's tone carried obvious indignation. He seemed to be feeling wronged on Adeline's behalf, condemning George's act of leaving the squad.

"Oh?" Berg glanced at him in some surprise. "You want to stay in this squad for the rest of your life?"

"Of course!" Abi answered without hesitation.

"The boss brought me into the profession. I'll never betray her!"

In response to this, Berg merely chuckled and gave no answer.

Young adventurers were always prone to overestimating their own character.

Someday in the future, when he truly experienced the taste of money, and tasted the fear of death and the beauty of being able to breathe while alive...

His previously childish thoughts would naturally change as well.

The laughter was exceptionally piercing. Feeling that his resolve had been slighted, Abi immediately frowned and glared earnestly at Berg beside him.

His eyes darted around, and he spoke with pointed meaning:

"What about you?"

"At thirty or forty years old, many people have retired and quit. Why are you still in the squad?"

Hearing him ask this, Xia Nan, who had stayed out of the conversation the whole time, couldn't help but feel a bit of interest.

It was indeed as Abi said.

Over a dozen days of interaction had already allowed him to fully confirm that Berg was a veteran adventurer with years of experience and decent strength.

According to the Greenblood squad's usual pattern, he should have left the team long ago instead of staying here to exterminate goblins with them.

Somewhat surprisingly, what Xia Nan had assumed was some kind of unspeakable secret was met with exceptional candor from Berg.

"Because I'm afraid of dying." He adjusted the straps of the quiver on his back and replied with a smile, "I don't have to worry about running into an Owlbear with its cubs one day, nor will I accidentally wander into a dragon's nest."

"Even if I just rely on the bounties from those green-skinned rats, my income is still much higher than if I were to work outside, and I get to spend every day soaking in the tavern."

"It's safe, and there's money to be made."

"Isn't that great?"

Hearing this, Abi only curled his lips.

In his heart, he agreed with Berg's reasoning, but he subconsciously wanted to retort and act tough.

Just as he raised his head, Adeline had already brought Iron Hand George over to them.

He subconsciously shut his mouth and shrank back behind the others.

Perhaps because of his relationship with Adeline, George acted very enthusiastically toward the few of them present.

Even toward Abi, who barely spoke in front of outsiders, he offered a few pointers as a senior, teaching him some adventuring tricks.

His gaze suddenly swept over the iron-gray Decapitating Longsword on Xia Nan's back.

An even more amiable smile couldn't help but beam across George's face.

As if asking a question he already knew the answer to, he reached out his right hand, which wore a metal armguard, toward Xia Nan. "This must be Greysword, right?"

Forcing a stiff smile, Xia Nan shook his hand.

He felt awkward inwardly.

Previously, when he heard nicknames like Greenblood and Gap-Toothed, he had been somewhat expectant, hoping that he would also get a widely circulated moniker in the future.

But now, when someone actually called out his nickname in front of everyone—

He could only say that he felt a bit weird.

Speaking of which, the source of this Greysword title had actually leaked from their own side.

Although the Gap-Toothed squad had been completely wiped out by them, they still had to deal with the equipment on their bodies, so the news couldn't be hidden at all.

Of course, there was no need to hide it either.

Coupled with the classic post-drinking bragging sessions of adventurers, his strength and battle record had been slightly exaggerated and boasted about by Abi and Berg while under the influence of alcohol, gradually building up his reputation.

"Impressive, impressive."

"To be able to take out Gap-Toothed, I thought you were some veteran adventurer from another part of the continent."

"I didn't expect you to be so young."

Gap-Toothed Bennett, due to his vicious methods, was arguably notorious in Rivervale Town.

And Xia Nan, having killed him, was like stepping on a stepping stone made from his corpse, invisibly reaping far more fame than he would have under normal circumstances.

"Let's work together if there's a chance in the future. Our squad is just lacking fresh blood like you," George said, half-joking, half-serious.

As he spoke, he even glanced at Adeline beside him.

She was long used to it.

She didn't mind, nor did she care about these things.

Even if Xia Nan were to accept George's invitation on the spot, Adeline probably wouldn't try to keep him for even a second.

"There will be a chance." Having already decided to follow the "lone wolf" path to the end, Xia Nan gave a slight nod and politely declined.

Catching the underlying meaning in his words, George, who had only asked in passing anyway, didn't feel offended.

With a friendly and gentle attitude, he chatted with the group for a while longer before finally saying goodbye and leaving at the urging of his squadmates.

"Why aren't you speaking anymore?" Berg teased the nearby Abi as he watched George's figure disappear out the association's main door. "Weren't you just calling him a traitor a moment ago? Why didn't you dare to say a word when he was right in front of you?"

Provoked by this, Abi—who had been shrinking his head and hiding behind the others, only speaking cautiously just now—instantly flushed red and argued back nonsense:

"T-this guy seems pretty nice. M-maybe there was some other reason for him leaving the squad back then."

"Besides—"

Clap. Adeline clapped her hands, interrupting their conversation.

"Stop making wild guesses. Leaving the squad is a personal choice. As long as it's not in the middle of a quest, I don't mind."

"If any of you want to leave one day, just tell me directly."

"Your supplies are all ready, right? Now, it's time to do our quest."

Saying this, she took the opportunity to show off her rather cold sense of humor, adding, "No one wants to leave the squad, right? Once we're out of town, you won't be able to leave."

The effect was comparable to the chilling winds of the Northlands.

Once she said this, even Berg, who had originally planned to tease Abi a bit more, unconsciously shut his mouth.

He turned and walked toward the exit of the Adventurers' Association hall.

Xia Nan fell to the back of the group and was just thinking of catching up.

From the corner of his eye, however, an indigo figure suddenly flashed by.

He paused his steps and looked back.

He saw four figures of varying statures walking down the stairs leading to the second floor of the association.

The first one walking at the very front was the elegant, university professor-like man in an indigo lightweight robe whom he had seen in the association a few days prior.

Compared to back then, he still didn't carry any packs or gear.

But in his hand, there was now a plain-looking wooden staff.

He couldn't help but confirm the man's identity as a Spellcaster in his mind.

Beside the elegant man, standing to his left and right, were two burly figures.

One was a half-orc with pale green skin and fangs protruding from his lower lip, bare-chested except for a totem chest plate.

The other was a stern-faced, red-haired brute wearing full heavy armor and carrying a metal helmet in his hand.

And at the rear of the squad was a tall male Elf with flowing blonde hair, a rapier hanging at his waist, whose light footsteps seemed to carry the forest wind.

It was an advanced adventurer squad composed of Class Holders and equipped with a mage.

Seeming to feel Xia Nan's gaze, the elegant man followed his line of sight and looked over. Meeting his eyes, he revealed a gentle smile and gave a slight nod.

Not expecting the other party to notice him, Xia Nan forced a response and then quickly withdrew his gaze.

"Xia Nan, what are you doing? Hurry up!"

"You don't actually want to leave the squad, do you, kid?"

"Coming, coming."

The back of the figure carrying two swords disappeared into the crowd.

"Connor, what's wrong?"

A squadmate's confused voice rang in his ears.

The man with the elegant aura smiled and shook his head, his staff tapping lightly against the stairs.

"It's nothing."