Chapter 131 Reputation

They had nothing to fear.

The few adventurers made no effort to hide their stares; the wicked lust in their greedy eyes practically spilled over.

"Polly!"

"Didn't I tell you to stay inside? What are you doing out here? Hurry back!"

Noticing the malicious stares of the adventurers in front of him, the village chief's already grim expression grew even more anxious.

He hurriedly squeezed into the crowd, scolding loudly while using his thin, shriveled hands to push the blonde girl back toward the center of the village.

Although she lived near Rivervale Town, the girl named Polly had never actually interacted with the town's adventurers.

Usually, at the slightest sign of commotion, her family would lock her inside the house and forbid her from going out.

Today, knowing that an adventurer squad who had helped the villagers clear out a nearby Goblin Lair was in the village, she could no longer suppress her curiosity and had sneaked out of her home.

However... things were not quite what she expected.

They did not have the marble-like handsome faces described by bards, nor did they have smooth blonde hair catching the sunlight.

Their bodies weren't even as strong as Uncle Jack's, who had been snatched away by a giant eagle last year.

Jagged, yellowish-brown rotten teeth, the foul stench of going unwashed for too long, their bossy, arrogant attitudes as if ordering around servants, and those eerie, almost tangible stares that sent a chill down her spine...

At this moment, Polly suddenly recalled the rumors about the neighboring villages that Grandpa Chief had specifically told her to make her stay obediently at home.

He had been somewhat vague, but she was no longer a child and dimly understood the implications.

Yet, much like her childhood bedtime stories about the "Hag," no one took these things seriously until they actually happened.

Polly suddenly felt a wave of regret.

Perhaps she shouldn't have come out.

But it was too late. Just as she snapped to her senses amid the village chief's scolding and turned to leave, the adventurer with a scarred face and a hideous smile noticed the freckled blonde girl after a nudge from his teammate.

"Hey, what's the rush?"

"It's not like we're going to eat you."

The few adventurers behind him burst into laughter, barefaced malice plastered across their features.

"Little girl, you're young. It's perfectly normal to be a bit curious about adventurers."

"How about it? Want to come with us uncles to town and play for a couple of days?"

Hearing him say this, the surrounding crowd, which had been a bit noisy, instantly fell dead silent.

The village chief shielded the blonde girl behind his back and pleaded, "Milord, Polly didn't mean anything by it. Please... please let her go."

Seeming to sense the subtle shift in the atmosphere, Scar rested his right hand on the hilt at his waist. He drew the blade slightly, the steel glinting with a cold light.

With a dark expression, his gaze swept slowly over the crowd.

No one dared to meet his eyes.

Yet the anger in his heart only surged higher.

Staring darkly at the hunched old man in front of him, he sneered, "Move."

"Milord, I will definitely gather the hundred gold you asked for! If it's truly not enough, I can take the grain from the storehouse..."

"Move!"

The freezing gleam of the blade shone so brightly the old man could barely keep his eyes open, yet his feet remained rooted to the spot, firmly blocking the way to Polly.

That resolute attitude, along with the suddenly silent villagers around them, made Scar feel as if the armor he wore—a symbol of his status as an "adventurer"—was suffering an invisible insult.

Shing—

Gripping the hilt tightly, he pulled his single-handed sword entirely from its sheath.

He took two fierce steps forward.

Suddenly, a tugging force came from behind him.

His footsteps paused, and he turned around with a frown.

He saw the rat-faced adventurer—the one who had just been throwing his weight around before the villagers alongside him—now looking rather panicked.

The man leaned in, lowered his voice, and pointed toward the nearby road. "Boss, some... someone's coming."

"They look... kind of familiar!"

Scar's gaze followed the direction he pointed.

Entering his vision were four figures gradually approaching along the dirt country road.

The most eye-catching, naturally, was the youth walking in the middle of the group, carrying a heavy pack.

There was no need for a second look. That green, unpolished temperament, no different from the surrounding villagers, made it obvious at a glance that he was a complete rookie.

His greedy eyes subconsciously sized up the bulging backpack behind the boy, and a different sort of idea began to sprout in his mind.

'Looks like they've got quite the haul...'

His gaze swept over them, seemingly weighing the composition of this four-man party to see if they fell within a range he and his men could handle.

After all, compared to these rural commoners who couldn't even afford to eat, as a "colleague," he knew perfectly well just how many gold coins those bloodstained, dust-covered, filthy-looking pieces of equipment could fetch at the general store.

The profits from preying on their own kind were far greater than what they could earn toiling away on quests.

His imagination running wild, he couldn't help but lick his slightly dry lips.

But a second later, when Scar's gaze shifted to the front of the group and he spotted the burly woman with a buzz cut and a hammer hanging from her waist, along with the black-haired young man carrying twin swords beside her, his originally cold, fierce eyes instantly cleared.

"Greenblood, Greysword..."

These extremely distinct characteristics allowed Scar, who had spent many years in Rivervale Town and prided himself on being somewhat shrewd, to recognize their identities in an instant.

"Damn it, why did we have to run into them here!"

His expression instantly turned incredibly grim.

Just a moment ago, he had been arrogantly considering whether to rob them for their rich haul. Now, having recognized Adeline and Xia Nan, what Scar needed to worry about was whether he would be the one getting preyed upon.

As a bottom-tier adventurer who spent his days loitering in the town's various taverns, surviving on simple goblin quests, and occasionally using his equipment to earn some shady income, he had, of course, heard the name of the Green Blood Squad.

Especially after the infamous Gap-Toothed Bennett, along with his three teammates and six goblins (according to tavern rumors), had been decapitated in a single sword strike by that sharp-featured, black-haired young man in their party.

Almost half of the town's low-level adventurers knew that the Green Blood Squad had gained a ruthless fighter who commonly wielded a Gray Two-Handed Greatsword.

He was absolutely not someone they could handle!

In the past, minor characters like Scar would have to take a detour if they bumped into Gap-Toothed Bennett in a tavern, terrified of catching his eye.

Now, running into figures like Greenblood and Greysword—people who were equally active in tavern rumors and whose reputations were even more formidable—his arrogant bluster from when he faced the villagers completely evaporated, even though they had never fought or spoken a single word. He immediately placed himself in the position of an inferior.

Furthermore, looking at it from another angle, his own squad had also just finished a quest. They hadn't yet returned to Rivervale Town to rest, and they were all carrying loot... The thought of it sent a chill down Scar's spine, leaving him rattled.

Coughing twice, he forced a stiff smile onto his face. Without waiting for them to get closer, he called out from afar to Berg, the only person in the squad he had seen a couple of times in the tavern, "Hey, Berg!"

"Just got back? Must've been tough."

"We never finished our drinks last time. Tomorrow at the White Titmouse, it's my treat. Let's have a good few rounds!"

Silence.

As if having no impression of him whatsoever, Berg's face was full of confusion, and he didn't respond.

Scar felt that things were taking a bad turn.

His eyes darted around, trying to figure out how to buddy up with the others in the squad.

But when his gaze fell upon the black-haired young man to the side, it was just like the villagers who hadn't dared to look up at him earlier. Those deep, calm, pitch-black eyes clearly didn't carry a single trace of extra emotion, yet they made him subconsciously avert his gaze, too terrified to meet them.

His mind involuntarily recalled the rumors he had heard countless times in the tavern.

An unnatural chill suddenly brushed across his neck, and goosebumps erupted over his skin.

He lowered his head. Without him noticing, his forehead had broken out in a cold sweat.

Xia Nan looked at the few adventurers on the roadside ahead.

His expression remained unchanged, but he felt rather baffled inwardly.

Coming from modern society and having received a normal moral education, he naturally abhorred their behavior.

Moreover, squad leader Adeline seemed to have some ties with the village chief here, and she had led them over to lend a hand.

So, he had naturally prepared himself for a fight.

Just a moment ago, he had even scouted their positioning in advance, pondering whether he should use [Fang Hunt] to close the distance and chop off the head of the scarred adventurer who looked like the leader first.

Or whether he should drive straight into their backline and throw their formation into chaos.

But to his surprise, before he could even make a move and had merely drawn a bit closer, these adventurers who were acting so fiercely toward the villagers seemed to lose all will to fight.

The rat-faced one among them had even silently retreated to the back of their group, looking like he was ready to abandon his comrades and bolt at any second.

Seeing a turn for the better, the village chief, who had been blocked behind the adventurers, naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip. He took the initiative to step forward and greeted Adeline, "Lady Adeline, it's been a long time. I wonder if things have been going smoothly for you lately?"

Goblins could never be completely wiped out.

Emerald Creek Village was located near the Misty Forest. Almost every once in a while, it would suffer harassment from goblins, and they often sought help from the adventurers in the Association.

Like Scar and his group, Adeline had once helped the villagers clear out a nearby Goblin Lair.

Of course, her reputation was far better than that of the average adventurer, and she had never demanded any extra bounties.

Because of this, the simple and friendly villagers had invited her to stay for a casual meal, forging a bond with the chief of Emerald Creek Village.

Right now, merely lending her name could help these poor villagers avoid a disaster, so Adeline naturally didn't mind.

She gave the village chief a slight nod, accepting his greeting.

Seeing this, the expressions on the faces of Scar and his men grew a bit stiffer.

But as for feeling remorseful... there really wasn't much of that.

They just felt unlucky for bumping into the returning Green Blood Squad right in the middle of their extortion attempt.

"Haha, so everyone knows each other. What a coincidence," Scar said with an awkward laugh, quietly shifting his feet.

"Then you guys chat. I won't disturb you."

As he spoke, he led his squad away, their footsteps hurried as they fled in a direction away from the crowd.

Because Xia Nan and the others were blocking the middle of the road, and Emerald Creek Village was behind them, the direction they fled in led toward the other side of the Wilderness.

Clearly, they intended to take a massive detour before returning to Rivervale Town.

Xia Nan stood in place, watching the sorry sight of the few adventurers fleeing, and frowned slightly.

But seeing that the people around him, including Adeline, had no intention of giving chase, he simply watched their figures disappear into the distant woods before retracting his gaze.

With the departure of Scar and the others, the village chief's tense body suddenly went limp. Supported by the villagers behind him, he barely managed to stand steady. "Lady Adeline... My lords, thank you so much! If you hadn't been here today, I wouldn't have known how to end this."

Standing in the formation, acting very much like the fox borrowing the tiger's might, Abi spat fiercely in the direction Scar and his gang had fled.

"Pah! Daring to make that kind of money, aren't they afraid of divine retribution one day!"

As he spoke, he seemed to think of something. A hint of worry appeared on his face as he turned to Adeline and asked, "Those guys were scared off today, but in a couple of days, after we leave, will they..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Berg's laughter from behind. "You kid, you sure think a lot."

"If you're really that kind-hearted, then work a little harder to bring up your combat strength. Kill that lot and bury them, and you won't have to worry anymore, right?"

Hearing this, the village chief, who was busy telling the villagers to disperse, couldn't help but sigh.

Emerald Creek Village was located between the Misty Forest and Rivervale Town, which naturally had its conveniences.

Whether it was the trade of goods or basic food and lodging services, the free-spending adventurers allowed the villagers to enjoy a generous income that other border villages lacked.

But on the other hand, the adventurers were a motley mix of fish and dragons, with the good and the bad mingled together. Of course, there were good people, but a large portion of them put gold coins above all else, willingly disregarding both life and morality for it.

Under these circumstances, over the course of a whole year, the adventurers actually caused more losses for Emerald Creek Village than the dangerous monsters that occasionally came out of the Misty Forest to forage in the outskirts.

Just two months ago, a drunken adventurer had nearly set their village's grain storehouse on fire.

Xia Nan stood silently in the group, listening to the others converse with the village chief. As he experienced the local customs and culture, he also absorbed useful information from their words.

Suddenly feeling someone's gaze, he frowned and looked over.

He saw the blonde girl—the one who had just been relentlessly harassed by Scar and his men—lowering her head with a pale face, looking as though she was frightened of him and didn't dare make eye contact.

It was normal. After all, they had just finished a quest, and the blood left by the gnolls still lingered on him. Furthermore, he hadn't fully snapped out of his combat state yet; to put it more mystically, he still retained some "murderous aura."

Coupled with Xia Nan's sharp facial features, while he might not be scary enough to stop a baby's midnight crying, he certainly didn't look like any sort of gentle soul at first glance.

He was more than happy for the peace and quiet.

After listening to them exchange pleasantries for a while longer and declining the village chief's invitation to stay the night, the squad prepared to leave.

But suddenly, a burst of hurried footsteps echoed from the Wilderness nearby.

Currents of air surged, carrying a faint stench of blood and a heart-wrenching howl: "Help! Gob... It's all goblins, those goblins..."

Because of the distance, they could only vaguely make out a few words.

Turning their heads to look, the person who appeared before their eyes was, shockingly, Scar, who had left not long ago.

Only now, the teammates who had been behind him were nowhere to be seen.

Scarlet blood dripped from his forehead, covering half of his face.

His right arm was twisted, jagged bone protruding from the skin. With an expression of agonizing pain, he sprinted madly toward them.

His mouth was wide open as if he were screaming something.

However, before Xia Nan and the others could hear him clearly, a bone club spiraled out from the woods behind him. With a whistling sound like a baby's wail, it smashed his skull to pieces.