Chapter 44: First Goblin Encounter

At that exact moment, the Horn Rabbit suddenly launched itself forward with incredible jumping power.

It then crashed into the spot where Qiu Nuoya had been standing just moments before.

The creature bared its fangs and stared at them with bright red eyes.

It’s so scary!

Wait, fangs...?

Weren’t rabbits herbivores!?

Warren quickly swung his sword once.

The Horn Rabbit immediately retreated and ran away.

However, Qiu Nuoya was so shocked that he could not move at all.

"Ah, Nuoya," Igor said with a sigh. "Horn Rabbits look cute, but they are actually carnivorous and dangerous."

Igor looked at him seriously.

"They rarely attack humans, but if you get bitten, you can suffer serious injuries. So be careful."

"I wish someone had told me that earlier..."

No, this was also his own fault.

Qiu Nuoya had spent so much time gathering medicinal herbs that he had only casually looked over the monster distribution map for this area.

He was really lucky he had not been bitten.

"I should have explained beforehand," Igor said. "Besides goblins, this area also has monsters like the Horn Rabbit we just saw and Cockatrices. You’ve eaten Cockatrice meat before too, right, Nuoya?"

Cockatrices.

That was also among the monster meats that adventurers often brought back as gifts.

Unlike the Horn Rabbit, this one was basically chicken meat with a snake tail.

The snake part was apparently submitted to the Adventurer’s Guild as proof of extermination, so whenever adventurers gave him the meat, it was already shaped like ordinary chicken.

He had never actually seen the snake part himself, but he had heard that it contained poison.

The snake portion of a Cockatrice could apparently be processed to remove the poison and was useful for restoring energy and improving health.

Because it sold for a high price, Cockatrice extermination missions also had good rewards.

That was what the adventurer brothers and sisters had told him.

"Um, I’ll ask again, but are you really sure this equipment is enough?"

"Well, our target this time is only goblins." Igor shrugged. "Horn Rabbits and Cockatrices generally won’t attack unless you go after them first. However..."

Wait.

About that Horn Rabbit... Wasn’t Qiu Nuoya almost bitten by one just now?

"I would like to come back after preparing better equipment."

"What!? If we do that, it’ll already be dark by the time we return!"

"The goblin extermination mission has a deadline of one week. Can’t you give me just one day to prepare?"

"Well, that’s true, but..."

Warren looked disappointed.

"We came all the way here already..."

Warren was reluctant to leave, but the problem was that the wild grass around this area grew to about one meter tall.

Since Qiu Nuoya was short, his field of vision was terrible.

The two taller people with him might have been able to easily understand their surroundings, but Qiu Nuoya could not.

That was exactly why he needed to at least have proper protective equipment.

His current outfit consisted of a normal short sleeved shirt, half pants, short boots, and only a leather chest piece.

Did they really not realize how dangerous it was to send a child with almost no defensive ability into a monster infested area?

There were poisonous monsters that could appear right at his feet.

Walking around with bare legs was completely unreasonable!

Even in his previous world, whenever people went somewhere where pit vipers might appear, they were told to wear long sleeves, long pants, and sturdy shoes with good protection.

"We’re going back."

"Nuoya, you’re really a coward, aren’t you?"

As usual, Warren teased him.

However, although they had come this far because they got caught up in the excitement, Qiu Nuoya knew they could not hunt monsters without properly researching and preparing first.

With Igor, a Rank B Adventurer, accompanying them, it was unlikely that anything truly disastrous would happen. But the possibility of injury was still extremely high.

Qiu Nuoya could not simply ignore that.

"Hmm... Actually, Nuoya does have a point." Igor crossed his arms thoughtfully. "I also didn’t expect Nuoya to be completely unarmed. I thought this would be an easy mission, but the two of you are still only Rank G Adventurers."

"What!? Even the Tempest Blade thinks that way!? You were the one who said we were talented!"

Warren looked offended.

"You two are definitely talented from what I’ve seen." Igor smiled. "But it is also true that you are newly registered adventurers. If you confuse recklessness with courage, you’ll end up seriously injured."

After being lectured by Igor as well, Warren puffed out his cheeks and fell silent.

However, after a while, he finally nodded with an unhappy expression.

"Fine, I understand."

"But tomorrow is definitely happening! Make sure you get your equipment ready today!"

"Okay, I understand."

Relieved by Warren’s agreement, Qiu Nuoya and the others turned around to leave.

Then, at that exact moment the grass rustled loudly again.

Qiu Nuoya immediately tensed up, wondering if another Horn Rabbit had appeared.

However, the creature standing there was a small old man like figure.

No, wait.

Could this be...

"A goblin!?"

The small old man like creature stood only as tall as Qiu Nuoya’s chest, completely hidden by the tall grass until it suddenly appeared right in front of him.

Its skin was a dull greenish brown. Its bulging eyes glared at him beneath pointed ears. The only clothing it wore was a filthy loincloth and it gripped a crude club in one hand.

The moment it saw Qiu Nuoya, it bared its teeth and let out a harsh grinding screech.

"Gigigigi!"

Qiu Nuoya who is startled by its sudden appearance instinctively stepped backward.

His back suddenly struck something, throwing him off balance.

As he fell, he caught sight of two more goblins standing behind him.

He had not noticed them at all.

One goblin stood in front of him, while two more blocked his escape from behind.

Three goblins had surrounded him without him even realizing it.

"Waaah!"

"Nuoya!?"