Adventurer Party

As the new Goblin icon lit up, Rain felt a surge of warmth flood his body.

The muscles throughout his body felt stronger and more taut.

Rain lifted the linen shirt covering his stomach. The little fat around his waist had vanished without a trace, leaving eight sharply defined abs.

Even more startling, his surroundings had suddenly become much clearer and brighter.

It was already dusk, and the sky was growing dark.

He should have had trouble seeing into corners and places obscured by people's shadows.

But when Rain looked into those dim spots now, he could see as clearly as if it were daytime.

He could clearly see a field mouse poking its head out of a crack in the wall. Its nose twitched as it sniffed around, apparently looking for food.

Behind a young mother, a child hidden in her shadow was secretly sucking on a finger.

"What..."

The change had caught Rain by surprise.

When he focused on his status panel, he understood why.

[Name: Rain]

[Occupation: Farmer]

[Bloodline Blessing: Goblin Warrior Bloodline]

[Bloodline Talents: Rapid Reproduction lv3... Robust lv1... Dim-Light Vision lv1]

[Strength: 5 (+1)]

[Agility: 5 (+1)]

[Constitution: 5]

[Intelligence: 7]

[Perception: 5]

[Charisma: 5]

"So the stage after an ordinary Goblin is a Goblin Warrior?" Rain focused on his newly acquired bloodline blessing.

"Agility lv1 is gone."

"Robust lv1 must have replaced it."

"Agility lv1 gave me +1 agility, while Robust lv1 gives me +1 to both agility and strength." Rain had naturally noticed the change to his strength.

"Huh, Dim-Light Vision lv1? So that's why everything looks so much brighter." Understanding dawned on Rain.

When he focused on Dim-Light Vision lv1, a line of small text appeared:

Dim-Light Vision lv1 effect: Your vision improves significantly in dim light, allowing you to see your surroundings within a range of approximately 30 meters.

Rain narrowed his eyes.

Used well, Dim-Light Vision could be every bit as valuable as Agility lv1.

Especially at dusk or under a starlit sky, it could easily decide the outcome of a fight.

In dim light, an ordinary person could barely make out an object at a little over ten meters—assuming the object was about the size of a field mouse.

Rain, meanwhile, could see nearly thirty meters. That would go a long way toward keeping enemies from spotting him first.

He could even launch surprise attacks against enemies who couldn't see as far as he could.

By then, the discussion in the village's central square was drawing to a close.

Most people still didn't want their husbands or fathers risking their lives hunting Goblins at night.

But seeing the families of the two missing girls overcome with grief, a few of the sturdier villagers stepped forward.

Jefferson, the militia captain, took the lead.

Rain wasn't optimistic.

Others might not have been able to tell at dusk, but with Dim-Light Vision, he could clearly see the uncertainty in every volunteer's eyes except Jefferson's.

They plainly had no confidence in their chances of fighting Goblins in the dense woods at night.

They were farmers, with no proper combat training. They had stepped forward largely out of passion and righteous anger.

It was admirable, but hardly sensible.

"Barry's back!"

"The Adventurers he went to invite are here too!"

Cheers suddenly erupted from the edge of the crowd!

Hm?

The Adventurers?

Rain turned toward the village entrance. Led by the villager Barry, four people were hurrying toward the square.

With his newfound Dim-Light Vision, Rain could make out their gear.

All four looked young, around twenty years old: three men and one woman.

The man in front carried a round shield in his left hand and wore chainmail, with a knight's longsword at his waist. To his right was a man in leather armor with two short daggers at his waist.

To his left stood a man with a two-handed greatsword strapped to his back.

The young woman was especially conspicuous. She carried a longbow and had a quiver full of arrows at either hip. She was clearly an archer.

"Village Chief Kyle, these are the Adventurers from Mill Town."

"Greetings, village chief. We're the Oakshield Adventurer Party. I'm Thor, the captain."

"Thor, thank goodness you're finally here. Goblins attacked our village just now. Four or five people were injured, and two young women were taken."

"We beg you, could you set out now and bring the girls back?"

"Two young women were taken?" Rain noticed the shield-bearing young man called Thor change expression at the news.

After thinking for a moment, Thor said to Kyle, "I need to discuss this with my teammates."

Thor turned to the three behind him, apparently seeking their opinions.

"Fighting those green-skinned bastards at night is dangerous. Besides, it wasn't part of the original plan," the man with the twin daggers said, shaking his head.

"I don't mind either way, but visibility's so poor at night that Nia would lose most of her effectiveness as an archer."

The young man with the greatsword put it more tactfully, but he clearly didn't support fighting at night either.

Hearing that both Adventurers were unwilling, the families of the missing girls, Ruth and Lori, went pale. They began to sob and plead again.

The Adventurers were practically their last hope.

"Please, Adventurers! If you don't go after them soon, the girls might not come back alive."

"We can pay more! Please, we'll pay more!"

Ruth's father pulled a money pouch from his clothes and held it out, hope written across his face.

Perhaps moved by their pleas, Nia, the archer, thought for a moment and said, "I think we should hear more about what happened first. If there aren't many Goblins, it shouldn't be a problem."

At her words, Thor nodded, then turned to the villagers and asked:

"I have a few more questions for anyone who saw the Goblins. Did you notice any unusual ones among them?"

"An especially large one, for instance, or one carrying a strange weapon?" Thor looked around at the crowd.

"No."

"Didn't see any." The villagers shook their heads.

"How many Goblins did each of you encounter?" Thor asked.

"Two. I was on my way to bring Lime some water when I saw the rice beside the road moving. I got suspicious, and when I realized they were Goblins, I ran straight back to the village," said a stout woman.

"Three. Luckily, I spotted them early. I swung my sickle and ran for my life," a farmer said, still shaken.

"Two. They ambushed me. Luckily, Rain killed them and saved me," Gates said. The farmer had only recently finished having his wound bandaged.

At that, all four Adventurers turned to look at him.