Slightly dazed, Haus suddenly felt a chilling sensation.
He immediately lowered his head, bent his knees, and threw himself flat on the ground.
The next moment, a gust of wind swept over his head.
A massive shadow streaked across the ground.
Reacting swiftly, Haus rolled over without a second thought, drawing his longsword from its scabbard and pointing it toward the sky.
A bird-like monster.
It moved too quickly, its afterimage vanishing in the mist in an instant.
Haus strained his eyes but couldn’t discern the specific species of this bird-like monster from the blurred brown-and-white outline.
But one thing he was certain of: this creature meant no good.
“Sylvia!” Haus turned his head and shouted, snapping Sylvia out of her terrified, panicked state.
“Huh?” Sylvia instinctively asked.
“Attack it!” “Huh?
Ah!” Sylvia hurriedly took her bow from her back, then retrieved an arrow from her quiver, drawing the bowstring and aiming toward the sky.
But by now, the bird-like monster had already disappeared into the mist at the horizon.
Her reaction was too slow.
The creature had already fled.
Haus looked at Sylvia, who stood frozen in place, bowstring drawn and at a loss, a flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
But then again, she was a newcomer.
Haus tried to console himself with that thought.
Yet, thinking about the unknown risks they still had to face, he couldn’t help but frown.
He decided to imitate how Garp had once taught him and give Sylvia a thorough explanation that evening on how a competent adventurer should respond in a crisis.
The other two stood there dumbfounded as well.
Although they lacked long-range attack methods, they couldn’t just stand there like targets.
Compared to the team he had previously been in, led by Captain Garp, the three individuals before him clearly had not yet adapted to the rhythm of adventure.
They couldn’t even manage the most basic emergency responses.
…
At night, Haus officially began his lesson.
Sylvia listened with utmost seriousness, her back straight as a rod, her eyes fixed intently on Haus, not daring to even breathe too loudly for fear of missing any detail.
Occasionally, she would nod slightly, silently committing the key points to memory.
In contrast, perhaps due to exhaustion from the day’s trek or because Haus’s explanations held little appeal for her, Layla’s head kept nodding, her gaze unfocused, as if she could fall asleep at any moment.
As for Pierce beside Layla, Haus didn’t even know what to say about this guy.
He just fell asleep like that?
His heart was truly big.
After the explanation was mostly done, Haus stopped speaking.
He first glanced at Layla, who had completely fallen asleep with her head resting on Pierce’s chest, and shook his head helplessly.
Then he turned to Sylvia, who was still sitting attentively, and asked in a gentle, serious tone: “Sylvia, can you take the second watch?” He planned to take the first watch himself and let Sylvia, who possessed the Perception Skill, take the more dangerous second watch.
As for the two sleeping beside them, Haus already had plans in mind.
Before he finished his watch and prepared to rest, he would definitely wake them both up and force them to keep watch together with Sylvia.
He absolutely would not let Sylvia bear all the risks of the dense forest night alone.
Listening to Haus’s plan, Sylvia nodded with a serious expression.
“I can!” “Alright then, you go rest first.” The firelight from the campfire illuminated Haus’s face.
Gripping his longsword, he quietly and earnestly carried out his watch duty, just like during his first adventure.
…
Late at night, Haus, having finished his watch, shook Sylvia awake.
Then he signaled her to wake the other two.
“Ah, watch duty…” Pierce rubbed his bleary eyes, groggily coming to his senses, and drew his longsword from his waist.
Beside him, Layla was also drowsy, not fully awake yet.
She reached out her hand in confusion, fumbling around her sides, trying to find her staff.
Haus kindly reminded her of the staff’s location, then waited for the two to fully wake up.
After a moment, Pierce finally shook off his sleepiness, his spirits fully restored.
He stood up confidently, holding his longsword and looking at Haus, patting his chest as he made a promise to let Haus rest assured.
The other two did the same.
“…Mhm.” Haus responded, then lay down on the ground and closed his eyes.
But before resting, Haus patted Lilim, who was hidden inside his chest, and mentally instructed her not to sleep, to keep watch for him.
If there was any movement, she should bump him awake.
Haus did not fully trust these three.
He never assumed the worst of others with malice, but as adventurers, necessary vigilance was still required.
Moreover, even if these three weren’t bad people, their adventuring skills were hardly reassuring.
After all, they were all greenhorns, lacking in on-the-spot adaptability and far from vigilant enough.
If they truly encountered sudden danger, they might not react in time.
Just like earlier.
…
Fortunately, the three of them managed to hold the second watch steadily without any mishaps.
Early the next morning, the first faint rays of light pierced through the forest mist.
After resting for the night, the four packed their belongings and continued toward the mission location.
The mist in the forest still hadn’t dispersed.
A damp, cold wind carrying the scent of grass and trees brushed against their faces, and the fallen leaves underfoot rustled with each step.
After walking for about another half an hour, the mist ahead gradually thinned, and a low mound faintly appeared in the distance.
They had finally reached the destination of this mission.
Seeing the outline of the typical Goblin nest, excitement and exhilaration instantly surged onto Pierce’s face, his eyes brimming with eagerness.
After observing for a moment, he immediately drew his longsword from its sheath and was about to step forward when Haus grabbed his arm.
“Not so fast.” Haus whispered.
He hadn’t forgotten about the second Goblin Archer hidden in the bushes earlier, nor the Goblin Warrior concealed within the nest.
Haus turned to look at Sylvia.
She nodded and immediately activated her Detection Skill.
“All clear.” Just as Sylvia was about to release the skill, Pierce suddenly spoke up: “What’s there to fear?
They’re just mere Goblins.” He spoke to Haus with a dismissive tone, “You just protect the two of them.
Leave the rest to me.
With the equipment I have, I can take care of all these scum by myself.” “We are a team,” Haus didn’t let go, his tone carrying a hint of coldness.
“Before you act, you need to consider whether you might endanger others in the party.” Meeting Haus’s serious and earnest gaze, Pierce’s arm twitched, but in the end, he chose not to force his way free.
A moment later.
After receiving the information that there was no second Goblin Archer or any other Goblins hidden in the surrounding grass, Haus finally released Pierce.
Unable to hold back any longer, Pierce immediately urged Sylvia to take out the lone Goblin Archer, while he himself burst out of the hiding spot in the grass and charged straight toward the Goblin Sentry at the entrance of the nest.
Seeing Pierce act so rashly, even rushing out before Sylvia could shoot down the goblin, Haus sighed inwardly.
Setting aside his scattered thoughts, Haus began to fulfill his duty as a guardian, staying vigilant of their surroundings and preparing to support Pierce at any moment.
But as he casually glanced upward, Haus’s pupils suddenly contracted, and his expression changed drastically.
He immediately released his grip on his sword, extending both arms at once, one pressing down on Sylvia’s head, the other on Layla’s, forcefully pushing both of them down and lowering their postures.