Bending low and crouching, Haus and Captain Garp both squeezed into the goblin den.
The passage was long, shaped like a horizontal funnel.
At first it was somewhat narrow, and Haus kept bumping his head.
But after advancing over ten meters, the passage began to widen, reaching an overall diameter of about two meters.
Haus could finally stretch his body.
But he didn’t take a deep breath.
The faint stench seeping through the “mask” into his nostrils was a constant warning to Haus, if he dared to breathe deeply, he would undoubtedly experience an unforgettable, intense assault.
Not far ahead, the ground became soft, sticky, and the stench seeping into his nostrils grew even stronger.
By now, the entire passage had widened to a three-meter diameter.
Through the gap beside Garp’s neck, Haus noticed what seemed to be a relatively spacious room ahead.
Probably the main hall.
Just then, Garp stopped.
“Haus, brace yourself.” The cryptic words made Haus realize something.
An unpleasant thought crossed his mind.
Garp took a few more steps forward until he reached the hall, then moved aside to clear the view.
Only then could Haus finally see the scene inside the hall.
At that moment, Haus, who had remained unfazed even when facing flying flesh and blood, now felt a wave of nausea.
After a few seconds to steady himself, the still-uncomfortable Haus instinctively grabbed the slime lady hidden against his chest, pressed her to his face, and took a deep breath.
It was still that faint, fresh fragrance.
The slime’s scent hadn’t turned foul from being stained with Goblin blood; the blood on her skin had already been repelled, just like when she shook off the dust and dirt earlier.
Coming to his senses, Haus instinctively glanced at Garp.
He hadn’t told Garp that he had been carrying the slime lady all along.
But Garp didn’t seem to mind at the moment; he didn’t even look at Haus, instead remaining vigilant of their surroundings.
This reassured Haus.
Right, when he was hit by the arrow earlier, Garp must have already noticed the slime lady’s presence.
“Captain, I’m ready.” Haus whispered, then stuffed the slime lady back against his chest, spreading her out as armor, before moving to Garp’s side.
Together, they passed through the hall of bones and headed toward the nursery in the corner.
Haus used his longsword to pierce and kill the goblin offspring still gnawing on their mother’s remains one by one.
After exterminating the goblin offspring, Captain Garp approached and inspected the surroundings.
Confirming there were no living creatures and no survivors to rescue, Captain Garp handed the torch to Haus.
He then gathered piles of straw from the nursery and placed them beneath the granary, storage room, resting nests, and bone tools.
“Haus, you do it.” Garp handed a small bundle of straw to Haus and took back the torch.
“Mm.” Haus didn’t refuse.
He lit the straw, tossed it into the pile, and the flames began to spread slowly.
After quickly setting fire to all the designated spots, Haus retreated to the passage entrance and hurried out alongside Garp.
Outside the cave entrance, the three other squad members were already waiting.
“It’s over.” Garp patted Haus on the shoulder, his eyes carrying a reassuring steadiness and a hint of appreciation.
However, upon noticing Jack, who was being supported by Russell and wearing a beaming smile, a flicker of regret flashed in Garp’s eyes.
“Let’s go.” The team returned to the temporary camp.
Garp took over from Russell in supporting Jack, while Zem was responsible for carrying the luggage of the three.
As for Haus, he returned the same way he came, though now he carried two additional items.
One was the newly contracted slime lady attached to his chest, and the other was a trophy pouch containing goblin ears.
Not long after they left, the ground behind the goblin nest collapsed with a thunderous roar, and black smoke spread all around.
A short while later, a group of green slimes appeared nearby, hopping and bouncing, and swallowed all the Goblin corpses on the ground.
…
The five of them returned to Windchime Town.
Due to the injuries of Jack and Russell, who urgently needed further treatment, the journey that would normally have taken a full day of slow walking was compressed into half a day.
In the evening, with the silver moon hanging high in the sky, the five finally emerged from the Misty Forest and arrived at the wasteland that lay between the town and the forest.
The wasteland was crisscrossed with man-made paths.
Looking around, Garp noticed a carriage heading toward the town not far away.
He shouted loudly and waved to stop the carriage.
Afterward, everyone rode back to the town in the traveling merchant’s carriage.
Zem took Jack and Russell to the church for treatment, while Captain Garp and Haus went to the Adventurers’ Guild with the trophies to settle their rewards.
Even at night, the doors of the Adventurers’ Guild remained wide open.
Many adventurers sat at tables large and small in the hall, drinking beer and boasting to others about their daytime adventures.
They also shared their gains.
The wooden floor creaked softly under the footsteps of passersby, occasionally punctuated by the clinking of mugs, the crackling of firewood, and the low murmurs of adventurers, all blending together.
The familiar environment allowed Haus to relax completely.
As soon as he entered, Garp was greeted warmly by many adventurers.
He was highly popular here, so much so that even the Adventurers’ Guild was willing to vouch for Garp and recommend him to the newcomer Haus.
“Uncle Garp, you really took this kid on an adventure!” As the two made their way to the front desk, a middle-aged adventurer with stubble suddenly raised a wooden mug and shouted loudly at Garp.
Another somewhat drunken Dwarf adventurer suddenly leaped from his chair onto a table, pointed a finger at Haus, took a huge gulp of beer, and then laughed heartily: “Kid, how was your first adventure?
Scared out of your wits, weren’t you?
Hahaha!” As soon as he finished speaking, several other adventurers shouted: “Do you still want to go on adventures?
Can you handle the stench and terror?” “Didn’t you hide behind old man Garp, trembling in fear?” These people teasing Haus were the same adventurers Haus had approached earlier in the Adventurers’ Guild, hoping to join their parties for his first adventure.
Of course, they had all refused him.
The reason was simple: adventure was no child’s play.
An ordinary person who hadn’t even mastered any skills didn’t even qualify to become an adventurer.
Not to mention that Haus was originally just an ordinary farmer in the town, with no exceptional martial skills and no direct experience with monsters, unaware of the dangers involved in dealing with them.
They would never agree to let such a newcomer join them.
Otherwise, they would have to divert their attention to protect him when facing monsters later.
Listening to these words, Haus remained unmoved.
He knew these people meant no harm; they were merely trying to persuade him to give up the dangerous life of adventure.
On the other hand, Garp, standing nearby, smiled and placed his hand on Haus’s shoulder, pulling him close as he looked around at the smiling faces.
“…” The laughter and noise gradually faded as Garp’s gaze swept over them.
When the clamor finally died down, Garp glanced at Haus, who remained calm, then suddenly raised his other arm high and shouted to the crowd: “Brother Haus not only fought six goblins alone on his first adventure but also saved Russell and Jack’s lives later.
Without him, even I might never have made it back here.
Let us raise our glasses to the brave Haus!” The guild hall fell silent for a few seconds.
The drunken dwarf adventurer standing on the table stared blankly, then suddenly let out an astonished “Whoa!” and tilted his head back, pouring all the ale from his mug over his face.
“*Cough-hah~* Haus!” Then, the entire hall erupted into a fervent roar!
Everyone raised their mugs in unison.
“Haus!” “Haus!” “Haus!”