Chapter 12: Rescue the Merchant Team

Edward accepted the mission happily even if it was a slap in the face by the System.

After all, after poking around the System to familiarize himself with it, he learned that completing quests earned more experience and rewards than hunting for beasts.

Still, while they had received quests such as ‘daily quest: hunt ten rodents’ or ‘weekly quest: collect thirty boar tusks’, that was the first time they received such a side quest.

After the group had ascertained the contents of the mission, they quickly sneaked toward the direction where the fighting was.

Soon, they reached the battle, hiding behind a lush shrub to peek at the situation.

The battle was occurring in a spacious clearing in the forest, the center of which were several carriages. Edward at once recognize that those were caravans of traveling merchants—there were some who had occasionally passed through Kennington Village, where it would become as busy as a festive season every occasion they did so. However, the village was too poor and the villagers did not have much savings, and the traveling merchants eventually stopped visiting them due to the lack of profits.

Goblins, standing over a meter tall were surrounding them in a tight pack. Although it did not appear as if they had weapons or armor, they numbered more than a hundred.

The humpbeasts pulling the carriages had already been killed—their corpses were piled in a circle by the mercenaries around the carriages as a makeshift fort.

On the other hand, the merchants and mercenaries numbered up to just a dozen. Even if their weapons were sharp and their armor solid, they could not stand against the numbers of the opposing force—already, two amongst them who were nearby the perimeter created with the humpbeasts could no longer fight.

It appeared to be a matter of time before all was lost.

“What should we do? Should we help?” Joe quietly asked Edward, gulping.

Edward said nothing. He was chewing his fingernail; he looked rather hesitant.

Both Gou Dan and Jessica appeared doubtful as well.

That was the first time they encountered such a dangerous situation. More worryingly, those goblins were too many—they just might be killed along if they helped!

They were now players, and Xi Wei did mention that they would be revived with sufficient experience. However, they had yet to overcome their old mindset, not to mention that none of them really ‘died’ after leaving Kennington Village despite the many scrapes and bruises they had sustained.

On the other hand, Eleena appeared unconcerned. Being a Saintess, her Faith was absolutely stronger than the other four.

“If you guys are afraid, let me divert their attention,” she said eagerly. “I think I could take ten of them!”

“But there are more than a hundred of them,” Gou Dan shot back.

“By the ancestors, you’re the one amongst us who can cast revive. According to His Lordship, we have to wait three days before we could resurrect if you die in battle!”

“And minus twenty percent EXP,” Jessica added.

“Eh? But I’m really bored with hiding behind everyone every time…” Eleena grumbled unhappily.

Edward turned towards Joe with a look that said please-help-me-convince-her.

Joe nodded in understanding, and then proceeded to scream ‘Wryyyyyyy!’ as he dashed out of the shrub and bounded toward the goblins.

Everyone in the fight—goblin or merchant—turned at once toward them.

“That idiot!”

Quickly dropping his conversation with Eleena, Edward picked up his arcane staff and gave chase, unsure if he should laugh or cry.

Meanwhile, Gou Dan had moved swiftly and fired an arrow at one of the goblins which was trying to ambush them, whereas Jessica buffed Joe with Strengthen.

“We’re the Silver Chime, thanks for your help!”

A middle-aged man who was dressed as a merchant shouted at them, but just a moment later, he added puzzledly, “Where’s the rest of the reinforcements? Are there any adults?”

“We’re it,” Edward replied after launching a Frost Bullet to freeze two goblins. “Just the five of us.”

The man who appeared delighted reverted to his despondent look before.

Five brats who had yet to grow pubes. Under such a force of goblins, it was literally trying to douse a burning cart of firewood with a cup of water.

Not even a bubble would surface.

Nonetheless, his face changed again in no time at all—those five unusual brats were surprisingly formidable.

Although the huge brat essentially lumbered around, was slow to react and did not look the part of a warrior at all, each swing of his blade would send a goblin into the air. In fact, whether that particular goblin was charging at him or flailing his own wooden club, it made no difference as all of them would be blown away!

Unusually, while other swordsmen would have pursued their target and stabbed the goblin in the vitals to kill, he was different—after sending each goblin flying, he would instead grab it for a suplex…

Although his might was devastating, something was amiss.

The mage brat who looked like the group’s leader was even more superior. After having met the old mages of grand cities, the middle-aged man had seen them use their magic up close. However, all of them had to chant or prepare certain arcane materials before they could unleash their spells, with even the more powerful ones needing to make signs to do the same.

Even if he was only essentially switching between two skills: fireballs and snowballs, he did not have to prepare before casting his spells directly.

After all, if it had been any other mage, you would hear them chant, “Fairies of the Wind. Heed my call: fuse, morph, set. Bless thee with the name of Frost and freeze thine foes in blood and bone thus to bring the deadly cold to the land…”

On the other hand, all that mage brat murmured was ‘Frost Bullet’.

That was what it felt like.

Not to mention that the power of his magic was not decreasing even after casting for an extended time.

Utterly mind-blowing!