Sarah wiped away her tears. “Fortunately, Uncle Rogan drove those monsters away.”
Rogan was the village's militia captain. He wasn't exceptionally strong, but he didn't show any mercy when dealing with goblins.
But girl, why do you have to pause so dramatically? You're giving me a heart attack.
Lynn's heart had been in his throat, and he had almost been unable to take it.
Still, it was good news.
He would be setting off for the town in a while. With the village safe, he wouldn't have to worry about Sarah's safety.
Lynn looked down at Sarah, whose eyes were red from crying over him. His heart softened, but in the end, his resolve remained firm.
Lynn wanted to see the outside world. He wanted to become a spellcaster and experience the vastly different customs of this otherworldly realm.
And all of this required strength.
Lynn was undoubtedly lucky. He had activated the 《Monster Identification Manual》, and he only needed to defeat monsters to grow stronger.
Right now, he was only two Talent Points away from activating the "Strong Goblin" talent.
Therefore, he could not afford to stop and remain in the village.
...
The next day.
“Phew—”
Rogan let out a long breath and sheathed his longsword.
Lynn had heard Rogan mention before that this longsword had been with him for over a decade, back when Rogan was still a fledgling adventurer.
Yes, Rogan used to be an adventurer.
According to Rogan himself, he had spent a few months as an adventurer in the town during his young and reckless days.
However, during a quest, he had a dispute with his teammates and was kicked out of the party. Disheartened, he returned straight to Yar Village and took up the position of militia captain.
After putting away his weapon, Rogan looked at Lynn, who had been watching from the side for a long time, and asked, “So, you want to become an adventurer? And you want me to give you special training?”
Lynn nodded.
Stray monsters wouldn't always be waiting around for him to hunt.
To ensure his own safety, a solid set of martial skills was indispensable.
Rogan didn't agree immediately. Instead, he asked, “Why do you want to become an adventurer? Do you have any idea how dangerous an adventurer's life is?”
Lynn didn't say much. He simply pulled out the pitchfork he had used yesterday.
It was still stained with the green blood of the monsters.
Rogan frowned.
“You fought goblins? It's good for young people to have fire in their bellies, but I recall telling you that if you encounter monsters, your first priority is to run and ensure your own safety, right?”
“I killed four goblins.”
“How many?! Cough, cough—”
Because he spoke too quickly, Rogan began to cough violently, nearly choking on his own breath.
He rolled his eyes at Lynn in annoyance.
“You brat, you really dare to boast. Did you starve yourself into a delirium? Come to my house later, I'll have your aunt cook you a meal.”
Clearly, he didn't believe Lynn could kill that many goblins.
Although those green-skinned runts weren't particularly powerful monsters, an underage, somewhat malnourished orphan was obviously incapable of killing so many of them.
During yesterday's goblin intrusion, their entire militia had mobilized, and they had only managed to leave behind the corpses of six goblins.
Now, a thin and small orphan was claiming he had killed several of them all by himself?
Rogan didn't believe it at all, thinking Lynn was talking nonsense out of hunger.
Lynn naturally understood Rogan's reaction.
Truth be told, if he hadn't awakened his cheat, he probably would have run out of strength after killing one or two goblins, ultimately becoming goblin food himself.
Though helpless, Lynn still explained, “What I said is true. When have I ever lied to you, Uncle Rogan? Besides, the goblin corpses in the field probably haven't been cleared out yet. If you don't believe me, you can come with me to take a look.”
Rogan stroked his chin half-skeptically, but in the end, he chose to believe Lynn.
This kid actually managed to kill so many goblins all by himself?
He scrutinized Lynn seriously, only to realize with some surprise that the “snot-nosed brat” in his eyes seemed to have grown even taller and broader than himself.
When did this kid get so sturdy...
Rogan began to doubt his own eyes.
He clearly remembered that when he brought Lynn to his house for dinner a few days ago, Lynn was still slightly shorter than him. How did he shoot up so high in the blink of an eye?
Naturally, Rogan would never know that something like the 《Monster Identification Manual》 existed in this world.
“But even if you luckily killed a few goblins, you're still a long way from being an adventurer.”
Lynn smiled and timely presented a piece of beast meat, which he had bought with his savings.
“That's why I need you to help train me, so I can become a qualified adventurer.”
Rogan looked at the “bribe” Lynn handed over, muttered something under his breath, and finally patted Lynn on the shoulder.
“Come on, head home with me. Let your aunt stew this meat to build up your strength. Tomorrow, we start your special training!”
...
In the blink of an eye, several more days passed, and Lynn had caught the tail end of summer.
The results of these past few days of training were remarkable.
Although his physical constitution wasn't great, his high Intelligence attribute of eight points allowed him to make rapid progress when learning combat techniques.
A few days of special training hadn't allowed him to master any profound martial arts, but he had mostly grasped basic combat techniques like thrusts and sweeps.
For a fledgling adventurer, this was already enough.
Bang—
Two wooden training spears clashed and instantly parted.
Rogan felt a sudden numbness in his wrist, and his weapon slipped from his grip, clattering to the ground.
“What was that just now? How did you suddenly vanish from right under my nose for a split second? I couldn't even track your movements.”
During their final spar, Lynn had finally used Stealth.
As it turned out, the effect was outstanding.
Even an experienced veteran like Rogan was affected by the power of Stealth.
And at this moment, Rogan also guessed the reason behind Lynn's “temporary disappearance.”
He said in disbelief, “Was that... a Skill?”
Lynn's expression remained calm as he nodded in acknowledgment.
Although he had defeated Rogan head-on, Lynn knew in his heart that he had merely taken advantage of the element of surprise.
Yet Rogan's expression remained complex.
To an adventurer, there was no such thing as “taking advantage of the element of surprise.”
They weren't sparring; they were risking their lives.
Once a sword slashed a neck, whether it was a monster or an adventurer, there were no second chances.
Rogan sat down heavily on a nearby step, staring silently at Lynn.
This boy, who had always kept a low profile in the village, had actually mastered a Skill without making a sound!
Even Rogan, who had been an adventurer for several months, had to spend all his savings just to buy a common Spin Slash skill book, barely managing to learn a single skill.
Yet the skill Lynn possessed was clearly far rarer and more practical than Spin Slash.
What Rogan didn't know was that Lynn had actually mastered more than just Stealth. Otherwise, he would probably begin to question his own existence.
Seeing such an outstanding junior stand before him, Rogan's mood was undoubtedly filled with a sense of melancholy.
But this feeling lasted only a moment.
After all, he was just an old-timer now. Having such a promising newcomer was a good thing for the village no matter what.
Rogan found a step and sat down.
Sparring with Lynn these past few days had completely exhausted him.
Although Lynn's physical attributes and martial skills were inferior to his, Rogan was in his forties, after all, and his strength had long passed its peak.
A man in his forties would quickly grow exhausted after only a brief period of exertion.
Thus, even without using a skill like Stealth, Lynn could still hold his own against Rogan for dozens of exchanges, lasting until Rogan wore himself out.
Lynn gathered the wooden spears they had used and placed them back on the rack.
“I plan to head to the town today,” Lynn said to Rogan after packing up his things.
Rogan looked at Lynn with a complex gaze.
He could see the ambition for the world hidden in the boy's eyes, as well as the strength latent within his body.
Rogan had no intention of dissuading him further, only saying softly, “For a young man, going out to explore the world is a good thing.”
Lynn bowed slightly to Rogan, the teacher who had instructed him for over ten days, and then turned to leave.
His things were already packed.
It was time to depart.
Lynn picked up his bundle. Aside from his luggage, it also contained a parting gift from the village chief—
It was said to be a weapon left behind by a powerful adventurer who once lived in the village.
A shortsword.
Its scabbard was simple and unadorned, but the shortsword inside carried a faint aura of passing years.
The shortsword was heavy, cast from some unknown but likely precious material.
Moreover, for some reason, when he touched this shortsword, Lynn always felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if they were connected by blood.
Strange...
Lynn placed the shortsword back into his bundle.
But just as he reached the village entrance, his steps suddenly halted.
A familiar figure had appeared not far ahead at some point.
It was Sarah.
Lynn's pace slowed down.
Why was Sarah here? Who had told her about his departure?
To be honest, Lynn was not good at handling this kind of situation.
He hadn't planned on saying goodbye to Sarah, only asking her father to let her know.
At this moment, Sarah was standing by the roadside with her hands behind her back, her head lowered, kicking at the pebbles beneath her feet with a sullen expression.
Honestly, this made Lynn almost want to activate Stealth and slip away.
He was truly terrible at dealing with girls.
But in the end, Lynn still walked over.
Sarah looked up, a hint of pleasant surprise in her eyes when she saw Lynn, but it quickly faded into gloom.
Finally, she managed to force a small smile. “Father told me you're leaving the village...”
Lynn nodded.
The girl pulled a cloth pouch from behind her back and pressed it into Lynn's hands, still warm with her body heat.
“This is the money I usually save up. Before you go adventuring, remember to buy yourself some decent armor. Don't be stingy with your spending...”
Lynn didn't refuse. He placed the cloth pouch into his breast pocket, tucking it away carefully.
“Go on, then,” Sarah waved her hand, pretending to be casual. “I'm sure you can't wait.”
Facing the adults, Lynn could easily speak his mind, but at this moment, he didn't know what to say.
After hesitating for a long while, he finally squeezed out a single sentence: “I'll be back.”
“Mm... Make sure you return safely.”
Sarah stepped forward and hugged him. Ever since they grew up, the two had rarely shared such intimate gestures.
Lynn's body stiffened.
By the time he snapped out of the soft embrace, a faint lip print had been left on his cheek, carrying the fresh scent of soil and wild mountain flowers, identical to the girl's fragrance.
Rate on N.U.
