The cold blade slashed for the last time, spraying a burst of filthy green blood.
The final Goblin, attempting a desperate ambush from the shadowed crevice, clutched its nearly severed throat, wheezing “khh khh” as air escaped, twisted malice and the sudden grip of death frozen on its ugly face. It collapsed heavily, convulsed twice, then moved no more.
Hans gripped his Small Round Shield and Longsword tightly. The heavy Covering Helm restricted his sight and hearing, but he still turned warily left and right, muscles taut, not daring to relax for a moment.
Beside him, Gelte did the same. The two stood back-to-back, like silent iron towers, guarding the heart of the Nest that had just witnessed a brief but brutal battle.
The air was thick with the inescapable stench of blood, the reek of excrement, and a peculiar Nest-like rot, all mingled with the faint, scorched odor from burning torches—a nauseating blend.
On the ground, seven or eight Goblin corpses lay sprawled in various grotesque positions.
The battle was over, yet Hans and Gelte remained in defensive stances.
Three days of cooperation, from awkward beginnings to near instinct.
They had come to deeply understand and adapt to Mr. Rakshasa’s combat style and commands.
If he said to stay alert, there could be no relaxation.
If he said attack, they’d charge without hesitation.
If he said stop, the sword was sheathed at once and they retreated.
Especially when clearing these Goblin Nests, their employer always seemed to possess an almost prophetic sense of danger.
Just when they thought all enemies had been wiped out, he would spot the last one or two Goblins hiding deeper in the shadows, or camouflaged in garbage.
Repeated bloody lessons proved that until he declared it over, any lapse could bring unnecessary trouble and risk.
Though wearing this iron shell was stifling and hot, and the view was terrible, the sense of security was undeniable.
At least there was no need to worry about those rusty short arrows dipped in who-knows-what striking their face—though Mr. Rakshasa could heal, it still hurt.
In the silence, only the crackling of torches and the rough, muffled breathing of the two echoed within the cavern.
Finally, a clear, calm voice sounded, seemingly untouched by the filthy surroundings, breaking the stagnant air.
“It’s over. Thank you both for your hard work.”
It was as if a pardon had been granted.
Hans and Gelte almost simultaneously exhaled long breaths of relief, the tension draining from their shoulders.
Hans couldn’t resist raising his arm to wipe the condensation from his visor, but only succeeded in scraping metal against metal, the view still foggy.
With a clatter, Hans set the Small Round Shield beside his leg, struggling to lift the heavy visor, greedily inhaling the air—still foul, but at least flowing—sweat streaming down his face.
“This damn place makes me want to vomit up last night’s dinner every time.”
He spat, voice weary but more relaxed with the mission complete.
Gelte also lifted his visor, revealing a similarly sweat-soaked face.
He had fewer words, simply nodding in agreement before inspecting his sword for nicks.
“Hey, Gelte, did you see it? That last one that pounced almost scratched my leg. Good thing I reacted fast and bashed it back with my shield!”
Hans began eagerly recounting the battle, even if it had been almost one-sided.
“I saw. Bad luck for it.”
Gelte rumbled, wiping filthy blood from his sword with a ragged cloth.
“No kidding! Mr. Rakshasa is so swift and decisive. If all the town’s Priests were this skilled, I’d be out of a job.”
Hans chuckled, glancing toward the blond youth standing by a Goblin corpse.
“Say, Mr. Rakshasa, with skills like yours, you must have been in the business of clearing monsters, right? Maybe the elite type that handles tricky commissions?”
Shi Hanfeng didn’t reply. The more you said about these things, the easier it was to slip up. The original owner of this template did handle dangerous monsters, but those monsters were a bit… formidable.
He crouched, his gaze scanning the edge of his vision at the prompts only he could see.
[Goblin killed ×8]
[Obtained: Wild Strawberry ×3, Fresh Egg x2, Fresh Meat x1]
[Obtained: Silver Coin x8]
[Obtained: Worn Leather Greaves (White-quality) x1]
[Obtained: Rusty Iron Helmet (White-quality) x1]
The harvest was as humble as ever.
Other than Silver Coins being solid currency, the fruits, eggs, and meat weren’t particularly effective before cooking, only useful as emergency supplies in the backpack space. At least they didn’t take up weight or spoil.
The two pieces of White-quality Equipment offered minor defense—nothing like Gloves of Strength—just plain junk.
But none of that was the point.
His attention was on the core reward of this clearing.
With the Nest upstream of Blackwater Creek thoroughly purged, a familiar virtual popup appeared, carrying a hint of celebration, occupying most of his vision.
[Great Victory! e80039]
[Congratulations on advancing further on the path of the hunt!]
[Obtained: Wooden Treasure Chest ×1]
This was the fourth.
In just three days, following Hans’ efficient route, they had cleared four Goblin Nests without pause.
From Grey Wolf Valley to the Abandoned Lumberyard, then to the edge of the Old Mine, and finally, the upstream of Blackwater Creek.
Each Nest cleared granted such a Wooden Treasure Chest.
Compared to the meager Copper and Silver Coins and junk loot from monsters, these chests were the real prize.
The items from the first three chests had already recouped and even profited the entire operation.
Each chest reliably gave 5 Gold Coins. The three chests meant 15 coins alone.
This was more than enough to cover Hans and Gelte’s pay and the cost of supplies, turning a solid profit.
Moreover, the chests had yielded two pieces of White-quality Equipment, a Longsword sharper than the starter dull blade, a Leather Armor that slightly increased agility, and a green-quality Lockmail with decent defense—though he couldn’t use it and planned to sell it.
Now, for the fourth chest…
Shi Hanfeng smoothly locked onto the chest with his mind and chose to open it.
The familiar soft blue glow shimmered as the lid slowly rose.
Hm? Jackpot?
Shi Hanfeng’s eyes narrowed.
[Obtained Gold Coin ×5]
[Obtained Equipment: Holy Knight’s Silent Vow Ring ×1]
It really was—and it was just the part he needed.
A silver ring of simple design appeared in his backpack space, its surface engraved with patterns similar to the Sanctified Paladin’s Forgiveness Visor. A blood-red gem was set into the silvery band, exuding a beauty that was both sacred and tainted, like the helm.
[Holy Knight’s Silent Vow Ring]
Type: Equipment (Accessory)
Quality: Blue/Exquisite
Description: The vow ring of the Paladin Safina, symbolizing her silence and resolve. Effectively weakens spell effects targeting the wearer. One component of the Pope of the Pure Court’s Paladin Set.
[Pope of the Pure Court Paladin (2-piece set) effect activated: All healing skill effects increased by 10%]
A two-piece set.
Even if it was just the lowest set effect, a 10% healing boost was a tangible power-up.
The base strength of “Wish of the White Flower” and “Cycle of Vitality” was already high; with this boost, as long as someone wasn’t dead, he could heal them back.
Not to mention the ring’s innate magic resistance, a highly practical stat.
Without hesitation, he equipped the ring.
He could clearly sense the power of Fengrao within him growing denser and more lively.
“Mr. Rakshasa, is there something else?”
Hans saw Shi Hanfeng standing still for a moment, a faint smile on his face, and couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Shi Hanfeng snapped out of it, suppressing his excitement as he answered in his usual calm tone.
“Nothing. Clean up and prepare to return to Ximu Town. All four commissions are done. We need to report back.”
“Got it!”
Hans perked up at the prospect of going back.
Three days of rough travel and fighting in caves—safe and well-paid, yes, but exhausting all the same.
He called to Gelte and began expertly cutting off Goblin left ears as mission proof.
Shi Hanfeng cast one last glance over the wrecked Nest, thoughts churning.
Now that he finally had downtime, he could reflect on some strange things.
These rewards… were abnormal.
Goblin—a creature regarded as trash by Hans and Gelte, a Nest commission worth just five Silver Coins—was, for him, a walking goldmine.
Each one dropped Silver Coins, and clearing a Nest yielded chests. He’d assumed this was the normal drop rate for monsters here, but the drop rates from other creatures changed his mind.
Over these three days, they’d also cleared out a few Forest Wolves that attacked them on the road.
In terms of combat strength, wolves were far superior—faster, stronger, and with better physical traits.
Normally, their drops should have been better than Goblins.
Yet, when killed, the rewards were sparse—just a few scattered Copper Coins and some poor-quality wolf pelts. Forget chests, there weren’t even Silver Coins.
One Goblin was worth almost ten Forest Wolves.
Factoring in the world’s background and his own immunity to malicious modifications thanks to the Noble Fourth Calamity, he had a theory.
The Goblin itself might only account for a tenth of the rewards.
The remaining ninety percent came from a BUFF bestowed by the gods.
A weak mob forced into elite status by a powerful mechanic and a lofty prefix, but with unchanged stats.
And his own talent rendered him immune to this mechanic.
It felt like he was exploiting a system bug.
The gods had slapped a high-value cognitive distortion onto Goblins to increase their threat and drama.
But because of his immunity, he bypassed this, reaping high-value rewards meant for more dangerous foes.
No wonder clearing Nests paid so well—by system standards, he was clearing an elite monster Nest.
Low risk, high return.
“Heh…”
Shi Hanfeng almost laughed aloud.
What was this, fleecing the gods?
Because of some divine whimsy, his act of clearing Goblins was deemed a higher-value, greater-challenge task.
A perfect path to wealth—no, to power.
The commission reward for clearing Nests was just a bonus; the real gain was the talent-granted chests and drops.
Now, as a Player, he had a new goal: collect the full Pope of the Pure Court four-piece set.
“Mr. Rakshasa, all packed.”
Hans’ voice interrupted his thoughts as he weighed a bulging pouch.
Shi Hanfeng took the bag and tossed it into his backpack.
“Let’s go. Back to Ximu Town, turn in the mission, restock and recover.”
He looked at Hans and Gelte, adding evenly,
“One day of rest. Then, check if the Adventurers’ Guild has any new Goblin extermination commissions.”
Hans and Gelte exchanged looks, surprise in their eyes—along with the gleam of “as expected” and “jackpot.”
He was really going all-in on Goblins!
They didn’t understand, but who could refuse money?
A job that was safe, efficient, and paid far better than expected—may there be many more!
“No problem, Mr. Rakshasa!”
Hans pounded his chest, voice hearty.
“I’ll keep an eye out for you! If Ximu Town has anything in abundance, it’s unclaimed Goblin commissions!”
The three extinguished all but one torch, leaving just enough light as they retraced their steps outward.
Emerging from the dim Nest into the glaring afternoon sunlight, the fresh forest air brought a sense of rebirth, as if returning from another world.
Shi Hanfeng squinted into the sun’s warmth, unconsciously rubbing the new silver ring on his right index finger with his left hand.
Beneath the cold metal flowed the power of healing.
Pope of the Pure Court Paladin two-piece set.
He recalled the “Pope of the Pure Court” mentioned in the Sanctified Paladin’s Forgiveness Visor’s description, a background he’d read out of curiosity when the relics first appeared.
It seemed to be an organization linked to the fate of Fengrao, devoted to extreme healing and obsessive order, ultimately corrupted and slain by the Demon guarding the Saintess—a rather ironic end.
He wondered if Mr. Rakshasa had any connection to the owner of this set.
He shook his head, dismissing thoughts he couldn’t yet confirm.
Whatever stories lay behind this equipment, for now, they were merely tools for becoming stronger.
His current goal was clear: farm Goblins, collect chests, complete the set.
As for the misery and cruelty wrought by Goblins in this world, he had seen and even buried them firsthand.
The discomfort and disgust were real.
So why not?
If those green-skinned vermin caused him misery, and eliminating them earned rich rewards…
Being a feelingless grinder not only made him stronger, but also kept the locals safe—a win-win.