Dense forest outskirts, sunlight filtered through layered canopies, casting dappled shadows on the leaf-strewn ground.
Ailiya leaped lightly onto a thick, slanting branch, her maid uniform’s skirt tracing an elegant arc through the air.
She knelt on one knee on the branch, using the dense foliage as cover, and looked down from her vantage point at a small clearing ahead.
Her ice-blue eyes held no ripple, like a cold instrument recording data. At the edge of her vision, seven red dots flickered clearly on the system panel.
[Lv.3 Goblin Infantry] ×2
[Lv.2 Goblin Archer] ×4
[Lv.4 Goblin Bomber] ×1
‘Seven low-level trash mobs—pretty well-rounded formation,’ Ailiya assessed silently. Monsters of this level, if she stepped in, would be dealt with in three seconds.
“Young Master, these green-skinned dwarves, besides being ugly, stink about as much as the wooden targets you chopped at the estate.”
Balke’s rough voice sounded below, lowered. He carried his broad-blade greatsword over his shoulder, standing like an iron tower at the front.
Misi had already silently slipped into the bushes on the flank, while Bu La Da firmly planted his ebony tower shield beside Leo, forming an impenetrable defense.
As for the half-baked mage Sailin, he was leaning against a tree with nothing to do, showing no intention of chanting a spell.
Clearly, this experienced squad had reached some unspoken agreement—they would only provide backup and cover, treating these goblins as live targets for the rookie to level up.
With a series of unpleasant shrieks, seven green-skinned monsters crawled out of the bushes.
Leading the way were two slightly larger goblin infantry, carrying rough stone spears and tattered wooden shields. When they saw the five humans, their murky yellow eyes instantly blazed with greed and bloodlust.
“Swish! Swish! Swish!”
Almost simultaneously, the four goblin archers hidden behind drew their crude short bows. Four inferior arrows, featherless and tipped with nameless poison, flew crookedly toward Leo and the others.
“Bu La Da! Block them!” Balke shouted.
“Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Bu La Da didn’t even move his feet, only slightly adjusted the angle of his tower shield. The four arrows weakly bounced off the ebony tower shield, snapping in half without leaving a single scratch.
“Alright, Young Master, it’s your turn to perform! Don’t let these dwarves look down on you!” Balke laughed and stepped back half a pace, yielding the main battlefield to Leo.
“Whoosh——”
Leo took a deep breath. In his mind, he recalled the countless sweaty practice sessions at the estate and Ailiya’s cold yet incisive guidance.
Leo snapped his eyes open and pointed the short staff forward.
“Water Bullet Spell!”
Bang!
A millstone-sized water bullet roared out, precisely smashing into the wooden shield of a charging goblin infantry.
The immense water pressure shattered the already rotting shield to pieces, and the massive impact flipped the goblin over, sending it rolling several times in the mud.
“Good lad! Nice aim!” Balke whistled from behind.
But this didn’t scare off the goblins—it enraged them. Another infantry raised its stone spear, howling as it charged at Leo, only to be killed instantly by Bu La Da’s shield.
Meanwhile, the goblin bomber, hidden in the rearmost bushes, treacherously threw a clay pot that gave off a pungent smell.
“Young Master, watch your head!” Bu La Da warned in a low voice.
Leo looked up. The clay pot traced a parabola through the air, heading straight for him.
If it hit him, the disgusting liquid inside—a mixture of feces and toxic herbs—would absolutely take him out of the fight on the spot.
“Don’t even think about it!”
A flash of ferocity crossed Leo’s eyes. Instead of dodging, he rapidly channeled his magic power.
“Fireball Art!”
Boom!
A ball of orange-red flame burst from the tip of the short staff and collided precisely with the clay pot midair.
In a violent explosion, the pot shattered instantly. The foul liquid inside didn’t even have time to scatter before it was evaporated by the high temperature into a cloud of acrid black smoke.
Sailin, leaning against the tree, raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his eyes. ‘This kid has decent elemental affinity, but his total magic power is still very low.’
Leo didn’t give the goblins a chance to catch their breath. Using the black smoke as cover, he quickly traced a semicircle with his short staff in front of him.
“Now! Mist Barrier!”
Whoosh!
Two thick walls of mist rose abruptly, instantly blocking the vision of the four goblin archers. They lost their target, squealing in panic as they stood still.
Then, Leo took a deep breath, squeezing out the last reserves of magic power within him.
“Water Blade Chain Slash!”
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several sharp high-pressure water blades, like Death God’s scythes, cut through the mist with piercing sounds, precisely cleaving the four archers and the goblin that had just gotten up.
The remaining goblin bomber saw the situation was bad, screamed in terror, and turned to flee deeper into the forest.
“Trying to run?”
Misi, hidden on the flank, sneered. A cold light flashed in his hand. A dagger shot out like lightning, nailing the fleeing goblin precisely in the back.
***
The battle ended cleanly in less than two minutes.
Thud.
Leo sat down heavily on the leaf-strewn ground, gasping for air.
“Hahaha! Well done, Young Master!”
Sailin laughed as he walked over, pulling Leo up from the ground and clapping him heavily on the back.
“But…” he changed his tone, a hint of teasing in his voice, “against a few bottom-tier goblin cannon fodder, you used Fireball Art, Mist Barrier, and even finished with Water Blade Chain Slash. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think you were soloing a second-tier magic beast.”
“Against low-level trash like this, there’s no need to waste so many flashy moves and so much magic power. In the wild, magic power is your second life; save as much as you can.”
“I… this is my first time, I have no experience!” Leo’s face flushed red, trying to save face. “Next time, next time I’ll definitely one-shot them!”
“Alright, alright, stop bragging. Misi, go loot the bodies, see if these poor bastards have anything valuable.”
Balke waved his hand, directing his men to clean up the battlefield.
Ailiya, who had been watching everything quietly from the tree, jumped down lightly, like a falling silver leaf, making no sound.
She walked over to a goblin corpse, ignoring the disgusting bloodstains, and skillfully pulled a tattered leather pouch from its waist.
Though the loot was pitifully small, adhering to the player spirit of “every bit counts,” Ailiya never wasted any resource.
“Ailiya! Did you see that? Wasn’t my combo awesome?”
Leo saw Ailiya and immediately bounded over like a golden retriever seeking praise, his eyes sparkling.
Ailiya stood up, her ice-blue eyes calmly meeting his.
“If the Young Master thinks using a cannon to kill a mosquito is an awesome feat, then your performance just now was indeed… perfect.”
The smile on Leo’s face instantly froze. He gritted his teeth in anger. “Can’t you ever say one nice thing from that mouth of yours!”
“Alright, it’s almost dark.” Balke laughed, interrupting their unique daily exchange. “After we finish looting, we need to find a place to set up camp.”
Night fell. On an open, wind-sheltered high ground on the outskirts of Mist Forest.
A bright campfire blazed fiercely, driving away the chill and the strange mist creeping out from the depths of the forest. A simple campfire dinner began.
No delicate silverware set or French-style soup from the estate—only wild rabbit meat skewered on branches, sizzling over the fire, accompanied by hard black bread.
But Leo ate with gusto.
He tore into the roasted meat with big bites, listening to Balke and Misi boast about the dangerous commissions they’d taken in the past, occasionally bursting into laughter. He was completely immersed in the earthy, mercenary atmosphere.
It was a freedom and exhilaration he could never experience in that strictly regulated, scheming main family.
Ailiya didn’t join the fun.
She sat alone on a large rock at the edge of the camp, a little away from the fire, half-hidden in the dim shadows.
Holding a clean white cloth, she methodically polished the silver dining knife she used for cutting vegetables in normal times and slitting throats in critical times, using the faint firelight.
The firelight danced in her ice-blue eyes, reflecting a chilling coldness.
Just then, soft footsteps approached.
Leo walked up to Ailiya, holding a skewer of golden, crispy rabbit leg that had been sprinkled with some unknown spices.
“Hey, why don’t you go over there and eat? Those guys might be rough talkers, but their cooking’s not bad… I saved the best roasted piece for you.”
Leo awkwardly handed the meat over, his eyes darting.
Ailiya stopped wiping the knife and looked up.
She looked at the golden-haired boy with cheeks flushed from the fire, trying to act generous, then at the roasted meat.
“Thank you, Young Master.”
She didn’t refuse and took the meat. “However, as a maid, the privilege of enjoying such delicacies should rightfully belong to the master.”
Leo pursed his lips. “Forget those stupid estate rules out here. I told you to eat, so just eat. Less talk.”
He sat down beside Ailiya on the other side of the rock, resting his chin on his hands, gazing at the forest swallowed by darkness in the distance. His eyes grew deep.
“Ailiya, do you think…” Leo suddenly spoke, his voice very soft, “if one day I become as strong as Uncle Balke, or even stronger, will no one dare to bully Mother anymore?”
Ailiya tore off a small piece of rabbit meat and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. After swallowing, she gave an extremely rational answer in a flat tone:
“Young Master, strength can solve many problems, but it cannot eliminate prejudice.”
She tilted her head slightly, her ice-blue eyes exceptionally cold in the night.