The ranking test for the adventuring band's strength had already been completed yesterday.
Under Folke's uncle's sponsorship, Folke's adventuring band squad was rated as a one-star White Porcelain (Apprentice)-grade.
Do not look down on this single star; it could only be obtained with a sponsor. Otherwise, for newly registered, unranked apprentice-level professionals like Ogre and the others, they would absolutely be zero-star.
A zero-star adventuring band squad could only take on miscellaneous jobs like delivering letters, transporting goods, catching cats, or killing sewer rats. They would have to wait until their members accumulated enough mission points to promote to one-star.
Although it was not difficult, it was an absolute waste of time.
A one-star rating was different. Some public mission commissions became available, including simple monster exterminations and resource gathering.
If they could overachieve during a mission and complete a rank-crossing star-evaluation mission, it would still count as completed, though the returns would be slightly lower.
Before reaching four stars, a professional's star rating did not require any formal evaluation or assessment; they only needed to accumulate missions to prove they were skilled and efficient enough.
Whether or not you requested external help, the association would not care. After all, external help was also considered part of a professional's capability.
However, for evaluation missions beyond four stars, one basically had to undergo exclusive missions with special assessments. Only upon completion could they be designated as a four-star adventuring band.
The same applied to five-star and six-star ratings.
After all, the Professionals Association was responsible for evaluating the capabilities of high-star adventuring bands. That was why assessments were conducted to determine if one truly possessed the required ability and experience.
“There are many goblin bands in the forest. How is the completion of the mission evaluated?” Serandic asked with some curiosity.
“Just collect the goblin fangs. Different grades of goblin raiders have fangs of different sizes and quality. Of course, generally, there will be a client to inspect them. Our commission was issued by a village on the outskirts of the Forest of Monsters, so they will naturally verify it.”
The sound of birds crying in the sky caught Folke's attention.
“We've arrived,” Ogre, walking in front, stopped in his tracks. A village lay ahead.
That was the small village where they would deliver the commission; they only needed to walk along the river for a while to reach it.
“Who are you?” a militia member outside the village called out to Ogre and the others.
The average militia in these villages was, at most, at the apprentice level. Those with some strength had mostly left, and it was a rare occurrence for real Professionals to return.
During the monster winters, they had to hire sufficiently ranked adventuring bands to protect them to survive.
Compared to the city dwellers who paid taxes, their lives were definitely much harder, but compared to the chaotic slums, they were much better off. Some adventurers also frequently used these villages as transit stops and temporary lodging.
“We are a low-level adventuring band that has accepted the commission. This is our commission document.” Under Folke's gesture, Lange went up and took out the mission scroll.
One of the militia members sized up the crowd. Only after seeing their attire and the badges hanging from their chests did he step forward to take the credential issued by the association.
“It's genuine,” the militia member turned back and nodded.
“Do you need a guide?” The militia member was quite enthusiastic about the eradication of the goblin raiders.
These goblins were not very strong, but they were incredibly annoying. Since the village militia had duties that made it inconvenient for them to leave, they could only ask the Professionals Association.
Previously, some villages had dispatched their own defense forces to save money, leaving the villages vulnerable. This resulted in the abduction of many women and mana sheep, and the deaths of several peasant children.
“A map will do. I'm quite familiar with this area,” Ogre spoke up.
“Chuanle, go grab a map.”
They had issued quite a few commissions for exterminating goblins, so they seemed rather experienced with the process. After all, this was not a high-difficulty mission.
Soon, a roughly sketched map detailing the goblin lairs was brought over.
Ogre glanced at Folke, and after receiving a nod of approval, he stepped forward to take the map.
With a cursory glance, he checked the direction against the sun before handing the map back.
“Thank you. I have a general idea now.”
A mission of this tier was not too difficult for an adventuring band; at most, it was just used for practice.
“You're welcome. This is a convenience we should provide.”
The militia member smiled warmly at Ogre. When he looked at Lange, Folke, and the others, his eyes revealed a trace of envy—such young one-star professional apprentices with decent-looking gear surely had a bright future ahead of them.
He had also once dreamed of becoming a professional.
Unfortunately, he had taken an arrow to the knee during a confrontation with goblin raiders, which severely reduced his mobility.
“Then wait for our good news,” Serandic's youthful enthusiasm took over as he waved and promised the militia members.
Later, they would indeed have to return to the village to get a stamp, so they would not have to wait for verification when collecting their reward from the Professionals Association.
“Then I wish you adventurers the best of luck,” looking at the energetic boys, the militia member also revealed a heartfelt smile.
Having acquired the general coordinates from the village, the squad began marching directly toward their destination. Along the way, low-level monsters not included in the commission, such as slimes, occasionally popped out.
These low-level monsters usually performed the role of decomposers in the forest.
“Bones?!” As Lange walked, he suddenly spotted a skeleton. It looked humanoid, but he could not tell if it belonged to a goblin or a human child.
This instantly jolted his somewhat lax spirit awake.
“There are always times when children sneak out of the villages. Some are lucky enough to return, while the unlucky ones die. The survival of the fittest applies to most species,” Ogre said from the side.
He had just finished explaining the distribution of the upcoming battle plan to everyone. Because he was the most experienced, the others had listened quite intently.
“This is too cruel...” Lange's voice echoed from his helmet, carrying an inevitable trace of pity.
His arrogance stemmed from his superior social status, but when he saw the remains of what could be one of his own kind, he could not help but feel touched. After all, Lange was just an inexperienced youth, and it was only his knightly training that kept him from losing his composure.
“This should only belong to a demi-human,” Ogre said, looking toward the skeleton on the ground along with Lange's gaze, after finishing his assessment of the surroundings.
If it were a human skeleton, the teeth would not look like that.
The presence of bones meant they should not be far from the goblin raiders' lair.
“That's good then,” Lange exhaled a sigh of relief, though the tension that had gripped him earlier refused to ease.
Young mainland nobles like Lange had practically never seen this side of the world.
This was probably one of Folke's uncle's objectives—no amount of theoretical instruction could compare to a few hands-on experiences.
“I'll leave the next phase of deployment to you, Ogre,” Folke gazed at the forest shrouded by thick trees, his mood inevitably affected as well.
With a life-and-death battle imminent, his state of mind was bound to be different.
“Most of the wood in the Forest of Monsters has been nourished by monster blood, making it relatively hard and fire-resistant. Try to avoid using it.”
Ogre emphasized this once more, then stopped in his tracks to begin the deployment:
“I've looked at the map. Next is likely going to be a cave battle. Folke, you and I will quickly eliminate the guards at the entrance using ranged attacks. Then, Lange and Serandic, go search for other exits of the cave to block them off. I will delve deep into the main cave. Folke, wait at the cave entrance for my signal. I will flush those goblins out, and you all can ambush them. If I end up running out, regroup immediately.”
“You're going in alone? Is that okay?” Folke frowned slightly.
“I need to gauge the exact level of this goblin lair. You guys don't have much experience; having you tag along would easily distract me. If the level is a bit too high, I'll call you. Also, don't underestimate the task I assigned you. Cleaning up the escaping goblins is highly important. If they escape into the forest, they will be very hard to catch.”
Ogre explained patiently. He was highly experienced when it came to killing goblins. Generally, such small lairs would not have any powerful goblins.
There was usually only one Goblin King. In a lair like this, a goblin knight or a goblin Shaman would be the absolute limit.
Without humanity's complete breathing techniques and magic teachings, the strength of most goblin knights and goblin Shamans was only at the apprentice level.
Ordinary goblins were even worse. They were weaker than an average human peasant and belonged to the lowest tier of monsters. Only by repeatedly raiding could they gradually grow stronger.
To be honest, Ogre could wipe out a lair of this commission level all by himself.
“No problem here,” Lange guaranteed after seeing Folke nod.
“At this hour, it shouldn't be time for the goblin band to go raiding yet,” Ogre muttered to himself before leading the group toward the nearest goblin lair.
“Keep your voices down later. Watch my hand gestures.”
“Got it.” x3.
Goblins usually began their raids close to dusk. They were very adept at night ambushes. Their main advantage over humans was probably that they required less sleep.
But similarly, their lifespans were also short, and they relied heavily on the innate talents passed down by their mothers.
Right now, it was early morning, and the goblin guards stationed outside the cave had not yet completed their next rotation, making them look somewhat fatigued.
They were currently looking around with their green heads, ready to send an alarm inside at any moment.
Rate on N.U.
