I am now frustrated, because I am in a disadvantageous position. Although I have gained more than what I originally thought I would, hunting with the presence of others is uncomfortable. However, the quest rewards have been flowing into my pockets easily.

Because goblins sometimes kidnap humans and cause destruction, the quest to subdue them is always high. For killing ten goblins I could get 1 silver moon coin. My daily income from from hunting goblins amounts to 3 silver coins.

On top of that, I was now hunting inside a cave. I didn’t know about this place before, even when I would usually come to the nearby area to gather herbs. This place isn’t exactly a simple cave. It was a labyrinth, or a dungeon.

If one were to explore it cautionlessly, one would have fallen victim to poisonous traps that are scattered around. It would be suicidal for me to enter alone, but with Nina here, she can disarm the traps. (this sentence is edited by L.L)

Inside the dungeon, there are not only goblins. Orcs, War bats, goblin soldiers, goblin knights, and thanks to that I could deprive their skills. My stats have increased tremendously.

——–

—————

[Swordsmanship] has increased from depriving Goblin soldiers, [Physical strength up] from orcs, and [Awareness] from war bats. (TL notes:I wonder why blacksmith and alchemy are active skills? And awareness is kind of a search area skill)

Since I have gotten [Awareness], Nina couldn’t stalk me so easily anymore. From this one month alone, I have gained more than I could have wished for.

“It was a good idea to team up with you.”

“See, what did I tell you!”

“It probably wouldn’t have mattered if I had partied up with others.”

“You..! Humph..”

Nina then pouted.

However, I wouldn’t make a party with anyone else. I don’t trust others. I still don’t trust Nina either.

In this one month, 80% of the bath was completed. It won’t take me much longer to finish it. Although getting wood from the forest was easy, designing and putting it together was another story. In this one month, there was no increase in [Blacksmith] and [Alchemy] too. Is it normally this hard to increase a skill?

When the bath was finished, grandma Stella was the one that was really pleased. I added an iron plate on the bottom of the tub, so that it could produce warm water if heated.

……..

After I finished making the bath, I heard someone arguing inside the forest. I found Nina with two other people. They were the Mishe brothers. They used to be in the same party as Hage.

“Nina, won’t you tell us what happened?”

“Why should I?”

“I want you to listen to us. You don’t want something bad to happen to that brat or that old woman, do you?”

“You don’t even know where he hides.”

“You think we’re fools? You go with him to that cave every day.”

“We know that Hage’s missing, he has something to do with it.”

Hage going missing has been finally linked to me. I used this time to inspect their statuses.

———–

———

———

Just from looking at their statuses, Nina would have no trouble running away.

“Bam”

Along with this sound, Nina fell to the ground, she was bleeding from her nose.

Why is she just laying (TL notes:bc she just fell to the ground?) there like an idiot?

“If you don’t want to tell us anything, then it means you can keep your secrets.”

“No one will know what is going on, right?”

The brothers were smiling with lustful eyes.

“Why are you protecting that boy?”

They asked that while kicking her.

“There’s no benefit for you, right?”

Nina has just curled up there with a bloodied face.

“Hahaha.. Brother, she is not resisting. We could ‘do’ her.”

They then tried to tore off her leather armor.

“Please.. Stop..” Nina was crying and trembling when she said that.

“Don’t worry. We will make sure you get lots of love.”

“Just listen to us and be an obedient girl.”

Suddenly, they felt bloodlust coming from behind them. They quickly took their spear and axe and readied themselves.

It was Yu, he was holding a long sword in his hand.

“Yuuu…. Why.?”

Nina couldn’t believe that he came to save her.

“I just happened to be passing by.”

“Ooh.. Look what we got here. You can’t run away.” Coco said.

“You.. That long sword and leather armor! It’s Hage’s!” Nuts shouts at him.

While enraged, Coco lunged forward to attack Yu. “This rotten brat, that garbage Nina! I’ll kill you!”

Yu hasn’t wavered. He activated the [Sword strike]. It was a skill that let’s one attack twice. He aimed at Coco’s neck and belly.

*Clank*

The blow to the stomach was parried by the axe, but the blow to the neck was unexpected. Blood has splurged out from the clean cut and soon, Coco’s body fell to the ground.

“You! That’s a [Sword strike]! How could you have used that?! You didn’t even take a stance before activating it.”

Nuts still hasn’t recovered from his shock. His brother was killed in front of him and the young brat used this skill in such a way.

However, Yu wasn’t a very patient boy. He approached him and swung his sword downwards. Nuts tried to block the attack out of reflex, but a spear is not a weapon suited for parrying or blocking.

“Wait.. Wait!”

Nuts was saying that when Yu’s sword sliced through the spear and planted itself down onto Nuts’s head.

“Yu…. Yu….”

Nina has clung to Yu, while he took out a cloth and wiped her face clean.

“Why didn’t you run away? Why didn’t you fight back?”

“You know.. I have a trauma towards men. I hate them!”

(TL notes:it seemed her experiences in Vivid village is an attempt of rape (Pr notes: now we are 18+ bitches!;-) however the author didn’t explain any further)

Yu then laughed. “You know. The me, who helped you, is a man too.”

“That didn’t count!” she pouted.

Silence fell between them, while Nina has smiled. Yu, who said so, was confused.

“How could you smile in such a situation?”

“Because..”

“What?”

“You came to save me.”

“We’re friends… It’s natural for me to help you.” when he said that, the edges of Yu’s mouth curved upwards a little.