**Chapter Six

  { Goblin Village }**

  The Goblins.

  Humanoid monsters with green skin and ugly features, standing no taller than a meter and a half, with three fingers on each hand and foot.

  Their traits are simple: treasure-loving, skilled fighters… especially with short weapons.

  You could say they are natural-born assassins.

  “It really is their village,” Noa was surprised.

  Ian and the others stood atop a cluster of trees, staring ahead in shock as they saw a cave hidden among the bushes. Goblins were entering and exiting it at irregular intervals and in varying numbers.

  “My lord… this is a Yellow Iron cave,” Chris said after examining its structure.

  “You mean a mine?” Ian was stunned.

  “Yes, sir… and Yellow Iron mines usually contain a small amount of Red Iron,” Chris said with anticipation.

  Yellow Iron:

  A metal used in crafting weapons and common items—90% of total production depends on it.

  Red Iron:

  A special metal capable of increasing equipment durability, and more importantly, it can replace certain refining materials…

  A rare metal—worth a high price even in major cities.

  Ian’s eyes gleamed; he could hardly believe his luck lately.

  “No direct confrontation… Anyone got ideas?”

  A direct fight…? That was pure madness.

  So far they had counted more than twenty Goblins.

  All of them wielded short swords or even small axes… Ian even saw two archers.

  They went out in groups or alone to hunt monsters or search for treasure…

  Facing them head-on???

  That would be complete suicide… especially for Ian’s weak soldiers.

  Only Liu and Chris could fight them.

  But what if even one Goblin had First-Level Training?

  Wouldn’t that mean Chris and Liu would die?

  Ian couldn’t afford such losses.

  The group fell silent, each lost in thought, until a spark flashed in Ian’s mind.

  He leaned close to Chris’s ear and whispered…

  Chris’s eyes widened at the plan.

  “Your brilliance overwhelms me, my lord.”

  “Save it—let’s go. It’s not time to fight them yet,” Ian smiled and turned back.

  On the way, Ian explained the plan, and everyone reacted with astonishment.

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  A truly brilliant plan.

  They did not all return to the village…

  Only Noa returned to inform Aliano of something he needed.

  Then he rejoined the group as they began the first phase of the plan:

  Hunting monsters.

  Noa handed the Profession Rune to Ian.

  Profession Rune.

  Profession Name: Archer

  Profession Grade: Common (different grades grant different attributes)

  Change Attempts: 10 / 10

  Ian was a lord…

  A lord had the privilege of obtaining any combat profession. And the profession Ian chose was Archer.

  Archery.

  Boxing.

  The second was something Ian learned to protect himself… while the first was something he studied for international competitions.

  Yet without realizing it, he ended up participating in those competitions as a boxer—not an archer. Archery became nothing more than a hobby later on.

  They began the fight…

  Groups of rabbits.

  Stray deer.

  Even a few monkeys.

  This was a border-clearing operation: training the troops, collecting materials.

  Any monster that dies—humans too—so long as they exist in this world, their death results in loot drops.

  This loot is random… ranging from coins and equipment, to skill or profession runes, maps, special items, and many other things.

  Ian watched as Chris led the troops with skill.

  Ian did not participate. He wasn’t foolish enough to fight… not until he trained in archery. But… where were the bow and arrows?

  Monsters kept falling, their bodies piling up.

  At first, Ian carried everything by himself.

  Chris, Liu, and the others wanted to help, but he refused, saying:

  “I won’t stand idle. You do your jobs, and I’ll do mine.”

  Ian’s acts were simple, but those simple acts pushed his soldiers to the point of being ready to die for him.

  Their loyalty rose steadily, moment by moment, making Ian smile.

  The load grew heavier until he began dragging the loot behind him, drenched in sweat… but he refused to show any discomfort or weakness, so he wouldn’t dampen their morale.

  “My lord… danger ahead,” Noa returned from scouting with worry.

  Ian and the others were resting beneath a tree while Chris stood before them, pointing out each soldier’s mistakes one by one… even Liu had things to learn from Chris.

  “What is it?” Ian asked.

  “There’s a wolf den up ahead,” Noa said anxiously. “And their numbers are close to a hundred.”

  A hundred…

  Alarms rang inside Ian’s mind as he pulled out the map he carried.

  It was marked with many symbols:

  One for the village…

  One for the Goblins, marked with an (X) and labeled Danger beneath it…

  Now he added Wolf Den and wrote Danger underneath.

  “Change direction,” Ian ordered quickly, and they quietly retreated.

  The group made no sound as they withdrew…

  A number like 100… and from monsters such as wolves—natural-born fighters—against his seven-man squad, not counting himself since he wasn’t a warrior…

  Simply put, it was guaranteed death.

  The group changed direction, and soon their efforts were rewarded with a cluster of berry trees.

  “Let’s gather them,” Ian ordered—and before the others even started, he was already collecting berries himself.

  The village lacked food… weapons… manpower… a stable water source (what had stored would only last a few days)… and there were no training skills yet (finding one would take time). This was aside from the many other things Ian wanted—especially the research that would determine whether they could capture the Goblin Village and secure the Yellow Iron Mine.

  Not to mention defenses… and the different professions they lacked: a blacksmith, a doctor, a tailor, teachers, cooks… countless jobs that simply did not exist.

  In short, Ian had a massive amount of work resting on his shoulders.

  And one more important thing…

  “My sister… how are you now? The weekly visit is getting close.”

  It was yet another worry Ian had to carry, but he maintained a confident smile as he returned to the village with the hunted beasts and the gathered berries.

  His return warmed Yora’s heart and delighted both Martin and Aliano.

  Their lord had come back.

  Ian placed the loot on the ground—the meat, coins, and weapons. His luck hadn’t been good enough to get any special items, a map, or even a Training Skill Rune or Combat Skill Rune… but he wasn’t bothered.

  He didn’t even get a bow and arrows. Every weapon was a sword—only swords.

  That left Ian slightly disappointed, but not too much.

  Night fell under Ian’s watchful eyes.

  The soldiers trained hard under Chris until exhaustion dropped them to sleep.

  Chris and Liu also lay down to rest on Ian’s orders; who he insisted on taking the entire night watch himself, ignoring their protests and pleas.

  Ian stared quietly at the sky, reading the message only he could see:

  **To all Lords: The countdown to the Petal Fall Event has begun**

  (29 days, 5 hours, 13 minutes, 42 seconds).

  “What troubles the lord?” Yora approached and rested her hand on his shoulder.

  “Why aren’t you asleep?”

  “And leave the lord alone?” Yora smiled.

  Her smile was like sunlight rising over a frozen peak— A smile that melts sick hearts and stirs young ones, allowing a flower of love to sprout atop a mountain wrapped in ice.

  Ian’s heart softened, and an image of his sister surfaced in his mind.

  He didn’t resist the urge as he gently caressed Yora’s hair.

  “You’re very beautiful.”

  “I thank the lord,” Yora said with a soft smile, not resisting at all.