Water Magician-Chapter 535: Spring Village

Editor: Tseirp

At 6:30 the next morning.

Ryo and Abel were in the backyard of the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Association.

The meeting was set for 7:00, but they made sure to arrive 30 minutes early.

Since there were no vacancies at the inn last night, they had camped out in a nearby park…

“Two nights in a row sleeping outdoors.”

“And with the mountain hunt starting today?”

“That means at least three nights in a row…”

Abel laughed mercilessly, while Ryo hung his head in defeat.

Despite their early arrival, some others had already gathered even earlier.

Around twenty people were already present.

One of them spotted the two and walked over.

“You two are adventurers participating in the mountain hunt, right? I’m Jun Luo, a Level 3 adventurer. I’m in charge of coordinating the adventurers for this operation.”

“Abel. Level 8 adventurer.”

“I’m Ryo, also Level 8.”

As they shook hands, Jun Luo’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What’s wrong?”

Abel asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Oh, sorry. It’s just… you two obviously look strong. But then you say you’re Level 8, so it caught me off guard.”

“Ah, we just registered as adventurers recently.”

Abel shrugged in response.

“I see, that explains it. Well, it’s reassuring to have such powerful adventurers joining us. Looking forward to working with you.”

With that, Jun Luo moved on to greet another newly arriving party.

“Apparently, we look strong.”

“So it seems.”

Ryo commented, while Abel’s face turned slightly red.

He didn’t seem to mind the praise.

“See? People who can recognize strength will recognize yours.”

“True. But that Jun Luo guy seems pretty strong himself.”

“Yeah. If he’s only Level 3, I wonder how powerful a Level 1 adventurer must be.”

Ryo mused about the elite Level 1 adventurers he had yet to meet, a bright smile on his face.

Meanwhile, Jun Luo returned to his own party.

Standing beside him was Barili, a magician who served as the group’s strategist.

“Jun, those two—were they as you expected?”

“Yeah, they’re strong. Both of them are from foreign lands, but they’ve definitely survived their share of brutal battles.”

Jun Luo nodded in response to Barili’s question.

From afar, Jun Luo had already sensed their strength. Now that he had approached them up close, he was certain.

“The magician is wearing a robe. You don’t see that often in Darwei.”

“Barili, what do you think of the magician’s magic power?”

“It’s abnormal.”

“Abnormal?”

“His magic power isn’t leaking out at all.”

Barili declared this with certainty.

Jun Luo noticed that despite keeping up a composed smile, Barili was trembling ever so slightly.

Barili could perceive the magic power radiating from others.

This allowed him to determine how powerful they were.

Typically, the stronger the magician, the more overwhelming their aura appeared.

However…

“If his magic power isn’t leaking, does that mean he’s not a magician?”

“No, he’s definitely a magician. Even though he’s not carrying a staff… I can just tell.”

“But if his magic power isn’t leaking… does that mean he’s weak?”

“Quite the opposite. It means he has such absolute control over his magic power that none of it escapes.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Until now, I would’ve said no. But seeing it with my own eyes, I have no choice but to believe it.”

Barili let out a strained smile.

“So, in other words… those two are indeed formidable warriors.”

“Yes. In this poorly planned mountain hunt, they’re one of the few good things we have going for us.”

Jun Luo nodded, and Barili agreed with a sigh.

At 7:00.

A sizable crowd had gathered in the backyard of the Adventurers’ Mutual Aid Association.

At the front, an elderly man with a long white beard was giving a speech.

His name was Fu Ten, the deputy governor, and the person in charge of this mountain hunt.

“You can practically feel how much he hates this mission just from his speech.”

“Sounds like he has a grudge against the ones who ordered it.”

Ryo and Abel both picked up on the deputy governor’s dissatisfaction.

Still, they understood that canceling the hunt wasn’t an option.

Several villages at the foot of the mountain had already been attacked.

It seemed the deputy governor had originally proposed a force three times larger, but it had been cut down.

It seemed someone had cut corners to save money.

“It’s always the innocent citizens who suffer because of politics!”

“Y-yeah… I’ll, uh, keep that in mind.”

Even the king himself nodded in agreement with the premier duke’s blunt statement.

Even so, a force of 80 people was assembled—50 adventurers and 30 imperial soldiers.

Additionally, there were cooks, scribes, and attendants for the deputy governor, making it a fairly large operation…

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“If this was supposed to be three times bigger…”

“That means the enemy might be really troublesome.”

Ryo and Abel whispered among themselves.

“Are Gray Goblins strong?”

“No idea.”

“You don’t know…?”

“Goblins exist all over the world, but their types vary depending on the region. Some are subspecies or evolved variants. Gray goblins don’t exist in the Central Countries, so I have no idea how strong they are.”

“Abel, even if you’re an A-rank in the Central Countries, here you’re still Level 8.”

“I’ll just climb up one rank at a time!”

Since Ryo and Abel were Level 8, they were assigned to the group of Level 7 and lower adventurers.

Their role was to guard the base camp and food supplies.

This group consisted of 10 soldiers and 10 adventurers.

However, before any of that, everyone had to spend a full day traveling to Tiger Mountain.

The expedition set off from the city.

The higher-ranked, level 6 and above and lower-ranked, level 7 and below adventurers traveled separately.

“Abel, this Level 7 and lower group is…”

“Yeah, aside from us, everyone is really young.”

The rest of the group consisted of eight other Level 7 or lower adventurers.

They were divided into two parties of four, and all looked like they were under eighteen—barely adults.

“Abel, you’re an old man now.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

As they chatted, one of the younger adventurers approached them.

A young swordsman.

“I-I’m Jay, a Level 7 adventurer. I heard you two are Level 8, but…”

Jay seemed extremely nervous but was clearly trying his best to assert himself, given that he was technically ranked higher.

Ryo watched him with a gentle expression.

“I am Abel, and this is Ryo. Indeed, both of us are Level 8.”

Abel replied.

“Heh, I’m sure you two are older, but once we arrive, I’ll have you follow my orders, as a higher-ranked adventurer.”

“I see, understood.”

Jay seemed unsure of how to interact with Ryo and Abel.

Abel, however, answered with a composed and mature attitude.

“Ah, Jay, was it? I have a few questions. Mind if I ask?”

“Huh? Oh, sure, what is it?”

“As you can see, we’re from a foreign land. So we’re not familiar with the local monsters. Could you tell us about the Gray Goblins?”

Abel carefully framed his question, making sure to acknowledge Jay’s position while showing respect.

Ryo gave a small nod. Thinking how wonderful it was to see such maturity.

“Well… Gray Goblins are among the stronger goblin species, but they aren’t very smart. Any Level 7 or higher shouldn’t lose in a one-on-one fight. I don’t know about you two, though…”

“Hmm. But the deputy governor said they originally planned to send three times as many people for this hunt, right? If they aren’t a big deal, why such a large operation?”

“Beats me. Maybe the people at the deputy governor’s office don’t actually know much? I think we have more than enough people for this.”

Jay answered before returning to his party.

“So, Gray Goblins aren’t a big deal, apparently.”

“Yeah…that’s what he said…”

“Young people tend to underestimate danger.”

“I get what you’re saying, Ryo. But maybe the deputy governor’s office, including the deputy governor, knows something they haven’t told us.”

Both Ryo and Abel understood they didn’t have enough information to draw conclusions.

In the end, all they could do was stay vigilant and do their best.

By dusk, the group finally arrived at the foot of Tiger Mountain.

The base camp was set up in the village square of Spring Village, and the food supplies were stored in the former village chief’s house nearby.

Spring Village had been attacked by Gray Goblins a few months ago.

The survivors had fled, leaving the village abandoned.

That meant… there were empty houses available for use.

“I never thought we’d be able to sleep under a roof during this mission.”

“We slept outdoors more often when we were in town.”

Ryo and Abel found an empty house and settled in for the night.

The village had around twenty houses, and with the additional barns and storage sheds, everyone managed to sleep indoors.

The next morning, the hunt officially began.

“The goal is to find the Gray Goblins’ settlement… but that’s going to be tough.”

“Yeah. This mountain is pretty big.”

Since they were in the group of Level 7 and lower adventurers, Ryo and Abel remained in Spring Village’s square.

Forty adventurers of Level 6 and above, along with twenty soldiers from the deputy governor’s office, had already entered the mountain.

On the first day, they would survey the area near the base of the mountain.

As the days passed, they would venture further in.

They were also expected to camp out, if necessary.

“The frontliners sure have it rough.”

“That’s why their pay is higher than ours.”

The reward for this mission varied by rank.

Adventurers of level 6 or higher, who would actually enter the mountain, would be paid significantly more than the level 7 and lower adventurers.

That was only fair, given the risks involved.

Those remaining at the base camp included ten level 7 or lower adventurers, including Ryo and Abel, and ten soldiers.

Deputy governor Fu Ten and his ten attendants, plus twenty cooks and porters—a total of fifty people.

However, since the attendants and porters couldn’t fight, only twenty of them—adventurers and soldiers—were responsible for security.

Still…

“It’s kind of boring.”

“Yeah, well…”

Ryo and Abel took turns standing watch and patrolling.

Ensuring they weren’t slacking off.

But that didn’t change the fact that things were quiet.

“Though, if things got busy here, that would be a problem in itself.”

“…True.”

Ryo could only nod at Abel’s remark.

After all, if the main camp became busy… that would mean an attack.

And apart from Ryo and Abel, the rest of the group wasn’t particularly strong…

That evening, once the mountain hunting team returned, a full-group debriefing was held in the village square.

“We discovered footprints, likely belonging to multiple goblins, at the mountain’s edge in today’s search area.”

“Ohh!”

When Level 3 adventurer Jun Luo made this report, murmurs of excitement spread among the crowd.

Most of the adventurers hadn’t expected to find results on the very first day.

But it was a welcome surprise.

Moreover, the discovery was made by Jun Luo—a level 3 adventurer.

As the highest-ranked adventurer in the group, his party was well known for their experience and skills.

Which was why he had been chosen to lead the adventurers.

“Then as planned, starting tomorrow, you’ll follow those tracks deeper into the mountain.”

“Understood.”

Deputy Governor Fu Ten gave the order, and Jun Luo nodded in response.

However, Jun Luo had another concern.

“It’s fine for us to move in deeper, but that also means leaving the base camp behind. If anything happens to the base while we’re gone, even if we notice, it’ll take time to get back.”

He was referring to the possibility of the Gray Goblins attacking base camp.

The mountain was vast and deep.

It was entirely possible that while they advanced, the goblins could move in the opposite direction—toward the base.

If that happened, it would be a major problem.

Not only would those at headquarters be in danger, but the supply lines for those inside the mountain would also be cut off…

“We’ll build a fence.”

Deputy Governor Fu Ten made a very reasonable proposal.

Goblins, being of low intelligence, tended to avoid obstacles rather than climbing over them.

If the fence was positioned strategically, it could funnel the goblins into designated areas.

Setting up a fence was an effective anti-goblin measure.

“Starting tomorrow, those of us staying at the base will begin constructing the fence.”

Deputy Governor Fu Ten declared, Abel and Ryo—along with the level 7 adventurer Jay and the others—nodded in agreement.

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