Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 14: Kill All the Goblins

Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Kill All the Goblins

Lance stared at the dense wall of data on the panel, a jolt running through him.

’So this is the secret of a Professional.’

A normal adult has a Health Attribute of 5 points across All Attributes. The Power requirement alone is twice that of an ordinary person.

This string of demanding stat requirements was enough to make any ordinary person give up before they even started.

Without a change in expression, he began to re-evaluate the young man before him.

’Don’t be fooled by his boyish looks. With those two High Level Swordsmanship skills alone, if it really came to a fight...’

’...I, a hack who got a late start, might not actually be able to win against him.’

’My only advantage would be his limited stamina. If it were a battle of burst power, this kid would be an absolute monster.’

’He’s a genius.’

Lance made his private assessment.

But soon, the longer he stared at the boy’s face, the more intense the feeling of familiarity became.

’Golden hair...’

’It was Kael, the young man who carried that greatsword. He had golden hair, just like this boy.’

Lance lowered his voice, deliberately making his tone sound deep and hoarse.

"Why did you come back from White River City?"

He stared into the young man’s eyes and asked slowly.

"I remember that place is the commercial center of the Province, far more prosperous than Gray Rock Town."

"Since you have such Talent, wouldn’t it be better to stay there and develop?"

At these words, Damian, whose face had been alight with excitement, froze. The light in his eyes vanished.

His hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of the sword at his waist. It was a gift from his brother.

Faced with Lance’s questioning, he fell into silence.

After a while, the young man finally spoke.

"The tuition for the White River City Swordsmanship Academy is Five Gold Coins a semester."

"If I could have studied for one more year, I might have had a chance to pass the exam and become a Swordsman. With my Talent, which my instructor rated as Outstanding Level, I definitely would have been selected by the city’s Defense Knight Order."

"Then I would have a stable salary, a big house, and I could have brought my brother over to live a good life."

As he said this, a hopeful light flickered in Damian’s eyes.

But the light only lasted for a moment before it was extinguished as if doused with cold water, dimming completely.

’But my brother is gone now.’

’The person I was fighting for is gone.’

"My brother... he used to be an Adventurer here. His name was Kael."

"He sent me letters and living expenses on time every month. In his letters, he always wrote about which Demon tribe he had recently subjugated, how the Guild gave him a huge bounty, and how comfortable his life was."

"He told me not to skimp, to buy whatever I wanted to eat. He said in his letters that he was a famous, great Adventurer in Gray Rock Town, that he had formed a powerful team, and that he was respected in town."

The young man’s voice began to tremble slightly.

"Until a week ago... I came back to collect his belongings."

"What the Guild staff gave me was just a shriveled, moldy coin purse."

"There were no Gold Coins inside, only a dozen or so heavily worn Copper Coins, and half a piece of uneaten black bread that was as hard as a rock."

Damian’s hand gripped the sword hilt tightly.

"It was found later, when other Adventurers cleared out the Goblin tribe that killed him. They found it in those beasts’ nest."

"Among his things was also a letter he wrote to me but hadn’t had the chance to send yet."

"In the letter, he still told me to study hard... He said I was the pride of our family and that I had to become a respected Noble Knight in the future."

The young man’s eyes reddened as he looked up at the hooded Lance.

"How could I possibly keep studying?!"

"He wasn’t some great Adventurer at all! He was just a liar who wouldn’t even buy the most basic Protective Potion for himself, all to scrape together my tuition!"

"A single bottle of maintenance oil that I’d casually use up during my daily sword practice could have paid for his food for half a month."

"These skills of mine... he built them for me one Goblin at a time, one blood-stained Copper Coin at a time."

"Senior, you asked me why I came back."

The young man wiped his face fiercely with his sleeve, his red, swollen eyes seeming to burn with fire.

"Because I don’t want to be some Noble Knight."

"I just want to be his little brother, to take up his wish and become a truly great Adventurer in his place."

"I want to kill every last Goblin."

"Senior, can you help me?"

Damian extended his hand toward Lance.

Though the hand was young, it was covered in calluses from practicing the sword.

Lance looked at the hand.

’He knew that if he took that hand, then with this kid’s Talent and his own system, an Adventurer team destined for world-renowned fame could really start right here.’

’But...’

Damian only saw the hooded man, his face obscured, coldly shake his head.

The young man’s hand froze in midair, his eyes instantly filled with immense disappointment.

"Is it... because I’m not strong enough?"

Lance didn’t offer any cheap words of comfort for Damian’s tragic story.

In fact, his tone was tinged with indifference.

"I think you’ve misunderstood something."

Lance’s voice, muffled and stern, came from under the hood.

"If I were you, I would go to the counter right now and withdraw that foolish application to recruit a new team."

"Don’t even think about forming your own team and being some kind of captain."

"Find a veteran team that’s short on muscle, even if it’s a team that just wants you to be a grunt and carry their bags."

"Go see how those old-timers handle their commissions. Learn properly how they sleep in the wild, how they identify water sources, how they escape with their lives."

"Use that Swordsmanship you’re so proud of as a bargaining chip to trade for the survival experience in those old dogs’ heads."

Lance took a step forward, looking down on the young man from beneath his hood.

"Someone who only knows how to fight can’t be an Adventurer. That’s called a brute."

"Only by staying alive can you kill more Goblins to avenge your brother."

Having said this, Lance gave Damian no chance to object.

He pulled his hood tight and turned toward the Guild’s main entrance.

As he walked, he tossed out a few final words without looking back.

"This Guild is full of trash just scraping by, but there are true masters here too."

"If you don’t want to fail your brother’s expectations."

"Then first learn how to survive like a cockroach."

"Don’t let his death be for nothing."

Lance gave a wave, pushed open the main doors, and his figure quickly disappeared into the crowd on the street.

Leaving Damian standing there alone.

He stared blankly in the direction the figure had vanished, as if something in his chaotic mind had been struck hard.

Everything Lance had just told the young man was the absolute truth.

The two words, "Stay alive," were not just a piece of advice; they were the primary creed etched into his very bones since he’d transmigrated.

In this cruel world, only those who survive have the right to dream.

In the past few months behind the Guild counter, he had witnessed the stories of too many Adventurers.

Some were called by dreams, some were driven by greed, and others, like Kael, bore heavy burdens to protect their loved ones.

But no matter how noble their initial intentions, most of them ultimately fell on this thorny path, paying the painful price of their lives.