In the depths of twilight...
Under the old pagoda tree outside the village fence, several villagers waited with torches in hand.
"Why haven't they come back yet?"
"Maybe the guy didn't save him and ended up getting himself killed?"
"Shh! Don't say things like that!"
"Taylor, you should go home and sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, your father will be back," the village elder said, hesitating as he looked at the red-eyed little girl beside him, whose eyelids were drooping from exhaustion.
Nine-year-old Taylor wore a patchwork cloak made of coarse burlap. Her bare feet stood on cold, hardened mud dotted with manure. She kept her head down, silently staring at her now-bright-red toes.
She used to have shoes. But earlier, as night fell, some bratty kids in the village teased her, saying she was about to be fatherless. Furious, she got into a scuffle, and her shoes were lost during the fight.
"Will Daddy really come back?"
Watching the sky grow darker with each passing moment—and with her father still not appearing at the village entrance when he should've returned long ago—Taylor had almost given up hope. Even the older men who had gone to look nearby came back empty-handed.
But then a kind-looking big brother squatted down beside her and smiled, promising he'd do everything he could to bring her father back.
That sentence was the last thread of hope she clung to.
The village elder couldn't answer her question. He just sighed and gently patted her head.
From years of experience, he knew this sort of delay likely meant something had gone wrong. Randall wasn't a rookie hunter who'd lose track of time or get lost in the woods. The only reason he wouldn't return was danger—maybe a wild bear, maybe monsters. But either way, it could be fatal in the dark.
Though a few young villagers had gone into the forest before sunset to look for him, it was no easy task to find one man in such a vast expanse.
Even the young adventurer who had entered the forest not long ago—the elder didn't think someone unfamiliar with the area could locate a missing person in pitch black.
"Someone's coming back!" Just as the elder was sighing inwardly, one of the villagers pointed ahead and exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone looked in that direction, straining their eyes.
Sure enough, under the moonlight, a figure could be seen walking slowly down the road.
As it got closer, the shape became clear.
It was a young man with a steady gait—and on his back, he carried a pale-faced middle-aged man.
"It's Randall! He brought Randall back!"
The villagers immediately recognized the young man as the adventurer who had arrived earlier that afternoon.
They hadn't expected someone so unfamiliar with the terrain to successfully find and bring Randall back from the dense forest.
"Is there a doctor in the village? He's hurt," Gauss said as he stepped up to the village gate.
"Yes, come with me," one villager replied without delay, glancing at the weakened Randall before leading the way quickly.
They were all from the same village. Seeing that Randall had been rescued, the villagers naturally felt relief and joy—for both him and Taylor.
As Gauss followed the man, he glanced down at the girl keeping pace beside him.
Taylor stared intently at her father, afraid that if she looked away for even a moment, he might disappear again.
"Daddy, are you okay?"
"...Taylor, go... get some sleep." Randall forced a smile, trying to sound reassuring.
"I'm not sleepy," Taylor wiped the tears of joy from her eyes.
She glanced at Gauss, her gaze full of heartfelt gratitude.
As the saying goes, "poor children grow up fast"—and in this era, that was especially true.
Though only nine, Taylor already understood a lot about the world. In Gauss's old world, a kid her age would still be playing mobile games without a care in the world. But here, her mother had died of illness two years prior, and her father was all she had.
She knew this unfamiliar big brother had taken a huge risk by entering the forest at dusk just to search for her father.
"Big brother, thank you for saving my dad."
"Yeah. I promised you, after all. Good thing I kept my word." Gauss replied, a bit conflicted as he looked at her teary but joyful face.
This era might not be kind to ordinary folk at the bottom of the ladder.
No wonder new adventurers kept emerging. Perhaps it was the very powerlessness to change their own fate that drove them to gamble everything on others—or on themselves.
…
The next morning...
Gauss woke up early to collect the reward for the temporary quest from the day before. The payment came from the village's communal funds.
It totaled 5 silver coins.
While receiving the payment, he asked about Randall's condition.
After all, it was someone he personally rescued.
He was relieved to hear that Randall had been stabilized by the local healer and had already been taken by cart to the nearest town in the north to receive proper treatment from the Church.
Based on past experience, his life likely wasn't in danger anymore.
"Here's your promised reward—5 silver coins. Please keep it safe." The village elder handed him the coins.
As Gauss turned to leave, the elder stopped him again.
"Young warrior, may I trouble you with one more request?"
"Go ahead, Village Chief."
"I'd like to ask you to help us eliminate the goblins nearby," the elder said, glancing toward the forest, his gaze turning serious. "We'll also send two strong young men to accompany you."
"We'll pay 90 copper coins for each goblin slain. Would you be willing to accept?"
Generally speaking, if you see one goblin, it means there's a nest nearby.
After what happened to Randall, the village had decided to formally commission Gauss to clear the surrounding goblins.
Although he looked young, the fact that he brought Randall back alive and verified his strength gave the villagers confidence in his abilities.
Gauss didn't hesitate.
He had come here specifically to hunt goblins. Even without payment, he'd be doing it anyway.
Now that the village was offering money too, how could he refuse?
Maybe this is what they call good karma.
He took a small risk last night, saved someone, and earned the villagers' trust—and now, more work and rewards followed.
If this were a game, his village reputation would've gone way up.
As for the villagers wanting to send someone to follow him? He didn't mind.
Unlike the Adventurer's Guild, which had ways to verify whether monster parts were faked, the village had no such means. Sending someone to accompany him was just common sense—to make sure he really killed the goblins.
After accepting the new commission, Gauss tidied his gear and set off into the forest with two armed young villagers.
"Zzzzz—"
Cicadas echoed in the woods.
Compared to killing goblins, Gauss often found that finding them was the more difficult part.
He first brought the others to the spot where Randall had been attacked the night before.
They searched the area for any clues, but came up empty.
Gauss sighed inwardly.
Next time I return to Grayrock Town, I need to visit Miss Andeni the halfling. Maybe she could help him buy a cheap but effective scouting or detection spell—or at least point him to someone who could.
Having a decent detection cantrip or spell on hand didn't need to be highly advanced—just something reliable that could help in moments like these.
It would save a lot of time.