"Hello."
Naruto politely greeted her first.
"You... Hello, Goblin Slayer..."
"A Silver-rank Adventurer?"
The Elf Archer's gaze swept over the silver tag hanging around Naruto's neck, and she was clearly disappointed. She sighed, crossed her arms, sat back down on the stool, and shook her head.
"No, no, no, absolutely not."
"A Troll cannot be defeated by one or two Silver-rank Adventurers."
"I heard there's a terrifying record of a Silver-rank Adventurer party battling a Troll for three days, and the Troll remained completely unharmed."
After her melancholy, what could relieve the Elf Archer's worries but to continue slurping a few more mouthfuls of instant noodles?
"The Counter Lady said that if instant noodles get cold, their flavor will be greatly diminished. Do you... mind if I finish eating first?"
The Witch smiled and replied, "You eat."
The Sword Saintess sat down and said, "Naruto is very strong. The female Gun God who killed the Flying Dragon before even invited Naruto to slay a dragon together."
"Slay a dragon?!"
The Elf Archer, whose pretty face was almost buried in the noodle bowl, suddenly looked up.
"That's right."
"Why not entrust the request to me for a try? Even if I can't kill the Troll, I'm still confident I can lead you all to retreat."
Naruto's calm and indifferent tone seemed to exude a magic that made people feel incredibly at ease and trusting.
"Hmm..."
The Elf Archer held one arm with her other hand, stroked her chin, tilted her head in thought for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, then let's give it a try!"
"Anyway, it's hard to find Gold-Grade Adventurers in Border Town now, so we can only treat a dead horse as if it were alive!"
The Elf Archer quickly finished her last mouthful of noodles, then went with Naruto to complete the commission procedures at the counter, and then embarked on their quest.
Their destination was already outside Border Town, adjacent to the Forest of the Elves (Upper Forest People), and the journey was quite long, requiring them to camp outdoors at night.
The bonfire crackled and popped.
Naruto and the three women rested in the desolate Gobi, with the starry sky as their blanket and the earth as their bed.
"Tonight, we can only rest here temporarily."
The Elf Archer unslung the large quiver from her waist, leaned against a rock, and casually drew an arrow, precisely impaling a lizard that was crawling past.
She frowned slightly, placed the still-wriggling lizard that wasn't quite dead over the bonfire to roast, and with her other hand, took out her own dry rations.
She prepared to eat the dry rations with the roasted lizard.
"What are you going to eat?"
The Elf Archer asked, puzzled.
She saw that Naruto, the Sword Saintess, and the Witch hadn't even brought backpacks, and their equipment was minimal.
Forget about killing the Troll, even eating enough to not be hungry seemed like a problem.
"Could it be that this young man only became a Silver-rank Adventurer by luck, by killing Goblins?"
After the Elf Archer had doubts, she began to back out.
The reason was simple: she didn't want herself and the three of them to all die at the hands of the Troll.
"How about we eat our fill and then return to Border Town?"
"Here."
The Elf Archer handed the slightly charred lizard to the Sword Saintess.
The Sword Saintess shyly refused, telling the Elf Archer, "You don't have to eat that either, we brought food."
"Brought food?"
The Elf Archer was startled, then seeing Naruto's actions, her emerald eyes widened.
Naruto simply waved his hand, and out of thin air, a pile of pots, bowls, and utensils appeared in the open space surrounded by rocks.
There was even a tent!
Naruto and the Sword Saintess set up the tent together, while the Witch was in charge of boiling water for instant noodles.
"This... What kind of miracle and magic is this?!"
"And, the three of them are eating five bowls of instant noodles?!"
The Elf Archer was shocked by Naruto's item bar and his wealth.
One must know that a single bowl of instant noodles cost 50 silver coins, and a simple dinner would cost 250 silver coins.
For Silver-rank Adventurers, it was an incredibly huge expense.
"Want to eat together? I still have instant noodles."
Naruto, who was setting up camp, turned his head to look at the Elf Archer.
"No... no need..."
"I brought food, haha, ah hahaha..."
The somewhat tsundere and stubborn Elf Archer chuckled dryly.
But soon she was proven wrong.
The aroma of five bowls of instant noodles filled the temporary camp.
The slurping sounds directly awakened the gluttonous worms in the Elf Archer's stomach.
She looked down at the dry, hard black bread and the charred lizard in her hand, and no matter how she ate it, it didn't taste good.
"Suffering for the sake of pride."
"Here, want to eat?"
Naruto reached out and handed her a bowl.
The Elf Archer looked at the steaming, fragrant instant noodles, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and made her final struggle: "Give me one bowl, aren't... aren't you hungry...?"
"Actually, I have..."
"Take it. Two bowls are enough for me. This one was prepared for you anyway."
Naruto threw away the lizard, which was almost charred, that the Elf Archer was holding, then placed the noodle bowl firmly in her hands.
"Not honest at all."
Naruto shook his head, sat back down on the low rock, and continued slurping his noodles.
The Elf Archer's heart was slightly touched, and she looked at Naruto's face, reddened by the campfire, not knowing what she was thinking.
Full and satisfied.
It was time to rest.
The Elf Archer prepared to sleep in her clothes, lying on the cold, hard rock for the night.
Who knew, the Sword Saintess pulled open the tent's curtain and called out to the Elf Archer: "Come sleep with us."
Through the opened curtain, the Elf Archer clearly saw the scene inside the tent: there was a covered oil lamp, exquisite velvet pillows, luxurious and fluffy bedding, a small space that was exceptionally warm and cozy.
"..."
The Elf Archer froze, feeling utterly defeated.
Was this really an adventure and a quest?
Compared to her previous days, what kind of ascetic life had she been living!
She couldn't compare; the difference was too vast.
The Elf Archer hid her bitterness and murmured, "I... I'll take watch."
"No need, he's taking watch."
Naruto crossed his hands to form a seal, summoning two Shadow Clones.
"Leave it to me!"
"I guarantee not a single mosquito will fly in tonight!"
The two Naruto's Shadow Clones vowed confidently.
Upon seeing this, the Elf Archer was shocked once more, feeling completely bewildered, not even knowing when she was pulled into the tent by the Sword Saintess.
And so, Naruto and the three women squeezed into one tent and slept through the night.
The next day, they naturally continued their journey.
It wasn't until the third night that they arrived at the location of their commissioned quest.
Night enveloped the forest, and the four of them stealthily hid in a thicket, cautiously observing the ancient ruins not far away.
"This ruin has been completely occupied by Goblins. According to the intelligence, the one ruling these Goblins is neither a Goblin Hero nor a Goblin King, but a high-tier Troll."
The Elf Archer whispered to Naruto.
"Mhm."
Naruto's gaze surveyed the ancient ruins before them.
The stone architecture was simple yet massive, its cracked walls overgrown with plants, but it was not difficult to discern its former grandeur and majesty.
Torches were lit at the entrance and watchtowers, their light dispelling the darkness, and ordinary green-skinned Goblins were standing guard and patrolling.