The two recruits didn't wait long after the handshake to leave the Hunter's Guild and head to their destination: the goblin hunt.
"Let's go to the village that's being attacked to gather information about their possible location," said Jon.
"We still have a duty to support the villagers; we need to see if they've suffered any harm, like someone being captured or a fatality," Fay added.
Fay was a person who liked to think with his heart; the current state of the village weighed on him, wanting to know if anyone had been injured or killed. Jon was more rational, thinking about how to achieve his goal of wiping out the little green monsters.
"You have a big heart," Jon remarked.
"I was taught that the way I use my strength is for something noble. Protecting the lives of others is a relevant ideal to have," Fay explained.
Both killed some time talking as they headed to the village. The journey should take around one to two hours of walking if they kept this pace. Their first adventure made their hearts race with the feeling that they were experiencing a new kind of world, the feeling of exploring things no one had ever seen or witnessed before. The minds of the young men were filled with a fertile and optimistic imagination; the life of a hunter was highly romanticized by those aspiring to the profession.
Their arrival at the village was strange when they saw the state of the villagers' houses; there were several holes from arrows or spears in the wreckage. The residents showed clear signs of malnutrition and severe stress; their physical and psychological health had long escaped them.
"The situation seems quite problematic," Jon said. He was the first to speak, being more sensitive to negative emotions than his friend, who was shocked by the decadent conditions these men and women lived in. The older of the two hid his shock to force a professional face and convey confidence; the younger one let his shock show openly.
"Could you tell me what is happening in this village? We are hunters from the guild and we've come to solve the goblin problem," Jon announced.
The villagers' eyes quickly lit up when they heard about dealing with the goblins, the same look as if they had received a pile of gold or a bountiful harvest. The despair in their eyes seemed to vanish, although a great fear was noticeable when the name of that monster species was mentioned.
"It's about time someone showed up to end our suffering."
The person who stood out was an old man between 60 and 70 years old, with a huge beard and long hair, his spine slightly bent, using a cane for support. The old man's condition was as decadent as that of the other villagers.
"I must be speaking with the village chief, am I not?" Jon asked.
Fay remained quiet while his friend spoke with the village authorities, understanding that his emotions would be better used when it was time to fight the monsters.
"Yes, my name is Alfred. I am the chief of the village of Hampton," the old man confirmed. "The monsters are making the villagers very nervous. Madness is a matter of time if things continue this way".
Listening to the elder's story generated some empathy in the two rookie hunters; having one's life completely turned upside down by monsters was not something normal or easy to endure.
"We will deal with these monsters, and you will be able to sleep peacefully tonight," Fay declared, his eyes blazing with a flame that excited his older companion to start the practical part of the adventure.
"I want to know what poisonous animals exist in the region," Jon interjected. "I also want you to inform me if there are any plant-based poisons". The veterans had said to take note of local poisons as a weapon the little green monsters used, as several of them claimed to have been affected by different poisons depending on their location.
"It's a good thing you remembered all that; I had forgotten about that part, Jon," Fay admitted.
The village chief thought hard about what types of poisons existed near the village; it was not uncommon to have poisonous plants or animals. "The easiest poison to find here is from the stone flower. This flower has a poison capable of paralyzing a person, making them as stiff as a rock".
"Do you have any antidote left? We'll need it in case we're unlucky enough to get hurt," Jon asked.
Alfred quickly asked someone to bring a small flask of the flower's antidote. They always had some on hand because of how common it was in the region; accidents happened a few times a year.
"You must take one spoonful for it to take effect. In 10 minutes, the poison will begin to weaken," Alfred instructed. The antidote was placed in the older adventurer's pocket to keep it safe; his long-range combat style would help him keep the vial intact for the good of the pair.
"I'd also like to know about the existence of nearby caves," Jon continued. "Goblins like to set up their bases in caves or underground holes".
"There are small caves around our village, but there is only one large enough to serve as a base".
"Is it in the same direction from which they appear?"
"It seems to be in the exact direction they come from".
"Thank you."
The conversation flowed to find out a few more things about the cave, its location, and what the entrance looked like so there would be no mistakes. The smallest details were heard and noted down, and then it was time to depart for the mission.
"Let's go, Fay," Jon said.
"Yes!"
Their walk to the mission lasted only a few steps before they were interrupted by a very beautiful woman with black hair. Her eyes were brown and her outfit was a simple light green dress. One could notice her splendid curves with a second glance.
"I know it may be rude, but can you save my brother?" she pleaded. "He is my only remaining family and was captured by those abominations. I know it's asking a lot to conduct a search in the enemy's lair".
Fay quickly stood up as he regained his focus and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder to speak words that matched his personality—that of an honest man following his heart without any hesitation. "Your brother will come home. May I know his name for when we bring him home?"
"His name is Marcus. I am his older sister, Mary," she replied, introducing herself. The rest of the villagers, seeing the scene, also began to speak about the other children who had been kidnapped. The mission essentially gained another objective as they left that settlement of people terrorized by cunning monsters.
The surprise came when the system's blue screen appeared again in front of the traveler from another world.
Mission 01
Save the children of Hampton village (0/15)
Failure Penalty: Loss of one eye.
Reward: Small advancement in a chosen status.
Will the user accept or decline the mission?
His finger did not hesitate to accept the mission to save the village children. His heart might not be as soft as his friend's, but it was still a heart with feelings of pity and a desire to help others.
"We should discuss our strategy as we walk to the cave," Jon said.
"I have to be careful about the environment I enter," Fay noted. "My spear might not be able to move for anything beyond thrusts in caves if the space is too narrow". The spearman's concern was valid, as he realized he would be limited to only a few movements with his spear and couldn't use his full arsenal in this fight.
"I'll cover your weaknesses. Don't worry about doing more than thrusting," Jon assured him.
"I wanted to show off and be a little cool in front of my friend," Fay sighed, looking at his spear, then back at his friend as they continued the main conversation. "So, do you already have a plan for our attack on the goblins?"
"Yes, we're going to make it a quick massacre. Our attack will be too fast for them to think of doing anything," Jon explained. The Colt was too loud for a stealth attack, so a swift assault was necessary to avoid variables. "Our enemies are thinking creatures like us, so we must make a stealthy attack that forces them to react the way we want. You will go in front with the spear to finish off any enemy, and I will cover your openings with my ranged weapon".
"Wouldn't your ranged weapon be better for a stealth attack? Then after we're discovered, we could switch to the swift attack strategy," Fay questioned. He had this doubt because he had never seen his new companion's weapon in action, and the question of how that person fought was still on his mind, not seeing a bow or crossbow.
"My weapon makes a lot of noise when it fires. There's no way to make a stealth attack with it," Jon clarified.
"I see. How will we fight at our full capacity if it's going to be very dark?" Fay asked, a well-made point when thinking about fighting in a narrow, dark environment where the small creatures would have a total advantage.
"Do you know how to make a fire?"
"I do".
"Good thing you remembered about the darkness in the cave; I hadn't taken that into account," Jon admitted. The otherworlder had thought of so many things that he ended up forgetting one of the most crucial. Shame rose slightly on his face, making his companion laugh.
Walker was even more surprised to see a homemade torch being quickly made with his partner's superhuman skills; it took no more than 5 minutes to start and finish the process.
"We have torches, a strategy, and the location to attack," Fay said, excitement not escaping his eyes. His dreams of fantastic adventures were taking their first step at this moment as he was about to go into action.
"The entrance to the nest must be right over there."
The pair's walking ceased completely when Jon spoke, having spotted the cave in the distance. He fell silent and pointed towards the entrance. His finger indicated two small creatures, about 1 meter 20 centimeters tall or slightly larger. Their ears were long, their mouths were huge, and they lacked any beauty, just as the guild veterans had said. The weapons they held were spears; their bodies had no armor, only loincloths covering their private parts.
The gun was quickly drawn from the system's inventory as if it had always been in his pocket. The Colt aimed at the two who were guarding the nest.
"Can you hit the other one?" Jon asked.
The spearman quickly glanced at the distance, took his spear, and made an aiming gesture to run a more detailed simulation in his head. "There's no way. My spear is too heavy to throw from this distance. We must be approximately 40 meters from the enemy".
"I understand".
The revolver was quickly aimed at the chest of his marked enemy. His hand was not shaking as he placed his finger on the trigger to initiate the confrontation.
"I'll shoot the one on the left first, then I'll aim at the cave entrance, expecting the other one to try to hide, and then fire." The tactic for dealing with those goblins was being formulated in his mind. The trigger hadn't been pulled yet as he checked if the second shot was really viable.
"I can feel his focus from here. I'm excited to see how this weapon works," Fay thought.
The trigger was pulled from a distance of approximately 40 meters from the enemy. The bullet was quickly fired, hitting the one on the left of the cave. The projectile rapidly pierced the skin, hit the lung, and startled the other goblin as an excess of blood poured out.
"One down."
The reaction of the guard on the right was to panic when he heard the sound. He checked on his colleague and was terrified to see him fallen. His reaction was to quickly try to enter his nest to hide from the mysterious enemy who had killed his fellow guard. The sound of a gunshot rang out again the moment he entered the firearm's sights; the shot quickly pierced his heart, giving him no reaction other than to die on the ground while trying to flee.
"Second."
Fay was admiring his companion, seeing the precision of his weapon to hit from 40 meters with so much power in a single projectile.
"I think it's time we start the extermination," Fay said, his spear already moved from his back to his two hands, a smile on his face showing how excited he was with the current situation.
"Yes."
The weapon remained materialized in Jon's left hand after confirming he had taken down the nest's guards, his nervousness from inexperience showing at that moment. The duo quickly got up from the bushes where they were hiding. The real battle would begin the moment they entered that dark and dangerous cave.