Raymond moved farther away from the city walls, heading toward the vast forest that stretched ahead in a mysterious and intimidating manner. The noise and commotion of the city gradually faded behind him, replaced by the sounds of nature—or more precisely, the sounds of the wild frontier.
Various unfamiliar noises echoed from the depths of the forest: the chirping of countless wild birds perched among the branches, the eerie grunts of wild boars roaming distant meadows, and the rustling sounds of unknown creatures running in packs between the trees.
Without making any unnecessary noise, Raymond advanced in complete silence. He walked steadily across the grassy plain that lay beneath the shadow of the city's enormous ancient stone walls, which blocked the sunlight.
At that moment, a cool breeze blew from the forest.
The gentle wind lifted dry yellow leaves from the ground and carried them through the air while brushing softly across the lush green grass of the field. Raymond narrowed his eyes and continued toward the eastern territory assigned to him. Under the influence of the calm wind, the black cloak draped over his back fluttered mysteriously behind him.
The steel plates embedded in his leather armor glimmered between sunlight and shadow, and with every step, his hand unconsciously drifted closer to the hilt of the dagger at his waist.
The lesson of his first death had taught him that the greatest dangers often hid behind peaceful appearances.
Slowly, Raymond prepared to leave the open meadow behind and enter the dark forest where the trees grew dense and thick.
True, the massive stone walls protecting the city were so formidable that no ground-based monster could ever break through them unless it possessed the ability to fly. So why had this inspection mission been issued in the first place?
The answer was simple.
The purpose of the mission was not merely to check the city itself. Beyond the city walls, near the forest borders, there were several small and vulnerable settlements that supported the city's economy and agriculture.
Because of this, city soldiers conducted inspections of these outer regions at least once every few months to ensure their continued safety.
After walking for some time across the meadow, Raymond spotted a cluster of nearly ten small wooden and straw houses ahead.
This was precisely the settlement the captain had pointed out on the map in the eastern territory.
To assess the situation and determine whether any danger existed, Raymond headed toward the village.
As he approached, he noticed the vast golden wheat fields surrounding the houses.
Under the sunlight, the fields shimmered brightly, and dozens of ordinary villagers worked peacefully among the crops, harvesting wheat. Despite living outside the protection of the city walls, they remained focused on their daily labor.
Along the narrow dusty road that ran between the houses, several young children played without a care in the world, chasing one another while laughing and shouting.
The peaceful atmosphere stood in stark contrast to Raymond's dark battle attire and cold demeanor.
However, he knew very well that goblins preferred attacking exactly these kinds of defenseless and peaceful locations.
Raymond eventually arrived at the village gate.
The gate itself was quite small, constructed from thick wooden logs, while a low and relatively fragile wooden fence surrounded the settlement.
Even a large forest boar could probably smash through it with enough force.
Still, the villagers were not completely defenseless.
Sharp wooden stakes had been planted outside the fence, providing reasonable protection against ordinary predators, especially wolf packs attempting to charge directly into the village.
However, these simple defenses only worked against beasts driven purely by instinct.
If the enemy possessed even a small amount of intelligence, carried weapons, or understood the concept of traps, conquering the village would be easy.
That was precisely why the city soldiers considered regular inspections of such locations extremely important.
"Finally, I've arrived," Raymond muttered as he wiped the sweat from his forehead while staring at the gate.
"It probably took me around two hours to get here from the city."
Without wasting time, he entered the village through the gate.
Adjusting his hood to avoid drawing attention as an outsider and a player, he proceeded inward.
His current objective was simple:
Find the village elder and gather information.
As Raymond walked down the dirt road, he noticed several children staring at him curiously.
He stopped one boy who was playing near the roadside and wore a simple cotton shirt.
Not wanting his cold and intimidating appearance to frighten the child, Raymond softened his voice as much as possible.
"Little one, could you help me with something? Do you know who the village elder is and where I can find his house?"
The boy first glanced at Raymond's black cloak and the dagger at his waist before pointing toward the end of the road.
"If you keep going straight, you'll see a large stone hut that doesn't look like the other houses. That's the elder's home," the boy replied.
"Thank you."
Raymond smiled slightly and gently patted the child's head before continuing in the indicated direction.
Following the dusty road, he soon spotted the stone hut.
While nearly every other building in the village was constructed from wood and straw, this one was larger, sturdier, and built entirely from stone.
Upon reaching the entrance, Raymond knocked lightly on the wooden door three times.
"Come in. The door is open."
An elderly but firm voice sounded from inside.
Raymond opened the door and entered.
Seated at a wooden table in the center of the room was an old man dressed in simple farmer's clothing. His hair and beard were as white as snow.
The moment he saw the armed stranger entering his home, his expression became serious.
"Good day, Elder. I came from the city on a Players' Guild mission. The city soldiers sent me to inspect the area."
Raymond briefly explained his purpose.
The moment the elder heard the words "Guild" and "city soldiers," the suspicion on his face vanished. Instead, he let out a relieved sigh and stood up.
"So they've finally sent someone..."
"Welcome, Player Sir!"
The old man approached Raymond.
"We've been very worried. The situation near the forest hasn't been peaceful lately."
Raymond immediately asked about recent enemy activity.
"Where exactly have the goblins been spotted most frequently?"
The elder narrowed his aged eyes and sighed deeply.
"The goblins have been seen in the forest regions near the village entrance," he replied seriously.
"Thankfully, they haven't come out of the forest and entered our wheat fields yet. But because of them, the villagers have become terrified. Many are now afraid to leave the village to hunt."
"If this continues, our food reserves will eventually run out."
Raymond silently memorized the location.
"In that case, I'll go investigate the area immediately," he said firmly.
The elder looked at the young yet determined player and nodded before issuing a warning.
"Very well. But be extremely careful."
"Goblins may appear weak and harmless at first glance, but they are actually very cunning creatures."
"They possess a level of intelligence that ordinary wild beasts lack."
"They enjoy setting ambushes and creating traps while working together in groups."
Raymond carefully considered the valuable information.
"Intelligence... That means brute force alone won't be enough to deal with them," he thought.
After bidding farewell to the elder, Raymond quickly left the stone hut and headed toward the dense and shadowy forest directly opposite the village entrance.