Lin Mo didn't stop her.
It was her own choice. A young girl who had lost both her feet and her entire family had no way of surviving in this cruel world.
He walked over to a patch of grass at the side, plucked a small white flower, and laid it on their chests.
It was all he could do.
There was no point in burying them. Not only would it be time-consuming and difficult, but their bodies would soon be dug up by Goblins or wild beasts with a keen sense of smell.
There was no time for sentiment. Lin Mo stood up. He still had much to do.
First, he took the two Goblin ears from Leo's body. Then, he searched both his and Larry's corpses, finding a few dozen Copper Coins as an extra reward.
Of course, he didn't forget the trophy that had been allocated to Rhein, or the seven Goblins and one Mutated Goblin he had just killed. Lin Mo cut off the left ear of each one and stuffed them into a small cloth bag he'd taken from Larry's body.
Finally, there was the nest before him...
Gripping his Sword, Lin Mo cautiously stepped inside.
The cave wasn't very deep. A torch on the wall cast a faint light, allowing him to barely make out his surroundings.
On one side of the cave lay some straw and a few large, charred pieces of meat. The other side was a pile of junk—all sorts of bottles and jars.
At the far end of the cave, a few green-skinned runts lay on a pile of hay.
Without hesitation, Lin Mo went forward and, with a few thrusts of his Sword, dispatched these wicked saplings.
He rummaged through the pile of junk for a while. Most of it was worthless, but he did find a few surprises.
Inside one jar, Lin Mo discovered a pile of about forty or fifty Copper Coins. Most importantly, at the bottom of the pile, he found a glittering gold disc.
Lin Mo held the heavy disc in his hand. The pattern engraved on it was very similar to that of a Copper Coin.
It was a Gold Coin!
Lin Mo's eyes widened as he carefully tucked it into the cloth bag.
There were also some worn-out weapons, but most were in as poor a condition as the one Lin Mo carried and weren't worth much.
After picking through them, Lin Mo finally took two Short Knives that seemed to be in decent condition.
Just as Lin Mo thought he was done and prepared to leave, something caught his eye. A corner of a yellowed piece of paper was pinned under the leg of a crude wooden table in the center of the cave.
Lin Mo went over, lifted the table, and unfolded the paper.
It was covered in tiny, densely packed words. At the top of the page was a sentence: "Pious apprentice, cast aside all anxiety and impatience. Only with a focused mind will the gates of Magic open for you."
Lin Mo could almost hear his own heart pounding with excitement as he looked down at the signature.
—Authored by Elvis, Great Mage and Instructor at Saint Antonia Academy.
This was a Skill Scroll—and a very rare Magic Skill Scroll at that!
'Where in the world did these Goblins get this thing?'
'And they were using such a priceless item to prop up a wobbly table. What a sacrilegious waste!'
Lin Mo carefully pocketed the Scroll. After one last check for anything else of value, he hurriedly left the cave.
It was getting late. If he delayed any longer and the Goblins that had been out returned, he'd be in trouble.
He didn't think he could handle more than ten Goblins at once, and his chances of failure would be even higher at night.
Lin Mo was no expert at navigation; in fact, he had a poor sense of direction. Luckily, Larry had left markers along their path. Following them, Lin Mo managed to find his way and sprinted out of the dangerous forest just before the sky turned a deep, fiery orange.
His luck was good. He didn't run into a single Goblin on the way back. He only came across two wild wolves, and after a brief standoff, both parties went their separate ways peacefully.
Lin Mo breathed a small sigh of relief, but he quickly steeled himself and picked up his pace, hurrying toward the town.
He couldn't consider himself safe until he was back inside the town walls.
Never mind the Goblins that might be roaming outside the forest—the unpredictable hearts of men were the most dangerous thing of all.
As he neared the town, he began to see other Adventurers returning from their excursions.
Some were officially registered Adventurers, while others were rookies like him who had been temporarily drafted.
The difference between the two groups was obvious. The official Adventurers seemed much more relaxed, laughing and chatting with their companions. The rookies, on the other hand, all had grim expressions. Most were injured, and some couldn't even walk properly, using tree branches as crutches as they limped forward with the help of their teammates.
And these were the lucky ones.
The unluckiest, like Larry and Rhein, had been left behind in that forest forever.
Lin Mo collected himself and walked to the town gate.
"Hold it!"
Just as he was about to enter, he was suddenly stopped by one of the Guards.
The Guard wore simple Leather Armor and carried a long spear. He looked Lin Mo up and down.
"You're not an official Adventurer, are you?"
He glanced at the slight bulge in Lin Mo's tunic. "Where are your teammates? Why are you alone? Don't tell me you deserted and snuck back?"
Lin Mo met his gaze and immediately understood.
There was no point explaining. Even if he presented the Goblin ears as proof of his kills, these people could come up with any number of excuses if they wanted to slander him.
They didn't care whether he was a deserter or whether he had actually killed any Goblins. All they cared about was whether they could afford an extra meat pie for dinner.
So, he reached into his pocket, took out a dozen or so Copper Coins, and naturally pressed them into the Guard's palm. "Sir, you've misunderstood. My team and I were unlucky enough to run into a big one. They were all killed. I was the only one fortunate enough to escape..."
"A big one?"
The Guard's expression changed instantly. "You don't mean a Mutated Goblin, do you?"
"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that it was tall—almost two heads taller than me. If I hadn't been a fast runner, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it back at all."
"...Alright, I understand. You can go in."
The Guard pocketed the Copper Coins and looked Lin Mo up and down again. He'd been in this line of work long enough to know when to show restraint. You couldn't push people too far, or you might risk a desperate, bloody fight. Besides, a tough guy who could escape from a Mutated Goblin was not someone you wanted to make an enemy of.
Lin Mo entered the town without further trouble. By now, the streets were growing dim. The noise and bustle of the pedestrians coming and going made him feel, for a moment, as if he'd returned from another world.
The thrilling, terrifying scenes from the afternoon flashed before his eyes.
'It's good to be alive...'
Night was falling. Many things could wait until tomorrow. For now, an intense wave of exhaustion made his eyelids feel heavy. All Lin Mo wanted was to find a safe place to get a good night's sleep.
Fortunately, in a place like Roland Town, which was full of Adventurers, such a place wasn't hard to find.
Soon, Lin Mo found an inn on a street called the "Flower Beds."
The innkeeper was a stout, middle-aged woman. When she saw him enter, she glanced up briefly before returning to the ledgers in her hands.
"Staying or looking for someone?"
'Looking for someone?'
Lin Mo was momentarily taken aback but didn't dwell on it. "Staying," he replied.
"30 Copper Coins a night."
The innkeeper said, holding out her hand.
Just as Lin Mo was mentally complaining about the price, she added, "Includes two meals."
'Never mind then.'