"But Misho, you don't have a spell art!" Maia argued.
She won't let him be without any way to protect himself. Who knows what would happen if he died. He might be respawned in an entirely different place. At that time, it would be hard for them to reunite again.
"I can run fast," Misho replied.
He could understand Maia's concern, but as a man, he wasn't willing to let her do the risky job. Besides, he could remain calm when he saw the goblins. There shouldn't be any problems for him.
"Maisha, trust Quarter. As a man, I can understand him," Gerald said.
He was impressed by Misho's valiance, and he wanted to help him.
"Uncle Gerald, I can use spell arts, but he can't!" Maia replied to him in annoyance.
"That doesn't matter. Goblins attack as a group. It would be impossible for you to attack them. You would only be abducted if you tried," Gerald replied.
"Abduct? T-They won't kill me?" Maia asked in shock.
In her mind, the worst thing that could happen was dying. She didn't even think of any other way she would end up as.
"*Sigh* I will tell you the truth. Goblins would eat the men in the village and use those nutrients to impregnate the women. Once you become useless, only then would they eat you," Gerald explained.
"W-Wha…"
Maia's eyes widened in disbelief, and she took a step back. That was a fate worst than death. The developers of this game were crazy!
*Ding*
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Notice: You will be disconnected from your current body before that happens. Preventive measures are in place to prevent psychological trauma.
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A notification popped out in both of their eyes. It relieved Maia, but it still made her scared. That would mean that she would leave her body, but it would still be left for the goblins to play with as they please.
Then that body of hers would also give birth to a goblin. Just thinking about it made her feel goosebumps.
She didn't want that to happen. Even though this was just a game, her body was still her body.
"Do you understand now?" Gerald asked.
He saw the emotions that went through Maia's face and understood that she understood what would happen to her.
"Quarter, take care," Maia said solemnly.
"I will," Misho replied.
He became even more determined to protect her from the goblin attack.
"Follow me," Gerald said and led the way back into the village.
Misho and Maia made eye contact and nodded at each other. They then turned around and went their separate ways.
Misho looked around the area and found a thick bush under a tree. He hid behind it and observed the edge of the forest. He felt tensed now that he was alone.
"Man, I wish I got a spell art before," Misho said out loud.
He would have some reassurance as he could use the spell art to slow down the goblins.
He then waited for a while, but nothing happened. He just watched the wind sway the leaves on the trees.
The sun rose to its highest point and started going down, making it scorching hot. Even the shade he was under couldn't keep up from the heat.
He was glad that he was under a tree. Otherwise, he would have suffered sunburns.
Soon, he felt dehydrated.
"Ugh…"
Misho sat on the ground. He was tired from standing for several hours while waiting for nothing.
He peeked through the small gap in the middle of the bush.
*Crack*
Suddenly, a sound of a broken branch sounded behind Misho. He turned around and stood up at the same time.
"Misho, here," Maia said.
Seeing that she wasn't a goblin, Misho relaxed his tense body. She walked towards him while carrying a cup of water.
"Oh… Thank you," Misho replied and took it from her.
He immediately drank it.
"Everyone is already barricading the village. I came here to give you water since you have been here for several hours now," Maia said.
"Puah… I need more. Also, I'm hungry," Misho said.
"Hehe. I will come back with more," Maia giggled.
She turned around and left.
After Maia left, Misho smiled. He was grateful to her.
He continued waiting for several minutes.
*Crack* *Crack*
Suddenly, he heard another sound of branches cracking. He turned behind him and saw Horpa walking towards him while carrying an axe on his shoulder.
"Uncle Horpa?"
"Mm."
Horpa nodded his head in greeting. He walked towards him and leaned his back on the tree.
"You should go. I don't want a young kid like you to scout the goblins," Horpa said.
"What? Why? I can run very fast," Misho replied in confusion.
"I saw from your body language that you don't know how to fight. Those little goblins can run as fast as a horse. Even if you saw them the moment they appeared, some would still catch up to you. If you don't know how to defend, you will stumble, and they will smash your head with a club," Horpa explained.
"..."
Misho went silent. He was right.
He was from a world where peace was everywhere. No one knew fighting anymore except for the military and those practicing martial arts.
"Gerald never saw a goblin before. He was still a kid when this village was attacked two decades ago. As for me, I travel a lot, and a goblin once attacked me," Horpa explained.
"So you want me to go back to the village?" Misho asked.
"Of course. With everyone working together, we can defeat them. Everyone in this village is a cultivator, after all," Horpa said as a proud smile slowly formed on his face.
"Alright. Thank you, Uncle Horpa," Misho replied and stood up.
"Also, protect your wife. Don't leave her when the goblins attack. Women are their number 1 target," Horpa said.
Misho nodded his head and headed back to the village. He found several barricade circles scattered around the village.
The villagers were all at their doorstep, ready to step out.
"Misho!" Maia called out to him.
"THEY'RE HERE!!"
Before he could reply, Horpa's loud voice came from behind him.