Bathed in the gentle glow of the moonlight, a frail young boy clutched a steel fork and stepped out of Ironwood City, carrying a patched-up bag on his back. He cast a fleeting glance at the quiet city before resolutely making his way toward the lumberyard outside.
The boy's name was Linte, and at around fourteen or fifteen years old, he appeared more like a twelve or thirteen-year-old due to his poor diet. Despite his young age, he had endured many hardships, having lived independently in Ironwood City for several years. It wouldn't be wrong to call him an orphan; his only aunt treated him with indifference. After exhausting the little money left by his parents, Linte had to rely on odd jobs around the city to make ends meet. At his age, finding suitable work was nearly impossible, so he ended up washing dishes and running errands in a few sympathetic restaurants, barely earning enough to stave off hunger.
Children from poor families mature quickly. When simple tasks failed to fill his growing stomach, Linte reluctantly decided to become a low-level adventurer. Fortunately, there were no strict requirements to become one. With the help of a kind-hearted adventurer, he filled out a form and paid the ten silver coins he had painstakingly saved, officially becoming an F-rank adventurer. Given Linte's age and abilities, he couldn't take on any decent tasks. Often, after spending a long time completing an F-rank mission, the reward was still insufficient to sustain him for more than a few days. A child who had never received training or learned any combat skills was not someone any adventuring group would take in. Many poor souls, forced into adventuring by life's circumstances, shared his plight, but luck had never favored Linte.
Now that he was an adventurer, Linte had accepted the risks that came with it. As long as the reward was sufficient, he was willing to put his life on the line. Gaining a sense of determination and courage that was uncommon for children of his age, Linte's heart raced at the prospect of the goblin-clearing mission. It was well-known that goblins were weak, and a single goblin head could fetch ten gold coins—wealth beyond his wildest dreams. Moreover, the task was open to all ranks, so he took his only weapon, a steel fork, and packed a few black loaves of bread before boldly leaving the city.
Why not go during the day? Linte believed that, given his strength, even if he encountered a goblin, it would take a long time to kill it, and he might even end up dead himself. The noise from their struggle would surely attract other adventurers lurking in the woods, raising the question of whether he could protect his prey. Fortunately, being a native of Ironwood City, he was familiar with the terrain outside and wasn't afraid of getting lost at night. In fact, he felt that the darkness provided him with more protection.
Instead of taking the main road to the lumberyard, Linte chose a smaller path that also led into the Ironwood forest. He didn't have high expectations; he merely hoped to successfully capture a goblin and earn enough money to last him six months. Once he grew stronger, he could take on various jobs like carrying goods or logging—anything that didn't require special skills. With a stable job, he wouldn't have to risk his life as an adventurer anymore. After saving for a few more years, he might even be able to marry and start a family. Everyone has their dreams, and Linte was no exception. It was this sense of purpose and the hope of achieving it that drove a boy who should still be seeking comfort from his parents to take such reckless risks.
Having walked the night roads a few times, Linte had rarely ventured out this late. Once, he had hurried along the main road to the lumberyard to deliver a message. At that time, he had been so focused on completing the task quickly to earn a few coins for some cold bread that he hadn't thought about the dangers lurking in the dark. There were nights when he was so hungry that he risked being eaten by wild beasts just to find a few wild fruits in the woods outside the city.
Linte's luck could be considered good; he hadn't encountered any dangers, but it also meant he hadn't found any prey. His grip on the steel fork was starting to sweat; no matter how brave he felt, he was still just a boy in his early teens. As he wandered through the woods, his small figure nearly got mistaken for a goblin by passing adventurers. Some kind-hearted adventurers warned him of the dangers and urged him to return. For Linte, who was determined to risk his life for this mission, their words offered only slight comfort.
Suddenly, Linte cautiously pushed aside some bushes and discovered a bloodied goblin lying there. To his delight, the goblin's head hadn't been severed. However, its skull appeared to have been crushed by a powerful force, not from blades or fists. The area showed clear signs of a struggle, suggesting that the person who killed the goblin deemed its head unworthy of collection. Linte wondered if the Adventurers' Guild would accept such a head. If it weren't still attached to the goblin's body, he doubted he could even identify it.
Many adventurers might shake their heads and leave the head hanging from its neck, but Linte was different. As long as there was a glimmer of hope, he would not hesitate to pick up the pulpy mass that was once a head. After all, he didn't expect to find anything else tonight. Perhaps he could still exchange it for ten gold coins—or even just one would satisfy him.
He unfastened his tattered bag, tucking the black bread close to his chest, and used the steel fork to completely sever the goblin's head from its neck. He didn't mind the disgusting green liquid that splattered his hands; carefully, he cradled the 'head' and placed it in his bag. Once everything was sorted, he pulled the fork from the goblin's body, feeling as if he had personally slain a goblin. With renewed determination, he ventured deeper into the woods.
To Linte's astonishment, his luck seemed to be improving. Not far away, he stumbled upon several more goblin corpses. More importantly, these later bodies had sustained fatal injuries to their chests or bodies, yet their heads remained intact. This was a treasure trove of gold coins! How could no adventurers have claimed them? Although Linte was suspicious that he might be taking someone else's unclaimed prey, he couldn't help but feel that his discovery was a blessing from the goddess.
With the addition of the previous mangled head, Linte now had four in his bag—forty gold coins! Even if it were only thirty, he felt grateful to the gods above. He even planned to buy some offerings for the temple to express his gratitude. As for the church in the city, after witnessing the hypocrisy of the priests, Linte held no reverence for the God of Light.
With a light heart, he began his journey back to the city. Although the gates had long since closed, Linte feared that someone might steal his hard-earned prey. As long as he reached the gates with the guards present, such incidents were rare. Just as he was lost in dreams of the wealth he had amassed overnight, a shadow suddenly flashed before him, revealing a striking figure. Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the figure blocking his path spoke first: "Oh, a little adventurer! I thought you were a goblin sneaking around." She then called out behind her, "Lilith, no need to rush over; it's just an adventurer."
Yuna's sweet voice made Linte feel as if he were dreaming. Don't underestimate him just because he was young; he often found himself mesmerized by the beautiful figures in the Adventurers' Guild. The guild was filled with boisterous drunks, and the unhealthy thoughts floating around had turned the naive Linte into a little man.
"Hey, kid, what are you staring at? Hurry up and move along," Yuna said, lightly scolding the boy who barely reached her chest height. Nowadays, even children his age had a wandering eye for women.
Just as Linte was about to scurry away in fright, he heard the rustling of footsteps behind him. Habitually turning around, he saw a strange man blending into the night, holding a beautiful little bird, accompanied by a stunning girl who once again captivated him. Though he had been influenced by the adults around him, Linte knew that women with exaggerated curves were typically their favorites. However, for a boy his age, a pure and adorable girl like Lilith was the princess of his dreams.
Seeing Linte lost in a daze again, Yuna grew more annoyed and raised her hand to slap him awake. But before her hand could fall, Fars intervened, saying, "He's just a kid; don't be too harsh."
Hearing Fars's voice snapped Linte back to reality, and he stammered out apologies. Fars waved him off, allowing him to leave. The boy quickly grabbed his steel fork and ran off into the distance. Once he was far enough away, Lilith giggled, "He's so funny! He was staring at me like that."
Looking at her innocent smile, Fars felt no disdain for the boy who had been so captivated moments earlier. At that age, he didn't appear very strong and showed no signs of combat prowess, yet he dared to venture out at night to hunt goblins. That kind of courage was commendable. It was clear he came from a poor background; a child so young becoming an adventurer must have faced many hardships to develop such determination.
Tonight's outing had achieved its purpose of training Lilith. At least her Arcane Missiles wouldn't always miss their targets, and she wouldn't accidentally hit Yuna, who was limiting the goblins' movements. Cradling the tired Lilith in his arms, allowing her to rest against him, Fars and Yuna began to stroll aimlessly through the woods. As dawn approached and the city gates were about to open, they made their way toward Ironwood City.
Outside the city gates, a commotion caught Fars's attention. Among those involved was the boy he had encountered in the woods, now being kicked to the ground by several guards. They had seized the bag he had been desperately protecting.
Seeing this unfold, Fars knew he couldn't ignore it. Meeting the boy twice felt like fate. Gently placing the sleeping Lilith into Yuna's arms, Fars stepped forward to confront the guards who were still intent on attacking the boy, coldly demanding, "Are the guards now openly engaging in robbery?"