I was so scared that I put all my points into health.

Ryan was timid and cowardly. Those dangerous and challenging missions seemed like an insurmountable chasm to him, something he certainly wouldn't want to face. Deep down, he longed for a stable and peaceful life.

If it were Renn, the thought of embarking on missions that might involve life-or-death situations would make his heart race with anxiety. His greatest desire was to live a simple yet fulfilling life with Alpha and his father, running their small seed shop. Every morning, he would rise early to greet the first rays of sunlight, starting his busy day with renewed energy. He would carefully help his father organize the shop, arranging the seeds neatly as if they were precious treasures. When villagers came to buy seeds, he would warmly welcome them, his face beaming with a genuine smile, patiently answering their various questions.

However, this is Wang Xiaoyi now. Although he still possesses the traits of a homebody, spending his days immersed in his own little world, enjoying reading and playing games in a corner, he is also striving for his homebody dream. He knows that to better protect everything he cherishes in this world, including his peaceful life, he must have sufficient ability. Therefore, he is trying to overcome his inner fears and attempt to experience things he once dared not imagine, like a fledgling bird trying to leave its warm nest to explore the outside world, filled with unease yet also harboring anticipation for the future.

Recently, the Adventurers' Guild has been frequently posting quests to eliminate monsters. Given the increasing number of goblins, which poses a threat to the village's safety, these quests have become particularly important. Wang Xiaoyi happened to glance at one quest: escorting a merchant and clearing out the surrounding goblins. He and Alpha were now quite strong and thought completing this quest should be a piece of cake. However, when he carefully examined the quest details, he discovered that it required a total of four players.

Wang Xiaoyi and Alpha arrived at the Adventurer's Guild hall, their eyes scanning the surroundings for potential teammates. Soon, their gazes fell upon a young man exuding masculinity. The young man was athletic, with a determined look in his eyes, radiating an aura of courage and fearlessness. Without hesitation, Wang Xiaoyi stepped forward and warmly invited him to join the team. The young man smiled happily and readily agreed.

At this point, they only needed one more person to complete the team. Wang Xiaoyi paced back and forth in the hall, extremely anxious. He really didn't want to encounter trouble again because of careless team formation, like last time. His previous experience had taught him that some despicable and scheming people should never be easily teamed up with.

Just as Wang Xiaoyi was feeling helpless, his gaze was inadvertently drawn to a figure in the corner of the guild. It was a person wearing a cloak and a hood, completely concealed, as if trying to blend into the surrounding environment. As Wang Xiaoyi approached, he was surprised to find that this mysterious person was also an adventurer.

Wang Xiaoyi was overjoyed, feeling this was a golden opportunity. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and invited the mysterious man to join his team. The mysterious man remained silent for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement.

And so, the four-person team was finally complete. However, Alpha and the masculine young man looked at the mysterious man with suspicion in their hearts. They felt that this mysterious man seemed rather strange, and they didn't know whether he was reliable or not. In their opinion, Wang Xiaoyi had simply picked someone to fill in when he couldn't find anyone else, and they couldn't expect this mysterious man to play any role in the mission at all.

Wang Xiaoyi was also a little unsure and decided to observe for a while before making a decision. If this mysterious person really couldn't do it, it wouldn't be too late to think of a solution.

The four people received the mission, and the system notification sounded immediately: "Ding, escort and goblin extermination mission activated."

I. Task Requirements

1. Escort the Merchant: Escort the merchant safely to the city of Alberland, 8 kilometers away, through a forest.

2. Goblin Extermination: Recently, the number of monsters has increased, and even previously safe routes are now subject to goblin attacks. The goblins encountered in this mission are mostly level 6-10, with a very small chance of encountering level 15 goblins. All of them must be eliminated.

3. If possible, find and destroy a goblin's lair while eliminating goblins.

II. Task Prompt

1. Goblins often ambush from hidden places, so be vigilant when moving, especially in complex terrain such as forests.

2. The carriage is slow and an obvious target, so it is necessary to arrange for someone to protect it.

3. Be aware of the goblins' group attack patterns and cooperate with each other to deal with them.

III. General Rewards

1. Experience points: 500 experience points.

2. Gold: 200 copper coins.

3. Reputation: 50

IV. Hidden Rewards

1. If you successfully defeat a level 15 goblin, you have a chance to obtain a special item dropped by that goblin, such as a goblin tooth with a slight magical power, which can be exchanged for rare items in a specific shop.

2. If the merchant is protected unharmed and the carriage is not damaged during the escort, the escort may receive additional gifts from the merchant, such as rare seeds or high-quality leather.

3. If possible, find and destroy a goblin's lair while eliminating goblins; you can obtain a random high-level equipment box.

Listening to the quest description, Wang Xiaoyi couldn't help but start complaining in his mind. Goblins and slimes, those two unlucky monsters, they really are persistent! The beginner quests include green slimes, red slimes, blue slimes, goblin archers, goblin warriors, and goblin mages; the advanced quests include shadow slimes, crystal slimes, poisonous slimes, lightning slimes, slime kings, goblin chieftains, goblin shamans, goblin assassins, goblin berserkers, goblin archer captains, goblin mages, goblin leaders, and goblin kings.

Wang Xiaoyi thought to himself, "These two are quite different. One is repulsive, making you feel disgusted just by looking at it; the other is sticky and makes you feel uncomfortable all over. If they were cuter, maybe you could accept them a little. But they are so annoying that seeing them always dampens my mood."

That said, Rimuru is undeniably adorable, and the slimes in Ragnarok Online and Dragon Quest series each have their own charm. As for goblins, they only seem somewhat cute in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime. It must be said, however, that the monster designs in most other works are far from flattering. I sincerely hope that creators will be more merciful and design monsters to be more aesthetically pleasing, allowing us to enjoy visual pleasure alongside our adventures.

The four people sat comfortably in the carriage, which moved slowly forward. The carriage bumped rhythmically along the road, making a slight creaking sound. Suddenly, a strange movement came from ahead, a sign that a demon was approaching.

The young man's masculine gaze sharpened instantly. Without hesitation, he grabbed his weapon and leaped nimbly from the carriage. Several goblins burst from the roadside woods, baring their fangs and emitting strange cries. But the young man showed no fear. Like a lithe cheetah, he charged into the goblin horde. His sword flashed with power, each strike aimed precisely at the goblins' vital points. Before him, the goblins were like fragile ants, utterly unable to withstand his superior fighting skills. The young man moved with lightning speed, his blade gleaming coldly, and the goblins fell one after another, like harvested straw, easily dispatched by this valiant warrior.

They had only traveled halfway when suddenly, three goblin archers, two goblin assassins, and a goblin mage burst forth from the shadows on either side of the road. In an instant, the caravan was shrouded in danger and plunged into a perilous situation.

Seeing this, Wang Xiaoyi and Alpha were worried that the spirited young man wouldn't be able to handle such a large number of enemies, so they quickly disembarked from the carriage. Given the sheer number of goblins, Wang Xiaoyi dared not act rashly, but instead stood guard beside the carriage, ready for action. He knew that if he attacked first, the damage he could inflict would be extremely limited, but his passive skill could be incredibly powerful in defense. With that in mind, he first cast a speed boost spell on Alpha and the young man. At this moment, the mysterious hooded man sat at the front of the carriage, expressionless, as if everything was irrelevant to him.

Alpha was equally tense, standing guard beside the carriage, his eyes fixed on the enemy, ready to strike at any moment. He had been training with his thief mentor for a long time, never slacking off in his daily training. Although he couldn't help feeling some fear and nervousness, he remained generally calm. Using his innate thief instincts, he silently concealed himself, attempting a sneak attack on the goblin mage. However, the goblin mage was extremely cunning, deftly dodging Alpha's attack.

At this moment, three goblin archers, hiding in the forest, raised their bows and arrows, pointing them directly at the carriage, ready to unleash their deadly arrows. Seeing this, Wang Xiaoyi immediately assumed a defensive stance, preparing to take the onslaught head-on.

At this tense moment, the cloaked man suddenly stood up at the front of the carriage. His expression was focused, his eyes fixed on the distance, and his hands swiftly rose, miraculously conjuring two air blades gleaming with a chilling light. The two blades streaked across the sky like lightning, whistling towards the goblin archers, instantly killing two of them. Then, as if nothing had happened, the man silently sat back down at the front of the carriage, falling silent once more.

Alpha and the imposing young man were both stunned, their eyes wide and their faces filled with disbelief as they stared blankly at the scene unfolding before them. In that instant, everyone realized that the strength displayed by this mysterious man was absolutely extraordinary and remarkable.

At that moment, the remaining goblin archer swiftly nocked an arrow, drew the bowstring taut, and fired. Wang Xiaoyi, seeing this, didn't hesitate to prepare to block. He knew that although the arrow would hurt, he possessed numerous passive skills that would restore his health to full within seconds, and he could also use a damage reflection skill while taking damage, inflicting some damage on the goblin archer. But Alpha wasn't going to give him that chance. Alpha moved with lightning speed, rushing towards the goblin archer like a phantom. Just as the arrow was about to strike Wang Xiaoyi, Alpha swung his weapon, severing the bow. Immediately afterward, Alpha disappeared from everyone's sight again. When he reappeared, he was already ghost-like behind the goblin archer, launching a backstab without hesitation. This attack even triggered a critical hit, instantly killing the remaining goblin archer.

Wang Xiaoyi opened his eyes wide and stared intently at the goblin mage. Suddenly, his system was activated, granting him the basic passive skill "Eye of Insight".

Skill effects

It allows you to clearly see the opponent's level and class. When fighting or facing strangers, users can quickly obtain this basic information, which helps in formulating strategies at the start of a battle or deciding whether to approach the opponent.

As your level increases, you will gradually see more detailed parameters, such as health, mana, attack power, and defense.

The remaining goblin assassins and goblin mages were utterly enraged, unleashing furious roars that reverberated through the air like thunder. Like crazed beasts, the goblin assassins charged at the nearest masculine youth with incredible speed, brandishing their sharp daggers and launching a fierce attack.

Meanwhile, the goblin mage hid in the distance, brandishing his staff and unleashing deadly magical attacks aimed directly at Wang Xiaoyi. Wang Xiaoyi, however, remained unfazed, letting the magical attacks strike him while calmly awaiting the triggering of his passive skill.

Just then, Wang Xiaoyi's automatic Holy Light spell was activated, and a dazzling beam of holy light shot towards the goblin mage. The beam struck its target accurately and stunned the goblin mage, instantly rendering him unable to fight.

Alpha seized this rare opportunity, using his skilled thief techniques to silently approach the goblin mage. His movements were swift and decisive, killing the goblin mage with a single blow.

Meanwhile, the masculine young man displayed formidable strength, launching a fierce attack on the two goblin assassins. Under his leadership, the three worked together and finally defeated the remaining goblin assassins.

After a fierce battle, they finally defeated all the goblins and won the battle.

Fortunately, slaying the goblin assassin yielded a small, exquisite dagger with an incredibly sharp blade, perfect for close combat. Its sharpness is so great that it can even penetrate ordinary defenses unintentionally, making it ideal for Alpha. There's also a Shadowwalker's Cloak, which, when worn, can conceal the wearer to some extent, enhancing stealth capabilities and making the wearer harder to detect when moving at night or in the shadows.

Alpha also unexpectedly gained an agility-related passive skill during this mission, called "Swift Steps".

Agility-type passive skill - Swift Step Effect:

Increase the character's movement speed, allowing Alpha to approach enemies or retreat from the battlefield more quickly in combat.

Increases the character's dodge chance, giving them a higher probability of successfully avoiding enemy attacks.

As proficiency increases, the increase in movement speed and dodge chance will also increase accordingly. Once proficiency reaches a certain level, it is even possible to enter a state similar to teleportation for a short period of time, instantly moving a short distance.

After safely escorting the merchant to Alberland, the four of them took the opportunity to explore the city. Although the mission was fraught with danger, they were all grateful to have survived.

Alpha was overjoyed; he felt as if he were blessed by Lady Luck. He thought to himself that perhaps it was because he was with his Lord Rein that he had become so lucky.

As for the mission to destroy the goblin's lair, everyone felt it was an absurd joke. After all, they had been assigned an escort mission, not an operation to infiltrate enemy territory and annihilate them. Just four or five goblins had already given them a hard time and left them exhausted; how could they possibly storm the goblin's lair? That would be like throwing good money after bad—a one-way trip. Therefore, after some discussion, everyone unanimously decided to stop dwelling on it; simply surviving was already a blessing.