One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Accompanied by flying leaves and clumps of soil.
A fawn, half a man’s height, suddenly burst out from the underbrush.
Its four slender legs paused in place, small hooves lightly stepping on the muddy ground.
Eyes as clear as black pearls reflected the image of four adventurers ahead, who were ready for any threat.
A gaze both innocent and foolish.
Orange flames burned fiercely, with dead branches and firewood from the forest stacked together, forming a small campfire.
In the dimly lit air, apart from the increasingly dense mist, there was also a fragrant aroma of fat oxidizing and protein roasting.
The fawn, lively moments ago, was now gutted, skewered with branches, and placed over the raging flames.
Xia Nan sat by the campfire, leaning against a tree trunk, gently wiping his Beheading Longsword with a cloth.
Beside him, Adeline, having just set up traps, returned to camp, nodding slightly in greeting.
On the other side of the campfire, Abi was in a quiet discussion with Berg, their voices muffled by the flickering light and mist, making it hard to hear clearly.
Throughout the day, Xia Nan hadn’t learned much about these new companions, but he had a general understanding of their characters.
"Green Blood" Adeline was almost exactly as Chapton had described her.
Not very talkative, but extremely diligent; as the team leader, she undertook the most dangerous and grueling job of carving a path.
Without a single wasted word, she calmly directed their formation change in unexpected situations.
In terms of skill, just the fact that she took the most challenging position in the group, lasting more than half a day with little effort, was testament enough.
The rumored stubbornness might be because they hadn’t yet encountered goblins, so it hadn’t shown.
All in all, indeed reliable.
Abi, a newcomer at a glance.
Undoubtedly a rookie unless impersonated by a minstrel with masterful acting, there was no chance of hidden strength.
Considering Adeline’s habit of only accepting goblin-related tasks, apart from the Hunting Day, experienced adventurers rarely joined.
As per usual, if Abi could stay with her team for a while and gradually grow, he would likely leave once becoming an experienced adventurer to seek a team offering more rewards.
Notably, Abi’s personality was rather cheerful for an adventurer, talking quite a bit along the way.
Despite being of a similar age, he seldom initiated conversations with Xia Nan.
From their acquaintance until now, they hadn’t spoken much.
For some reason, Xia Nan felt as if Abi was silently competing with him.
Yet whenever Xia Nan engaged Abi under the pretext of a task, Abi seemed a bit timid.
As if aware of the gap between them, fearing his thoughts would be exposed.
Xia Nan didn’t mind it too much.
They were just temporary teammates, disbanding after the Hunting Day.
As long as it wasn’t direct, tangible malice, he didn’t care if others gossiped behind his back.
As for the archer "Berg"...
To Xia Nan, he resembled the old Magi but more suave, always greeting everyone with a smile.
An "old fox" demeanor.
But it was precisely this unclear character that put Xia Nan on his guard.
Feeling like the type who would easily abandon comrades and flee in the face of a powerful enemy.
This brought back memories of Berg’s exchange with a frail adventurer at the Association hall and the mention of "Huo Ya" Bennett.
Curiosity couldn’t help but rise.
With the team now camped and resting, there wasn’t much to do.
Xia Nan turned to Adeline beside him and inquired about related information.
Having been in River Valley Town for many years and earned the "Green Blood" nickname,
Even if not focusing on trivial matters generally, she’d gleaned information about notable figures among the town’s low-level adventurers from tavern tales.
Seeing Xia Nan’s interest, she didn’t hold back and shared what she knew over the years...
Humans are the sum of their social relationships.
Whether facing constant death risks, struggling to fill their stomachs as low-level adventurers, or epic legends sung through the ages and praised by the world.