Chapter 47. Goblin massacre (2)
Chapter 47. Goblin massacre (2)
Tacan was a hot-blooded individual from birth. His father was a retired soldier, and his mother was a military nurse.
From childhood, he wanted to become a soldier, and he enlisted in the army when he was 18.
After that, his life was filled with blood and corpses. He experienced many things during his time as a soldier, and he was even promoted twice.
It was because of his skill in the sword.
Tacan was a genius when it came to the sword. His swordsmanship had a special kind of sharpness and elegance.
Some people had even said that it was a pity that Tacan was not born in a knight family, or he would have become the strongest knight in the empire.
He was praised all over the army, and even some high ranking officials had heard of his name. That naturally caused him to become the center of attention and jealously.
Several people were jealous of him, but Tacan just ignored them.
He was focused on his battles. He was addicted to the battlefield, and standing in the frontlines was his dream.
It was dangerous and a crazy dream, but that's how Tacan was. He had even thought of the type of death he wanted.
He wanted to die under a strong enemy's blade.
That was Tecan's dream, who treated the battlefield as his home. One would be the most relaxed and unrestrained in his home.
For Tacan, the battlefield was where he was the most relaxed and also let him become unrestrained.
But dreams and reality were vastly different things!
Dreams were sweet, but the reality was cruel, and the harsh reality came crashing down on Tacan one day. It was a hard hit for him.
Someone had framed him, and before he could say anything in his defense, he would be dismissed from the army.
Even his superiors were not able to help him.
Later he had found out that a noble was behind all this. The noble was jealous of Tacan, and he had framed him because he wanted his position.
Just like that, Tacan left the army in the disguise of retirement.
After leaving the army, Tacan took up the post of the leader of the vigilance guards in Ale village, and he got married.
It had been five years since then.
Tacan's dream had drastically changed in these five years. From dying under an enemy's blade to getting old with his wife.
It was a significant change.
Now, Tacan just wanted a peaceful life for himself. He was tired of wielding a sword, and a life with a family sounded nice.
But was it the truth?
No, it was just a lie disguised as truth by Tacan himself. The truth was that the fire inside his heart had already diminished.
Facing injustice in the army had made him give up on his sword. Now, he was only a simple leader of the vigilance guards in Ale village.
The fire in his heart had diminished, and he was not even thinking about lifting up his sword again, but…
'What's this feeling inside my heart?'
Tacan thought as he glanced at Ian, who was walking on his side. The feeling inside his heart was very familiar to him.
It was the same feeling he would feel during his time as a soldier. It was like the fire inside his heart was ignited again.
Tacan had thought that he had already given up on the battlefield, but he was wrong.
Watching Ian annihilating the Goblins, Tacan was fascinated. He was fascinated by Ian's movements and precise attacks.
It was like someone had practiced those movements for years.
'Will I be able to do it too?'
That question appeared in his mind at that time.
Tacan was also someone who dreamed of fighting monsters and killing them. He wanted to roam the battlefields again.
But it was not easy.
He had wasted the last five years of his life. He hadn't practiced his sword skill or fought against strong opponents.
His sword skills had become dull now.
Tacan knew that too, but in his heart, he wanted to give it another try. It was because of a reason, and the reason was Ian.
'I want to fight him.'
Tacan wanted to fight Ian in a serious battle. That was what his body, mind, and soul desired.
"We are here."
Tacan shook off the thoughts inside his mind as he led Ian inside a house. It was one of the better homes in the village.
It was the house of the Ale Village Chief.
"So, you are the savior of the village. I'm Gustav, the Chief of this Ale village."
The Village Chief Gustav looked at Ian and introduced himself. Gratitude was visible on the wrinkled face of the old Village Chief.
"I just did what I thought I should do. I was not able to ignore it when I saw that the Goblin army was going to trample over the village."
Ian said like he was a righteous person.
'There's no need to tell the truth.'
Although he only saved the village because of his quest, there was no need to tell that to Gustav.
"In this age, people like you are scarce, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to give you any reward for your deed."
Village Chief Gustav said like he was in a predicament. Their village was just a small village in the eastern province of the empire.
There was nothing they could give to Ian as a reward.
"I don't need a reward."
"How can we not give you anything? You have saved our village.".
"Yeah, there would be at least something we can do."
Both the Village Chief Gustav and Tacan shouted, but Ian just shook his head. There was a reason why he was not asking for a reward.
'I already got fame and the drops from the Goblins.'
Ian had gotten a large number of fame points and was also able to keep the item drops from the Goblins. Body parts and equipment drops from Goblins were not famous in the item transaction site. Still, he could sell them for a reasonable sum in the capital.
The most important thing was still the fame he had gotten. The value of fame was immense in Ark. If he had enough fame, then he could even be promoted to a noble.
That's how vital fame was!
Moreover, he didn't think that a small village like Ale could give him something valuable.
That's why Ian skipped the reward path and came on the topic of the quest he was doing. His quest was more important.
"Actually, I came to Ale village on the request of Count Ravenstein."
"The Count?!"
Hearing the name of a noble, both the Village Chief Gustav and Tacan were surprised. They wondered how Ian knew the Count.
But thinking about the strength he possessed, they accepted it.
"If it's a request from the Count, then we will do our best to fulfill it."
"Actually, I'm looking for an old alchemist who lived in Ale village. I heard that the old alchemist has found the antidote of Venomous python's poison."
Ale village was a small village, and usually, everyone knew each other in these types of villages. Ian was sure that the Village Chief Gustav knew of the old alchemist.
But the answer he got was unexpected.
"Actually, I'm the only alchemist in this village, and I have indeed found the antidote for the Venomous python's poison."
Village Chief Gustav was actually the Alchemist Gustav!!
Ian was surprised that he was able to find him quickly, but he didn't waste more time and promptly asked about the antidote.
"Actually, the former Count Slavenstein has been suffering from the poison of the Venomous snake, and his health has been deteriorating. I need the antidote to save him."
"You are the savior of the village. Giving you the antidote is nothing…"
'I would be able to complete the quest now.'
Ian thought in his head, and a smile formed on his lips, but it was too soon to celebrate. The Village Chief Gustav had not finished his words yet.
"But I have already given the antidote to one of my friends. I was doing research on it because he had requested me to find a cure for the poison."
"Then, is there nothing you can do?"
If there was no antidote, then the quest would fail, and Ian would never be able to find his egg hatching method.
"Actually, I can make the antidote again. I have most of the ingredients to make the antidote, but the problem is that I'm missing one of the major ingredients."
"What's the ingredient?"
"It's actually the heart of a Goblin king."
Ian instantly became worried when he heard that. Goblin king was a monster whose level was around 40-45.
Ian wouldn't have trouble hunting him, but the problem was that he didn't know where to find a Goblin king.
Goblin kings were rare monsters, and they would typically be born when a Goblin would go through mutation.
It was hard to find them.
"Where will I find a Goblin king…?"
"Actually, there is a Goblin nest near our village, and recently, a Goblin has mutated into a Goblin king there. He was also the person controlling all the Goblins in the area. The attack on the village was also because of his command."
Tacan said as he sighed.
The Goblin King had become a threat to all the villages in the area. As no one was strong enough to fight him, the Goblin king's strength was growing every day.
'It was certainly unusual.'
Goblins attacking the village was a rare but a regular sight, but more than 100 Goblins attacking the village was more than just rare.
It was abnormal!!
If there was a Goblin king behind it, then it was understandable.
"Actually, a Goblin will mutate into a Goblin king every few years, and the attacks on the villages would intensify, but this time, it was something unusual."
"Unusual? What do you mean?"
Ian raised an eyebrow and asked, and Tacan answered him.
"This time, the attacks are just too strategic. It's like the Goblins are planning their every attack, and the Goblins' strength has increased. They have also become more violent."
'Their strength has increased, and they have become more violent? Moreover, how can Goblins plan their attacks.'
Goblins are creatures with low-level intelligence. Most of them only had the intelligence of a 3-year-old, and even a Goblin king would only have the intelligence of a 7-year-old.
Ian refused to believe that Goblins could think of plans to attack the villages.
He felt that there was something unusual about all this.
'A C rank quest won't be easy anyway.'
Ian thought in his head, and the Village Chief Gustav continued Tacan's words.
"Those wicked monsters even captured some young girls from our village and the other nearby villages. I don't even know if they are safe or not..."
Village Chief Gustav said in grief.
"We sent an expedition group to save the girls, but they haven't returned yet. I don't even know if they are alive or not."
Tacan wished to go to the Goblin's nest and save the girls and the vigilant guard, but he couldn't go against that many Goblins alone.
In the end, he was a genius whose skills had become dull. He was helpless in this situation.
'I need to get the Goblin king's heart anyway.'
Ian thought as he prepared his next set of words.
"I will go annihilate that Goblin king!!"
Tacan and the Village Chief Gustav were surprised when they heard that. Ian had already saved their village once.
How can they ask for more?
"No, it would be trouble for you, and we don't have anything to reward you."
"You need the Goblin king's heart to make the antidote anyway, and if you are worried about the reward, then…"
Ian stopped his words and smiled before continuing his words.
"Just give me extra vials of the antidote."