yournovel Chapter 60 Charge! Charge! Charge!
Chapter 60 Charge! Charge! Charge!
Chapter 60 Charge! Charge! Charge!
Seeing the food and water in their hands, even though the quantity was small, a glimmer of light appeared in everyone's dazed and previously empty and desperate eyes.
"Eat slowly—" Rod had just distributed a small amount of food and water to the villagers and hadn't had time to say anything more when he saw the first group of people gobble down their food.
"There's food! That's great!"
In the face of prolonged hunger and extreme stress, most people lose their rationality, and the instinct for survival compels them to swallow the food in front of them without hesitation.
"Ugh—" But before they could even take two bites, they suddenly started coughing and then collapsed to the ground, clutching their chests.
"?!" Alina in the consciousness space was shocked. "You've poisoned the food again?"
It's not that she doesn't trust Rhodes, but Rhodes has a past experience with this, and as a former victim, Alina naturally has more to think about.
"You actually poisoned the food?!"
The villagers, who hadn't received theirs yet, stared at Rod in shock and anger, their blood boiling.
They had just gripped their farm tools, ready to rush forward and fight to the death, when suddenly the world spun around them, and their swaying bodies collapsed to the ground uncontrollably, leaving only a few relatively strong men who could barely hold on.
"What... what's going on?" Susanna was clearly startled, looking at the food she hadn't finished distributing. "The food—it should be fine, right?"
Seeing Milan, Susanna, and the others looking at him with suspicion and uncertainty, Rod couldn't help but sigh.
"I told you not to eat so fast—" Rod squinted and stepped forward to pry open the mouths of several people to prevent them from suffocating. "After not eating for a long time, and then suddenly eating so fast in such an oxygen-deficient environment, it's easy for something to go wrong if you get emotional."
"Then, what should we do now?" Susanna asked anxiously, looking at the villagers lying on the ground.
"Let them lie down and rest for a while," Rhodes said, looking at the small, enclosed cave. "But the air doesn't circulate well here, and staying here for too long isn't good for their health."
After a group of people had been crammed into this tiny place for several days, the air had become incredibly polluted. Even if they still had food, they would eventually suffocate inside.
"Should we move them out?" Don Quixote volunteered.
"There are so many people, it's difficult for us to manage them," Rhodes said calmly. "Besides, there are monsters outside, although they haven't discovered this place yet—"
Just then, the airflow accelerated and spun inside the narrow cave, precisely forming a directional circulating airflow. Milan's staff glowed slightly, and the purple gem at the top rippled with a circle of greenish-blue waves.
The stuffy, murky air in the cave, mixed with the stench of sweat and blood, was quickly dispelled, while fresh, cool air from the outside flowed in continuously.
As the cool breeze blew in, the suffocating feeling in the chests of the pale-faced, drowsy villagers gradually dissipated.
They found themselves breathing heavily, and their previously weak state improved significantly.
"It's just ventilation, why didn't you say so earlier?" Milan yawned. "Even a novice magic apprentice can easily do this kind of simple cleaning trick."
When she does research, she is used to keeping her room closed. However, when academic reviewers come to her room, she still has to tidy up the messy room a little to receive them.
"Ms. Milan has always been quite adept at the magic of life," Susanna said with a smile.
Milan was quite pleased with such praise.
"A quick hangover cure and a ventilation spell that can quickly dispel odors—" Don Quixote said thoughtfully, "Could it be that Lady Milan often uses these spells to handle emergencies because she's afraid of being caught drinking?"
"Shut up!"
"—" Rhodes paused, looking at their delighted expressions, but ultimately chose to remain silent.
"What's wrong?" Alina keenly sensed Rhodes's emotions. "You seem worried about something?"
"Hmm—I'm just worried that the smell here might attract monsters from the neighborhood," Rhodes replied.
"Probably not—we didn't find any monsters nearby when we came," Alina said somewhat uncertainly.
"Probably."
As the two talked, Rhodes noticed their condition improving, and then he approached them to patiently question them about the details of the village attack. From the villagers' fragmented and chaotic accounts, even worse information surfaced.
The attack not only resulted in numerous casualties, but also led to many villagers being captured alive by the monsters.
This is why Rhodes and his companions didn't see many corpses or remains in the village.
Recalling the ruins they had seen along the way, everyone's expressions grew increasingly grim.
"So, in addition to common monsters like goblins, there are some strange monsters you've never heard of mixed in with them?" Rhodes asked seriously, stroking his chin.
"Yes, yes, especially that huge thing with two heads," a villager said, covering his face, his voice filled with barely suppressed fear. "It was enormous, wielding a terrifying battle axe, and looked even stronger than an ox!"
"That guy also has those protruding fangs—they're this long!" The man gestured with his hand to indicate an exaggerated length, his expression one of utter terror.
Rod squinted and mimicked his gesture, indicating a length of more than half a meter, before falling into deep thought.
What kind of thing has such long teeth?
A mammoth?
"That monster's head looked like a wild boar's, it was terrifying! I even saw one hand easily lift a child up and swallow him whole!"
"No, no, I remember it clearly had the face of an ordinary man, it almost scared me to death," a villager next to me immediately retorted.
"It sounds like an extremely dangerous and evil monster," Don Quixote said from the side. "Don't be afraid, everyone. We will rescue your families from it."
"That's not the point, is it?" Susanna couldn't help but whisper.
"It also possesses particularly terrifying magic; the fences surrounding the village are as flimsy as paper in the face of its magic, offering absolutely no defense."
"Magic?!" Milan perked up instantly upon hearing this.
"Yes, that monster can stomp its foot and suck the stones on the ground into its hand, and then easily smash everyone's houses."
Upon hearing this, Milan's expression visibly worsened.
Is that magic?
That's called throwing stones!
Please don't insult magic.
Hearing their varied and conflicting descriptions, the group of people were filled with many doubts.
"Since this place is so terrifying, with monsters frequently rampaging here—"
Seeing the villagers lost in sorrow and despair, Susanna felt a pang of pity and softly asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for so long: "Why don't you move into Misty City?"
"Huh? Oh, really?" Don Quixote was taken aback upon hearing this. "The city has tall walls for protection, it seems much safer. Moving into the city, at least we won't have to worry about being attacked and captured by monsters, right?"
Rhodes: "—"
Milan:
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
Milan's predicament stemmed largely from their ignorance of their teammates, as for Rode—
As a corpse collector, he had lived in Misty City for some time and wasn't that ignorant.
"Well—you adventurers may be of noble birth and unaware of this," the old man who had been leading the group shook his head helplessly after hearing this. "The cost of living and taxes in the city are incredibly high, and ordinary farmers like us simply cannot afford them."
"Yes, if we weren't desperate, who wouldn't want to live in the city, which seems safer?" another villager said, looking at the equipment on the group.
"There's no farmland in the city for everyone to cultivate. We can't just waste all our time traveling back and forth to farm every day, can we?"
"Moreover, in the village, everyone eats what they grow and wears what they weave themselves. Most of the time, they are self-sufficient, and they only need to go to the city occasionally to exchange for some supplies."
"If we move to the city, we'll have to buy everything, and we don't have that much money!"
The villagers' chatter caused Susanna and Don Quixote to fall into deep thought.
A homeless person with no ties might be able to survive on the streets by begging and stealing, but everyone has a family to support and hopes to make a better life for their family through the land and hard work.
Only when a large-scale monster tide arrives, or when war breaks out and the village becomes uninhabitable, will they decide to take all their belongings and seek refuge in the city.
Even so, making such a decision often requires immense courage, because it means giving up their farmland and houses, abandoning their homes—
"In short, we didn't see any of those terrifying monsters you mentioned outside," Rhodes said after they had finished their conversation. "We only saw a few goblins."
"Then can we go out?" Upon hearing this good news, some people couldn't help but get excited.
This place is cramped, poorly ventilated, and lacks water and food. Going home would be the best possible option.
"We can't be sure if there are any other powerful monsters lurking nearby." Rhodes glanced at Don Quixote, who was about to speak, and preemptively said, "Although there aren't many of you, there are only four of us. If we encounter danger, we can't fully protect you."
"But—" Some villagers gripped their farm tools, wanting to prove they still had the ability to fight.
"In your current state, it would be difficult for you to fight, and you would be more likely to cause unnecessary damage."
Although Rhodes' words seemed somewhat cold-hearted, they were ultimately for their safety.
The villagers, who had thought they could finally leave, immediately fell silent.
You look at me, I look at you.
Some people looked disappointed, some clenched their fists in resentment, and some breathed a sigh of relief, realizing they didn't have to take any risks.
After a while, a boy who looked to be under sixteen years old stepped forward.
"Adventurers, please let me go with you!" He clutched a sharpened scythe in his hand, his face still covered in mud, but he exuded the passion that a child his age should have.
"We can't let you guys risk your lives fighting monsters outside while we hide here and eke out a living!"
"Don't cause trouble for the adventurers!" A middle-aged woman nearby heard this and her expression changed slightly. She then looked at Rhodes and the others apologetically, trying to pull her unruly child back to his senses.
"I'm young and fast. Even if I can't win, I can still bring back some food to help everyone!" The young man broke free from his mother and said earnestly, "We can't just watch everyone starve to death, can we?"
"I'm going too!"
"And me!"
Upon hearing his words, several more people stepped forward.
"Alright!" Don Quixote, his blood boiling with fervor, exclaimed upon hearing their words. "We will certainly protect you!"
Seeing this, Milan didn't want to interrupt their enthusiasm, so she leaned close to Rodríguez and whispered his opinion: "What do you think?"
"?" Rhodes looked at her, puzzled. "Ask me?"
Aren't you the leader of this team?
"Of course, who else should I ask but you?" Milan shrugged. "You have far more experience with this than I do."
After a brief discussion, the two quickly finalized the agreement.
The children did not need to participate in the ensuing battle; their main task was to obediently follow behind them and carry the village's food and water back to the cave to rescue everyone.
"Remember, don't overexert yourselves. Take as much food and water as you can," some of the older villagers said, looking at their children with a mixture of relief and worry. "We'll be here waiting for you to come back."
"Be careful on the road."
"Let's go, let's go, the sooner we go, the sooner we'll be back," Milan said, holding her staff and yawning. "I don't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another minute."
The team rearranged its ranks, with Don Quixote still at the front, but Rod and Milan switched positions, with Rod now positioned further forward.
They had only taken a few steps when Rhodes frowned and smelled a familiar, fishy stench.
"Don't move," he frowned, "something's coming."
Don Quixote immediately gripped his greatsword and stood in front of the crowd.
"What is it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a series of strange chirping sounds came from in front of her.
The sounds grew closer and more frequent.
Immediately afterwards, several green-skinned figures appeared at the end of the passage.
"Gah!"
One by one, goblins surged in through the narrow passage.
Their eyes were bloodshot, their mouths were drooling, and they were emitting piercing roars.
More goblins were pushing aside the vines at the entrance of the cave and continuously crawling in.
"Damn it!"
Milan cursed, instinctively raising her staff, then having to put it down again.
"This place is so narrow! If I throw a fireball, it'll blow you all up."
Rhodes frowned as well. He drew his bow and arrows, but could only manage to shoot down a few here and there.
The goblins were getting closer and closer, and the ones at the front had already raised their daggers and pounced on Don Quixote, who was at the front.
"Fear not, we will stand against these evil monsters!"
"Give her a blessing," Rhodes suddenly reminded her from the side.
Susanna paused for a moment, then immediately realized what was happening. She clasped her hands together, and the holy emblem on her chest glowed with a soft white light.
A silvery moonlight fell upon Don Quixote, silently protecting her and making her already heavy armor shine even brighter.
Don Quixote took a deep breath, gripped her greatsword tightly with both hands, and held it horizontally in front of her.
Then it charged forward with a sudden burst of speed, its heavy armor slamming into the goblin at the front.
The goblin was sent flying by the impact, landing on its companion behind it.
Don Quixote did not stop; she used the momentum to sweep her greatsword horizontally.
The sharp blade sliced through the air, cleaving the three goblins in the front row in half.
In the narrow passage, the goblin had no way to dodge, and with his companions constantly pouring in from behind, he could only huddle together. Don Quixote easily smashed him into a pile of minced meat during his charge, splattering it onto the stone walls of the passage.
Green blood splattered on her armor, but she paid no heed, only shouting excitedly, "Charge! Charge! Charge!"
）