Chapter 154: What Is Your Dream?

Chapter 154 -150: What Is Your Dream?

“Brother Lu Wei, do you have any dreams?”

“Make money.”

“Uh, you could be a little more tactful.”

“Acquire more wealth.”

“That’s not the kind of tact I meant. What I mean is, what are you making the money for?”

“…”

A crescent moon hung over the sea of trees. The sky, full of countless stars, resembled fine diamonds sewn into the hem of the Night Goddess’s gown, a sight that filled one with longing.

A dozen or so bonfires, centered around the general store, blazed fiercely in the night. The firelight illuminated most of the forest clearing near the Dome Pillar. At first glance, it looked as if some kind of mysterious, sacrificial ritual was underway.

Inside the general store, Anna and Zovir huddled nervously behind a window, barely daring to breathe.

Meanwhile, Lu Wei and his two companions sat relaxed and comfortable by one of the bonfires, quietly waiting for the first wave of monsters.

That’s right. About ten minutes ago, they had uncorked the bottle of [Divine Blessing].

Although they had stoppered it again less than a minute later, that should have been enough time for the scent to spread.

However, Lu Wei wasn’t sure how many monsters it would attract.

After all, different monsters had varying senses of smell.

Kobolds and bear goblins would have a keener sense.

War Lizardmen and goblins, relatively less so.

Creatures like Tree-men and Giant Spiders had almost no sense of smell at all.

Furthermore, it was windy, which would greatly affect the direction and distance the scent could travel.

So, all they could do was wait and adjust when to next unstop the bottle based on the situation.

“Wait, why are you asking about that?”

Lu Wei frowned at Furen beside him. “A huge battle is imminent. Is this really the time to be discussing such things?”

“I just suddenly felt a bit reflective…”

Furen mumbled, “In these quiet moments before the storm, it’s inevitable that one starts pondering more philosophical questions.”

?

‘Where in the world did you pull that conclusion from?’

‘That’s absurd!’

‘Normal people only contemplate philosophy under one circumstance!’

‘And that’s after the deed is done! Right before falling asleep!’

Lu Wei shot Furen a glance, not bothering to engage with him.

Furen didn’t seem to care, though, and continued muttering to himself with a profound expression.

“Take me, for instance. My goal is to become a great Warrior, but my true wish is to help and protect as many people as I can.”

“That’s why, in the future, I’m determined to go to places like the Blood Boiling Marsh, the Land of Paleness, and the Skeleton Wilderness. I’ll wipe out the monsters, uphold law and order, and let the common folk there live peaceful, tranquil lives.”

Blood Boiling Marsh, the Land of Paleness, the Skeleton Wilderness… Lu Wei had heard these three names before.

They were all among the most dangerous Adventurer’s Lands within the Kingdom—what you’d call “endgame maps.”

Monsters like bear goblins and Giants, which could swagger through Gelan Forest, wouldn’t even qualify as cannon fodder in those places.

As a result, the nearby human settlements were naturally subject to frequent raids.

Add to that the open conflicts and covert struggles between various factions drawn in by the promise of huge profits.

This ultimately caused the societal laws in these regions to devolve into a more primal state, governed by the supremacy of Power and the law of the jungle.

To be honest, the slaves in the Northern River Valley probably had more “human rights” than the common folk living there.

“Sigh, I once read the chronicles of the Land of Paleness. The events recorded within were truly heartbreaking.”

“A Beast Tide with hundreds, even thousands of monsters… people dying in despair… As I read those words, it was as if everything was unfolding right before my eyes.”

“And yet those capable High Tier Professionals just stood by and watched, some even taking advantage of the chaos to profit…”

Gazing at the starry sky, Furen continued to mutter endlessly, his expression alternating between anger and pity.

‘Seriously, is he ever going to stop??’

‘Anyone who didn’t know better would think this was some kind of ‘bonfire book club’!’

“Ahem, alright, I get it. I completely understand your dream now.”

Finally, Lu Wei couldn’t take it anymore and cut in.

“But the Land of Paleness and all that is still a long way off. For now, just focus on protecting the general store in a little bit.”

“Of course!”

Furen finally snapped out of his state of ‘lamenting the state of the universe’ and puffed out his chest confidently.

Then he asked, a little puzzled, “But why haven’t any monsters shown up yet?”

“They’re probably still on their way. After all… hm?”

Suddenly, Lu Wei’s brows knitted slightly. He stood up and looked toward the woods to the east.

The east was downwind, the direction from which monsters were most likely to appear first.

And at that very moment, accompanied by a faint, almost inaudible RUSTLE, pairs of red eyes began to emerge from the darkness.

“They’re here! Goblins!”

“Ten to fifteen of them! No Leader Level ones!”

Lu Wei quickly reported the situation in a low voice. Furen immediately drew his Longsword, looking eager for a fight.

But Bai Ya was a little slow to react.

Several seconds passed before the two of them heard a mumbled—

“Ngh, are they here…?”

???

‘Did you fucking fall asleep???’

Lu Wei stared in utter disbelief at Bai Ya, who was rubbing her eyes.

She, in turn, had now come to her senses. Her face flushed red, and she immediately bowed her head in shame to apologize.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep…”

“It’s just… what Furen was saying was so hypnotic that I accidentally dozed off…”

Huh?

‘So it was my fault?’

Furen’s eyes went wide, feeling completely wronged.

Meanwhile, Lu Wei mentally downgraded the Mushroom Squad’s rating from “Force of Nature” back to “Disorderly Mob.”

‘What the hell is wrong with this crew!’

‘We haven’t had a meeting in a few days, and they’ve already gotten this sloppy!’

‘They can’t even hold a candle to Aryan!’

“Alright, enough nonsense.”

Seeing that the pack of goblins was about to emerge from the woods, Lu Wei had no time to give Bai Ya an ideological lecture. He just said coldly in a low voice,

“Prepare for battle.”

“Oh, oh, o-okay!”

Seeing he was angry, Bai Ya didn’t dare make any more excuses. She hurriedly drew her Short Sword and stood shoulder to shoulder with Furen in front of the bonfire.

That’s right. With Mirana absent, their “2-1-1 Tactics” had been adjusted accordingly—

Lu Wei was responsible for crowd control using his [Force Field] and for dealing with any elite monsters that might appear.

Furen and Bai Ya, on the other hand, were to dispatch the smaller monsters as quickly as possible to help him conserve as much Magic Power as possible.

“They’re coming!”

A moment later, with a loud shout from Furen, the dozen or so goblins scrambled out of the woods.

Their murky eyes were filled with greed. Showing no fear of the blazing flames, they immediately shrieked and charged forward.

“Get ready!”

His eyes fixed on the pack of Little Greenskins charging like mad dogs, Lu Wei remained unhurried. He waited until the foremost goblin was just two or three meters from Furen before suddenly gripping the hilt of his sword, Confession.

In the next second, the [Force Field] descended!

THUD! THUD!

“GAAAAK!!”

“KEE-YAA!!”

It was like reaping wheat all over again. In an instant, all dozen-plus goblins were thrown to the ground, their pained shrieks instantly filling the air.

Furen and Bai Ya wasted no time, rushing forward to deliver the finishing blows.

Every strike was a Direct Stab to the back—one goblin, one stab, no time wasted.

The pair worked with clear, efficient movements. In just five or six seconds, they had run through all dozen-plus goblins.

Immediately after, Lu Wei dispelled the [Force Field].

The screams gradually subsided. Blood slowly seeped into the earth, and its foul, coppery stench quickly filled the air.

And just like that, in less than ten seconds, the battle was over.

“Easy!”

Casually striking down a Little Greenskin that hadn’t quite died and was trying to get back up, Furen gave his wrist a stylish flick, slinging the blood from his blade.

Then, with the air of a true protagonist, he shook his head slightly and proclaimed,

“The three of us are just too strong!”