Chapter 53: Choice

Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Choice

"Ah! Holy Father above! You’ve finally arrived! I am Oliver, the chief of Shixi Village. We’ve been praying for days that the Guild would send someone quickly. Quick, please come in. You must be tired from your journey!"

Hulk stepped forward and cut straight to the point. "Hello, Chief. I’m Hulk, the team’s captain. Time is short, so let’s skip the pleasantries. I’ve read the situation in the commission request, but judging by the current scene, it seems the problem is more serious than described?"

The old village chief Oliver’s smile became a bit awkward. "Well... to be honest, you’ve all come from so far. We should have prepared hot soup and ale to welcome you properly and let you rest for the night, but..."

Hulk waved his hand, cutting him off. "It’s alright, Chief. We’re here to solve the problem. Just tell us the latest situation. The more detailed, the better, so we can formulate the most effective plan."

Hearing Hulk’s words, the village chief sighed and began to explain their current predicament.

The situation was largely as described in the commission, but it had deteriorated much faster.

The pack of Thorny Wild Boars was first spotted by the village hunters at the edge of the forest. At first, there weren’t many, so no one paid them much mind, and they were even unwilling to raise the funds for a commission.

But recently, the boars have been appearing near the village more and more frequently, and they’ve grown bolder.

A few days ago, they completely took over the main stretch of the stream near the village.

That stream is the villagers’ main source of water for daily life and irrigation.

This not only made it difficult and dangerous for the villagers to fetch water, but more importantly, the hungry Thorny Wild Boars began to frantically ravage the farmlands on both banks of the stream.

It’s the autumn harvest season right now, and the crops in the fields are what the villagers depend on for the entire year.

Most of the villagers gathered at the village entrance were those whose fields hadn’t been severely ravaged yet, or those whose fields were right by the stream.

A few families were even trapped in their houses, too afraid to come out.

They were frantic, hoping the Adventurers would act immediately tonight—drive away or kill the boars overnight to prevent any further complications.

The other villagers, whose crops had already been more or less destroyed by the boars, were comparatively calm.

They believed one more night wouldn’t make a difference. The damage was already done, so they preferred the Adventurers to rest and recover their strength, waiting to act during the day when visibility was better, to ensure they could completely eradicate the damn pack of boars and eliminate the threat for good.

After he finished speaking, Chief Oliver and the surrounding villagers turned their eyes in unison toward Hulk and his party.

Awaiting their decision.

Hulk’s expression was composed. He didn’t make a decision right away.

He gave a slight nod to the chief and the villagers. "I have a general understanding of the situation. Please give us a moment. I need to discuss this with my team to assess the risks and formulate the best course of action."

With that, he gestured for Hesia, Belte, Laila, and Zoya to follow him to a quieter spot a short distance away.

This was Hesia’s first official commission.

He had originally imagined the process would be straightforward: arrive at the location, spend a little time scouting, agree on tactics with his teammates, rest for the night, then take out the target the next day as planned, collect the payment, and leave.

Reality immediately taught him a lesson. This wasn’t a game, after all.

The mission wasn’t unchanging code. The client’s demands could diverge based on their different circumstances, and the target’s behavior patterns and the environment would also introduce variables.

Plans can never keep up with change.

He decided not to offer his opinion yet, wanting to see what his more experienced teammates would say.

Hulk looked around at the group and said in a low voice, "You’ve all heard the situation. Time is short, and the pros and cons are obvious. Let’s hear everyone’s thoughts so we can weigh our options."

Laila was the first to speak, her tone firm. "I disagree with moving tonight. It’s too risky! Visibility is terrible at night, we’re completely unfamiliar with the area, and the spines of the Thorny Wild Boars are even harder to guard against in the dark. It would be easy for someone to get hurt or killed."

"But we have to save those people!" Belte immediately retorted. "Didn’t you hear? A few families are trapped in their houses! Those boars even break into chicken coops at night. What if they break into the villagers’ homes tonight?"

Laila frowned. "Can you stop trying to be a hero all the time? We’re here to complete a commission, not to get ourselves killed! What happens if someone gets injured fighting Thorny Wild Boars in the pitch-black night? There’s no Priest here!"

"How is this being a hero? We’re Adventurers! If we can save people, we should try to find a way. What if delaying for one night causes a villager to get hurt..."

Seeing the two were about to start arguing again, Hulk quickly raised a hand to stop them.

To Hesia’s surprise, Hulk didn’t turn to their veteran teammate Zoya first, but instead looked at him.

"Galen, what do you think?"

To be honest, Hesia wasn’t a hard-hearted person.

Back in Print, he had argued forcefully with Baron Uer for the safety of the townspeople.

Now, he was naturally concerned about the safety of these villagers as well.

He opened his palm, and a soft orb of light ignited within it, dispelling the deepening twilight around them.

"If we decide we must act at night, the Light Technique can provide illumination. At the very least, it can ensure we aren’t fighting in complete darkness."

The orb of light floated gently under his control.

Belte’s eyes lit up. "That’s our Galen! If we have this..."

Laila raised an eyebrow slightly, seemingly a little surprised that Hesia could cast this Magic so proficiently, but she said nothing.

However, Hesia changed his tune, and the orb of light in his palm extinguished. "But, my personal opinion is that I don’t recommend acting rashly tonight."

He analyzed calmly, "Just as Laila said, visibility is too poor at night. We can’t accurately judge the boars’ exact numbers, their distribution, or their movements.

Captain Hulk, you mentioned before that Thorny Wild Boars can shoot their spines. That’s extremely dangerous in the dark, not just for us, but it would also be easy to accidentally hit the villagers’ houses that might be nearby.

Acting hastily means a low chance of success and extremely high risk."

Just then, a soft, gentle voice, as light as a feather, spoke up:

"Boars. Daytime. Sleep."

"Night. Active. Forage."

Hesia froze. ’Who’s talking?’

Like the others, he looked in surprise at the slender figure wrapped in a hooded cloak standing to the side.

’Zoya?’

’I never expected this mysterious and aloof Stalker to have a voice like that.’

When they teamed up at the Guild, this mysterious Stalker had left a deep impression on him.

It wasn’t just because of the slender curves that her black cloak couldn’t completely hide, but also because of her stunning purple eyes.

Because of that, he had always imagined her voice would be cool and detached, or maybe sultry.

He never would have thought that hidden beneath that unassuming black cloak was a voice that was soft with a hint of sweetness.