In the southern part of the continent there is a small town called Valens. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

The town has been infested by monsters, and to this day, ten years later, it is still very depressed.

Only the occasional traveler, adventurer, passes through.

There is only one restaurant in this quiet town that serves food to travelers.

Behind the restaurant, on the hillside, a young boy of about ten years old is holding a broken sword, training hard.

Push-ups, sword stabs, slashes.

The morning sun shone on the little boy, looking very vibrant.

The boy practiced for a long time before stopping, looked at the sun and felt that the time was almost up, put down the broken sword and walked briskly to the restaurant down the hillside.

Hurriedly washing his body with water, the boy began to carry the ingredients to the kitchen, and it was about to be time for lunch.

"Aunt Mary, I'll put the meat and vegetables here. The boy placed the ingredients next to a woman.

Women are actually in their early thirties, but the long-term fatigue makes her seem older than she is older.

The woman named Mary looked at the energetic boy, smiled in return, and said with great satisfaction: "Little Wood, it's early, and I've gone to training today?"

Wood smiled slightly, "Yes, Aunt Mary, I have never broken except for the last time I was sick!"

As he spoke, the boy raised his arms, flexed his little muscles, and said, "Aunt Mary, don't worry, I won't let you worry about experience points in the future." ”

When Mary heard this, she smiled bitterly in her heart.

I thought to myself, after all, I am a child, how can I understand the cruelty of this world.

"Little Wood, no matter how cruel the world is to you, you have to live strong in the future, you know? With that, Mary leaned over and gently rubbed Wood's head.

"yes, I see. Little Wood nodded as if he understood, "Aunt Mary, I'm going to open the door." ”

After saying that, he ran away.

Mary withdrew her gaze and stared at the empty iron pot, her eyes hollow, her teeth biting her lip.

Slowly, blood oozed from his lips.

After staring at her for a moment, she seemed to stop struggling, letting go of her clenched fist and biting lip.

That's fate......

Little Wood, who was over there, had just opened the door, and had waited for a long time without seeing anyone coming, thinking that it would open again today.

At this moment, a group of men wearing armor or robes and carrying delicate weapons came to the town.

It's not that Wood hasn't seen adventurers, many of whom are dusty and in tatters.

Most of them were in groups of two or three, going to the dungeon in order to survive, undisciplined, and Wood had heard that these people were unemployed.

It's different from this team of more than ten people, all of them have medals.

Wood had never seen it, but he had heard of it, that the incumbent would receive a medal that signified them as true adventurers.

At least half of the adventurers were unable to find employment, either dying before that or struggling to keep up with the amount of experience they had gained.

The group came to Wood's side.

Out of it came a tall gray-robed man, and said to Wood, "Little boy, is there a cook in this town?" ”

Chef is one of the adventurer's sub-professions, capable of making food to be eaten in dungeons.

Wood immediately understood what this team was about, and the feeling of loss immediately became excited.

It's big business again!

"Yes, yes. Our manager is a junior four-star chef who can definitely meet your needs. Little Wood showed a very warm smile, and with his little Zhengtai's face, it was like a spring breeze.

The gray robe nodded, and a group of people slowly walked through the door.

"Aunt Mary, there's big business!" called Little Wood as he entered.

The gray-robed ones had just sat down and walked over to their normal size.

After looking at the group in front of him and understanding who the boss was, he said to the gray robe: "Hello, I am the manager of this store, and my name is Mary." Is there anything you need?"

The gray robe took off his hood, and he was a handsome man in his early twenties.

Handsome in appearance, with blonde hair, like a prince in a storybook.

The handsome man in the gray robe stared at Mary for a moment, then nodded in satisfaction.

"Please make me eight days' worth of food, we're going to enter the dungeon. The price is according to the standard, and I hope to get it today. ”

The gray robe didn't say much polite words, and went straight to the point.

Mary looked at the gray robe and asked, thought for a moment and said, "Is it okay to compress the rations?"

The gray robe nodded and replied, "Give us a day's normal food, everything we like to eat is written here." ”

As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his robe and handed it to Mary.

"Can you do it today?" the grey robe continued.

Mary read the note and said with a smile: "No problem, you can come and get it in the evening, but you have to pay a part of the deposit." ”

The grey robe nodded again, then took out the blue hedron marked with the number. There were five pieces in total, each worth 100 XP points, and they were placed on the table.

Mary counted the number of people, then picked up the blue stone and nodded in her gray robe.

After talking about the details of the transaction, the gray robe got up and left with a group of people.

It's the first time that Little Wood has seen someone take out so many experience stones without blinking, it's so refreshing!

You know, those customers in the past were very calculating.

I almost had to do it several times when I was doing business, and if it weren't for Aunt Mary, who is one of the few freelance chefs, I'm afraid this restaurant would have been demolished long ago.

Mary looked at Surprised Wood, and was about to rub his head, but put her hand down halfway up.

Barely squeezing out a smile and saying to Wood, "It's closed today, we can't be more busy." ”

Little Wood didn't care, and ran to help Mary after closing the shop.

The afternoon passed quickly in a busy way, and the sky had begun to get a little darker.

Mary and Little Wood had just finished finishing the compressed food when the door of the restaurant was pushed open, and this time it was a large man in armor from the group who entered.

Little Wood hurriedly ran over, looked at the big man and said, "Now that the compressed rations are ready, there is some normal food left." ”

The big one nodded and headed to the kitchen.

Little Wood was a little depressed, why didn't these masters like to talk more, so he hurriedly followed.

The big man took out a small bag and began to load the compressed rations on the table.

The bag is about the same size as a regular money bag, but it looks like a bottomless pit.

Mary looked at it in surprise, didn't say anything, and hurriedly tinkered with the food in her hand.

Little Wood couldn't help it, looked at the big one and said, "What is this, uncle?" ”

The big one glanced at Little Wood, then continued to remain silent and pack his food.

Little Wood was even more depressed, but he wasn't the kind of person who was completely immature, even if he was only ten years old.

Unless you can beat the customer, never upset the customer.

You never know if an angry customer will give you a stab in an instant.

This is happening every day in this world.

The big one sat down on a stool next to him after loading the compressed ration, resting with his eyes closed, waiting for the rest of the food to come out.

Little Wood began to take a closer look at the inaugural adventurer.

The top of the head is shiny, with thick eyebrows and big eyes.

The full set of armor on his body is very heavy at first glance, with a bare sword and a giant shield behind his back, and a helmet that matches the armor.

The full set of equipment is very well maintained.

Little Wood can also use his broadsword to look in the mirror.

The medal on the chest of the big one is like a small shield, and the words engraved on it should be the profession of the big one, as for the line below the name, it must be the title in the mouth of those adventurers, but unfortunately I can't understand the words for adventurers.

The eldest man had already opened his eyes, and saw that Little Wood was staring at his medal, and he didn't make a sound, and he was unconsciously distracted when he looked at this little child.

Little Wood finally spotted the eyes on him, looked up at the big face, smiled embarrassedly, and ran to the kitchen.

Mary's food was almost done, and the big one went to the kitchen to pick up the bottomless pit bag and put it in.

The big one finished filling the food, then took out five blue experience stones and eight green experience stones from the bag, and finally spoke.

"Compressed rations are 10 XP points for one person a day, and we have 12 people for seven days, for a total of 840 XP points. The normal ration is 20 XP per person per day, for a total of 240 XP. A total of 1080 XP. Here plus the noon just right, you click on it. ”

Mary put away the experience stones, didn't count them, and said with a smile: "There are really too few good customers like you now, good luck to you." ”

The big one nodded and walked out.

Little Wood was about to leave the restaurant when he saw the big one, and no matter how mature he was, he couldn't sit still.

He's been longing for this adventurer's world for a long time!

Little Wood ran to the big man and hurriedly asked, "Big brother, which stage are you going to?" ”

The big one didn't continue to be silent this time, and glanced at Little Wood: "We're going to the second stage, and we plan to defeat the boss on the 90th floor, Hordick." ”

Little Wood was shocked when he heard this, it was actually the second stage of the adventure group, and it was already close to the top.

Little Wood did not hide his admiration, looked at the big man with a red face and said excitedly: "Big brother, how can you become a powerful adventurer like you." My dream is to become a legend, and I've never told anyone about it, the first time I told it to my big brother. ”

The big one smiled rarely, a little rough.

He picked up little Wood and kissed him, looked at the red-faced boy and said, "The adventurer's world is not as perfect as the story says. You're lucky, I wonder how many kids like you have been turned into slaves by adventurers or toyed with by those perverts. If you really become an adventurer in the future, you will understand. ”

The big man said as he put his mouth close to Little Wood's ear, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "Be careful, especially the people around you, and get out of here as soon as possible." ”

After the big one finished speaking, he put down the dazed little Wood and left the restaurant.

"Little Wood, can you help me take off the rag?" called Mary to Little Wood in the kitchen.

Little Wood finally recovered from his dazed state, put the words aside, and went to the kitchen to help clean up.

In the evening, little Wood, tired from a hard day, hurriedly ate some bread, and then went back to bed.

I can't fall asleep after tossing and turning.

The big man's words kept echoing in Little Wood's head.

He looked at the room, which was small but had two double beds.

For as long as he could remember, there were four people in the room, one of whom was a brother and sister.

When Wood was seven years old, the little boy he slept in in the same bed disappeared at some point.

Aunt Mary tells them that the boy has been taken in by an adventurer as an adopted son.

When Wood was eight years old, the alien siblings were taken by Aunt Mary to the nearby city of Kena and never returned.

Aunt Mary tells him that the siblings are rare alien elves and that there are people there who want to train them to become adventurers in their own right.

Wood had been convinced of this until today, and blessed the three of them in his heart.

They were all children who had lost their families in that catastrophe, and it was Aunt Mary who kept them alive when they were still babies.

Just being said so many words in secret, and today's Aunt Mary made him feel a little abnormal, and he was a little troubled in his heart.

His instincts told him that Aunt Mary was hiding something from her.

Wood pressed his head under the thin quilt, trying not to think about it.

In his heart, Aunt Mary was like his mother.

......

The next morning, the sun shone into the room.

Little Wood woke up slowly, for the first time in his memory he had gotten up after the sun had fully risen.

Little Wood stared at the sun for a moment, then slapped his face vigorously, and said to himself with determination: "Don't doubt Aunt Mary anymore, it's not right." ”

After saying that, he returned to his old self and got up from the bed to wash.

Because it was almost noon, I hurriedly ate the leftover rusks from yesterday and prepared to open the door.

As little Wood pushed the door open, Mary came down the stairs.

Looking at Wood who was illuminated by the sun at the door, he hesitated for a moment and said, "Little Wood, the store will not open today." I'm going to Kena City, add some materials, do you want to go to the city together? ”

When Little Wood heard this, he felt more and more uneasy in his heart.

Suppressing the uneasiness in his heart, he turned around and replied excitedly: "Aunt Mary, can we meet the Leah brothers and sisters when we go to Kena City?"

Mary's hand shook unconsciously, and she did a good job of concealing it, but little Wood still found out.

"Well, yes, they shouldn't have left. Mary smiled and said to Little Wood.

Little Wood was a little happy.

"yes, I haven't seen the two of them in a long time, I'll go get ready. ”

With that, little Wood hurried to his room to get ready, leaving Mary alone on the stairs to lose her mind.

Little Wood's room.

He took out a dagger from under the bed, which he had touched from a drunkard who even Aunt Mary did not know.

Children in this kind of world must learn to protect themselves, especially orphans, and stealing is one of his housekeeping skills.

Little Wood tucked the dagger into his belt behind his back, then covered it with his clothes, and draped a coarse cloth coat over it.

These things were taught to him by the elder brother Leah.

At the door, Mary was already seated in the carriage, and little Wood climbed up quickly.

The carriage slowly drove out of the town.

"Aunt Mary, let me go alone the next time I know the road, and I'll learn how to drive a carriage next!" said Little Wood with a serious face.

When Mary heard this, she hugged Little Wood, touched his head, and said gently: "Little Wood will become a high-level adventurer like your father in the future, and there will definitely be servants to drive you at that time." ”

Talked about the past.

"Is my father really that powerful? Why is he still dead? Little Wood whispered in Mary's arms.

Mary held little Wood in her arms and looked at the sky, as if she had returned to the past.

"Your father used to be the strongest warrior in this town, and he entered the dungeon before he was twenty years old. I was two years younger than your father, and the first time I went to the dungeon, I was attacked by a monster, but luckily I was able to save my life. ”

At this point, Mary paused, as if remembering something again, and the corners of her mouth rose slightly.

"I must have had a crush on your father, but of course I was just one of them. ”

Sighing slightly, these things were too heavy for her.

"After that, I couldn't pick up a heavy weapon anymore because of a hand injury. The healing medicine was too expensive, and the priest I didn't know had to give up being an adventurer. I tried to start a sub-profession, and out of the several, my chef was the least expensive, but it was also something I couldn't afford at the time. Thankfully, your father helped me, so I can live until now. ”

Mary let go of little Wood, then turned around and said as she drove the carriage, "In that disaster ten years ago, your father also joined a large team to participate in the defense of the city, and never returned. Your mother also died of depression, leaving you as a little baby. ”

Little Wood hugged Mary from behind and whispered, "Thank you, Aunt Mary." ”

Mary smiled and didn't look back.

"I wouldn't have survived without your father, so it's nothing. ”

Mary thought for a moment, then said, "Go and rest, the city of Kena will not arrive until night." ”

Little Wood replied obediently when he heard this, and went into the carriage to rest.

The sun shone down on his face through the cracks.

He seemed happy at this point, for he understood that Aunt Mary could not hurt him.

There was no longer any wariness of Mary in his heart.

Mary was driving outside, under a hat that blocked out the sun.

The face that has been marked by age looks very dark.