Before long, Naruto found the old Village Chief, who was leaning on his cane, sitting beside the stone well in the center of the Village.
"Oh, it's Birdman."
The old Village Chief saw the young man walking towards him against the setting sun, and he grinned, revealing his missing teeth, with a benevolent smile.
"Village Chief, my name is Naruto, not Birdman."
Naruto corrected him.
He had met the old Village Chief during the day and informed him that he had accepted the commission.
Initially, the old Village Chief saw that Naruto was a tender young man with no equipment, and he insisted that the Village farmers accompany him into the forest for reconnaissance with their hoes.
Only after Naruto showed a little of his skill did the old Village Chief confirm that the golden-haired young man before him was no ordinary person.
"Oh~ your name is Crowman, oh my memory, I can't deny getting old."
"…"
"Islandman, you're back now, does that mean my mission is complete?"
Three black lines appeared on Naruto's forehead.
"Come, take out the commission form, and once I sign it, you can take it to the Adventurers' Guild for verification and claim the mission reward I deposited."
Naruto handed over the commission form and then repeated his findings and deductions.
"Goblin scouts, night raid on the Village?"
The old Village Chief, who had carefully put away his quill after signing, immediately looked grave.
This was no small matter.
It concerned the survival of the Village and the lives of dozens, even hundreds, of its people.
"Naruto, do you think it might just be ordinary Goblins?"
"After all, the adjacent forest is called the Goblin Forest, and Goblins are the most common and numerous monsters there."
The old Village Chief clutched his quill, his voice trembling slightly.
Naruto replied, "Spring is the season when Goblins breed frantically; once there are too many Goblin young in the tribe and food becomes scarce, they will inevitably raid human Villages."
"I estimate that many surrounding Villages have also been attacked by Goblins, right?"
The old Village Chief sighed and nodded, glancing at the sky at the edge of the Village.
The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the once alluring and brilliant blood-red hue was now stained with dark blue.
"I shouldn't have held onto false hope, but it's already late. Will it be too late to rush to the Adventurers' Guild in town to post the commission now?"
"Moreover… the Village doesn't have much spare money, and with such a small reward, adventurers might not be willing to take the commission."
[Hidden Quest: Iron Water Village Defense Battle]
[Quest Description: Rewards will be issued based on the host's performance]
"A hidden quest has been triggered?"
Seeing the window suddenly pop up in his vision, Naruto's eyes lit up.
That's right.
If he hadn't speculated that Goblins would raid the Village at night and mentioned it to the Village Chief, this quest would never have appeared.
Anyone who has played games knows that hidden quests usually offer very generous rewards, even including special items and hidden professions.
Naruto's heart burned with excitement; he patted his chest and vowed, "Village Chief, leave the task of defending Iron Water Village to me! I guarantee that the green-skinned brats who dare to invade will not return!"
The old Village Chief was touched; he stood up shakily, his hands gripping his trembling cane.
"Naruto, thank… thank you! On behalf of all the villagers of Iron Water Village, I thank you!!!"
"To think that at such a young age, you are not only powerful but also so kind-hearted."
"If only I had a granddaughter, I would definitely marry her to you!"
"Hahaha, it's nothing, nothing."
Naruto scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"However, can you alone stop so many Goblins?" the old Village Chief voiced his concern.
When Goblins attack a Village, there won't be just one or two.
There could be dozens, even scores!
Naruto had killed three Goblins lurking outside Iron Water Village, so he had some skill, but that didn't mean he could deal with dozens of Goblins.
Ultimately, he was just a small White Porcelain-ranked adventurer.
The old Village Chief sized up Naruto a few times and only thought of him as a somewhat precocious young man full of a sense of justice.
Naruto smiled and said, "Old Village Chief, please rest assured. I have plenty of strength and methods."
"You just need to organize the villagers, select the strong young men, guard the blind spots of the Village, have the elderly, weak, women, and children hide in their homes, close the doors and windows, and then place torches in every corner to light up the entire Village. The rest you can leave to me."
Naruto's confidence and composure infected the old Village Chief.
The old Village Chief nodded, having no choice but to try everything.
"There's one more thing: please arrange an empty room for me; I'd like to rest a bit first," Naruto said.
"No problem, I…"
"Oh, big brother Naruto~!"
A cute girl with red hair and red eyes came running over joyfully.
It was the Cattle Herding Girl.
"Rhine."
Naruto patted the Cattle Herding Girl's head, lightly ruffling her short red hair.
The Cattle Herding Girl held up the paper pinwheel in her hand and happily said, "I bought it in town. Look, isn't it fun~?"
Naruto blew on the paper pinwheel, making it spin with a "whoosh," and replied, "It's fun."
"Oh, by the way, big brother Naruto, why did you come to our Village?"
The Cattle Herding Girl waved her small arm, making the paper pinwheel continue to spin, and asked.
"Because Goblins might attack the Village tonight, and I'm here to protect you all."
To be precise, the word "might" should be removed.
Since the hidden quest had been triggered, how could the system be baseless!
"Goblins attacking the Village?"
The Cattle Herding Girl's mother, who had accompanied her, turned pale with fright and instinctively pulled the Cattle Herding Girl into her arms and hugged her tightly.
"Come, let's go home quickly."
The young woman wanted to take the Cattle Herding Girl home.
For adventurers, Goblins are among the weakest monsters; they are merely cunning and insidious creatures whose combat power is not to be feared. But for ordinary villagers, they turn pale at the mention of Goblins.
A single green-skinned, wretched little creature is even more terrifying than Manticore, Trolls, Dragons, or Rock-eating Worms.
This fear had been etched into their bones through repeated massacres, plundering, and sexual assaults.
"Ahem, little Rhine's mother, could this hero rest at your house for a night?" The old Village Chief suggested, seeing that the Cattle Herding Girl knew Naruto.
"Yay, that's great!"
Before her mother could agree, the Cattle Herding Girl cheered, jumped up and down, and took Naruto's hand.
"Big brother Naruto, let's go, I'll take you to my house."
Naruto let the Cattle Herding Girl pull him along while looking at Rhine's mother.
Rhine's mother nodded and said, "Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
Once at home, the Cattle Herding Girl wanted to play with Naruto, but Naruto had more important matters to attend to and could only decline.
Rhine's mother tidied up a clean empty room for him, brought in a wooden tray with a glass of milk, an apple, and a piece of cheese, and then led her daughter away.
Naruto took a sip of milk, sat on the bed, and began to Extract Chakra, preparing for the big battle that was about to arrive at night.