The reason that this goblin vige has avoided extermination until now wasn’t that it was powerful. This vige had developed away from sight, a ce at the periphery of the forbidden grounds and behind a mountain.


    This mountain was known as Red Mountain because of the ores inside it. It was a mining site for an ore called Heatwave Ore, a metal that produced heat naturally. It was used in winter to warm up houses, in saunas and public baths, and sometimes in furnaces.


    This was an annoying spot for adventures, as the mountain was like a giant Heatwave Ore itself. The air around it was thin and hot, making whoever passes by this mountain feel like they’re in a sauna.


    With the fact that on the other side was a ce that has seen its fair share of vengeful spirits, this ce has kept to itself until Luke and Julian wanted to curse Niki with a spirit.


    Niki saw the red mountain in the distance, steams and water vapor distorting its view. He looked back at the dirt road he was running across and saw a few leaves falling.


    With a smile, Niki increased his speed. He knew they were waiting for him to be away from view before they struck, so he stuck to the road running alongside the river before diving into the bushes.


    He has checked this way earlier during the night. He found a ce to hide and poured the Silent Feet potion on his feet and gun.


    This was a trick he learned in the army. If your gun wasn’t equipped with a silencer, you can use the Silent Feet potion to temporarily muffle the sound. He headed directly toward the Goblin’s Vige.


    Exactly as he remembered it, there was a narrow road between the trees that allowed him to go around the mountain. It was only a matter of time before he found the vige with its wooden walls and patrols.


    Niki took out his dust and inhaled. He took deep breaths as the veins around his eyes and legs bulged. Niki opened his eyes and ran toward the vige.


    He was easily discovered by the goblins, but that was the n. In a matter of seconds, he finished firing his magazine. He changed it instantly amid the screams of the goblins who turned his way. However, the potion worked to muffle his gunshots.


    He danced around the trees as he kept firing at the goblins who started crowding anding his way. Niki kept them at bay by firing bullets faster than they can reach him.


    The goblins came out from their huts and from around the vige to see what was going on. Once Niki saw a giant goblin make an appearance, he knew it was time to flee.


    He turned around and raced the wind as a roar shook the forest. The giant goblin, followed by his minions, started running after Niki.


    Niki ran back in the direction of his ambushers. He jumped through a set of trees before seeing them, armed and prepared.


    “Nowhere to escape now, kid!” Scarmanughed with his giant sword unsheathed. “Give up the badge and we’ll let you go.”


    “You… deceived me?” Niki’s mouth gaped. “But you helped me!”


    “You’re dumb, kid. Why would I help you without returns?” Scarfaceughed and his twockeys followed along. He took a step forward and stretched out his hand. “Hand it over.”


    “I don’t have it.” Niki took a step back. He could feel the earth trembling underneath him.


    “Hey, can you hear that?” Hisckey looked around. “I hear monsters’ noises. There was also a roar earlier, it’s…”


    “We’re in the wilderness.” Scarman looked at him as if he was an idiot. “There will be monsters around, nothing strange.”


    At that moment, Niki raised his gun and fired two shots at the man. With superhuman reflexes, the man blocked the two shots with his sword.


    “Hehe, you thought that…” Before he could finish his words, a vial broke on his body, covering him with a dark red liquid. It was odorless and it didn’t make him feel any pain, so he appeared confused.


    “Good luck!” Niki smiled and started running away.


    “Grab him!” He roared as he shook the liquid off his body. At that time, a monstrous roar reverberated through the area making Scarman pause.


    Niki was already a distance away by the time the goblins arrived at the scene. With the Pheromones doing their magic, they ignored himpletely and attacked Scarman and his gang directly.


    “It’s a Hobgoblin!” Hisckey shrieked in horror as they were swarmed by the goblins.


    “There must be a vige nearby! Maybe there’ a Graveyard too, haha!” Scarmanughed.


    Niki could hear him from a distance away with a smirk on his face. Even though Graveyards were rare, they were almost a certainty for a hidden vige this close to civilization.


    That’s why he needed to go to the vige before they kill the hobgoblin. Niki rolled through the trees and started to crawl to reach the other side of the mountain.


    He started sweating from every pore in his body due to the heat. The dirt was like embers but he didn’t care and kept crawling. As soon as he came out from the other side, he saw the goblin’s vige with only a few goblins in there.


    He decided to leave them alive and threw thest of his Dizziness Fumes at them to stall for time. He ran directly into the vige and to the hut, they found the graveyard in at that time.


    The shabby door broke after three kicks and Niki found himself inside. He started pushing a giant rock off the way to reveal a hole underneath it.


    “There’s the vige!”


    A shout came from a distance away and Niki knew he had no more time. He jumped into the hole andnded in front of the big chest he clearly remembered.


    As he opened it, he found ten crystals lined up neatly inside along with a few pieces of jewelry. He bagged all the items as he heard footsteps from above.


    “It must be in this hut! Why is the door opened?”


    Niki looked around and saw the path that led underground. He threw thest vial of Dizziness Fumes right underneath the hole and started running away through the tunnel.


    It was barely enough for him to crouch-walk his way through. As the tunnel went farther, it also grew narrower until Niki could only crawl through with his small bag in front of him.


    “What is this?” A distant s said making Niki crawl faster. It seems the Dizziness Fumes has bought him some time, but he doubted they would work more than a distraction.


    His breathing grew morebored the farther he crawled. At longst, he started hearing a running stream from below him. Niki didn’t know what this ce was, but it was his only chance of not being buried alive.


    He took out his dagger and started striking the side of the wall. As he did, he heard shouts from behind him making him hurry up to dig through the wall.


    “This path is too small.” He could distinctively hear them say. At longst, the ground underneath him broke as he fell toward the water.