“Maybe the second chamber is just a prank” muttered Matt.
“How are you this impatient? It hasn’t even been five minutes!” exclaimed Jim.
“Hold on, I think I hear something” said Luke, alerting Jim to use his eagle eyes.
“Two monsters, I think they’re hobgoblins” he said.
Indeed they were hobgoblins but they were smaller and a lighter shade of green than the last one they’d fought. To make up for their smaller size, these two were somehow even uglier than the previous one!
I really hate looking at their faces thought Luke as he readied a mana blast. He couldn’t help but grimace at the sight of them. A nose that was too big, eyes that were too small, upper lip far thicker than the lower one and shriveled up skin covered in warts. Indeed, the best word to describe their looks was ‘insulting’.
Luke released his mana blast at the hobgoblin that was closest to him. As expected, it didn’t do any real damage but damage hadn’t been his intention. He had aimed for the legs to make it trip and his plan had worked.
Luke ran up to the monster as it crashed to the ground and used [Cut] on its neck. Of course, the wretched creature’s durability ensured that it was just a deep cut and not a fatal wound. When the hobgoblin got up, Matt appeared next to it and stabbed its thigh, making it howl in frustration as he retreated.
Meanwhile, Luke and Johnny were ganging up on the other monster while Jim supported them with arrows. As one of Jim’s arrows pierced the monster’s eyes, Luke took advantage of its distraction to leap into the air and use [Cut] on its neck.
Just die already he thought in frustration. Even his [Cut] hadn’t fully beheaded the hobgoblin. Still, the attack had been enough to render it harmless so Luke was able to finish it off quite easily. A few seconds later, the other hobgoblin died as well under the combined attack of four rankers.
*You have helped slay [Hobgoblin (Lvl.13)], 12,500 EXP earned*
*You have slain [Hobgoblin (Lvl.14)], 29,000 EXP earned*
“I’ll be very annoyed if we have to fight another one of these ugly fellows” commented Johnny.
“Not everything can be as beautiful as you, my lady” said Luke.
“Skin so fair, lips so soft, you are the epitome of femininity” added Jim with a laugh.
“Maybe the bloodline wasn’t worth it” muttered Johnny.
“Let’s keep moving, I think I’m close to a level up” interrupted Matt excitedly.
Luckily for Matt and his impatient soul, it only took a minute for their next foe to be revealed. Or rather, their next foes, a great many of them.
For some reason, hundreds of tiny goblins charging at them scared Luke far more than two giant hobgoblins did. He tried pushing even more energy into his [Mana shield] though he didn’t know if it had any effect.
"Should we run?” asked Matt with a gulp, changing his tune entirely.
“Too late” said Luke as he shot a mana blast into the crowd. That alone was enough to kill several of the little creatures but the others were entirely unfazed by their deaths.
Soon, all four of them were surrounded by the tiny goblins. Jim, Matt and Johnny abandoned their usual method of attack and just stomped on and kicked the goblins. Luke was better off thanks to his [Cut] and mana blasts but he too was struggling.
A few minutes later, half the goblins were dead but the four rankers looked horrible. Matt and Johnny were covered in bites and scratches. Thanks to [Mana shield], Jim and Luke were better off but even they had several bruises and cuts on them. Above all else, the four were trying to protect their eyes and face from the attackers.
It took another five minutes before most of the creatures were dead. Finally, Luke kicked the last of them to death, having ran out of mana.
*You have helped slay 49 [Tunnel Goblin], 9000 EXP earned*
*You have slain 196 [Tunnel Goblin], 36,000 EXP earned*
Luke sighed in relief, the last ten minutes had been hellish. He pulled another health potion out of his inventory and chugged it down. As his wounds closed up, he turned to Matt.
“Do you have a spirit potion?” he asked.
“Yeah. I levelled up by the way” said Matt as he handed Luke a vial of blue liquid.
“Cheers” said Luke and downed the potion.
“So we’ve all reached level 13?” asked Jim.
“Unfortunately not” muttered Johnny.
“You should hunt more reptiles. Doesn’t improving your bloodline give you EXP?” asked Luke.
“I don’t think it’s as simple as just hunting reptiles” said Johnny with a laugh.
The four of them sat around for a few more minutes, drinking health potions and resting up before they continued going deeper. It was the longest walk yet, taking fifteen minutes before they came across a large opening.
“It’s some sort of arena” said Luke as he looked around the circular room they’d arrived at. There was a corridor on the other side of the room and they waited in front of it, not sure if they should enter. Not entering was indeed the right move as a few seconds later, a roar erupted from it and a large goblin charged out.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
It wasn’t like the hobgoblins, standing around six feet tall instead of being a giant. Its skin was a deep red instead of the typical green and free of wrinkles and warts. Even its face was less ugly than the hobgoblins, though it certainly wasn’t beautiful.
As it charged at them, the goblin extended its claws in a similar fashion to Johnny except for the fact that its claws were glowing orange, like molten metal. Luke could only assume it was some sort of fire attack as he raised his sword to block the goblin’s swipe.
Without missing a beat, it continued swiping at him. Luke desperately blocked the attacks, every strike was so fast yet he could feel immense strength behind them. Jim shot several arrows at the creature but it somehow dodged all of them while continuing to attack Luke.
Matt tried to sneak attack the monster but it was able to avoid even that. Luckily, the attempt was enough to make it turn its focus away from Luke and towards Matt. As soon as he was free, Luke shot a mana blast at the goblin and finally, it took some damage.
It didn’t do much to hurt the creature but it was clear to everyone that the red goblin wasn’t as durable as a hobgoblin. That one attack was enough to make it retreat by several feet and eye them cautiously.
Jim and Luke released a flurry of arrows and mana blasts at it but again, it dodged them all with ease. Suddenly, it ran towards Johnny with incredible speed but unfortunately for the goblin, it had picked the worst possible target.
Ever since he had awakened his bloodline, Johnny had displayed absurdly quick reflexes and today, he put them to good use. He ducked under the goblin’s fiery claw and sliced at its gut, making it roar in pain.
As Johnny retreated, Luke and Jim took advantage of the monster’s injury to attack it with their long range attacks. The mana blast and arrow forced it to the ground and Luke ran over to it with a big smile on his face.
It was in a vulnerable state, a single [Cut] would be enough to behead it. Luke raised his sword, ready to end the creature but things are never that simple. Right before the sword struck the goblin, Luke was flung back by an invisible force.
He landed several feet away with a groan. It wasn’t the crash landing that hurt him, it was the heat that came with the repulsive force. His skin was red and sweaty, as though he’d been covered in hot steam.
Luke got up at the same time the monster did and they met each other’s gaze. The goblin was panting heavily as it bled from its gut. Jim shot another arrow at it but now that it wasn’t distracted, it dodged it easily.
“Let’s double team it” said Luke, looking at Matt.
“I’ll cover you if you need to retreat” added Jim.
The two of them nodded and charged towards the creature, prompting a flurry of attacks from it. Unlike last time, Luke wasn’t overwhelmed by the speed and power of the monster’s attack thanks to Matt’s presence.
Matt let Luke take the lead and simply played defense. However, if the goblin started to get the upper hand, Matt would throw out an attack, not to do damage but simply to distract it. Jim and Johnny stood by, ready to help but didn’t want to force the creature to retreat.
Thanks to Matt’s help, Luke was finally able to counter the goblin’s insane reflexes and land a strike on its shoulder. The creature shrieked and swiped at him furiously with its other hand. Luke leaped back but not before the burning claw left its mark on him.
As Luke roared in pain, Jim started shooting arrows at the goblin and forced it to retreat. It ran back a dozen feet, hissing as it clutched its bleeding shoulder.
Luke summoned a health potion and drank it hurriedly, letting out a sigh of relief as it soothed the burns on his chest. It was lucky that the cut was quite shallow but the extreme heat of the goblin’s claws made it very painful.
“The claw swipes won’t be as fast as before” said Matt.
“We should all attack at once” suggested Johnny.
“Let’s tire it out a bit” muttered Luke.
The whole time they’d been talking, Jim hadn’t stopped firing arrows at the goblin. Luke joined in and started shooting mana blasts at it, forcing the monster to dance around desperately. With its injuries this severe, it didn’t want to come close to any of them and just kept dodging.
“Let’s go” said Luke after a few minutes of this.
He, Matt and Johnny all charged towards the creature and started to assault it. As expected, the furious claw swipes were no longer as fast as before and soon enough, all three of them had drawn blood. In a panic, the goblin retreated even further back but when it did, Jim’s arrow struck its chest.
Pressing their advantage, Luke used [Cut] with the hope that the repulsive force wouldn’t be used again. Indeed it wasn’t, the creature was now too injured to do anything. Luke beheaded the goblin, the unusually warm blood that splashed on his face couldn’t wipe his smile away.
*You have slain [Fire Goblin (Lvl.23)], 68,000 EXP earned*
*You have reached level 14, stats allocated, free points earned*
*Your skill in [Swordsmanship] has reached level 25*
I would have been shocked if swordsmanship didn’t level up after all this thought Luke. He was still in disbelief that he’d been able to block all those attacks. He turned to the others, only to find that they were all looking at the wooden chest that had appeared behind him.
*Second chamber of the [Goblin’s Den] has been conquered*
Luke ignored the message and eagerly opened the chest. The contents of this chest were far more impressive than the last one. Ten vials of clear liquid, a larger vial of red liquid, three clear discs and two golden rings. Luke activated [Analyse] with anticipation.
[Minor Strengthening Potion]- A simple potion that raises each of a person’s stats by 1 point, a person can only use ten of these before they lose effect.
[Purified Fire Goblin Blood]- As creatures with a “Sun Giant” bloodline, the purified blood of a fire goblin can raise your stats slightly and give you the ability to use fire magic.
[Ability totem]- An ability totem that grants the ability [Danger sense]
[Ring of invisibility]- An enchanted item that grants its wielder invisibility when mana is infused into it.
“All I want is the goblin blood” said Luke.
The others nodded in agreement, including Matt. Luke looked at him with a puzzled expression so he answered the unasked question.
“I love magic but I’m not drinking goblin blood for it” said Matt with a disgusted expression.
Luke shrugged and grabbed the vial. As soon as he’d gulped down the potion, he felt a powerful heat rise up in him. Luke blocked out the conversation going on next to him as he fell into a bizarre trance. A few seconds later, he was shaken out of it by a notification.
*+3 to all stats*
*Acquired spell type: Fire magic*
Luke grinned and pulled up his status.
STATUS
Name: Luke Carpenter
Race: Human (Lesser)
Level: 14
Rank: 1
Class: Swordsman
Health: 91%
Stamina: 69%
Mana Reserves: 21%
Free points: 4
Skill points: 0
STATS
Strength: 59
Agility: 59
Toughness: 64
Stamina: 57
Vitality: 55
Perception: 52
Soul: 50
Spirit: 47
Luke split his free points between strength and agility before turning to the others. They’d already finished deciding who’d get what so he simply waited for them to consume their strengthening potions.
“I can’t wait to show Emma that I’m stealthier than her” said Johnny, showing Luke his new ring.
“Don’t do that, stealth is all she has” replied Luke with a laugh.
“Do we head back to the village or keep going?” asked Matt.
“We should head back” said Luke but he still went over to the corridor that lead to the next chamber. As he poked his foot in, he got the information he was looking for.
*Entered third chamber of [The Goblin’s Den], chamber level- (Lvl.15+)]*
“We need to be level 15 before we come back” said Luke.
“I guess we can hunt monsters around the village” replied Jim.
“The first thing you two are doing is teach me the real way to use mana” said Matt with a scowl.
“Dammit”