A thin mist began to creep around the ruins. The sounds of forest birds slowly faded, replaced by an eerie silence.
Rashan gave a hand signal, directing everyone to move into their designated positions.
POV: Dyren – Eastern Pillar
Dyren crouched behind a moss-covered pillar. In his hand, he held a sword he had readied two minutes ago.
He took a deep breath and snapped his fingers. Five skeletons emerged from the ground—two wielding spears, two with swords, and one holding a small knife.
"Advance, but do not attack until I give the order," he whispered.
The five skeletons nodded. They moved forward, weaving between stones, waiting for his command.
Dyren peeked from behind the pillar, then caught a scent in the air. Sharp, foul, and metallic—like rotting blood. From the west.
"Is that... a Goblin Shaman?" he whispered.
Goblin Shamans were goblins with a Shaman class, akin to magic users. The only kind of goblin capable of casting spells.
Physically weak, but highly troublesome. They could strike from afar and empower other goblins with buffs.
"Could that Shaman be performing a ritual?"
Dyren wasn't sure, but it was possible. Goblin Shamans often used the corpses of other monsters in rituals to enhance themselves. The most terrifying possibility was that he might be trying to create a Hobgoblin.
"I need to inform Rashan."
Dyren summoned another skeleton and scribbled a quick note. He handed the note to the skeleton, sending it off as a messenger.
He felt confident it would reach him. Dyren turned his attention back to the skeletons ahead.
POV: Vennel – Northern Wing
Vennel hid behind a tall bush. She had prepared three ground traps and two rope snares. Just then, two goblins came through the underbrush, cackling loudly.
Click.
A snare snapped around one of the goblins' legs, yanking it into the air. It screamed, sending the other into a panic. As the second goblin fled—
Thud!
A ground trap exploded, sending wooden spikes shooting upward. Blood sprayed across the earth.
"Two down," Vennel muttered. She crawled forward and signaled to Rashan.
POV: Rashan – Center
Rashan observed from behind a large rock. Around twenty goblins were wandering near a crumbled stone altar. Two figures stood in the center of the circle—larger, carrying staffs, cloaked in animal skins and necklaces made of bones.
"They have... two Shamans?" he whispered in disbelief.
Normally, a goblin group would have only one Shaman. But this... it was as if two goblin tribes had merged.
Rashan raised his hand and signaled the attack.
"Now!" he shouted.
Vennel fired an explosive arrow straight into the center of the altar. At the same time, Dyren, Brux, and Jilkan charged in with their attacks.
BOOM!
The explosion startled the goblins. From the east, Dyren's skeletons surged forward, stabbing and smashing. Vennel loosed arrows from afar, targeting goblin archers.
Brux and Jilkan burst from behind rubble—Brux with earth magic, Jilkan with a massive axe—tearing through goblin ranks.
But the two Shamans began chanting spells.
"Fire Ball!"
A fireball flew toward Dyren. He rolled back and slashed through the spell with his ordinary sword. His skeletons burned one after another.
The two Shamans continued casting. They launched attacks from a safe distance, protected by three goblins each.
"So the dumb ones are just regular goblins. The others... they're surprisingly smart," Dyren muttered.
He was tempted to summon more undead, but held back.
He wanted to enjoy this. To fight like a normal adventurer—working together to defeat monsters, trusting each other, and emerging victorious.
"Dyren! Use your magic! We'll die if they keep casting like this!" Vennel shouted.
Dyren flinched. He'd planned to hold back, but now he was being told to fight seriously. He clicked his tongue.
"Fine," he said.
[Curse of Slowness – Active]
[Aura of Dread – Active]
[Berserk – Active]
In just three seconds, Dyren activated three skills. But those were only buffs—enhancing his body and debuffing enemies.
"All right, I'll show them how a Necromancer slaughters goblins," Dyren said confidently.
All of Dyren's attributes were multiplied by five with Berserk. It only lasted ten minutes, but Dyren didn't think he'd need even that long.
He cracked his neck, took a stance. His eyes sharpened—and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.
[Shadow Eruption]
A second later, a shadowy explosion erupted beneath the goblins. Their legs were shattered.
Dyren appeared in front of them. With a single slash—
Slash!
Half the goblins were killed instantly. Only a few remained, including the two Shamans, who were now visibly trembling.
"Entertain me," he said.
As they cast their fire and lightning spells toward him—Dyren vanished again.
The goblins panicked, glancing around. Suddenly, a hand tapped their shoulders.
"Die."
Before they could react—two heads dropped to the floor. Every goblin had been eliminated.
Brux, Jilkan, Vennel, and Rashan stood frozen. They hadn't even contributed after Dyren joined the battle.
"A Necromancer can fight like that? How is that possible?" Vennel whispered.
***
"Let's move in," Rashan said.
The goblins were gone. They entered a narrow cave behind the stone altar. The air was foul—thick with rot and dampness. After walking through a short tunnel—
"I've got a bad feeling," Vennel whispered.
And rightly so. When they reached the goblin lair, all of them—except Dyren—gulped.
"What the hell...?" Brux muttered.
Inside, they saw at least fifty goblins—sleeping, eating, or staring at walls covered in magical scribbles.
And at the far end of the cave—
A massive figure, nearly two meters tall, with a crown of skulls and dark green skin, sat on a throne of stone.
"Goblin King..." Jilkan whispered. "Why is a Goblin King here—in a forest like this?"
Rashan took a deep breath. "We need to retreat. This isn't a normal mission. We have to report to Lady Eli."
They all agreed. A mission like this needed at least a Rank-A adventurer.
Goblin Kings weren't low-rank monsters. They were powerful—equal to Rank-A adventurers. They were only Rank-C. The gap was massive.
But when they turned around—their eyes widened.
There were about thirty more goblins—and five of them were Hobgoblins. Monsters ranked at B.
"Damn it. We've walked right into a trap," Rashan cursed.
Then something emerged from behind the Hobgoblins. Another Goblin Shaman, grinning wide.
"Tonight, we'll feast on human flesh."