Chapter 50 Chaos
The light grew dimmer. Soren gradually entered the dense forest, surrounded by various animal calls, and even spotted a small moose, which cautiously observed its surroundings, occasionally lowering its head to graze. When it noticed Soren’s shadowy presence, it immediately ran away in alarm. Because the wilderness had not been disturbed by humans, the number of beasts was abundant. The thick grassy vegetation greatly increased the population of these wild animals; sometimes you could even catch rabbits in the fields.
Soren stopped at a puddle, reaching down to pinch a bit of dark red soil and sniffing it.
The smell of bl**d.
He was likely very close to the goblins’ gathering place.
Goblins are small, reptilian humanoids with a timid yet savage disposition. They have scaly skin that ranges from dark rust to dark black, providing them with some degree of protection. Their eyes are red, possessing decent night vision, and they have tails that cannot curl. Most goblins are tattered and prefer red and orange, often stripping the clothes off the dead to wear them. They are about 3 feet tall and weigh approximately 50 pounds.
Goblins can speak Draconic, but their voices sound like little dogs. Like lizardmen, they are oviparous, hatching from clutches of eggs, which means they are often encountered in the wild.
Do not underestimate these small creatures because of their size; regular goblins are more combat-capable than civilians. Though not very strong, they are quite agile, with agility scores of around 13 to 15. They also possess innate abilities in ‘mining’ and ‘trap-making,’ and most goblins are capable of setting up simple traps like tripwires and pit traps. Due to their naturally timid nature, goblins typically do not act alone; they often appear in groups of three to five, attacking only when they outnumber their enemies two to one. If the numbers are roughly equal, goblins will summon more companions or simply abandon the attack.
If the situation in battle goes poorly, goblins will quickly flee, much like gremlins.
Ah.
They do eat people.
Soren continued forward along the footprints, drawing his crossbow. Using poisoned crossbow bolts on these small creatures wasn’t worth it; the loot wouldn’t even cover the cost of the item used. Regular crossbow bolts would suffice for these little things, and he had half a bottle of the bipedal dragon’s venom left, so to be safe, he carried three such bolts with him. The purpose was to guard against goblin spellcasters!
Goblins are the most likely creatures to have spellcasters among them, though most goblin spellcasters do not have high profession levels.
However, their frequency of appearance is somewhat alarming.
They are staunch proponents of sorcery, supported by draconic theory, because goblins have a hint of dragon bl**d in them. They communicate in Draconic, and often one or two goblin spellcasters pop up.
When dealing with powerful spellcasters, being cautious is never excessive.
The bloodstains in front of him gradually increased, and Soren halted in front of an area of grass that had clearly been disturbed. He took out his curved blade and poked around, immediately revealing a length of rope. If someone accidentally triggered it, something could fall from above or one could get ensnared and hung upside down. Many had suffered because of these little creatures; initially, many, including Soren, would eagerly rush out to deal with monsters, only to find themselves nearly overrun by the small foes.
Ahead came the sound of chattering and the occasional barking.
Soren felt his weapon and moved closer, knowing goblins have decent sense of smell, better than humans, yet still far inferior to wolves, so he needed to be cautious while sneaking.
Soon.
A group of goblins appeared before Soren.
There were about thirty of them — half were ordinary goblins, while the other half consisted of armored goblin warriors, along with a dark red goblin holding a wooden staff, who might be a goblin spellcaster, standing next to a large pot. In this world, if spellcasters disguise themselves or don’t carry signature equipment, it’s not easy to discern them at a glance. For instance, a priest fighting with a staff may not appear to cast spells until you see them using a divine technique!
Much of the time, judgment relies on one’s observation skills.
The large pot was propped up with a stick, and goblins were throwing in firewood. It was hard to see what was stewing inside, but Soren guessed it could be gremlins, beasts, mushrooms, or weeds. Goblins are omnivorous, eating both meat and plants, and when they don’t manage to catch prey, they can fill their bellies with boiled forest mushrooms and wild roots. When food is scarce, they may also engage nearby gremlins in skirmishes, where no clear victor typically emerges; however, after fighting, both sides usually end up cooking something in their pots.
With sufficient rationing, it could last ten days to half a month.
A group of goblins was drooling over the large pot, occasionally barking. Soren saw cuts of gremlin meat, but when he spotted the dismembered body of a human female, his expression turned cold.
Goblins dare not attack villages directly; they only sneak in. Sometimes they even avoid fully grown men, only daring to hunt down kids and women.
Goblins are timid yet ruthless.
They sneak up on solitary women and children outside the village, quickly killing them and dragging their bodies back.
Thirty or so goblins were not easy to deal with!
Soren hid to the side and methodically counted, assessing the danger posed by the group of goblins. There were about ten goblin warriors among them, armed with short swords, clubs, and spears; some wore leather armor, as goblins, being humanoids, can also craft equipment. Nearby were five goblin archers equipped with short bows and daggers; the short bows were their own creations, made from wood and animal tendons. While their power wasn’t great, being hit up close would hurt.
The other ordinary goblins had weapons as well, though they were mostly crude wooden sticks, which weren’t much of a problem when struck.
The only uncertainty was whether the dark red goblin by the pot was a leader or a spellcaster.
But there was no doubt it was the biggest threat!
“Goblins.”
“Challenge Level 3, Biological Level 5, may include a leader unit and goblin spellcasters.”
“Highest attribute 17, lowest 8, total attribute value 60-75.”
“Specialties: Natural Armor, Trap Making, Night Vision Ability.”
“Challenge Difficulty: C+.”
“Loot Level: +1”
Goblins have loot enhancements because they tend to collect shiny items; of course, not everything is Gind; it could be gold dust and ores they’ve dug up. In Soren’s earlier records, many monsters receive loot enhancements based on their behaviors, meaning the loot obtained from monsters of the same level would be a level higher.
Gremlins also have a penchant for collecting, but unfortunately, they often pick up junk.
A slight sound of movement.
Soren began to move his feet, sneaking around to the campfire’s position, needing to take out that dark red goblin first to ensure the upcoming battle would be much easier. A challenge level of 3 means he would need five level 3 professionists to handle them comfortably; now, acting alone was not very easy, and the key was not to get surrounded.
Swish!
A crossbow bolt flew out.
The dark red goblin by the campfire let out a cry, and the entire goblin den was stirred into action.
Sounds akin to little dogs barking erupted, and after an initial bout of panic, the goblins quickly grabbed their weapons, searching for enemies. They soon used their decent night vision to spot Soren. A group of goblin warriors snarled and lunged at him. When goblins discover their enemy is far outnumbered, they always become quite “brave.”
Soren did not rush to engage.
After shooting an arrow, he rolled out of the way just in time; a hail of arrows filled the spot he had just occupied, as goblins wielding short bows posed a considerable threat.
The curved blade glinted in his hand!
In just one exchange, Soren disemboweled two goblins; however, this moment of pause allowed one goblin to pounce at his leg, teeth bared, with sharp fangs.
Bang!
Soren twisted his waist, kicking the goblin five meters away. He forcefully dodged a short sword, then swung his leg to kick another goblin that had lunged at him.
In just thirty seconds.
Soren took down six goblins, yet the thirty goblins gathering around him rushed in. A short sword slashed his leg; fortunately, it only scraped the skin. An arrow shot from a short bow struck Soren, but couldn’t penetrate his leather armor, instead killing a nearby goblin.
Goblin warriors, possessing level 1 warrior skills, closed in around him. These creatures, only about three feet tall, were troublesome; their every attack aimed at Soren’s legs, forcing him to bend down to strike.
Goblins can execute roll maneuvers, skillfully using their size to evade.
——Moon Arc Slash.
The barrage of attacks left no room for avoidance; gritting his teeth, Soren braced himself against two hits, then grasped his curved blade, twirled his waist, and spun around.
Three goblins fell, all disemboweled.
But just then, the dark red goblin that had been hit by Soren’s poisoned bolt somewhat unsteadily rose to its feet, uttering strange syllables, then thrusting its hand forward, unleashing a sixty-degree cone of flame. The first target was Soren, whose clothes instantly caught fire, followed by the goblins nearby, who screamed in pain!
——“Burning Hands!”
