Chapter 11: From Ambush To Retreat - Part 1

"These goblin flashers are quite clever. Right, Mr. Arezu?" "Goblin flashers?"Arezu repeated, eyeing Lynn skeptically as he followed the beam of her lantern. Above them, several crevices lined the cave ceiling—narrow, dark slits large enough for child-sized creatures like goblins to hide in. The fact that the goblins had managed to ambush them without a sound made both Arezu and Lynn suspect those crevices played a part. Considering the cave ceiling was over three meters high, it was unlikely the goblins had climbed up and hidden there. More plausibly, those crevices connected to tunnels that stretched deep into the cave. "They probably moved through those tunnels from their base once the attack at the front started." Arezu added thoughtfully. After inspecting the crevices again, Arezu concluded they were natural formations—not something the goblins had dug themselves. Either way, their existence posed a clear threat. "Can you close them off with your spell, Lynn?" Arezu asked, recalling her Tremor spell that once cracked open the ground and buried a group of orcs. "So you're saying you'll stay by my side until the end, Mr. Arezu?" Lynn said teasingly, her voice laced with mock romance as she stared at him, awaiting a reaction. Arezu paused, only just catching the true meaning behind her words. "I guess using that spell might cause the cave to collapse and bury us all alive." "Tsk!... No reaction at all." Putting the crevice problem aside for now—along with Lynn's mischief—Arezu turned his attention to a more immediate concern. "So what are we going to do with the corpses of these goblin flashers?" Though butchered, if left unburied or unburned, the dead goblins could rise again—resurrected into undeads by the curse of envy. "Let's just have Hannah pray for them—" —Gyah!— A high-pitched scream echoed from deeper within the cave, cutting Lynn off. Arezu and Lynn rushed toward the sound, alarmed for their teammates. Not far ahead, they found Liz on the ground, supported by Hannah, while Alex stood nearby looking irritated. "What..." Arezu began, but didn't need to finish. The sight in front of Liz explained everything. "That was such a cute scream, Liz," Lynn said, never missing an opportunity to tease. Liz flushed red with embarrassment. Liz's scream was, indeed, oddly feminine for someone as serious as her—but Arezu couldn't blame her, given what she had seen. In front of them lay a dead hobgoblin, impaled through the gut by Lynn's ice lance. But what shocked Liz wasn't the gruesome death—it was the grotesque state of its lower region. Enough to make any girl scream, or so Arezu figured. "It's a hobgoblin flasher, Mr. Arezu." "Please don't point at that." Arezu stepped in front of Lynn and gently turned her away from the unsettling corpse. But she resisted, giving him a sinking feeling. "I need you to dismantle that, Mr. Arezu." "I'm not touching that!" "Not that. I mean its monster core." That made more sense. The monster core still had value. While most of the goblins had one too, dismantling all of them would take too much time, so Lynn focused on retrieving only the most valuable. As Arezu extracted the core, Hannah together with Liz prayed over the dead goblins to prevent them from rising again. Alex, still in a foul mood, stood ahead, waiting. "What's he so mad about?" Arezu asked, handing Lynn the rough, fist-sized crystal. "Don't care... I mean, I don't know. Maybe he's insecure about the size," Lynn replied, inspecting the core. "Oi, seriously?" "Weird..." "Yes, it's weird that you can say that so casually." "No, I mean this monster core." Ignoring Arezu's protest and Alex's brooding, Lynn analyzed the core. Though the creature looked like a hobgoblin, its core resembled that of a goblin. She moved beside the corpse, inspecting it more closely. After a moment, she confirmed her suspicion. "Mr. Arezu, this isn't a hobgoblin flasher. It's just a big goblin flasher." "Please stop saying flasher." It had been taller than a regular goblin and had used magic, which led Arezu to believe it was a hobgoblin—or even a hobgoblin mage. But Lynn had no reason to lie, especially now. "Is this the strange evolved goblin Ms. Gwen mentioned?" Arezu asked. "The answer probably lies at the end of the cave." Lynn said with an unusually serious smile, then signaled the group to move forward. Walking in formation, alert to the crevices above, Lynn elaborated on the monster core. A monster core is what allows a monster to gather mana and use magic. The stronger the monster, the more refined its core—capable of storing more mana and unleashing powerful magic. The one in their possession was clearly a goblin core, yet it was more refined than even a hobgoblin's. It was also saturated with an unusually high amount of cursed miasma. "None of this adds up..." Lynn murmured, lost in thought. Suddenly, Liz's Foresight activated. She raised her shield just in time. 'Reinforce' A massive boulder slammed into her shield. Even enhanced with her combat skill, the impact knocked her to the ground and fractured her left arm. Before anyone could react, a second boulder came flying from far down the tunnel. Only Arezu saw it in time, leaping to shield Liz. 'Shatter' He activated his combat skill, swinging his halberd-axe and smashing the boulder midair. As Arezu and Alex took position for more incoming attacks, Lynn and Hannah helped Liz to her feet. Then the attacker stepped into view. Arezu wanted to scream, What the heck is wrong with these goblins? But Lynn beat him to it. "It's a giant goblin flasher, Mr. Arezu." "I know, so stop emphasizing that!" Despite his reluctance, Arezu readied his halberd-axe. Alex mirrored him, twin swords at the ready. "I'll take the front. Lynn, support us from behind," Arezu ordered. With Liz injured, he had to take her place as vanguard. "Waterjet" Lynn cast her intermediate spell, preparing not just to support Arezu and Alex, but also to protect Liz and Hannah in case more goblins attacked from behind. Annoyed by Arezu giving orders, Alex didn't wait for a signal to attack. "Wind Blade" He launched a barrage of wind blades while charging forward. Though they struck true, they barely grazed the giant goblin. "Let's see you block this!" Within striking range, Alex infused his swords with fire and wind, and activate his combat skill. 'Cleave' With a flaming sword and one sharpen by wind, Alex was sure he could take the giant down. But the goblin raised its left arm and blocked both attacks. "Tough bastard..." 'Cleave' Arezu followed up, swinging his halberd-axe with brutal force—but the goblin blocked that too. With both of its arms occupied, Lynn seized the chance. The water sphere above her shot a high-pressure blast toward the goblin's head. It could easily bore a hole through a skull. But before it struck, a rock spike rose from the ground, intercepting the blast. "No way... That spell... That's the intermediate spell—Obelisk." —ROAR!—