"The goblins are here! Get ready!" Brent shouted. There was a hint of expectation hiding in his tone. And based on how excited he was, it appears that Brent is addicted to fighting against the goblins.
(Weird... Why does Brent look so spirited after knowing that the goblins were attacking? Don't tell me he had a beef with the goblins?)
Hespar decides to study Brent as they fight against the monsters.
The situation also gradually escalates as the number of Mountain Goblins grows. Their number has gone up to around the sixties from the initial fifteen. Furthermore, they don't seem to be stopping here.
"Guys! I suggest all of us stay alert. I have a terrible premonition about the number of goblins popping up everywhere." Hespar said.
He had no idea why such a feeling appeared in his heart. And if he insists on an answer, it can be explained with one word.
Intuition.
Perhaps, being an Aura User gives him a heightened sense compared to a regular human being. By relying on this intuition mentioned here, it would at least leads the person to the path of survival 8 out of 10 times.
**Pew!**
A short arrow was fired at Foster like a kid's toy. But that was not the issue. The main problem is the tip of the projectile is just as sharp as a regular arrow and even had a hint of poison smeared on it.
"Goblin Archers! Careful, everyone! We have evolved goblins in the pack! This is not some regular Mountain Goblins we're up against!" Stolas raised his voice quickly and grabbed two arrows at once.
It was obvious that Stolas was attempting to try a multishot.
"There!" the arrow was fired. But the expected cry from a dying goblin didn't come. Instead, the noise of something getting deflected is what follows.
Two slightly well-equipped goblins then stepped out from the bushes, followed by a Goblin Archer. The half-bow in the short arrows in its quiver reveals that this is precisely the same goblin that fired the arrow earlier.
"Bad news. These two are Goblin Elites. I'm sure they got a Chieftain leading them." Stolas continued. Everyone else slowly had a change in their expression, except for Brent. He doesn't seem disturbed that the party accidentally pokes a wasp's nest.
Instead, Brent looks eager to keep fighting, like he was born to kill the goblins.
The enthusiasm he had shown was at least triple compared to when they're going against the Mountain Lizards.
As for Hespar, he's still keeping the trump card in hand. Their current situation might be bad, but it is yet to reach the circumstances he had to activate the Mortal's Authority.
After all, the skill would definitely take away a third or more stamina he had from just activating it.
[Fonterra Sword Style! Crescent Moon!]
Feeling that there's a need to deliver a significant blow to the opponent's morale, Hespar chooses to unleash a killing move when the opportunity arrives.
His target was none other than the two Goblin Elites.
Although it was far from reaching the two evolved goblins, an attack getting so close to them still somewhat surprised the monsters, no matter how near or far it was. The attack not only generated a hint of fear in the two Goblin Elites but also in the archer, as it was the first to run in a hurry.
With the Goblin Archer turning around and escaping, some other Mountain Goblins followed. The number suddenly stops increasing. Only the mischievous, weak, and dumber goblins remained a few minutes later.
These changes allowed Hespar and his party to slaughter their way out of this precedent. At the end of the battle, a total of forty goblins were killed, but they got zero results on the evolved targets.
Allowing the evolved targets to escape is considered a risk in a mission. It came to this conclusion because the likelihood of the monster enacting an act of revenge is much higher.
"We've handled the Mountain Goblins for now, but they're likely coming back for us soon. Let's go and get more of the Mountain Lizards before it's darker." Hespar ordered and came to a mutual understanding between them.
The group knew they didn't need to complete the assignment in a day. But for them to yield as much profit as possible, clearing it faster would definitely be better than later.
After all, an officer class can only take up to two assignments at once, with a week's time limit. It would be counted as an automatic failure if they cannot complete the mission within the given time limit.
Hespar and his hunting party traveled a little deeper after handling the forty goblin corpses. Like the Forest Goblin's variant, the monster's heart is considered an Alchemy Ingredient.
But the Mountain Goblin's hearts couldn't be processed into Magic Stones. Instead, it was an ingredient to produce a special Medicinal Tincture to strengthen an individual's muscle, skin, and bones.
Alas, the chances of success always vary. Hence, the Medicinal Tincture was considered the cheapest Bronze-Grade product on the market.
Still, no matter how cheap, a single bottle of this Medicinal Tincture would cost them two to three silver coin pieces.
"I saw three more Mountain Lizards in front. There's no sign of any other hiding around." Stolas raised his fist up and reported the situation to Hespar. The previous failure to notice the fourth reptile nearby seemed to leave a scar on this archer's confidence.
"Good job. Foster and Quinn will stay beside Stolas like before. Brent and Ashen will follow me. I'll rely on you to take out the Mountain Lizard over there while we handle these two, alright?" Hespar pointed at the lonely Mountain Lizard sungrazing on its own in a corner while facing Stolas.
After getting a nod from his party's only archer, Hespar and the other two made their move and made their grand entrance to the reptile's sungrazing spot.
The two Mountain Lizards were instantly alarmed by their entrance and quickly retaliated as the fight started with swords and scales canceling each other's attack. It seems that if the Mountain Lizard wishes, the scales growing all over its body can be turned into a formidable weapon.
Unfortunately, the scales don't cover every inch of their body. Their back might be heavily protected, but it was an entirely different story on their underbelly, neck, and between the joints.
[Fonterra's Sword Style! Stone Pillar!]
Hespar suddenly changed his tactic and smashed his sword as hard as possible on one of the Mountain Lizards. The reckless attack made both reptiles near him roll into the shape of a ball out of instinct.
All hint of retaliation was taken out when the Mountain Lizard rolled into a ball. This allows them to take advantage of the reptile's weak point. Despite how quickly the lizard reacted, it was dull compared to the accuracy of Brent and Ashen's swords.
Blood immediately spewed out from the stabbing wound once Brent and Ashen attacked without reservation.
The Mountain Lizard further from them quickly came to help, but an arrow sneakily came and robbed its life before it could make half of the journey over.
The hunt over these three Mountain Lizards was easier than their previous fight. In less than ten minutes, the party actually killed the lizards without getting a single cut on themselves.
"Alright! Let's keep track of our time. Stolas will continue to look around. Foster and Quinn, come here and give us a hand in processing the lizard corpses!" Hespar started to have more confidence in the party and himself.
The party decided to call it a day when it was getting closer to the evening. After fulfilling a series of security checks over their belongings, the group was eventually allowed to enter the eleventh camp.
"Hey! Looks like you're doing quite well for your first time!" Catalina was the first to pay them a visit after the party returned to Hespar's Office. True to her reputation and attentiveness, the news about Hespar's result for today arrived in her ears less than fifteen minutes after returning.
"Did you have a spy planted around the camp entrance? It was amazing for you to get the news so quickly." Hespar replied while helping the others to arrange the goods by their category.
"Of course not. How can we simply plant an eye or two here and there? It's a coincidence, alright? I saw your party coming through the entrance. With so many packages on you guys, how can it be a terrible result?" Catalina smiled and acted cutely in her reply.
Her expression gave a chill to the others, especially Brent and Stolas, the oldest two.
(Look at the Golden Witch smiling like a teenager... Oh god... She's still as scary as ever...)
It was unsure who the thought belonged to.
"So, what brings you here? Don't tell me you wanted to collect some first?" Hespar casually grabbed two bottles and opened one for himself. The other one is obviously for Catalina.
"Not really. But I do have some suggestions in mind." Catalina casually accepted the bottle of water while replying. Her attention soon shifted from Hespar to the goods neatly arranged by the wall.
"That stupid nerd Agnes is in your group, correct? You should give the Mountain Goblin hearts to her. If her skills remained at her current level, she would surely fail her task." Catalina started by making her way and slapped on the container holding the goblin's hearts.
Then, she changed her attention to the bucket of guts collected from the ten Mountain Lizards.
"As for this... You should start looking for someone with skills in medicine. The guts from Mountain Lizard aren't precious, but they can be made into salves and first aid, for starters."
"Also, those leather bottles there is the lizard's blood, correct?" Catalina soon pointed her fingers at the bottles hanging on the wall.
"Yes. What's about it?" Hespar smiled. He knew that Catalina sure had something in her mind.