The next day, I woke up early again. My body was exuding energy and liveliness. I slept on a wooden throne, so it wasn't the best of places. It was uncomfortable, but it would do until I found something a little better.
Putting that aside, I started my daily tasks. I went downstairs and received Gleen's reports. Apparently, a goblin was injured, but they were already treating him. Nothing bad happened to the pregnant goblins. The horned rabbits remained the only threat.
"That's all, master," Gleen concluded his report and returned to his own tasks.
With not much else to do, I returned to the core room and continued my intense training. The hours passed until a message resonated:
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[Skill: Lance Mastery] Acquired
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I smiled and almost jumped with satisfaction. Having your effort rewarded was a very good feeling.
Next, I picked up the piece of wood and started swinging again. The skill was still low-level, but I noticed a substantial difference.
My grip was firmer, my hands moved to the correct position, the attacks were faster and more accurate, and my arms didn't tremble as much.
Clearly, I wasn't a master, but at least I wasn't just an idiot swinging a stick anymore. Now I was an idiot with mastery.
I continued training for a while. When I got tired of training, I took a shower, walked around the dungeon, and watched the points slowly rise.
This routine continued for 7 days.
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Dungeon
Name: None | Type: Tower
Rarity: Unique | Grade: 1
Servants: 11
Floors: 2 | Subsidiary Floors: 0
Points: 6510
Requirement for next Grade: 1000 Points | Uncommon Monster | Monster Grade: 2
[Bonus]
Domineered and Tamed Monsters have a chance to receive the Calm Mind ability.
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The points accumulated to a relevant amount, and as I watched that, preparing to look at my skill screen, another message resonated.
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[Invasion in progress]
[Status screen] access blocked
[First Floor: Unnamed] Invaded
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I hastily looked at the screen in front of me. There was a possibility that it was just a common invader, but there was also a chance it was the champion.
And, as if to meet my expectations, there he was. He moved between the trees with brutality, knocking everything down along the way with just the palms of his hands.
His body was extremely muscular. His arms were thick, and his size was intimidating. The unmistakable face of a goblin shone on his head.
Behind the Champion, a retinue of about thirty goblins followed closely behind. Leading the way, the former invader guiding them all.
Seeing this, I sat on the wooden throne. I brought the core and left it nearby, in case of an emergency.
"Wolf, tell Gleen," I said.
The wolf nodded and headed towards the first floor. The large creature was approaching.
And now, Gleen... How will you handle this?
A smile sprouted on the corner of my mouth. That feeling of ecstasy consumed me. My eyes were fixed on the screen, and I began to watch everything.
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Gleen received the message and nodded. He ran to the center of the clearing and called all the goblins who could fight.
He had been preparing for this moment for a long time to prove that he could do it. He was capable of proving himself to his master.
So, with everything set, they set off into the woods, disappearing into the terrain.
The gigantic champion approached without fear. Suddenly, a pile of dirt fell on his head and, irritated, he looked up.
A small horned rabbit looked at him and seemed to be laughing at his miserable appearance.
Enraged, he slammed his body into the tree, knocking it to the ground. However, the little one jumped from one tree to another, escaping the attack.
Then he threw another handful of dirt at the monster's head.
The champion then began to chase the little one with the other goblins following closely behind. However, that first invader began to feel that something was strange.
Passing through the woods like a true destroyer Juggernaut, he chased the mischievous little rabbit tirelessly.
The distance between him and the other goblins grew with each tree felled. Until, in a moment of fury, he knocked down another tree in the path of his servants and left them behind.
The first invader and the other goblins lost sight of their leader. They tried to pass through the trees, but suddenly, an arrow flew into the head of one of them.
Blood leaked out and the still-warm body hit the ground.
A grunt resounded from the invading goblin who had taken command of the others. He organized them all in a large circle and ordered them to watch all sides.
"He's smart," whispered Glenn in the midst of the tall trees. "Leave that one alive. He'll be a good servant for Master Kayn."
The goblin with a bow next to him nodded and fired another arrow.
The arrow flew straight, but this time missed the target, the head, hitting the thigh of another goblin who fell to the ground screaming in pain.
The crowd then became noisy. They feared for their lives. They were not trained soldiers, so anything shook their morale.
The invader knew this, so he didn't even try to suppress them. He saw where the arrow came from and focused only on that.
He looked directly into Gleen's eyes, even though he couldn't see the dark woods.
"Don't shoot another one now. Go to the other side and when I give the signal, shoot."
"Y-yes..." The green bowman stood up and walked calmly to another place.
Gleen then raised his arm. He waved to another group below. This one was made up of three goblins with spears.
With a gesture of his hand, the group split into three and went to different places, and with another gesture down, they attacked.
The place was surrounded by trees and bushes, so when one goblin turned his back on them, a deep wound from a wooden spear pierced his neck, shoulder, and chest, respectively.
Immediately after, the spears were pulled out and the goblins fled from their position.
The one who got hit in the neck fell to the ground dead. The one who got hit in the shoulder screamed in pain and fled from the circle into the woods. The one who got hit in the chest fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
Gleen was cunning and used his position to control the combat in the palm of his hand. He had long since defined a strategy to deal with superior numbers.
For a battle - a war - several things were important. An immeasurable number of things. Any variables could change the outcome of the fight.
Above all, a general - the leader - needed to know what he was doing. A good general knew his enemy as well as himself, or even better.
He separated the leader from the others, forced them into a defensive position, and broke - completely destroyed - their morale.
Gleen's talent was truly demonstrated.
Realizing that it wouldn't last much longer, he waved his arm again. With this gesture, another arrow flew from a completely different position than before.
With it, another enemy fell to the ground. Alarmed, the goblins went insane. Then another wave. Suddenly, spears passed through the woods and three more fell.
At this point, one-third of the enemies had died, another third had fled, and the remaining were basically weak, frightened children.
With one last wave, the short fight ended. From the woods, Gleen emerged. He approached the center slowly. He stared into the faces of the remaining ones and declared:
"I'll give you a chance. Kneel and surrender, then you live, or..." Raising his hand, another arrow flew over his head and struck near the foot of the first invader.
The message was sent. With no other options, the small invader accepted his situation. Being smarter than the others, he knew there was no other way.
He dropped the weapon he had in his hand. He then fell to his knees and lowered his head, praying for mercy.
The others followed suit.
"Arrest them until everything is over," he said, looking at the destroyed trees. "Now, I need to deal with that."
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I watched everything. The coldness, leadership, and perspicacity of that hobgoblin scared me. He was normally all bubbly, but one really shouldn't judge a book by its cover.
At least he's on my side.
Thinking this way, I continued to watch everything.
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The champion continued to relentlessly pursue the small rabbit, which was jumping from tree to tree with tremendous effort.
He knew that if he stopped for a moment, he would die in a single attack. With each jump, the sound of breaking wood hit his ears.
He thought that sound could soon come from his own bones. This gave him the energy to continue, even though he was suffering from debilitating fatigue.
The powerful Juggernaut would not give up.
Suddenly, an arrow flew. It barely missed the white fur of the rabbit and hit the monster's chest head-on.
It pierced the flesh, but not deeply enough. He pulled the bloody tip and broke the arrow into small pieces of wood. Then, even more enraged, he continued the chase.
He slammed into another tree, and again felt a crepitating, burning pain. Another arrow landed in his thigh.
He also pulled it out, but this time he didn't start running again. He shouted into the woods; he knew someone was aiming at him.
Gleen waved his hand up and the goblin with a bow stopped.
"Change position. If you shoot, he'll know our location. And, unlike those, he'll attack without thinking."
The small archer nodded and blended into the nearby bushes. The Juggernaut stopped his pursuit and stared.
Seconds passed, but nothing happened. However, the rabbit continued to taunt him more and more. He, however, kept watching.
"Wait. He won't be able to take it... come on, I can stay here all day," the hobgoblin whispered among the trees.
Minutes passed until the rabbit threw another pile of dirt on the champion's head. Enraged, he ran after the small white animal.
But when he turned around, Gleen waved his hand. Another arrow flew from a completely different position.
Receiving the attack on his shoulder, he screamed in pain and ran in the direction it came from. The small archer had long since fled.
However, before he could destroy those pieces of wood and everything that was there, three attacks were given to him by wooden spears.
One in the chest, right where he had been injured before, one in the leg, and the other grazed one of his arms. And, just as quickly as they appeared, they disappeared.
Gleen smiled from the tree. The satisfaction of playing with his prey seemed like that of a hunting feline. Sadistic? Cruel? Words could really describe that feeling?
Perhaps it was his nature, perhaps it was also influenced by the actions of the figure he was most familiar with. The man who coldly punished those who went against him, but who also tirelessly sought to save a servant.
In his mind, his master was not someone he simply served. A god, perhaps? His creator. This reverberated in the persona he showed to the world.
Commonly, a healthy person; playful in Kayn's words. In battle, however... someone even the strongest general wouldn't turn his back on!
Returning to the champion. He was starting to sweat a lot. The huge body was slow to perform the most frivolous task, breathing.
The anger had long since passed. Now he feared what might come. The rabbit no longer mattered. The small one continued to try to irritate him, but he knew it was a matter of life or death.
His instinct did not allow distractions, so he ignored it. He continued to focus on those hidden.
Gleen did not foresee that calm, but it was still within the plans. In fact, it would make things much easier. The large creature continued to bleed and bleed.
Another hour passed and a red puddle lay beneath the Juggernaut. That's when Gleen acted.
He emerged from behind a tree, empty-handed, and approached the champion, who no longer seemed threatening.
"You refuse to lose. You would be very useful to the master, but he said you are more valuable dead. I would never disobey his orders, but know that you have earned my respect."
In his final moments, the goblin punched him. Gleen sidestepped with a slow step. The weight of the attack caused the giant to fall to the ground.
With no more time left, but with a little regret, Gleen climbed onto the enormous back of the champion, sat on his neck, and only a snap was heard.
He stepped off the corpse, walked calmly towards the forest, and proclaimed:
"The job is not done yet. We need to eliminate the stragglers."
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[Invaders eliminated: 21]
[Invaders captured: 10]
[4500 Points Received]
[Achievement]
Name: The One Who Wins
Rank: Uncommon
Prize: 1000
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Surprisingly, things went much better than I had expected. The rewards were also delightful.