"Taunt!" Alex raised his shield, blocking in front of him. He aimed his skill at the three goblins emerging from around the corner of the stairs. Affected by the taunt, the three goblins let out a piercing scream, raising their weapons and charging at Alex. Meanwhile, Melissa, positioned behind Alex, was already following up with her magic at the ready. Alex quickly turned his body to the side, clearing the front position. A fireball shot out from Melissa's staff, fiercely striking the three goblins.
The impact of the fireball and the flames blasted a huge hole in the middle of the wooden stairs, causing the goblin warrior behind the regular goblins to collapse the already crumbling stairs and fall into the hole. Taking advantage of the goblin warrior not getting up, Kevin and Alex gripped their sword hilts, swiftly slaying the surviving regular goblins.
The goblin warrior struggled to stand up from the wreckage of the stairs, angrily waving his sword and unleashing a heavy strike skill. However, Kevin had already cast the activation spell on Alex. Alex steadied himself and assumed a defensive stance, using his block skill to solidly fend off the goblin warrior's attack. At the same time, Kevin charged at the goblin warrior from the side, slashing a curved strike on its wrist with his sword, the blade faintly glowing with the pale black light emitted by the death flow skill. The skin on the goblin warrior's sword-wielding right wrist instantly split open, revealing the red flesh and flowing blood inside.
The injury to the wrist made it difficult for the goblin warrior to muster enough strength to break through Alex's defense. Kevin, on the other hand, cast the activation spell on Alex at the crucial moment, enhancing his defense. As time dragged on, Kevin inflicted more and more wounds on the goblin warrior.
Whenever the goblin warrior tried to bypass Alex and attack Kevin, Alex would decisively use his taunt skill again to draw the goblin warrior's hatred back to him. Due to the effect of Kevin's death flow skill, the originally not serious wounds on the goblin warrior's body gradually worsened, becoming more and more severe. Finally, when the goblin warrior was already too weak to maintain his attack, Kevin severed his fingers with a single sword strike, rendering him unable to grip his weapon any longer. Then, he swung his sword again, deepening the wound he had previously inflicted on the goblin warrior's thigh.
The goblin warrior, in unbearable pain, screamed and fell to his knees. Alex swiftly stepped aside, and Melissa followed closely behind, launching three magic missiles from her staff that struck the goblin warrior's face, knocking him unconscious on the ground. Kevin used his dead eye to confirm that the goblin warrior's HP had almost dropped to zero, and it was no longer possible for him to counterattack. He and Alex exchanged glances, nodded at each other, indicating that the battle was over.
Alex walked forward without hesitation, stabbing his sword through the unprotected neck of the goblin warrior and slashing a deep gash horizontally, making sure he was dead. Then, he carefully cut off the goblin warrior's ears along with the bronze earrings on them and put them away as spoils of this battle.
"Well done, lads," Owen approached from the side. He didn't help with the battle against the goblin warrior and the other regular goblins this time, leaving it to Kevin and the others to handle it independently. Their rapid progress over this period surprised and pleased Owen, and their tacit understanding continued to strengthen. For them now, ordinary goblin warriors and a few regular goblins no longer posed a threat
This content may violate our content policy. If you believe this to be in error, please submit your feedback — your input will aid our research in this area.. It was also rare for multiple goblin warriors to appear in one location. So, after considering it, Owen said:
"We'll challenge a significantly more difficult foe in a bit. How are your resources right now, Kevin and Melissa?"
Kevin sensed his remaining mana and replied, "I haven't used much, and if I only use healing spells, I can still cast six more." Melissa touched her staff and answered, "I've used less than half, I can cast Fireball three more times, and if it's Magic Missile, I can cast about ten more." "Alright, then let's challenge the Goblin Shaman later." "Goblin Shaman? A higher-ranked goblin?" Kevin asked curiously. "Yes, if a normal goblin's strength is considered low in the first rank, then a goblin warrior's strength is between the first and second rank, making it the weakest in the second rank. Goblin Shamans, though not reaching the third rank, are relatively powerful monsters within the second rank. What we've encountered before is usually one goblin warrior leading a few normal goblins. If there's a shaman, it will be the leader, usually accompanied by a goblin warrior and a few regular goblins, so it'll be quite a challenge for us," Owen explained in detail.
After deciding on their next destination, they set out on their journey. Along the way, they passed several dilapidated houses, pausing at each one to observe traces on the road and outside the houses, determining if there were any lurking goblins nearby. The once well-planned asphalt roads had cracked and split after decades of neglect. Many grasses and flowers stubbornly grew from the cracks, showcasing the power of nature and time in what was once a human town.
They cautiously traversed the narrow streets and ruined buildings, occasionally spotting abandoned furniture and broken items in the shadows. This place was once a thriving town, but now it had been taken over by goblins, becoming their territory.
Kevin contemplated the intelligence about the Goblin Shaman as they traveled. The Goblin Shaman was a high-ranking subspecies among goblin monsters, with strength considered quite strong within the second rank. Its physical abilities were average, not much different from ordinary goblins and nowhere near the strength of a goblin warrior that could compete with Owen for a while. However, Goblin Shamans could use "magic" or "witchcraft," similar to a mage. After years of analysis by the people of Gale Town, it was concluded that Goblin Shamans had three types of witchcraft.
The first was a Fireball, similar to the one Melissa could cast, and the most threatening attack they would face. Even Owen's second-rank warrior body couldn't withstand it, and Alex's shield would likely struggle to block the impact. As a result, defeating the Goblin Shaman would require a preemptive strike, preventing it from attacking while being protected by other goblins.
The second witchcraft was a Weakening Beam, which made the target feel weak, decreasing their strength and speed. This effect was almost the opposite of Kevin's Energize spell. Energize could temporarily raise Kevin's physical abilities to those of a first-rank warrior and Alex's abilities to those of a goblin warrior. The Weakening Beam, on the other hand, would reduce Alex's abilities to Kevin's level. Unlike spells that automatically target, such as Energize and Heal, the Weakening Beam was a beam that could be dodged, as its speed wasn't too fast. However, while dodging the Weakening Beam, they would likely be attacked by regular goblins and goblin warriors. Kevin had already thought of a countermeasure for this.
The third witchcraft was Excitement, a group-effect spell that made surrounding goblins more enthusiastic, forgetting pain and fear, and attacking more fervently. Even a warrior's intimidating roar would hardly have an effect in this situation. This was the reason Goblin Shamans led several goblins, including goblin warriors, in battle.
As Kevin pondered, they had arrived outside a "cave." It was an abandoned church, its entrance covered with green vines, forming a curtain of natural weaving. Outside the door stood a wooden staff adorned with various animal bones, topped with a sheep-like skull. The staff was stained with dried blood, giving off a nauseating smell.
It seemed they had come to the right place. The staff was a symbol of the goblin shaman, signifying its claim to the territory and serving as a warning and deterrent to other creatures, including humans and monsters.
Instead of entering the abandoned church immediately, Kevin and his companions circled the building, looking for any goblins hiding in the shadows. They knew that in the past, other groups had rushed in without noticing goblins outside, who would then sneak in and deal great damage to the rear members of the party, leading to the team's demise.
Cautiously observing the surrounding buildings and the church's upper side, they indeed spotted some ordinary goblins on guard but off their guard as they rested. Silently, Alexander and Owen stealthily approached and quickly dispatched the goblins, while Kevin ensured Melissa's safety. Only when they were sure no other goblins were outside did they arrange their formation and enter the church.
Alexander positioned his shield at the forefront, and Kevin, to prevent an immediate attack, cast Activation on him. Owen followed closely behind Alexander in the middle, with Kevin and Melissa standing side by side. They took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and charged inside.
What met their eyes were several goblins, clearly not expecting their arrival. There were ordinary goblins wielding crossbows, swords, and shields, a goblin warrior still sleeping on the ground, and a goblin at the back of the church, behind the altar.
It wore a patterned cloth made from the fur of an unknown animal over its eyes. In its hand was a staff that appeared more delicate than Melissa's - the goblin shaman!