Leslie elaborated on the incident. "Well, it happened when we faced a mutated wolf before."
"Nex lost his sanity for a moment and went wild. Then he bit into the core, cracking it open."
"Then a liquid came out, and he drank all of it,"
Faust replied. "Interesting. What effect did it have?"
Leslie replied. "It seemed to enhance one of his abilities."
Faust then asked her, "Have you tried consuming one yourself?"
Leslie shook her head. "No, I haven't. I'm not sure what the effect would be since I'm not a mutant."
Faust offered a suggestion. "Next time, try consuming one yourself."
"Everyone is essentially a mutant now, just in a dormant state. If possible, try to find a core with an ability that you desire."
Leslie looked uncertain. "How can you be so sure about the results?"
Faust internally, thinking, 'Because I am the one who created this mutation.'
However, he chose to respond. "It's just a hypothesis, but look at Nex – he hasn't had any problems since consuming the core."
"What's the difference between you and him, other than his abilities?"
Leslie fell into deep thought, considering Faust's words.
"Well, think about it," he said.
At that moment, the door creaked open.
Aurelia stepped in. "We have a deal. Braxton will reinforce this building after the wave."
She began to debrief the group on what had transpired and the arrangements made.
As time ticked away, everyone took their positions.
Leslie took her place in the tower, rifle in hand, aiming towards the gate.
Nex stood alert beside her, ready for any threats, and Billy was also prepared, standing guard.
Meanwhile, Faust's attention split between the immediate surroundings and his interface,
which continued to show Circe's actions.
His gaze then shifted to the timer, watching as it counted down the final moments.
Soon, it reached 00:00…
"HOOONKK!!!"
The sound of a horn blowing reverberated through the air.
Around the village, the environment began to warp and distort.
Four shimmering portals materialized, positioned at the south, north, east, and west of the village.
Simultaneously, the countdown timer transformed, now displaying a new countdown set for two hours.
Above it, the words "Wave 1" appeared.
One by one, green-skinned creatures began to come out from the portals.
Their nails were sharp and unkempt, their small statures almost dwarfed by the weapons they carried.
With their distinctive green skin, these goblins filed out in an orderly manner, each holding various weapons ranging from simple clubs and swords to axes.
They assembled in lines, seemingly awaiting a command.
Faust watched carefully, silently counting them. '1, 2, 14, 20...'
Suddenly, a large wolf emerged from one of the portals.
Its fur was jet black, and its eyes glowed red.
Atop the wolf sat an armored goblin.
It began speaking in a guttural, unintelligible language, then pointed its spear towards the village.
Following this signal, a collective yell erupted from the assembled goblins, and they began their march towards the village.
Faust quickly assessed the situation. "There are 75 goblins, not counting the wolf rider."
Billy remarked, "This is only the first wave."
He then took aim with his gun.
Bang! BANG! BANG!
Billy fired consecutively, each shot accurately hitting a goblin.
The impact created holes in their heads, green blood spilling out as they fell.
Leslie followed Billy's lead, taking careful aim and firing her own shots.
Meanwhile, Nex kept a vigilant eye on the surrounding area.
Armed with a handgun provided by Leslie, Faust joined in the defense.
Bang! Bang!
Each shot rang out sharply. His sharp eyes easily spotted the goblins from a distance, and his bullets found their targets with lethal precision.
[You get 1 point!]
[You get 1 point!]
[Your exp raised by 1%]
Faust quickly deduced. "So each goblin is worth one point,"
He then turned his attention to the gate where Aurelia was positioned.
In a swift move, she jumped from her spot and landed in the midst of the goblins, creating a powerful shockwave that pushed them back.
Armed with a combat knife, Aurelia moved.
Her knife slashed through the goblin with ease.
She then pivoted, grabbing a goblin and throwing it toward the wolf rider.
The wolf, sensing the danger, leaped to evade the incoming body.
However, Aurelia was already in motion, throwing another goblin at the wolf.
As the wolf attempted to dodge again when it was mid-air...
BANG!!! BANG!!!!
Faust took aim. With a few consecutive shots, he tore holes through the wolf's body, effectively weakening it.
Seizing the opportunity, Aurelia throws another goblin's body straight at the wolf rider.
With a resounding crash, both the wolf and its rider tumbled to the ground.
The goblin on top of the wolf struggled to get up, but before it could regain its footing...
BANG!!!
Leslie's shot rang out, striking the goblin in the head causing it to collapse lifelessly.
[You helped kill the first wave boss, the Wolfrider.]
[Counting contribution, you receive 3 points.]
[Your experience has increased by 2.8%.]
Faust mentally noted, 'It seems it counted as a total of 10 points.'.
As the goblins began to dwindle in number, thanks to the group's effective defense, he turned his attention to the camera feed showing Circe.
She was standing on the wall, with the man he had seen earlier standing beside her, armed with a crossbow.
Twang! Twang!
The man skillfully fired bolts through the air, each one hitting its mark in the heads.
Circe, complimented him. "You have good accuracy."
The man replied with a hint of pride. "Thanks, miss. I'm quite experienced with the crossbow. But we're running low on bolts."
Circe replied. "Let's collect the bolts then."
Gripping the man by the neck, she jumped down from the wall.
As she neared the ground, she landed nimbly and threw the man down.
"Follow me closely," she instructed and then started sprinting.
Her hands transformed into iron claws.
With swift, slashing movements, she easily tore through the goblins.
Faust watched the scene. 'It seems they won't have any trouble, at least for this first wave.'
Circe dodged every attack with ease, her movements fluid and quick.
She dashed forward, the man trailing behind, trying his best to keep up.
However, Circe's speed was too much for him.
Realizing he couldn't match her pace, he decided to focus on collecting the crossbow bolts from the fallen goblin.