Klein, breathing heavily, put all his weight into the shield, defending himself from the relentless attacks of the tall goblin. The cursed greenskin was devilishly strong, even without being a hobgoblin. A fairly ordinary green monster with two blades, spinning like a hurricane. The only remarkable thing about him was his size, almost equal to Klein's, and his devilish strength and tirelessness, delivering blows in an unending flurry. The paladin defended desperately, retreating into deep defense, unable to counterattack.
In itself, this wasn't critically bad, as it was the shield's role in the team - to distract enemies while the other party members destroyed them. The problem was that those other members couldn't help Klein. Seizing the moment, he kicked his opponent in the stomach and jumped back, creating distance. The paladin turned to Anna just as another tall goblin leaped at her, roaring and swinging a huge two-handed axe.
- [Shield]! - Klein concentrated on the miracle, and a semi-transparent outline of a golden shield made of divine light materialized in front of the fragile girl lying on the ground. The attacking monster crashed into the manifested shield with a scream of pain and disappointment, bouncing back, giving the little assassin time to get back on her feet.
- What took you so long, worthless piece of gob? - The girl snapped angrily at Klein's aid. He wanted to say a lot in response, but the paladin's opponent once again lunged at him with renewed vigor, forcing him to focus all his attention on the monster in front of him.
Meanwhile, a horde of small, weak, ordinary goblins surrounded Isabella in her titanic bear form. They leaped at her from all sides, their attacks increasingly enraging her. Many of the small fiends had already paid for these actions, their torn bodies lying on the ground and gradually sliding off the walls, but the main task of the little green mob was accomplished - the druid was completely bogged down in the battle with them and couldn't help her comrades.
Glen's situation wasn't much better - the sturdy dwarf, activating [Rage], fought simultaneously with two strong opponents: a hobgoblin warrior with a shield and a club, and his comrade - a goblin sorcerer was a real pain in the neck. The first, devilishly large, especially compared to the gnome, powerfully swung his weapon, blocking all attacks of Glen's massive two-handed hammer. With additional strength from the rune charged to maximum [Rage], Glen would have broken through this pathetic defense long ago if not for the sorcerer's magic, hiding behind the hob's massive back. Sorcerers were extremely weak in direct confrontation and had almost no offensive spells, but they could apply long-lasting enhancements to allies and their equipment. And right now, this hunched old goblin, standing in the previously drawn magical circle, was covered in various catalysts and was chanting a spell to further empower his comrade. Time was far from being on the gnome's side, and it angered him.
Vasily, meanwhile, was running. He was a strong man and a skilled ranger, but during these few minutes of battle, he began to feel exhausted from endless running. The thing was, deep in the cave, there were a goblin wizard and a goblin archer, who, at the beginning of the battle, under their leader's orders, targeted Vasily, forcing him to dodge arrows and charges of various elements. Initially, the archer targeted Lia, but Robert cast [Stone Armor] on her, and the goblin changed targets. Another charge of this spell the mage had spent in the previous room, and now there was only one chance left to cast [Stone Armor], and Robert was waiting for the critical moment when it would become clear whose life it could save. Although Vasily was completely sure that this moment had come long ago, and it was time to save the archer. Or poor little Anna, trying to kill the goblin leader with one powerful blow. Or anyone else, and quickly! The man felt that he wouldn't be able to run like this for long! After all, he was a marksman, not a sprinter! And his gear wasn't light. But he had to run, and Vasily ran.
As for Lia and Robert, they were engaged in their magical battle. The elf with a multitude of spells tried to suppress the figure standing in the center of the cave, and Robert, as usual, acted as support, protecting her from approaching monsters while simultaneously assisting the others. He understood that the goblins had divided the adventurers and would simply overwhelm their resistance with sheer numbers, but with his modest reserve of spells, he couldn't change anything.
And as for Anna... The girl was in the worst possible position: she was in the open, and a berserker was chasing her. A worse situation for an assassin accustomed to acting in the shadows and not participating in direct confrontation was hard to imagine. The girl jumped, breaking away from the goblin chasing her, finally reaching a dark corner of the cave, and tried to hide:
- [Shadow Step]
- [Holy Light]! - The instant reaction of the last participant in the confrontation followed. A not very tall girl by human standards, with light green skin and pointed ears, raised her sword upwards. At its tip, a miniature sun appeared, driving away the darkness and making everyone present squint. The glow spread through the dungeon, and the shadow in which Anna was trying to hide instantly disappeared, giving way to light. This situation occurred every time the adventurer tried to hide and approach the master of this dungeon.
This green girl was the main figure in this entire cave; all goblins and hobgoblins obeyed her, protecting their leader. All opponents and traps on the way here were just for one purpose - not to allow intruders into the boss's chambers, as adventurers called the strongest creatures. And this fragile young lady with a shield and sword, adorned with various ornaments and strange items, was clearly the boss.
- Hey, Lia, are you almost done over there?! How many spell slots do you have left, can you finish them all already? - exclaimed Klein, fending off the enemy.
- Everything will be fine, just wait! And anyway, don't you have the miracle of inspection, and shouldn't you know how much wisdom I have?
- I do! But I didn't apply it to you because you didn't give permission, and it would have been rude!
- Oh! - Lia exclaimed, stopping her spellcasting. She covered her face with her hands and blushed. - And you, it turns out, are such a sweetheart, Klein!
- I'm flattered, but could you please finish them off already!?
- Yes, yes, yes, of course. This goblin is the boss, and the center of their strength, but she clearly has some ability or artifact to protect herself from magic! However, every such effect has its limits, and I'm going to overload it! But anyway, why can goblins speak and even be followers of Aronis? Isn't he the god of humans!?
- Oh, I'm just half-human! - the girl replied sweetly, miraculously healing the wounds inflicted by the hobgoblin, nullifying all of Glen's progress in the last minute. - And apparently, that's enough to get the attention of the Blind Lord!
- But don't goblins only give birth to males? - the elf continued the conversation, using weak spells silently.
- Oh, that's a common myth. - the half-goblin replied joyfully. She watched the entire battlefield, looking for who needed her help, and the spells directed at her simply peacefully disappeared a meter from the girl. - Yes, women among goblins are born rarely, but it still happens sometimes. Well, it just so happened that several generations of my parents caught humans and continued their lineage with their help. And besides...
- Would you shut up already and die, you bitch! - Annoyed, Anna shouted, throwing one of her potions at the boss, taken from her parents' store. However, the half-goblin reacted to this, creating the same [Shield] in the air as Klein did before. The potion crashed into the semi-transparent material and exploded with a deafening bang, causing no harm to anyone.
- Damn, why are these monsters so strong?! They're just goblins! What's wrong with them at all!? - Klein found time to complain aloud.
- So why haven't you inspected them yet!? - Robert shouted back at the guy.
- I can't spend that much mana on simple goblins!
- Do you still think they're simple?! Information is a weapon. Use your [Inspection] already!
- And you didn't inspect them either because they didn't give permission? - Lia interjected with her acidic comment. - These are enemies, dummy. You don't have to ask them! You're still such a little one to teach everyone!
- Alright, alright... - grumbled the paladin, ignoring the elf. - [Inspection].
Before the boy's eyes, information about his own opponent appeared, and dodging an attack, he took a second to quickly scan it.
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Name: Twoclaw. Duelist (21 years old) Race: Goblin Level: 16 Goblin: 42 Endurance: 7 Strength: 12+18 Dexterity: 28+42 Wisdom: 1 Intelligence: 1 Charisma: 1 Skills:
Duel (during one-on-one combat, all characteristics increase by 5) Racial skills:
Strong Goblin (Aura. Acts on all goblins within a radius of 20 meters. Each goblin under this aura also extends it by another 20 meters. Strength +15%)
Agile Goblin (Aura. Acts on all goblins within a radius of 20 meters. Each goblin under this aura also extends it by another 20 meters. Dexterity +15%)
Dangerous Goblin (Aura. Acts on all goblins within a radius of 20 meters. Each goblin under this aura also extends it by another 20 meters. Damage +15%)
Sturdy Goblin (Aura. Acts on all goblins within a radius of 20 meters. Each goblin under this aura also extends it by another 20 meters. Endurance +15%) Titles:
Goblin (Chance to gain an additional characteristic when leveling up -9%)
Master of Dual Weapons (-25% stamina cost for dual weapon attacks)
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- What?... - the paladin murmured, bewildered. These characteristics... This is insane! And the opponent's level... Yes, the level itself was only sixteenth, which was exactly half of Klein's level, however, there was incredible unfairness in the world. The Blind Lord granted the system to everyone, every race, and even monsters, and that was fair. But later, the Golden Dragon ascended from an angel to the rank of deity... And as a patron of monsters, granted all kinds of monsters levels of its own race, which they increased by behaving as dictated by nature. Thus, goblins gained levels by robbing, raping, killing, attacking in hordes, torturing their victims. And in this way, this creature reached level forty-two. Klein was scared to think how much this monster had done to achieve this. But what scared Klein the most were the goblin auras. A suspicion pierced his brain, and the paladin used [Inspection] on other strong green-skinned creatures. - Damn it! Each of the strong goblins has its own aura! Apparently, they enhance each other two and a half times!
Klein heard the die rolling in his head, stopping at position "12". Realization illuminated the paladin's mind. Judging by what he saw, these goblins have one aura for every ten levels. And if someone gathered an army of these green-skinned beings... He could easily conquer a country! Although... If the number is large enough – the whole world! Because if every goblin spreads others' auras as if it had them itself, theoretically, they could cover the entire Earth! The paladin strengthened his resolve to reduce the goblin population here, and instantly changed his attitude towards them. Damn it, now he would try to kill every goblin he saw. Perhaps he would even deliberately take quests to eliminate goblin nests. Anything to reduce the chance of such a green horde being formed one day. This one minute instilled in Klein a fear, a phobia, that would stay with him until the end of his days. But the Paladin inspected everyone except the boss.
- [Inspection]! - Trembling, the youth used the miracle, obtaining information.
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Name: Bright Fang. Paladin of Aronis (17 years old)
Race: Human/Goblin
Level: 39 Goblin: 11
Endurance: 4
Strength: 3+4
Dexterity: 4+6
Wisdom: 55
Intelligence: 31
Charisma: 18
Miracles:
Light, First Aid, Regeneration Aura, Poison Weakness
Healing, Shield, Restoring Strength
Blessing, Curse Removal Racial Skills:
Green Wave (one use per day. For ten minutes, it doubles the base characteristics of all goblins within a radius of 20 meters. Each goblin affected by the ability also extends it by another 20 meters, as if they possessed it. After the end of the effect, severe exhaustion sets in)
Titles:Goblin Chief (+15 charisma when communicating with goblins)
Leader (creatures under your patronage listen to you better and engage in conflicts with each other less frequently)
Chosen of Aronis (+15% experience. +5% chance of gaining an additional characteristic when leveling up. +10% intelligence)
Excellent Teacher (creatures under your instruction gain +15% experience)
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Oh, Lord... She was also Chosen of Aronis, just like Klein. And, more importantly, she had a damn lot of mana! In the protracted battle, adventurers would definitely lose! Besides...
- Rob, she can double everyone's power for ten minutes!
- WHAT!? - this news clearly threw the mage off balance. Even Klein understood that these goblins had cornered them, let alone a more experienced squad leader who immediately understood the horror of their situation. - What about her anti-magic shield!? What did you find?
- Nothing. It's not her skill, which means it's an artifact!
- Then find it faster and find its vulnerability! I'll give you time, [Stone Hand], [Stone Hand]! - two huge hands emerged from the ground, trying to grab the goblin attacking the paladin. The latter immediately jumped back, getting out of the reach of the hands' attack, but now he couldn't easily reach Klein, giving him time to concentrate on analyzing the dungeon boss's artifacts.
That's exactly what the adventurer did. He repeatedly used [Inspection], mercilessly spending the remnants of his mana to give his comrades a chance to defeat this monster. The goblin herself, of course, was weak, but the way she enhanced her subordinates was overwhelming. It was only because of her intervention that adventurers still couldn't kill even one high-level goblin.
The search for the artifact providing the anti-magic shield was hindered by the fact that the girl had an enormous amount of jewelry, ribbons, dolls, and other suspicious-looking items. Each of them could be an artifact, and each one had to be spent on one unit of mana, which, considering Klein's maximum of sixteen units, was incredibly costly. During the process, Klein found out that the overwhelming majority of the trinkets on the opponent were just decorations. Girls remain girls, even if they are goblins. Or maybe it was precisely to camouflage the most powerful artifact in her arsenal; Klein couldn't say for sure. But he finally managed to find it.
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Artifact: Pendant of Denial
Rarity: Legendary
An ancient amulet that has caused the demise of many wizards. Nullifies any magic of the fourth level and below directed at the user. Range of action - one meter. There are no limitations on the number of activations.
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- I found the artifact... - Klein said doomedly. - It... It won't overheat. And it won't break. Ever. This pendant... It blocks any magic up to the fifth level...
Strengths began to leave the paladin. Their main weapon - Lia, was practically useless against such an enemy... And as long as she was alive, the squad couldn't kill weaker goblins.
- No! - An elf exclaimed in horror. Apparently, she also realized that everything was very, very bad. Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes, rolling down her cheeks. Sobbing, she continued - I'll have to strain myself! - With these words, the sorceress, unable to hold back, began to cry.
- Wh... What? - Klein didn't understand. The God threw the die again, and passing the intelligence check, the youth asked - Wait. What level spells can you cast?
The girl, vainly trying to wipe the tears from her face, replied with a strain:
- S-sixth... Once a day - s-seventh... But I... I don't want to-o-o! It's harder, you have to strain, and it won't be as fun!
Everyone in the room froze, watching Lia cry. Even the ordinary goblins, not understanding the human language, saw their mistress's reaction and hesitated. They had never seen her so pale before. After that, all eyes turned to Klein, who decided with a lifeless voice to spend his last unit of mana, this time ignoring Lia's lack of permission:
- [Inspection].
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Name: Liavangareil. Sorceress (762 years old) Level: 57 Elf: 63 Endurance: 6 Strength: 5 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 49 Wisdom: 150 Charisma: 21 Spells: Klein skipped the list of spells known by their sorceress, without wasting time on this huge block of text. But judging by what he saw, Lia knew practically every spell of water, earth, air, fire, arcane, plants, lightning, and ice. At least, spells up to the third circle. The paladin promised himself to later review her higher-level spells. But yes, he saw among them spells up to the seventh circle. What the hell!? How is this possible if her normal level is fifty-seventh, which means she should only have access to five circles of magic! Klein continued reading her statistics: Elven Mysteries (one per day of choice):
Multicast (using up to three spells simultaneously)
Flight (one hour. Altitude not exceeding 30 meters above the surface)
Space-Time Block (prohibition on any space-time magic)
Super Cognition (20 times acceleration of thinking speed)
Super Magic (ability to use spells one circle higher than the maximum possible by level for one hour)
Return Home (teleportation to a previously marked point) Titles:
Ancient Sage (+15 wisdom and intelligence, +15% damage with magic)
Archmage (+1 to maximum magic circle)
Bad Student (-15% received experience. Perception checks are made with disadvantage)
Magical Storm (10% chance that a spell up to the fourth level inclusive will not consume a magic cell)
Eternal Virgin (+7 charisma. +25% charisma when communicating with creatures with positive karma)
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Klein died inside. With a heavy gaze, he glanced at the elf, still struggling with a waterfall of tears, and, looking at Robert, said with a steely voice:
- What the hell kind of monster did you bring into our squad? The mage didn't have time to answer when the goblin reacted to the paladin's words. Klein prepared for battle, realizing that he wouldn't have time to protect Lia from the boss's attack, and was amazed to see the green-skinned girl. She realized that Lia wasn't lying and did the most logical thing in this situation. Klein watched as the dungeon boss, with horror on his face, fled from the adventurers. No, not from the squad. From the insanely powerful elf in their ranks. Out of the trance, the youth was brought by the frantic panicked cry of the half-goblin:
- [Green Wave]! And Klein saw with his own eyes how in an instant the goblins became terrifyingly stronger.