Soon enough, Greem's attack squad reached the Goblin Den's boss room.
It was a massive hall. The goblins warriors were all chanting and making sounds with their spears and swords, chanting some kind of incantation. The goblin shaman, an E-rank monstruosity which claimed the lives of countless beginner unprepared hunters, stood in the back, meditating on its throne.
"Enter the formation", Greem shouted.
Immediately, Eres went onto the front, covering the frontal attacks.
Soon enough, a small fireball reached the team. Thankfully, Eres possessed an E-rank shield of sufficient defense to block the blow, though his forearms were burned.
Miguel did not waste his mana to heal those minor injuries, instead keeping his position.
Arthemis started to shoot arrows at the goblin warriors who rushed towards the team. However, despite her relatively high dexterity, there were just too many of them.
"Elise, it's your turn"
Elise Huntingwood. Specializing in ice magic, she was pretty decent. Her strongest spell was neither a defensive one, or an offensive type. It was a control type spell.
[Ice Nova - D-rank Spell]
Immediately, dozens of charging goblins found their feets immobilized in a shade of ice. Pain coursing their feet nerves, they started screaming. However, Greem immediately followed up. He charged, his boots bypassing the lack of balance from the ice with sheer weight. Besides footwork, his blade slashed through the neck of the goblins with utmost precision and speed.
"Is he really a D-rank?", Arthemis muttered in shock, "His swordsmanship, and speed...This is all too impressive"
"He is growing stronger with each fight too...It's as if he is getting accustomed to his stats..."
The comments of his teammates being unheard, Greem continued to charge. Arthemis covered him from archers, targeting the enemies capable of hurting him. Elise, too, used the E-rank Icicle spell repeatedly to stop enemies from coming.
However, the goblin shaman laughed and started to cast the spell that caused countless attack squad to lose their lives.
[Necromancy - E-rank]
Fallen goblins turned into undead goblin warriors. No matter how much you cut them down, they would rise from the dead. The goblin shaman also had an unlimited source of mana, crushing magical crystals behind its thrones.
All of these were widely spread knowledge. It was the advantage of fighting in already-cleared dungeons. The power of knowledge was evident.
However, Greem used this as an opportunity.
"Everyone, I forbid you from killing the shaman. Use the undead as a source of experience"
It was something that would only appear years later. Undead farming...
Although there was a limit to it, the goblin dead possessed thousands of goblin warriors within the dungeon. The commotion would bring more of them into the hall, and even if they died, it would only give more resources for the goblin shaman to use. Basically, the goblin den could be exploited to give out twice the experience needed to grow as a hunter.
*SPLASH*
And Greem was a hunter who valued experience more than anyone.
Eres' shield glowed faintly as he braced against another wave of undead, his boots grinding against the icy floor Elise had enchanted.
"They're getting faster!" he growled, sweat mingling with the blood trickling down his temple, under pressure as the numbers of goblins never ceased to increase.
Clearing the dungeon was quite easy. Since there was a finite supply of goblins, it was easier to attract goblins and hunt them outside of the hall. After all, the goblin shaman never exited the hall, since he did not have the magical pool necessary to conserve necromancy outside of the hall, without supply of magic crystals.
"Hold the line," Greem commanded, his voice calm even as his blade, following his family's Arclight Swordsmanship, became a silver blur. With each swing, the skill [Arclight Slash] cleaved through rotting flesh, his personal mana searing the necromantic bonds holding the undead together.
"Miguel—status report!" Greem shouted, parrying a trio of undead with a resonating [Arclight Parry].
The healer's eyes glowed faintly as he scanned the party. "Eres' stamina's at 40%, but his Vitality's compensating. Elise is burning mana too fast. Arthemis… is enjoying this too much."
"Hey!" Arthemis snapped, though her smirk betrayed her. A well-placed arrow silenced a shrieking goblin spellcaster.
Greem's gaze cut to the shaman. The creature's mana reserves should have been exhausted by now, but the glittering dust of crushed magical crystals at its feet hinted at its endless supply. Unlimited resources… but even that has a limit. His [Demonic Will] pulsed, a dark undercurrent beneath his calculated strikes. We need to push harder.
"Elise, switch to [Frost Mist]—slow them, don't kill. Arthemis, focus on the shaman's crystal stash. Eres, tighten the perimeter. Miguel, prep a heal for Elise."
In desperation, it plunged its staff into the throne, summoning a hulking undead troll—a creature far beyond E-rank. The squad froze. Trolls were usually found in C-rank dungeons. In other words, they were going to die.
"That's not in the dungeon logs!" Elise hissed, her frost wavering, "Is this a red gate?"
Greem's lips curled. "Adapt. Eres, bait its swings. Arthemis, blind it. Elise, lock its legs. Miguel—shield Eres now."
The troll swung a tree-sized club, but Eres ducked behind Miguel's shimmering barrier. Arthemis' [Solar Arrow] burst in the troll's eyes, while Elise's ice encased its ankles.
Greem charged, [Arclight Chop] shearing through the troll's neck in a single stroke. The shaman howled as its final gambit collapsed.
"Enough," Greem said, his blade pointed at the shaman. "Harvest time's over."
[White Tiger Thrust]
In a silver blur, Greem's sword pierced the shaman's heart. The undead crumbled to ash.
A stone appeared in the air, as if a mage was using 'telekinesis'.
"Did...Did you just cut down a troll in a single strike?", Arthemis asked, unable to process what just happened, "This should not be possible...Elder Anna clearly revealed your specs, and they are only D-rank at best, except for your perception"
Greem smirked: "Well, My strength just increased from D- to D, and my agility from D to D+"
"Still, trolls are found in C-rank dungeons, and they can regenerate...Only D-rank mages can kill such creatures in one blow. Even if I gave it my whole, I could only injure it deeply...But you...You cut him down in a single strike?"
Eres collapsed on the floor, having taken most of the goblins' attacks by himself: "At least this madness is over"
Miguel crouched and started to heal him more seriously. Now there was no more reason to conserve mana.
Greem smirked: "Enjoy it while it last. As long as you follow me, I will make you the strongest attack squad in the Knight Guild. Mark my words, none of my brother can provide what I offer. Try to keep up the pace. If you don't, I will discard you"
Greem looted the shaman, and smiled in satisfaction as he took the E-rank monster core. This alone could fetch 35000 imperial coins, yet none of the party members issued a word. Greem truly had the biggest contribution.
"Fetch the rest of the magical cores if you want to. I will head back and train my body. As you mentioned, Arthemis, I need to build up my attributes"
[Name - Greem Knight | D-Rank Warrior
Attributes:
Strength - D- → D | Agility - D → D+ | Vitality - D- |
Magic - E+ | Intellect - E+ | Perception - D+ |
Perks: Demonic Will [S], Knight Family Bloodline [A], White Tiger Sense [A], Magic Efficiency [A]
Passive skills: Swordsmanship [S], Bloodlust Control [S]
Active Skills (unsealed): White Tiger Thrust [B], Arclight Slash [B], Arclight Charge [B], Arclight Chop [B], Arclight Parry [B], Flash Step [B], Stealth [C], White Tiger Palm Strike [C]
Active Skills (sealed): Soulrend Slash [S], Bloodfare Ignition [S], Veil of the Eclipse [A], White Tiger's Prowl [A], Demonic Empowerement [A]
Meditation Technique: White Tiger Breathing Technique [SS], Noble Knight Breathing Technique [B]]