The Lost Artifact 2/3

The fight had made it clear to Kaelen and Lunar Witch that the quest wouldn't be easy. They had no idea how many goblins were waiting for them inside the cave.

"We can't keep using the same strategy," Kaelen said seriously.

Lunar Witch nodded in agreement. Charging in blindly would be foolish.

After a moment of thought, Lunar Witch's eyes lit up. "I have an idea that might work," she said.

...

Two goblins emerged from the cave to take over guard duty from their comrades. But something was off – where were the previous guards?

Before they could investigate, Kaelen sliced off the head of the goblin on the right. The other goblin readied its club, but before it could strike, something hard hit its head, sending it into darkness.

This scene repeated for hours. Each group of goblins taking over guard duty mysteriously disappeared, but no one noticed.

It was nighttime and all the goblins were asleep. Kaelen and Lunar Witch cautiously entered the cave without any torches, skimming the wall for guidance. Dozens of goblins were sleeping in the distance.

The goblins snored loudly, producing a cacophony of grunts and wheezes that echoed throughout the damp cave. The sound was harsh and unpleasant, like a chorus of bullfrogs in a swamp.

'I wish the developers had added an option to disable the smell.' The cave's smell was equally unpleasant, a mixture of musty dampness, decaying vegetation, and the pungent aroma of the goblins themselves. The air was thick with the scent, making it difficult to breathe without gagging.

Kaelen grimaced, and if Lunar Witch had night vision, she would have seen it.

As for the feel of the cold, damp stone walls, they were slick and slimy to the touch, with a layer of moss and algae growing on them. The stone felt icy against the skin, and the moisture made it difficult to get a grip, causing hands to slip and slide on the surface.

Using their snores to locate them, Kaelen moved stealthily towards each one, delivering a swift and fatal blow to their vital areas. It was risky, but it was the plan the Lunar Witch had suggested earlier.

As Kaelen swung his sword towards the last goblin's neck, a loud clang echoed through the cave, startling them both.

"What the...?" Kaelen muttered.

To his shock, the goblin was wearing a suit of knight's armor, even in its sleep. The clang had jolted the goblin boss awake, and it quickly surveyed its surroundings, catching sight of two humans looming over it.

"We need to leave. We can't fight it in the dark," Lunar Witch said calmly, pulling Kaelen outside.

"Grrrrr!" The goblin boss let out a furious roar as it realized it was under attack. It scrambled to its feet and chased after its assailant, reaching for its weapon.

Despite its heavy armor, the goblin was still as fast as the others, displaying its higher stats. It ran after the duo with a knight's sword in its hand.

Kaelen was overwhelmed by the goblin's successive attacks since he was a complete beginner in sword fighting. To make things worse, the goblin attacked him like a crazed beast, not caring about getting hurt.

Lunar Witch tried to support Kaelen by striking her wooden staff against the goblin's armor, but there was little she could do.

"Graaargh!" the goblin stopped its attacks and suddenly shouted towards the sky.

As the goblin raised his sword, something caught his eye. Suddenly, he saw that the blade was enveloped by a fierce flame.

For a moment, he simply stood there, staring at the flaming sword in disbelief, wondering how such a weapon was even possible.

Meanwhile, Lunar Witch frowned. From then on, things would get more complicated. It wouldn't be possible for her to support Crimson Blade anymore. Her wooden staff would just be burned to ashes.

'Should I just run away?' Seeing that the situation seemed impossible, if she escaped at least she wouldn't feel the pain of dying, and she could even invite other people to come back to kill the goblin's leader and reap the rewards.

However, after a moment, Lunar Witch shook her head. She didn't want to betray her first friend.

"That motherf*cker has a skill..." Kaelen couldn't believe what he was seeing - a weapon ablaze with such an intense heat.

If only Kaelen had a skill, things would be so much easier. Unfortunately, he had no idea how to get one. But he imagined how cool it would be to fight his enemies with a red, bloody aura surrounding his sword, like a demon coming to destroy everyone.

[ Congratulations! You have unlocked a new skill: "Blood Aura."

This skill allows you to imbue your sword with the power of your own blood, increasing its damage output and granting you enhanced agility. ]

[ You have reached the maximun number of skill you can currently learn. Keep exploring, completing quests, and defeating monsters to discover new skills and reach your full potential. Good luck on your journey! ]

"Ahahah!" Kaelen was in a happy mood. With it, the goblin who was once a scary monster that seemed impossible to defeat now seemed like a low-level trash monster.

[ Blood Aura ]

After activating his new skill, his sword was envelopped by a bloody aura.

While the goblin charged at him, Kaelen stared at it as if it was just a weakling. 'You're no match for me now,' he thought to himself.

With his enhanced output power, he parried the goblin's strike without stumbling. Without the blood power surrounding his sword, he was sure that it would have already being shattered seeing the power at which he clashed against the goblin's sword.

Since he was much faster, Kalen had more opportunity to land hits on the goblin's armor. The monster couldn't do anything. The human was too fast.

After hitting the same spot on its armor for dozens of times, his sword finally pierced through its defense.

After a fierce battle, Kaelen stood victorious over the goblin leader. One more strike had been all it took to defeat the opponent.