Chapter 36 – Goblin Base

Without realizing it, I had hunted for a couple of hours until I got lost in the woods. I didn't know where it was, but I could infer the direction as I left marks on the trees. I just had to follow the markings and I'd find my way back.

-     GLOB GOBU GOBU

-     Gobu Gobu!

My ears caught what appeared to be a conversation between goblins. Curious, I followed them. I thought it was strange that I haven't seen goblins so far. I've hunted for a couple of hours without seeing a single one.

The day before, it wasn't hard to find them. Seeing that I had two in front of me, I could use them to find them base. Goblins were famous for capturing women and wealth. Maybe I'll make a fortune while increasing my reputation as an adventurer and lord.

I kept quiet to the goblins who never noticed my presence. I was far away from them, and my senses could catch their footsteps several feet ahead of me. Without realizing it, I was led to some kind of cave on a mountainside.

The depth was unknown, and judging by the footprints at the entrance there were at least a dozen or two goblins. I didn't know if there was an evolved species, so I had to be careful.

I was now a first-circle magician, so I had a repertoire of magic applicable to these situations. Cave combat limited me by not being able to use explosive or powerful spells such as the fireball. At most I could use body reinforcement, but that required studying my current anatomy and familiarizing myself with my new energy paths.

Seeing that there was still time to go before sunset, I climbed a tree and began to circulate the energy within my body. I followed the path of energy by drawing a rough sketch of my elemental energy networks. This process would take a long time for a beginner. On the other hand, it was child's play for me.

Within an hour I could freely circulate my energy. This was a requirement for body reinforcement magic. This magic was very special as it did not require any magic circles. It was just a matter of infusing magic into the muscles and bones of the body. However, that was what made it extremely dangerous.

If an inexperienced person charged his muscles with elemental energy, he ran the risk of causing them to explode if there was any deviation. A portion of your concentration was also required to keep the magic active during combat. On the other hand, its benefits were excellent. Wizards weren't the only ones learning this type of magic, knights, monks, druids, assassins, and even healers used it.

Sighing, I tried to taste this magic. The magic ran through every fiber of my body, strengthening my muscles and bones. By measuring the rate of consumption, I could keep the magic going for a couple of hours. Seeing that the preparations were ready, I climbed down from the tree and walked to the entrance.

This time I sheathed my sword. Although the cave corridor was high, it lacked the width to wield a sword. Now I only relied on my claws and night vision as the cave lacked lighting.

This was normal in a goblin base. Goblins were creatures with night vision that liked to live in groups. What worried me was the entrance to the cave. If the cave was made naturally there were no problems, but if it was made by goblins, it meant that there was a higher version of their species inhabiting this place.

These thoughts couldn't get out of my head, so I was extremely careful moving forward.

*TAP *TAP

Sounds of footsteps were audible near me. In the distance I could see two goblins walking towards the exit. I had to think of something to finish them quickly.

Without a second thought, I used body bracing and ran towards the goblins before they could even notice me.

*SLASH

With a single swing of my claws the two heads of the goblins were cut off. Without waiting for the smell of blood to spread, I used blood manipulation.

-     The user has gained 1 point in strength and 1 point in intelligence.

Not wanting to leave any evidence, I put the corpses in my inventory and continued moving forward. Each time I advanced; the steps became more frequent. This time it was three pairs of steps.

Looking at the walls of the cave, I immediately thought of something. I looked at my claws that were still active and started to climb the rock face. Once on the roof I stood there waiting for my victims to pass.

The three goblins walked and conversed with each other holding rusty knives in their hands. As soon as they passed, I let go of the ceiling and stood behind them. The sound of my fall had alarmed them, but they were very slow. Their heads were disconnected from their bodies and the last thing they saw was my blurred body.

*Slash

-     The user has gained 1 point in agility, 1 point in strength, and 1 point in defense.

Seeing that this was an effective tactic, I repeated the same process until I reached a sort of open area.

-     ah! ah! ah!

The sound of moaning and foul smell assaulted my nose. I was sure this was the end of the cave. I looked straight inside and could see women without clothes, bound with iron chains and many goblins raping them. Only a small group of women were imprisoned in a wooden cage while guarded by goblins.

The sight was simply disgusting, there was even a woman giving birth to what appeared to be a greenish creature.