The real threat

"How the fuck does killing more than one thousand goblins only equate to seventy percent completion?"

The difficulty rank of the quest flashed in my mind.

'Damned SS-Ranked quest! Do I have to clear more villages like this one? If that's true, then...'

The fragment in my chest pulsed vigorously.

A disturbing thought surfaced that sent shivers down my spine.

I jumped up and accelerated the moment my feet hit the ground.

I raced through the goblin forest as fast as I could, trying to return to the Sacred Forest before the worst possible scenario unfolded.

'Please, let me be wrong!'

When I arrived at the boundary between the two forests, more than one hundred fully armoured goblin warriors and hobgoblins were lined up and entering the Sacred Forest in groups.

'Fuck I was right!. How many have entered the forest already? I need to get to the village!'

'But first, I need to eliminate their reinforcements. I can't afford to use magic power sparingly either.'

'I need something big and flashy...How about something wider than a sinkhole?'

'...Got it!'

'Earth Magic: Chasm'

A crack formed on the ground beneath the rows of goblins, spanning over two hundred metres in length.

-RUMBLE -RUMBLE

The ground shook violently, causing the goblins to run around in a panic.

(GARRU!)

(GARRU GARRU!)

Before any of them could make it to the tree line of the Sacred Forest, the ground split apart and swallowed them without mercy.

"Garru Garru, bitch!"

'Looks like four hundred meters is the deepest that my magic power will allow for now....'

'Well, a fall from that height would still hurt a lot.'

Naturally, the goblins in the Sacred Forest who were close enough to hear the desperate cries of their brethren returned to check on them.

'Wood Magic: Root Bind'

Multiple roots emerged from the ground behind me, then slithered towards the curious goblins on the other side of the chasm.

The roots coiled around their feet before dragging them towards their brethren inside of the chasm.

The hobgoblins resisted at first, but that only lasted until all of the goblin warriors were thrown into the abyss.

I added multiple layers of roots per hobgoblin, focusing solely on binding one of their ankles.

Like their brethren before them, the hobgoblins too were dragged into the chasm without mercy.

'Earth Magic: Closure'

-RUMBLE -RUMBLE

The ground trembled once again as the two ends of the Chasm began moving towards each other.

The over two hundred metre gap in the ground closed completely, even the crack was sealed as though the chasm never existed.

Silence returned to the area.

'How many of these fuckers are left?'

I had a gut feeling that the goblins I killed so far were not part of the main force. That sparked a terrifying theory.

'I can't waste any more time!'

I accelerated, crossing the boundary to reach the Sacred Forest.

'I have to get to the village as soon as possible. But it will take some time even with acceleration.'

'If only I had a Gota with me... Wait! I should have the same capabilities as them right? Since my blessing is greater.'

"Elder Tree, please grant me access to the instantaneous movement skill like the Gota, you understand the urgency right?"

The next moment my vision blurred and the scenery warped.

When my vision cleared, I stood in front of a gargantuan moss covered structure.

"Why did you summon me here? I don't have time I have to -"

Suddenly an image invaded my mind, halting my thoughts.

"Then the Soluume chased after the goblin, and we eliminated the remaining scout" Ferine said.

'This is...'

Ferine stood on the deck of a familiar tree house, giving her report on the outcome of the goblin eradication within the Sacred Forest.

"You all did well. Thank you for returning safely" Lady Amlerythe said with a warm smile.

"Tell me, why did you not accompany the Soluume to the goblin settlement? she asked in a low tone.

Ferine gulped.

"L-Lady Amlerythe, it was an order given by the Soluume himself" she replied hurriedly.

"Is that true?" Lady Amlerythe asked with a raised brow.

Ferine nodded vigorously.

"The Soluume ordered us to wait for him at the edge of the Sacred Forest in the event that he needed support upon his return" she said.

The Matriarch sighed.

"Very well, we shall believe in him and await his safe return" she said, her expression laced with concern.

She walked towards the end of the deck, then rested her elbows on the railing

"Did you return immediately following the Soluume's departure?" she asked.

"No, Lady Amlerythe. The Soluume instructed us to remove all of the goblin corpses from the Sacred Forest. He said that he did not want their bodies to pollute the Sacred Forest when they decomposed" Ferine replied.

Lady Amlerythe smiled.

"I share his thoughts" she said.

"How much time has passed since the Soluume left the Sacred Forest?" she asked.

"Approximately twenty minutes, Lady Amlerythe" Ferine said.

"Remain vigilant, the Soluume may return at any moment" Lady Amlerythe said.

"Yes, Lady Amlerythe. I will return to the assault squad" Ferine said and prepared to leave.

She froze in place, only her head moved mechanically towards Lady Amlerythe.

The Matriarch turned towards her and wore a similar expression, a look of absolute horror.

"We have to prepare the village immediately! Go and warn everyone, and evacuate the villagers to the waterfall. I will prepare the barrier" she said hurriedly.

Ferine nodded then leaped over the railing.

Lady Amlerythe brought her hands together and interlocked her fingers.

"Oh Great and Wondrous Elder Tree, please give me the strength to protect everyone from those vile creatures" she said as she closed her eyes.

Her figure shone in a brilliant white light before vanishing from the deck.

The location shifted to the outskirts of the Sacred Forest.

Severed heads with empty eye sockets, and fifty corpses with fresh wounds littered the boundary between the two forests.

-Rumble

The ground rumbled in the distance, startling the scavengers enjoying their feast.

-RUMBLE

The scavengers became anxious as the rumbling grew louder.

-RUMBLE -RUMBLE

-Squawk! -Squawk!

Unable to withstand the approaching bloodlust and the stares coming from their rear, the scavengers flew off in dissatisfaction at the wasted meal.

The rumbling stopped when a tall young man of Asian descent raised his fist in the air.

He stepped forward to examine the corpses.

"They've gotten pretty bold haven't they?" he said.

"Looks like I'll have to punish and re-educate them" he said with a sadistic grin.

In contrast to the heavily armoured goblins behind him, the young man's attire consisted of simple black leather boots, black nylon trousers and a black leather jacket that barely covered his exposed torso.

"Squad one, two and three, you come with me" he said.

The goblins nodded obediently.

"The rest of you can wait around for the guys coming from the village...but, you can leave those lazy bastards behind if they take too long to get here" he said as he walked towards the tree line.

An elite group comprised of a frightening number of goblin riders atop of large grey wolves, goblin shamans and goblin champions, marched after the young man and headed into the Sacred Forest.

The remaining group comprised of hobgoblins and goblin warriors, lined up uniformly to form ten rows of twenty goblins.

The scene changed once again.

In the centre of the Nasu village, a torrent of magic power illuminated the night sky with a bright white light.

The light expanded, rapidly covering the entire village in a transparent concave dome.

Lady Amlerythe exhaled then nodded in satisfaction.

"Is everyone accounted for?" she asked Greisla as she approached with an anxious expression.

Greisla shook her head.

"Ayla and Bina just returned, they said that...that Farhan remained behind to allow them to escape" she said, on the verge of tears.

"What did you say?" Lady Amlerythe asked in shock.