Goblin Shaman? Seek your own death!!

**Bang!**

The booming sound of the Centurion's outburst left the Goblin Shaman weak-kneed, collapsing to the ground. 

"Centurion-sama! It's not that I delayed reporting! I'd only just returned from fighting! If those humans hadn't fled, we would have killed them all!" The Shaman's voice shook as if chilled by a frigid wind.

"Fled, did they?" the Centurion spat, exasperated. "Then it's simple! Stand directly in their path—frighten them off without costing us so many lives!"

At this, the Shaman's face brightened. "Yes! Centurion-sama is absolutely right! I'll relay your order at once!"

"Go!" the Centurion commanded, a severe scowl still darkening its expression.

...

Meanwhile, the Heroes had carefully mapped the Goblins' positions. The creatures weren't clustered but scattered in territory-specific packs. Dus's team, it seemed, had ventured too deep and wound up surrounded by over a hundred Hobgoblins. "Over a hundred" might not have been exact—Dus hadn't exactly stopped to count in his hasty escape.

With their levels raised, the Heroes quickly coordinated, outlining each Goblin division. They were now prepared for phase two: infiltrate the Goblin forest and slay the Class 3 monster, the Goblin Shaman.

Anyi's team set off first, tasked with reaching level 10 ahead of everyone else. Once they completed their mission and retreated, the others would enter from various angles to hunt down the Goblin Shamans. At level 7, they'd regroup and prepare for the third phase—a coordinated assault.

Anyi remembered little from his past life about the tactics for these low-level Goblin quests. Goblins didn't deploy any newcomer traps like the Slime King did. But their evasion strategy was familiar: once the Hobgoblins' numbers dropped by half, the Goblin Shamans would trigger a retreat mechanism.

'By now, the Goblin Centurion should be well aware of what's happening,' Anyi mused.

While the Goblin Shamans held certain attribute boosts, their frail bodies made them easy to overwhelm. As their forces dwindled, they would soon try to flee, rallying with the Hobgoblins to create a defensive barricade.

"Are we there yet? It's so quiet in here," murmured Ariana, clutching her staff as they pressed forward. Although briefed on the Goblins, she'd never seen one herself, and the bestiary entry for Goblins was still unopened. Her curiosity was palpable.

"Quiet can mean trouble," Dus warned, his voice low. He'd gained experience with Goblin tactics before, which set him apart from Anyi's team. To test their combat synergy—and to see if shared effort yielded shared experience—Dus had joined them.

"The Goblins sense the threat. This won't be a frontal fight; they'll use ambushes. Keep an eye above; something could drop from the trees," Dus advised.

"Got it!" Layton replied, raising his shield overhead. "If I'm here, no Goblin will get the jump on you!"

Yet Ariana and Miruku inched closer to Anyi, exchanging wary glances above.

"Anyi, can you use your slime sword to cover us?" Ariana asked, gripping Anyi's arm with a hint of nervousness.

"Yes, please!" Miruku echoed, nodding emphatically.

With a faint sigh, Anyi obliged. His slime sword unfurled from his collar, black ooze spreading into a wide, umbrella-like shield above them. Ariana and Miruku visibly relaxed, exchanging grateful looks with him. 

There was no doubt—compared to Layton's shield, Anyi's slime sword just felt safer.

Layton frowned slightly, his lips curling in awkward resignation as he summoned his slime shield. "Odd… Anyi's sword can open up like that, but I can't get this shield to do anything fancy."

Beside him, Dus eyed the unique weapons, unable to hide a touch of admiration. The way Anyi's slime sword could morph and adapt sparked a new thought. If he could get his hands on a "Slime Rod," wouldn't it also hold some remarkable ability?

*'When we're done here, I need to find out where to hunt down the Slime King,'* he mused. They were targeting the Goblin Centurion now, and level 10 would hardly be their stopping point.

Rustle.

A strange noise snapped them to attention, every sense alert to the encircling shadows. 

"In situations like this," Dus said, his voice steady, "we'd normally already be surrounded. Goblins don't just trickle in—they swarm or stay hidden." 

Almost as if they'd understood, the Goblins, with their keen ears, gave their response: a howl and a growl rippled through the forest, as if mocking Dus's remark. 

The next instant, a horde of Goblins formed a perimeter ten meters around them, tightening the trap. Among them loomed dozens of Hobgoblins.

The heroes realized this area had been silent precisely because Goblins from other regions had converged here, intending to overpower this meddlesome group. No longer underestimating their foes, the Goblins recognized the need to consolidate their strength.

Ariana, Miruku, and Layton had new information flash before their eyes:

Unlocked Bestiary: Goblin and Hobgoblin!

Dus smirked, leveling his rod in a battle-ready stance. "I've seen nastier Hobgoblins than these. Stick together; we've got this."

Layton raised his shield, positioning himself beside Anyi, while Ariana gripped her staff with newfound determination. In a blink, Miruku vanished—only for her alert to appear moments later.

[Unlocked Bestiary: Goblin Shaman

Strength: 2 Agility: 8 Endurance: 4

Durability: 3 Prana: 20 Intelligence: 2

Technique: 5]

[Thorn Hero: Goblin Shaman sighted; it's closing in on you.]

The four remaining on guard felt the shift. The Goblins ahead of them parted, clearing a path.

From the shadows, a slight, bony figure emerged, gripping a grotesque totem staff and clad in a tattered goblin robe. It wore a twisted, knowing grin that set all eyes upon it.

A shared symbol lit up in both Anyi and Dus's minds: ?

"Bold, standing in the open," Dus sneered. "Begging to be dealt with!"

With a ground-shaking step, Dus surged forward, fallen leaves scattering in his wake, his rod striking toward the Goblin Shaman. Anyi's slime sword followed suit, surging like a crashing wave.