Chapter 10

Tehemena Falls – A Variety of Goblins

"Oi! You're in the way!" the male Adventurer once again shouted.

Bellamy quickly processed the situation as the two Adventurers ran closer. He was unsure whether his current stats and gear were enough to defeat two Level 12 Elite Hobgoblins supported by Level 5 Goblin Warriors as they formed a defensive line. Level 5 Goblin Shamans were positioned in the rear, functioning as support spellcasters. Two options were developing in Bellamy's mind as he clutched onto his sword. Retreat and regroup or bring out Soulseeker from his Soul Inventory.

"I'll join them for now," Bellamy sighed and met the Adventurers half-way while adjusting his pace with their movements. "Here. Drink these," Bellamy instructed as he tossed over some Health Potions Lv1.

The newly formed party quickly neared the entrance and exited the Dungeon.

"Thank you for earlier," the male Adventurer said and gestured gratefully, "you saved our lives."

"Thank you, Adventurer. You really saved us back there," the female Adventurer said, but her face did not reveal any relief.

"It was the least I could do. I'm Bellamy, a Level 8 Hunter," Bellamy fabricated.

"Oh, you're also a Hunter?" the male inquired. "I'm Frederick, and this is Loretta. We're both Level 8 Hunters as well."

"Nice to meet you both, although under somewhat awkward circumstances," Bellamy responded. "What were you guys doing in the Goblin Hideout?"

Frederick and Loretta fixed their eyes at each other with concern.

"We-" they both voiced simultaneously. "We were doing a Quest and raising our levels," Frederick initiated, "we were only going to take a peek inside the Goblin Hideout, but then the Soul Window notified us of the Experience Multiplier, so we decided to venture deeper."

"Yeah, the Soul Window offered us 2 times the normal experience gained," Loretta informed.

"Wait. 2 times?" Bellamy creased his brows. "I entered alone and was offered a 6 times multiplier. If you entered in a party of 2, you should have received a 3 times multiplier."

The duo's faces paled.

"Our friend," Loretta had tears welled up in her eyes. "Our friend was captured by the goblins."

Hick, hick

"We had no choice but to run," Frederick informed with a grim face, "Mina, our Party Leader, asked us to run."

Frederick fell to his knees and punched the ground covered by the frozen dew.

Slam

"We're so useless!" frustration seeped from his expression as he continuously bashed the ground, and the afternoon dew was colored with spots of red.

Slam, slam

"Stop," Bellamy said stringently. "You- hitting the ground- solves nothing. Spare your energy for the monsters."

Frederick fell silent, and the power exhibited from his fists weakened.

"You intend to go back there?" Frederick pointed toward the direction of the Goblin Hideout.

Lorretta's eyes became wide in surprise and her tears dried up with a newfound resolution.

"I'll join you," she affirmed.

"Are you guys mad?! Didn't you see those monsters with your own eyes? Those were Elite Monsters!"

"We'll need a plan, and we don't have much time. Goblins feast upon their prey at night," Bellamy informed. "How far are you guys from Level 9?"

After introducing each other's abilities, Bellamy found out that neither Frederick nor Loretta possessed any classes. But in return, he disclosed that he was a Dual Awakener.

Frederick's main weapon was a Short-Bow and specialized in dealing damage from afar. He had two Non-Elemental Skills; Precision Arrow Lv2 and Triple Shot Lv1. Since he was an Awakened with the Thrae Element, he could use low-leveled Skills such as Remedy Lv1 and Stone Barrier Lv1. It was a suitable combination of offensive and defensive skills.

Loretta wielded a 2-Handed Staff with traces of Fire essence emitting from it. She was an Offensive Type spellcaster who spent most of her points on Intelligence and Wisdom and some points on Stamina and Agility. Her skills were Fireball Lv2, Firespear Lv1, Backdraft Lv1, and Smoke Screen. Most of her Skills were Fire-based, which meant that she needed to carry loads of Mana potions in her Soul Inventory.

Their current plan was to meet up again in two hours. They had two objectives. Level up and gather Warrior's beginner equipment Tickets to improve their overall gear.

"Hey, Bellamy. You said you possessed the Air and Water Elements, right?"

Loretta stepped closer to Bellamy and took something out of her Soul Window. A Rare Skill Book!

"Here. Take this," she beamed. "We want you to have this. A goblin dropped it."

"I can't take this," Bellamy insisted. "I only gave you guys a few Health Potions."

"No. Take it. It's a Rare Water Skill Book. Frederick has no use for it either."

Frederick joined the conversation, "we'll meet up here in two hours."

His frustration still lingered, but he was visibly more resolved to rescue his friend.

"Thanks. I'll make good use of it."

The trio decided to hunt separately and split up. Only Level 3-5 monsters roamed the area and gave lackluster amounts of experience for the Level 8 duo. Hence, Frederick and Loretta crossed the river and entered the forest on the other side of Tehemena Falls, populated with higher leveled goblins. This meant that Bellamy could monopolize the goblin population on his side of the river. He was still Level 4, and his minimum goal was to reach Level 8 during the two hours of preparation.

Bellamy opened the Rare Skill Book he received.

[You have met the requirements to learn Drown Lv1.]

[Do you wish to learn Drown Lv1?]

[Yes/No.]

Bellamy confirmed with a "Yes," notified the Soul Window, "Summon Luny," and pulled Soulseeker out from his Inventory.

Now carrying Soulseeker, Bellamy speedily cut through Goblin Warriors like a hot knife on butter. His Agility and Dexterity had tripled under the effects of his weapon, while +40 Intelligence meant that his Elemental attacks would gain a tremendous damage-dealing upgrade. As the one-sided slaughter continued, Bellamy practiced his new spell on a lonesome Goblin Shaman that had its party wiped out in mere seconds.

"Drown Lv1"

A Goblin Shaman's Elemental Defense could be considered moderately high, but it stood no chance against Drown Lv1, a Single-Target Skill. Not only did it target a single opponent, but it also targeted one's orifices. As the Skill's name suggested, it was a precision spell that would drown the opponent in water particles summoned by the caster. The Goblin Shaman gasped for air, but its actions were in vain as no one was disturbing Bellamy's Casting Focus. Shortly after, the Goblin Shaman plumped down on the ground, with streams of bodily gore and liquid pouring out of each facial orifice.

No remorse was felt. Goblins were prone to rape women and abused their prey. That's why the trio had put a time-limit of two hours. Once the night approached, goblins would wake up and start their daily routines, as they were nocturnal by nature. The Elite Hobgoblins were patrol guards most likely, which meant that even stronger monsters might lurk within the Goblin Hideout. There was only one way to find out.

After half an hour, Bellamy had already obtained 12 new Warrior's beginner equipment Tickets, and his Level had risen to 6. At this rate, the repeatable quest's quota would be reached. Taking a look at his Soul Inventory, he noticed that he had acquired more than 11 gold from quests so far.

Bellamy had almost scoured the entire east side of the woods. The river that ran after Tehemena Falls was separating him and the Hunter duo in the west. As he pulled up his hood to cover his face and was about to head west, Bellamy's heightened senses and peripheral vision caught a glimpse of something sparkling beneath a large oak tree. Rumors had it that, sometimes, special goblins would randomly appear in the Lands of Thrae. These goblins had one thing in common. They sought treasures. And this particular goblin was blue-skinned and carried a large sack full of glittering items.

Luckily, the Blue Treasure Goblin had not noticed Bellamy. Yet.

"Activate Invisibility, Scentless and Soundless"

Since Bellamy had yet to spend stat points on Wisdom ever since leveling up, his total Mana Points were barely above 600. With Luny summoned and the total Mana Cost of the three activation Skills combined, Bellamy's mana was nearly drained, and he could feel a sense of vertigo looming over him.

"Luny, you stay here. Don't make a sound," Bellamy whispered in a dizzied state and waited for a response.

Luny stared back a Bellamy. Bellamy squinted his eyes; Luny squinted back; they both furrowed their brows.

Bellamy rolled his eyes, still waiting for a response.

"Luny?"

Luny pulled out a quill pen, ink, and a piece of paper from his tiny backpack and started writing. Considering he had high Dexterity and Wisdom, the writing speed was painfully slow. But Bellamy waited and read Luny’s writing word for word.

"BELL- TOLD- LUNY- TO- NOT- MAKE- A- SOUND"

This little piece of garbage waste, Bellamy almost shouted. He took a few deep breaths and gave Luny a thumbs up. You reap what you sow, he lamented, as his poor choice of words had been taken quite literally.

Confident that he would not be discovered, Bellamy trod closer with Soulseeker at the ready.

"System, show me the information on the Blue Treasure Goblin."

Even with Soundless activated, the system had picked up on Bellamy’s inquiry.

[Blue Treasure Goblin Lv1. Rating: Sapphire]

[A Blue Treasure Goblin is a rare breed among goblins and is Item-rated rather than Monster-rated. Defeating the Goblin will result in an extraordinary amount of experience gain and item rewards.]

[Health points: 2500/2500, Mana points: 1400/1400]

[Upgrade the Soul Window for additional perks.]

Following the Soul Window's notifications, it seemed the level disparity between Bellamy and the Item-rated goblin was not that great. When Bellamy was Level 4, the System was unable to inform him of the Hobgoblins’ stats. At least, now, he could see Health and Mana values.

Bellamy switched to a reverse grip on Soulseeker, "Precision Stab Lv1!"

[You have entered Combat.]

[Invisibility, Scentless, and Soundless have been deactivated.]