The following day.
Adam slowly opened his groggy eyes and yawned as he rubbed them. Then, he lazily stretched his limbs. He looked around at the makeshift cave he had carved inside the stem of a large mushroom tree. "It's surprisingly comfy."
After traveling the whole day on foot yesterday, he had made some progress in tracking down the goblin lair.
On his way, he had come across many goblin patrols consisting of at least a dozen goblins. He avoided the ones he could and killed the ones he couldn't.
After having spent close to fifteen hours tracking the lair, he decided to rest for the night. Or day. He didn't know. After all, there was no concept of day and night. Not inside the Mushroom Forest at least.
So he chose a tall mushroom tree and carved a cave toward the top. Additionally, he also held a ritual to summon a spirit from the Spirit World who would keep guard.
There was a spell from the School of Summoning with a similar effect, called the Hidden Servant. But the problem with that spell was that the duration that the spirit could stay in the material world was only one hour.
However, the ritual could prolong this effect in that the spirit would be reshuffled every hour. After all, Spirit World creatures couldn't stay for long in the material world.
Adam looked at the ritual formation in front of him and then made a hand sign. Following that, the temperature inside the cave suddenly turned cold.
The next moment, a transparent, hooded figure slowly materialized on the formation. The spirit was wearing dark and tattered robes, so Adam couldn't see what it looked like.
Adam looked at him and nodded. "Your work's done."
Much to the youth's surprise, the spirit knelt on the ground and bowed toward him before completely dissipating.
Adam raised his eyebrow and muttered, "What a weird guy…"
"Myuu…" Suddenly, Valerian who was sleeping beside Adam woke up from his slumber after feeling the sudden drop in temperature.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Are you up?" Adam glanced at him and smiled warmly.
Valerian sat up and began rubbing his eyes with his tiny paw. Then, he looked up at Adam and transmitted a mental message.
'Meat.'
Adam burst into laughter. He couldn't help but wonder if this little dragon only ever thought about sleeping and eating. But considering that Valerian was still an infant, he thought that it made sense.
The youth gently lifted Valerian and placed him on his lap. Then he took out a bag full of beef jerky from his earring, gave one to the young dragon, and then started eating one himself.
Valerian looked at the unappealing meat strip in his paws and grumbled. Then, he raised his head and glanced at Adam while pouting.
Adam chuckled and rubbed Valerian's head. "Be patient, you brat. When we're out in the clear, I'll cook you a delicious meal."
He was afraid that the smell of hot food would lure goblins or other beasts toward his location. He didn't wanna risk it.
Hearing him, Valerian could only reluctantly eat the jerky. But despite not liking the food, he ended up eating two whole bags of it.
After the two had finished their meal, Adam instructed Valerian to go back into his mind. Then, he removed the makeshift door that he had made from branches and wine and put it aside.
The forest looked the same as it had before he went to sleep. The entire place was bathed in neon green light emitting from the countless mushrooms.
Adam quite liked this place. If it wasn't for the unknown dangers lurking here, he would have popped open his wine gourd and enjoyed this breathtaking view.
He activated his Sphere of Resonance and confirmed that there were no goblins in the vicinity. Then, he casually jumped from the cave. From the cave to the forest floor, the drop was at least twenty meters.
However, Adam was calm. When he was only a few meters from the ground, he activated his Ring of Light Fall. His falling speed slowed down and he gently landed on the ground as if he were a feather!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Then, he started walking in the direction that he deduced the goblin layer was in.
…
The sounds of crickets echoed through the damp forest floor. From time to time, fireflies would appear and then suddenly disappear as they hopped from one plant to another.
In this strange neon forest, the chirping of birds and the buzzing of insects combined to form a calm and soothing ambiance.
But suddenly, this atmosphere was disturbed by the sounds of screaming and fighting.
CLANG!
Weapons collided against one another as a large group of goblins ambushed a smaller group of Magi. The goblins numbered in the dozens, while the Magi were only a handful.
Despite the difference in numbers, the goblins had chosen to sneakily ambush the group. The concept of a fair fight was meaningless to them. They were malicious beings that favored ambushes and dirty tricks.
The group of Magi consisted of two humans, two elves, and a dwarf. They formed a circle with their backs against each other and jointly fended off the attacks of the goblins attacking them.
Meanwhile, some of the Magi focused on the archer goblins in the distance. For people who've never worked with one another before, their cooperation was surprisingly good.
But so what?
They found it difficult to defend against the attacks of these goblins that outnumbered them by more than six to one. It was a foregone conclusion that they would die if they didn't get external help.
Adam silently landed on a mushroom cap and witnessed this gruesome battle take place. He was drawn in by the sound of fighting and so were many other goblin patrols he'd seen on the way here.
He gazed at the five Magi drenched in blood and surrounded by dozens of goblins. They continued to fight valiantly, even if they were constantly being beaten back.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Seeing them fight so courageously without giving up, fiery passion rose from the depths of his heart. He took a step forward, intending to provide help.
But he suddenly stopped.
An extremely conflicted expression enveloped his face. Wait, think rationally!
There are at least thirty goblins surrounding those guys. Even if I go in, is there a guarantee that we'll all come out alive?
Adam's fists clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
No matter how I see it, it's not worth it. It's way too risky. More goblins are on their way too. I don't have any obligations to help them.
The youth gnashed his teeth tightly. He had never struggled so much to come to a decision. After all, the lives of these Magi could depend on it.
In the end, he released his tightly clenched fists and finally came to a decision. And right at that moment, one of the Magi, a beautiful elven female, happened to spot him and called out to him with great expectations.
"Oh, great savior, please help us! I will do anything to repay you!"
Following that, the rest of the Magi looked in Adam's direction and called out for help too. At the same time, they inched closer to the mushroom tree he was standing on.
"Haa… it can't be helped." Adam sighed. Seeing the gorgeous elven girl call out so pitifully, any man would be moved.
He put his hands on his waist and stood heroically. Seeing his pose, the Magi were ecstatic, finally seeing a ray of hope.
But the next moment…
Adam turned around and ran for his life.
