The group of Magi: "…"
The group of Goblins: "…"
For a moment, the fighting had ceased and everyone on the battlefield was completely dumbfounded. Let alone the Magi, even the goblins didn't think that Adam would abandon them.
"H-He… left?" The male human Magus spoke incredulously.
Beside him, the female human was also filled with disbelief. "How could we leave us? We're of the same race! Does he have no heart—"
"KIIEEEKK!"
But her words got cut short when the goblins resumed their attacks.
"Damn it!" The elven Magus who had first spotted Adam, cursed under her breath. "There's too many of them. There's no way we can fight them."
The dwarf also nodded. "There are more coming."
"Then there's only one way," The human Magus solemnly stated.
"Everyone, use your mobility techniques and escape in different directions. As to who lives and dies… we can only leave it to fate." The male elf instructed everyone.
Then, he glanced at the female elf and nodded. "May fortune be with you, Mira."
Amidst the flurry of arrows shot by the goblins, the Magi escaped in five different directions. Seeing this, the goblins also separated into five groups and chased after the Magi.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})While dodging the attacks of the goblins and fleeing, the female elf, Mira, thought back to how Adam had refused to help her out. She had carved the youth's appearance in her mind.
"You filthy human, how dare you!" She spat through gritted teeth. Her beautiful face had contorted in fury and now looked extremely menacing.
"Pray that I don't make it out alive." Her eyes spewed venom as she fled. "For if I do, I'll kill you!"
…
Adam, who had already traveled quite a lot of distance from that battlefield, suddenly stopped on top of a mushroom tree. He turned around while digging his ear.
"Who's talking shit about me?"
He then turned back around and resumed his objective of tracking the goblin lair. As for the lives of the Magi he had just left behind, he didn't care.
If it was him from a few years back, he would have naively aided them at great cost to himself. But now, after having experienced so many things he was a different person.
Thinking back to how the group of Magi were sneakily approaching him back then and trying to involve him in their battle, Adam couldn't help but sneer.
"You want me to help you? I don't even know you!"
As he vaulted from one mushroom tree to another, he suddenly thought back to the alluring elven beauty who had first called out to him. Now that he thought about it, he realized that the way the elf was talking to him, she was actually trying to entice him into helping her.
"Hmph!" Adam harrumphed in dissatisfaction. "You think you could lure me? As if!"
Suddenly, the youth's forehead flashed with a gray light and the next moment, Valerian appeared on top of his head.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})"Val, why are you out? Didn't I tell you to stay inside?" Adam asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"Myu…" Valerian protested and looked at Adam with tearful eyes.
Seeing such an expression, Adam's heart twisted into a knot and his voice softened. "You were curious to see the Mushroom Forest?"
"Myu! Myu!" Valerian vigorously nodded his furry, little head. Then, he looked around at the giant mushroom trees with wonder and awe.
"Haa…" Adam couldn't help but sigh when he saw Valerian acting like that. He figured that the little guy might have been getting bored inside his spirit sea all this while.
"But, Val, next time you wanna come out, let me know first, okay?" The youth said gently.
Valerian lowered his head and glanced at him. "Myu~"
Adam smiled warmly. "Okay then. Hold tight, I'm gonna jump."
"Myu!" Valerian excitedly grabbed onto Adam's hair. The next moment, the youth leaped over a mushroom cap and landed on another. The duo then made their way to the goblin lair.
…
A few days later, Adam had finally managed to track down the goblin lair. Now, he was standing atop a tall mushroom tree and glancing at the group of goblins below slowly making their way to the lair.
It took longer than I expected, The youth thought to himself. He was only now beginning to realize just how massive the Mushroom Forest could potentially be.
Another thing he realized after tracking these goblins for the last few days was that every patrol group had at least a dozen goblins. He deduced that the lair had an extremely high chance of having a large population of goblins.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})As he gazed at the goblins making their way to the camp, he stroked his chin, deep in thought. Although a goblin's life expectancy is low, they reproduce very quickly. That could explain the large number of goblins here.
Adam shifted his gaze into the distance and could see the silhouette of a large village. Moreover, he could hear the boisterous clamor even from so far away.
Hmm… how do I go about this? He wondered for a long time.
Valerian, who was sitting on his head, also began to stroke his chin and softly mumble. "Myu…"
Adam glanced at him and smiled. "Val, you should head back in now. It's going to get dangerous."
Valerian clenched his tiny paws and transmitted a mental message.
Sensing his concern, Adam gently patted the young dragon's head. "Don't worry. Nothing's gonna happen to me."
Valerian nodded and the next moment, he turned into a gray flash and entered Adam's spirit sea.
After he had gone back inside, Adam's gaze shifted to the group of goblins that were making their way to the lair. His eyes narrowed and his expression turned solemn.
Let me do some scouting first.
The next moment, he weaved a series of hand signs and cast a spell from the School of Illusion.
Rank 1 Spell: Hide!
The image of Adam slowly started to distort and merge with the surroundings. Although the spell couldn't make him invisible, it could camouflage him to a great degree.
Adam jumped down from the mushroom tree, activating the Ring of Light Fall when he was only a few meters away from the ground. Then, he closely followed behind the goblin group.
However, just to be on the safe side, he made sure to keep a distance of at least fifteen to twenty meters.
As he slowly made his way to the goblin lair, the scene that greeted him, left him completely stunned!
