A loud explosion engulfed the center of the goblin village, plunging the hobgoblin along with the rest of the warrior goblins in a devastating sea of fire.
The explosion resulted in a mushroom cloud so big that it reached a height of close to fifty meters!
Dozens of Potions of Explosion were thrown together. This resulted in a violent blast that compounded over, destroying everything in its wake.
A large crater was formed in the center of the village with nothing remaining of the hobgoblin and the goblins that had earlier surrounded the hut. Meanwhile, the perpetrator had long since disappeared.
The Magi who had earlier escaped the village, suddenly stopped in their steps after listening to the loud explosion. When they turned around and saw the giant mushroom cloud, their eyes bulged out of their sockets.
After all, the attack power that they sensed from the massive explosion could easily take care of a Rank 1 Magus!
All of them couldn't help but involuntarily gulp, thinking that it was indeed the wisest decision of their lives to escape when they had. They cast one final glance at the dark mushroom cloud and then turned around and ran for safety.
…
On top of a mushroom tree, a distance away from the goblin village, Adam suddenly appeared. Green wind swirled around his feet and in a few moments, they disappeared after being canceled.
Rank 1 Spell: Westerly Ride!
He looked at the giant mushroom cloud at the center of the village and nervously gulped, muttering with lingering fear, "Damn! I didn't think the explosion would be that deadly!"
If it wasn't for the Westerly Ride, a spell that greatly increased his movement speed, he would have been enveloped in that blast as well. Although he wouldn't have died thanks to the sturdiness of his body, he wouldn't have come out unscathed either.
Suddenly, his ears perked up and he glanced below. He could see many goblin patrol groups rushing back to the village in panic.
Adam's face was solemn as he thought to himself, Now that both the hobgoblins have died, it wouldn't take long for the village to fall into chaos. Who knows? They might even be absorbed by another village led by a hobgoblin.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})However, that had nothing to do with him. He had already gotten what he had come here for. Thinking of all the things he'd put inside his earring, a wide grin bloomed on Adam's face.
"As I thought, those goblinoids really are avaricious creatures who like to hoard gold and treasure."
He turned around and jumped onto the next mushroom tree as he slowly made his way toward a secure hiding spot.
…
After running for hours, Adam was able to put a considerable amount of distance between himself and the village that he had just escaped from. Moreover, he also took many detours to make sure that he wasn't being followed.
He finally found himself a tall mushroom tree and carved a cave near the top. After hiding the cave entrance, he set up a ritual formation to call upon a Hidden Servant. He instructed the spirit to keep guard outside.
Only after all of this was over, did he finally have time to check the loot. He rubbed his palms together as he started grinning from ear to ear. The next moment, he paused and then started chuckling.
"Sure, sure, you can come out," He said with a gentle smile.
Following that, a gray light flashed and Valerian appeared in front of him.
"Myu~"
"Val, I've managed to loot some treasure. Wanna check it out with me?" Adam smiled brightly.
Val's eyes flashed with curiosity as he balled his tiny paws and sent a mental transmission.
'Treasure? Meat?'
"Uhh…" Adam was tongue-tied. "Not that kind of treasure. Come here, I'll show you."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The youth gently grabbed the young dragon and placed him on his lap. Then, he willed it, and the next moment a large pile of items shot out from his earring and appeared in front of him.
The inside of the cave was already lit up sufficiently thanks to the luminescent characteristic of the mushroom tree. So the duo were clearly able to see the items that had now appeared.
"Myuuuu!" Valerian's eyes turned wide as saucers as he saw the display of shiny objects in front of him.
Among gold, silver, and platinum coins, there were all sorts of gems and pieces of jewelry, armor, weapons, and even all kinds of clothing. Seeing this Adam was speechless.
When he had entered the hut, he was in a hurry. So he ended up putting everything he saw inside his earring. Only now was he able to properly see what these items were.
While the youth was in a state of disbelief, Valerian jumped from his lap and dove into the pile of coins. Then, he grabbed a handful of coins and threw them in the air above him.
"Myu!!" The young dragon cheerfully swam in treasures. Nothing could make him feel this happy, except being praised by Adam of course.
Adam, on the other hand, finally snapped out of his daze and started to stroke his chin in deep thought. Looking at all the clothing and weapons of different sizes, he suddenly came to a realization.
These items belonged to Magi who had entered the secret plane in the past!
It didn't make sense otherwise. Judging from the sizes of the various weapons, Adam could infer that some belonged to humans or elves, while the smaller ones at one point belonged to dwarves and gnomes.
There were also clothes and armor belonging to men and women. Moreover, the fact that there were platinum, gold, silver, and bronze coins, which were clearly the currency of the Southern Federation, was a clear giveaway.
The youth suspected that the Magi of the past must have appeared in the Mushroom Forest after entering the portal. Then they were captured by the goblins, killed, and had their belongings taken away.
"No wonder those two hobgoblins were so well-armed," the youth muttered in realization.
After sorting out the treasure, Adam found that all the coins added up to close to about ten thousand gold coins in value. There were all types of weapons and armor, however, most of them weren't in proper shape due to lack of maintenance.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})The most valuable items that the youth found were the grimoires left behind by the deceased Magi, for they contained model components of many Rank 1 spells as well as their magic research.
While he was reading through one of the grimoires, Valerian called out to him.
'Brother!'
"Hmm?" Adam glanced at the cute little dragon and asked, "What is it, Val?"
Valerian pointed at the pile of gold and platinum coins and sent a mental transmission.
'Gimme! Gimme! 50-50!'
"Oh?" Veins started to throb on Adam's forehead. "Already dividing the loot, huh?"
Then, he grabbed Valerian and gently pinned him down on his lap. "Looks like I must discipline you."
Valerian's fur stood on end and his body trembled as he looked at Adam's menacing grin. He raised his tiny paw in surrender.
"Myu!"
"Hmph, too late!" Adam harrumphed. The next moment, his hand turned into a blur and he launched his special attack on the young dragon. "Hand of Doom: Secret Technique!"
'Wait! 30-70! No—'
And then…
Adam started to tickle him fiercely.
"Myuuuu!"
