Xavier’s grandmother’s house was close to the staircase. It took a minute to reach the house under normal circumstances. It was just taking a little bit longer since they had to drag the Fiery Boar’s corpse home as well.
Fortunately, Xavier had heavily invested in the Foundation Star of Strength. He and the other hunters were strong enough to drag the body into his grandmother’s driveway without sustaining any injuries. The hunters’ muscles were sore, and they grumbled a lot but that was already it.
His grandmother’s house was quite spacious but right now it was crammed with survivors he and his family had found. There was hardly any room to move around without bumping into someone. In a matter of a few days, the house was overflowing with people. As a result, Zora Vador, came up with the idea to shift some of the survivors in the neighboring house.
The owners were dead either way so nobody was there to object. Though looking at the number of survivors they kept bringing in, it seemed that they would have to claim a few more abandoned houses to themselves.
While that was doable, it would bring in a new set of challenges such as safeguarding everyone and keeping everybody updated about the situation since mobile networks had stopped working and all the homes were separated by a few meters. But he could worry about it later.
“How about you tell us about your legendary adventure through our lovely village?” Mark asked with a hint of sneakiness and a hidden tinge of sadness. He had no idea what monsters his beloved son had encountered so far nor could he imagine how many times he must have had a near brush with death. Given his appearance, Xavier must have faced many dangerous situations. Mark wanted to know everything. But he also did not want to pressure his son. Thus, he attempted lighthearted humor to ease his son a bit who saw right through it.
“Alright, alright. But let me wash my face and change my clothes, okay?” Xavier responded before disappearing into the bathroom right next to the entrance of the house. He first tested if the water system was still working. The water pressure was not that strong anymore but at least the pipes had not gone dry yet.
The deteriorating pressure could be the result of various things. Xavier was not knowledgeable enough to conclude anything from the water pressure. He gave it a shrug, washed his face, and left the bathroom feeling refreshed. He put on some comfortable clothes and found his family, the hunters, and Leyla waiting for him at the dining table. No food was prepared but everyone was curious about his stories.
Silvia’s hands briskly moved over his face and arms to check for any bruises or scratches and sighed in relief upon seeing that he didn’t seem injured. If anything, Xavier was more vigorous than ever. He was stronger, faster, and possessed more vitality. He felt amazing.
Glut chirped loudly, trying to announce how he had played a role in ensuring Xavier’s safety. The Ember Sparrow was seated on Xavier’s head acting as if his hair were his nest. Xavier was fine with that for the time being. As long as Glut didn’t try to turn his hair into an actual nest, he could live with Glut fooling around.
“How are the survivors I brought back? Did someone treat them already, or are they still waiting?” Xavier asked out of curiosity. He hadn’t seen the survivors since he joined the fight against the Fiery Boar.
“Ivan is looking after them. He obtained a Common Healing Card for killing a Goblin. It’s called Lesser Cure. The Card is not extremely powerful but it stops bleeding and accelerates the natural healing process of wounds for a while. Leonie and her grandparents will be fine. They will…hold a funeral for Lukas tomorrow morning,” Silvia explained to her son. She pressed her lips together and imagined what would happen if Xavier had been in Lukas’ stead. A shudder ran down her spine. Silvia didn’t want to imagine her son dying. She…couldn’t allow that. He had to survive!
“That’s good. A Healing Card should be very helpful. Can it cure infections as well? Or stop the virus of the Infected from spreading?” Xavier asked, but nobody could give him an answer. Ivan had yet to test Lesser Cure on someone who’d been scratched or bitten by an Infected. It was not as if anyone wanted to volunteer for that job either.
“Alright. Next topic,” Xavier joked. He cleared his throat and decided that it was time for him to tell about the happenings in the village. He explained the overall situation first and revealed some information about evolutions. His theories came to light as well, but also the fact that he was not certain whether they were feasible or not. Last but not least, Xavier pointed out that they didn’t have very long to deal with the Monster Gate anymore.
“The Monster Gate itself is not the problem. It is way more problematic that the Goblins are starting to evolve. I know that I can tackle dozens of Goblins simultaneously. It would be a little bit annoying to deal with their archers as well, but Air Bullet can crush their bows. After that, I can slowly grind them to death,” Xavier ended his summary with a heavy sigh.
Thinking about the Goblins and the vast number of the pesky green monsters he’d killed until now, Xavier recalled something about the hidden mission, or one of the bonus missions to be precise.
Exterminate 200 Goblins [176/200]
Xavier was not certain which reward he would receive for exterminating 200 Goblins but he was not far from finding out soon. The listed rewards were an Uncommon Card, 50 Soul Essences, and a Hidden reward. Each would be of great help against the Goblin Community and the Monster Gate.
“What if we allow the Monster Gate to anchor itself? You said that you can deal with a Goblin Warrior on your own. That means we should be able to do the same as long as we grind a little bit more. There are enough Goblins and Infected in the village. We’re close to the forest as well. Hunting mutated animals such as the Fiery Boar together will increase our strength quickly. Everyone participating in the battle against the Fiery Boar obtained one or more Soul Essences!” One of the former hunters pointed out, “We can use the Monster Gate as a permanent grinding spot for Soul Essences and Card Shards!”
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Xavier was not familiar with the old man, which usually meant that they didn’t come from the village, but he must be well-known among hunters. Even his father respected his words and gave his suggestion some thought.
“You said that there is a penalty for failing to destroy the Monster Gate. What was it again?” Mark asked, glancing over to Xavier. Xavier realized what his father was trying to do. He sighed inwardly but displayed a portion of the Hidden Mission to everyone in the room.
Penalty upon failure: Goblin Horde Incursion
–5000 Goblins, 100 Goblin Warriors, 10 Goblin Shamans, 1 Goblin Champion–
“If Goblin Shamans are similar to the ones in games and novels, they can wield magic pretty well. They’re also good strategists – for Goblins. I don’t know what kind of magic they’ll wield, or how intelligent they are, but they will be strong. As for the Goblin Champion…if the system compares a Goblin Champion to 10 Goblin Shamans and 100 Goblin Warriors I would rather not face one anytime soon,” Leyla murmured barely loud enough for everyone around the silent dining table to hear.
“That’s what I think as well. But the most important point is something entirely different,” Xavier said, attracting the attention of those around him. “The penalty for failing the mission will be the Goblin Horde Incursion. While that is bad, it is not as bad as having a permanent door to another realm, or world…or whatever awaited them behind the Monster Gate. Goblin Warriors, Shamans, and a Champion might be bad, but who says that that’s all the Monster Gate allows to step through once it’s stabilized? There might…No. There will be stronger monsters on the other side.”
“...”
“We need to close that damn Gate,” The former hunter grumbled. He looked at Xavier with respect, “My name is Walter Blake. Just call me Walter though.”
“Xavier Vador. Nice meeting you, Walter…even though I could imagine a better time to meet,” Xavier joked. The apocalypse was truly not a great time to get to know new people.
“We have yet to encounter a Goblin Warrior, and Xavier encountered only one outside as well. That means they’re still somewhat rare. Xavier can deal with one while we could deal with the rest. The problem is just that their numbers keep increasing. We found a large group of 100 or more Goblins entering the nearby forest and returning with some prey. This time they carried dead Goblins out of the forest to use them as nourishment for the Monster Gate as well. I followed them…and found that the Goblin Community has expanded by a lot. Their numbers must have doubled, if not tripled. They multiply faster than rabbits.” Leyla decided to join the conversation. Unfortunately, her commentary wasn’t really pleasant. It was all bad news.
“Let’s just say that there are close to 1,000 Goblins by now. Half of them roam through the village while the rest stay near the roundabout to protect the settlement, help at the construction sites, and ensure the safety of the Monster Gate. If the hunters leave to hunt the Goblins outside the Goblin community, it should be possible to grow strong enough to attack the community, probably,” Zora Vador remarked, her voice calm and composed. She spoke about such terrifying things as nonchalantly as if she was discussing the weather.
“We cannot leave this place. That’s the issue,” The former hunter next to Walter shook his head. “If we leave, this place will be unprotected. We cleared the hills and made sure that no Goblin, mutated animal, or Infected has been left behind, but that doesn’t mean more mutated animals will avoid the hills. The same applies to the Goblins. If anything, these Goblins will travel deeper into the hills until they find this place or mutated animals. Chances are that this place will be found much earlier.”
“I understand that it is important to deal with the Monster Gate but splitting up the hunters won’t do any good. Most survivors have to be protected because they’re too scared to fight on their own.” He continued, not realizing that Xavier’s grandmother did not agree with his plan.
“First of all, I can protect myself. The Pyro Sparrows are on my side and they can deal with a bunch of Goblins quite well. Second, only because you and your old traditional views consider women less capable than men, you shouldn’t underestimate us. I have a Spell Card that allows me to fight and Silvia is also not that easy to take down. Nobody here has trained for decades to prepare for this moment but we will be fine. It is far more important to grow stronger…and to save the remaining survivors.”
Zora’s voice was filled with confidence and everybody fell silent as she continued,
“While we are seated in the warm and cozy house there are more survivors out there desperately clinging on to the tiny rays of hope. They’re scared and don’t know what to do. Since our condition is already pretty good, we should send out most hunters, including Xavier and Leyla to clear the remaining streets surrounding the Goblin Community to rescue the remaining survivors, release our old friends from the curse of being Infected, and grow strong enough to whoop the hideous little bums of those Goblins!!”
Silvia nodded her head in agreement. She glanced over to Mark and smiled lightly.
“You saw me fight a few Goblins earlier as well. I can tackle them. As long as I increase my Foundation consistently, there shouldn’t be an issue. Don’t worry about Goblin Warriors either. Just leave a shotgun or two behind with enough bullets. Or if you guys are too worried, one of you can stay behind to protect everyone. But I think everyone else is needed to destroy the Monster Gate. The stronger people in our group the better, ain’t that the truth?”
Mark didn’t feel comfortable leaving his wife to roam through the entire village, but he would have to leave sooner or later to clear the village of the monstrosities either way. It was better to do it now when most Goblins had yet to evolve into a stronger form.
Xavier pressed his lips together hearing his grandmother’s words. He clenched his teeth and cursed himself.
All I could think about before was to grow stronger. I foolishly pursued strength to protect my family. Yet, my family is much better than I could ever be. They pay attention to everyone and take care of them. I am such a fool.
“I’m in. Leave the Goblin Warriors and large groups of Goblins to me. Glut will help me deal with everything,” Xavier agreed to the rescue mission.
“But once we’re done rescuing everyone, we have to figure out how to deal with the Goblin Community. I doubt we’ll have much time left if the rescue mission succeeds,” He murmured.
Walter agreed.
“IF the rescue mission succeeds, we will become stronger, but so will our enemies.”
The real battle was just about to begin.