“HOW COULD YOU!? I HAD TO WALK ALL THE WAY…”

Novus quickly covered his ears to no avail as Adrianne’s voice travelled through the system to his mind. Instead, he scrambled to adjust his volume settings, and Adrianne’s voice grew softer.

“I’M STILL NOT EVEN PAST THE RAVINE! YOU BETTER….”

Novus briefly debated muting Adrianne and seeing if she would notice it. But, ultimately, he didn’t, and, for some reason, his joking approach only made things worse when they usually made things better.

“A TRAINING WALK!? REALLY? YOU’VE GOT SOME REAL NERVE, WHY DON’T I….”

Novus let Adrianne’s nearly muted voice flow from one ear to the next as he replied to the chat message icon with Percival’s blinking message.

I prefer the chat messages.

Regardless of the distance, at least on the island, the chat function enabled Novus to send vague or detailed words to Percival within moments. If he had known about them with Stash, he would have opted for these instead of whispering details. But, Novus had only discovered it just now when he searched for a way to message his only two party members.

It's even faster than the Magic Society’s Transport Network.

New Message from Percival: Yeah. The Slime Colossus was tough, man. Did you really solo it? Nevermind, what were the drops like?! Was there any armour? Or weapons? Make sure to share with the party! We don’t need another Unending Slashes incident lol :fist emoji: :rock emoji:

Novus’ face briefly scrunched in confusion as he rapidly replied to Percival.

Message to Percival: The Slime Colossus didn’t drop anything but a bunch of slime cores. Why would it drop something like armour or a weapon?

Typically, Percival would reply quite fast, but all Novus got an odd silence for an answer instead. It was only a few minutes later that a reply came.

Ding!

New Message from Percival: From now on, you’re not getting the final hit on any bosses. :crying emoji:

Question marks formed around Novus’ head as he wondered where exactly Percival had misunderstood.

And he didn’t answer the question. Why would a Slime Colossus drop something like armour or weapons?

Unfortunately, the glitch that was Novus would never be fated with random equipment dropping from enemies. Meanwhile, Percival was shaking his head in denial towards Novus’ innocent unluckiness.

“That was a boss monster! It should have rained down items like a fountain and that unlucky little….”

Meanwhile, Adrianne had finally resumed an emotionally passionate octave for talking.

“Leaving me there was rude! Incompetent! Belligerent…”

I don’t think she knows what those words mean.

“Adrianne! I’m sorry! I told you it was out of my hands. The lady who took and killed me put you to sleep. Don’t you think it would be weird to put you through all that when I still want to party with you? Honestly, I’m amazed you survived through it all.”

Novus’ explanation wasn’t the best, but it did cool down Adrianne a bit further.

“Survive, huh? I’ll show you what—Hey, yeah. I KNOW!”

Novus heard muffled shouts from the other end of the voice chatting option, but he ignored them. Novus didn’t want to talk more than necessary with an angry woman. A detail he had learned in his past life.

“Hey, idiot! Share the quest details. You said to meet at the—”

Novus finished Adrianne’s sentence as more muffled sounds were heard. Though he didn’t expect Adrianne to listen to his mutterings, anyway. That was the quiet point.

“At the crossing bridge. We’re supposed to find a Goblin Chief and—”

A shout interrupted Novus’ mutterings as his ears reeled.

“I KNOW! EDNA! I GET IT!”

Splash!

There was the sound of something being thrown in the water and then Adrianne's calm but huffing voice resuming her chat with Novus.

“I’m back. What did you say? Something about a bridge?”

Novus was slightly thrown off.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

Did I tell her the name, Edna? I’m pretty sure I didn’t.

“Sorry, did you just say Edna?”

Perhaps, it was because she could finally vent her frustrations, but Adrianne spoke nearly as passionately as she did when berating Novus.

“Yeah! This goblin-looking creature that reeks like a landfill has been following me. EVEN THOUGH I TELL HIM TO GO AWAY!”

There was another splashing sound as Adrianne continued the conversation.

“Says I smell like an Edna? No clue. As lost as you are.”

Adrianne took Novus’ silent shock as cluelessness as she violently continued.

“Hey, didn’t Percival say he was trying to get across a bridge to slay some goblins? Do you think this one would give out some good experience for the party?”

“DON'T KILL THAT GOBLIN!”

Novus hurriedly screamed at Adrianne to sheath her swords he knew were slowly being pulled out and told her to rush to the bridge area with the goblin in tow.

Plink.

The voice chat disconnected as Novus questioned Adrianne’s presence.

“Is she my lucky star? Or my unlucky star? I can’t tell anymore.”

----------------------------------------

“It was really only slime cores….”

In the corner of the woods, Percival drew circles in the ground.

“He’s probably the unluckiest guy in the world. If he had any luck, it’d only be bad. The kind that gets you stuck on every hook, or dropped in the only hole in the area, or fallen on a lonely banana peel, or….”

Smack!

“Stop with the ors!”

Percival rubbed his smacked head and quietly complained so Adrianne wouldn’t hear.

“His luck is rubbing off on me now too….”

Meanwhile, at another tree nearby, Novus clenched Edna’s token as he tried his best to communicate patiently with a goblin.

“Must find Edna!”

Novus’ brows had already stretched, contorted, and furrowed numerous times as he became the personification of patience. The only information he had learned from the goblin was that his name was Garbal, he was currently hysteric, and he was looking for Edna, which he didn’t hesitate to answer. Every. Single. Time.

“Yes. I am from Edna. This is her token. She gave me this token.”

It seemed like cogs were whirling inside Garbal’s brain as he stared back and forth from the token to Novus and then back again. Multiple times.

“Edna Token… but not Edna? Edna, but not Edna.”

Finally, it seemed as if Garbal had arrived at an answer. Spit flew from his mouth as he excitedly pointed towards the token in Novus’ hand.

“Edna Token!”

The flush of a desert wanderer finally finding a real oasis filled Novus’ face.

“Yes! Yes! Edna’s Token! I am Edna’s messenger.”

Garbal’s joy-filled face turned serious as he took Novus’ hand and shook it.

“Edna, but not Edna, help Garbal! Goblins in danger! Help now!”

“Yes, we can help you after we find Edna. Follow me, Garbal. We will go see Edna!”

Novus hooked Garbal’s arm as he tried to shift him towards Avalan. However, Garbal’s arm moved like a snake as it slipped from Novus’ grip. Suddenly, Garbal took off in a sprint towards an opening in the forest, the opening that led to the bridge where Percival was thrown off from.

“Edna, but not Edna! No time! Come!”

“Quick, chase after him!”

Novus’ eyes were glued onto the token that dangled from Garbal’s neck as he recognized it as the one he had previously held. How Garbal had managed to steal it, Novus had no idea.

Adrianne activated Quick Movements, and like a howling wind, she nearly caught up with Garbal. Her hand caught the hem of Garbal’s shirt as he drew in the mana in the air and wrote a symbol with his finger. Suddenly, Garbal was moving twice as fast, and his feet reached the steps of the crossing bridge.

Mana symbols? How does a goblin know that?

After channelling mana towards his legs, small crimson flames burned alongside Novus’ legs as he attempted to catch up to Garbal’s speed.

“Ack!”

A violent, throbbing sensation pulled Novus' focus away and sent him sprawling to the ground. Novus tried to source the odd pain and got up despite it as he ran after his one ticket to becoming a Soul Predator.

“Yes! Follow fast, Edna, but not Edna!”

Garbal’s hoarse goblin voice encouraged Novus and drew the attention of the lingering players on the bridge. Above their heads hung a fluttering flag with a devilish figure holding a golden instrument.

“Catch him!”

From behind Adrianne and Novus, Percival yelled out. He hoped his shout would enlist some help in slowing down Garbal.

“We can’t let the unique monster escape!”

The bridge-guarding players awoke from their bored stupor as they all took out their weapons. Finally, one of the players yelled with greed in their eyes.

“A unique monster! It’s our lucky day!”

Like a BOSS monster, unique monsters were strengthened versions of their usually weaker brethren. They were challenging to deal with and often needed a small group to battle them. Still, the rewards were enough to steel even the cowardly players into a greedy battle, let alone the guarding players who complained about not experiencing enough action.

A large, brutish man stepped out beneath the Laughing Devil’s signature flag group.

“Runt, you’ve come back to atone! I accept your apology monster!”

The brutish man seemed like the discount version of a barbarian as he held a large axe on his shoulders, rusted in spots, and his armour barely fit properly. However, after his defeat at Novus’ hand, Unending Slashes had snuck his way into the Calamity Devils guild and trained like the main character. Or at least, Unending Slashes thought so. Unfortunately, Unending Slashes wasn’t the main character.

Garbal twirled his fingers in the air as he briefly touched his hand to the wooden board of the bridge. Then, snake-like wooden planks suddenly began to rise all around the Laughing Devil’s guild players.

“I won’t forgive you for this!”

Under Novus and his party’s shocked looks, the planks sent the guild members flying into the foggy ravine bottom as easy as flipping an egg. Soon after, the planks resumed their form as they solidified and let Garbal run past unhindered.

“Is that also magic?”

Adrianne used the party voice chat to cut through the fleeting wind and still sound clear. Novus replied with undulating breaths interrupting his words.

“Yeah. Don’t know how a goblin learned it.”

“Serves you right, scumbags.”

Ptew!

Percival’s voice and spitting sound rang out in Novus’ and Adrianne’s minds as they wished he had muted himself before talking and especially before spitting.

“Hey! Wait, I don’t have a movement skill! Slow down!”

However, Novus and Adrianne neglected to slow down as Percival continued to trail further and further behind.

He has a minimap. He’ll catch up.