Goblin Shaman:

Strength: 2 Agility: 8 Endurance: 4

Durability: 3 Prana: 20 Intelligence: 2

Technique: 5

Layton squinted at the numbers. "Looking at this, it doesn’t seem that powerful, right? Can't someone with high Agility just take them out?"

Dus frowned, his expression darkening as he recalled past horrors. "Don't be naive. I lost a teammate because he underestimated a Goblin Shaman."

He continued, "It's true that a character with high Agility could potentially assassinate a Goblin Shaman. But..."

Dus paused, letting the tension build. "The Shaman wields strange magic. Ordinary Goblins and Hobgoblins have low attributes, but once the Shaman uses its magic, their Strength, Agility, Durability, and Endurance all increase by 5 points."

The believers leaned in, their interest piqued. Dus continued, "That means even the weakest Goblin could reach 9 Agility after the Shaman's spell. You must remember that attributes often balance each other. For instance, my own attributes are as follows:

Strength: 8 Agility: 20 Endurance: 8

Durability: 7 Prana: 5 Intelligence: 8

Technique: 8"

He glanced around the room, gauging their reactions. "I have the highest Agility in my former team, but even they were around 10 in their stronger attributes."

"Ah...!" One believer gasped, realization dawning on them. "So after the Goblin Shaman uses its magic, even the speed difference between a regular Goblin and the three Heroes shrinks dramatically!"

Dus nodded. "Exactly. And let's not forget about Hobgoblins. The tallest, leanest Hobgoblin can have 6 Agility points, while the heavier ones have at least 4. After magic boosts, that means..."

"Hobgoblins could have Agility between 9 and 11!" the believers exclaimed in unison.

Ariana’s brows furrowed in concern. "Not only Agility, but Strength could reach 25 points, Endurance to 11, and Durability from 2-4 points could become 7-9." Her voice trembled as she spoke. "If Hobgoblin Durability increases, even with 8 Strength, it’s nearly impossible to kill it in one strike."

Dus elaborated, "And it’s not just Goblins and Hobgoblins that benefit from this magic. The Goblin Shaman itself also gets a boost. Although I have 20 Agility points, the Shaman can reach 13 after its magic kicks in. If it keeps moving, the odds of me closing the gap to kill it become astronomically low."

"Remember, in the jungle there were three Goblin Centurions, thirty Goblin Shamans, three hundred Hobgoblins, and six thousand common Goblins," Anyi's voice cut through the tension, casual yet chilling.

The room felt colder at his words. One Goblin Shaman was already a challenge, but a group? The numbers swirled in the believers’ minds, and doubt crept in.

"Against that many foes, we can’t possibly win...!" someone whispered in despair.

Ariana's heart sank at the thought. "The sheer number of enemies is overwhelming," she admitted, her resolve wavering. "A Goblin Shaman is manageable, but a whole group could crush us."

Dus, who had been pacing, stopped and faced them. "It’s not that the Goblin Shaman is inherently terrifying, but when backed by so many Hobgoblins and Goblins, it changes everything. Just a handful of monsters with attributes close to a Hero's can pose a serious threat."

Dus, arms crossed, surveyed the map with an unreadable expression. "As for the Goblin Centurion, I’ve never encountered one, let alone killed a Goblin Shaman. I don’t even qualify to face a Centurion." then he tossed the pen onto the table. "If you’re all set on heading into the jungle to die, I’ll join you. But if things go south, I’m out. With my 20 Agility, I’m not sticking around for a massacre."

The conference concluded in a somber tone. They had time to prepare and strategize, but with the looming threat, uncertainty clouded their minds.

While Dus could escape with ease, the same couldn’t be said for many of the Heroes. Some would likely find themselves unable to fight back or even flee when faced with such overwhelming odds.

After the meeting, Layton returned to keep an eye on the Succubus, and the believers filtered out of the room, some moving to prepare for battle, others tasked with welcoming additional Heroes.

The meeting room fell silent, a heavy emptiness lingering in the air. Ariana leaned against the table, her expression troubled, while Anyi stood before the map, deep in thought.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Anyi..." Ariana spoke up, her voice filled with concern, "Our levels are really low, aren't they? Are we really sure we can win?"

Anyi shrugged nonchalantly. "When you called me, I thought you were going to suggest retreating to level up."

She offered a faint smile. "I had that idea, actually. I feel responsible not just for us, but for humanity. As the Holy Maiden of the Theocracy, if I die, what becomes of everyone else?"

"Responsible... Ah." Anyi’s voice was laced with understanding.

In his previous life, Ariana had fought valiantly as a Commander-in-Chief during the Holy War against the Demon Lord. She had faced immense odds and emerged a beacon of hope. But in this life, it was too early for her to sacrifice herself. She wasn’t just any Hero; she was the heart of the believers. If she fell now, their faith in their deity, their "Kami-sama," would shatter.

The implications of her potential death weighed heavily on everyone. While the majority of believers might maintain their faith, losing the Holy Maiden would create irreparable cracks in their collective spirit.

"Holy Maiden, I have some good news for you." Anyi's voice was calm, his gaze fixed on Ariana.

"Good news?" Ariana's head rose slowly from the table where she had rested, her cheek flushed red from pressing against the surface.

"Yes," Anyi began. "Remember when we took down the Slime King? It was recommended that the entire team be at level 5 for that battle. Well, the Goblin Shaman—being a Class 3 monster—is comparable to the Slime King. It’s also an F-level mission."

Ariana blinked, listening closely.

"Now," Anyi continued, "each of us has just reached level 5, which gives us a total of 54 points to distribute, not counting the initial points. If we evenly split those across Strength, Agility, Endurance, and Durability—the attributes that directly affect physical combat—each attribute would be around 14."

Ariana’s eyes widened. "Ah...! So at level 5, we’ll be able to easily take on the magic-enhanced Goblins and Hobgoblins!"

"Exactly," Anyi confirmed. "Even if a Hobgoblin’s Strength reaches 25, they’ll be in a bad position. They won’t be able to keep up with us, nor withstand our attacks."

He paced slightly, his voice steady. "After defeating the Slime King, we gained enough experience to jump two levels. If we kill a Goblin Shaman, we’ll gain enough experience to do the same—jump another two levels. So just imagine—how many levels do you think we could reach?"

"Nine," Ariana responded promptly, her voice growing more confident.

"And if you factor in the experience from other Goblins we encounter, we’ll likely hit level 10 or higher," Anyi added. "By then, we’ll have five more points to distribute compared to where we stand now at level 5. Think about it. Dus mentioned he’d invest those points into Agility, but I believe that’s a mistake."

He smiled faintly, his eyes sharp. "What if, instead, he put all those points into Strength?"

Ariana’s mouth fell open slightly. "Then his Strength would hit 13...! He’d be able to cut down any Goblin that dared stand in his way!"

"Exactly," Anyi said, his tone matter-of-fact. "But it’s not just about Dus. Right now, we’re in an ideal position. We’re ahead of the curve, stronger than most. And if we go into battle against the Goblin Shaman now, at level 7, it’s almost laughable how easily we could dominate them."

"But..." Ariana hesitated, her brows furrowing. "There are thirty Goblin Shamans in that jungle. That’s a lot different from just one Slime King."

Anyi tilted his head slightly. "No one said we have to kill them all at once. Just one is enough. One Goblin Shaman would complete the F-level mission. We’d get the experience, the rewards, and new equipment."

Ariana's eyes gleamed with newfound hope, the weight of earlier doubts lifting from her heart. "So... killing a recommended level 5 monster isn’t as difficult as I thought."

"Not difficult at all," Anyi affirmed.

It was clear now—this wasn’t just a game of survival; it was about leveraging their knowledge and strength to rise above. They had the edge, and soon, the others would understand that as well.

"Now we just need to tell the other Heroes," Anyi said, his voice calm yet purposeful. "Do you still think it’s hard to take down thirty Goblin Shamans after hearing all this?"

Ariana paused, considering the gravity of it. "Tell... the others?"

"If we let them know that they only need to reach level 5 to crush the Goblins, the morale boost will be unlike anything we’ve seen before. They’ll believe again. The enemy isn’t invincible."

However, as her spirits lifted, Ariana still had one final concern. "But... what about the Goblin Centurions? If we go on a large-scale offensive, won’t we alert them?"

Anyi smiled faintly. "Surprise attack," he said simply.

Ariana blinked, and then it clicked. **Of course!** That had been the purpose of this entire meeting—planning a surprise attack on the Goblin Centurions!

"This mission... only we can do it, right?" Ariana stood, her eyes alight with determination.

Anyi nodded. "After sharing this strategy with the other Heroes, we’ll strike directly at the Goblin Centurion. My Strength is now at 22, Layton’s Durability has risen to 29, and your Prana has reached 30. We need high stats to take down a Goblin Centurion."

From under the table, Miruku stirred. "...What about me?" she muttered.

Ariana glanced at her, and Anyi smiled gently. "Your role is crucial, Miruku."

Miruku’s eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat. **Crucial?!**

Hearing that from Anyi filled her with a sense of pride. She couldn’t let the team down now. No matter what task lay ahead, she was ready to tackle it.

"Miss Miruku," Anyi continued, "you’re the fastest among us. Once we confirm the path, you’ll help us scout out the Goblin Centurions’ exact positions. If we’re lucky, there’ll only be one. If not, we’ll wait for the Centurions to split up before making our move."

He paused for emphasis. "But that’s not all. Once you see them, you’ll unlock the Bestiary. That means we’ll have access to all the information about the Goblin Centurion. And thanks to our experience with the Succubus, we know that any knowledge you gain will be shared with the entire team."

Under Anyi’s steady explanation, Ariana’s doubts dissolved. It truly was good news—a sound, fully-realized plan that considered both tactics and psychology. It wasn’t just theory; it was actionable, real.

"I’ll go tell everyone!" Ariana exclaimed, running out of the room with renewed purpose.

As the door shut, Miruku crawled out from under the table and sat quietly. Anyi watched her with a small, knowing smile.

"Want to talk about the battle plan?" he asked casually.

Miruku shook her head, her movements small and hesitant.

After a long pause, she gathered her courage and finally spoke. "Mr. Anyi... there’s something I need to tell you."