A tide of fear surged within Adam, causing his heart to pound like a drum against his ribcage. His instinct screamed at him to run, to put as much distance as possible between him and the oncoming danger.

Swallowing hard, he mustered every ounce of his resolve and launched himself into action. He took off, his legs propelling him forward with an urgency he hadn't felt before.

Rocks and debris crunched beneath his boots, a distant echo compared to the thunderous galloping that was rapidly closing in on him.

But the mounted hobgoblins were faster and more coordinated than he anticipated. They swept around him like a predatory pack, their dire wolves snarling, saliva dripping from their fangs.

His escape routes were swiftly and strategically blocked. Adam found himself encircled, a sea of hostile faces leering at him from atop their monstrous mounts.

He skidded to a halt, his breath coming out in ragged gasps, heart pounding in his chest. There was nowhere to run. Adam was trapped.

He glanced around the tightening circle of hobgoblins, their gleaming eyes reflecting the cruel delight of the hunt. His gaze locked onto Odurg, the shaman's gaze piercing and unyielding.

A tense silence settled over them, interrupted only by the snarls of the dire wolves and the panicked beat of Adam's heart. The confrontation was inevitable. Adam didn’t think an entire hobgoblin war pack would pursue him, but Adam wasn't one to give up easily.

He stood tall, his grip tightening around the hilt of the Immortal dream blade, ready to face whatever came next.

"Stop!" The shaman's voice cut through the tense air, booming and authoritative. His command was irrefutable, the circle of mounted hobgoblins around him fell into a stifling silence, their collective gaze transfixed on the cloaked figure standing before them.

The shaman, his presence imposing even without the benefit of the dire wolf beneath him. Adam held his breath, his mind racing as he tried to keep his identity concealed beneath his cloak's hood.

Then, in a move that sent a chilling jolt through Adam's spine, the shaman reached into his satchel, pulling out the lifeless, decapitated head of Revilra, the female hobgoblin he'd slain earlier.

"Is this the killer?" the shaman barked out the question, not to Adam, but to the severed head in his hand.

The mouth twitched and then, to his abject horror, it screeched back, "That's him! He killed me! Murderer!" Its voice was an echoing wail that reverberated off the surrounding mountains, adding a surreal quality to the nightmarish scene.

The severed head's haunting accusation hung in the air, the word 'murderer' echoing in his ears. All eyes were on him now, glaring, waiting for his response.

The shaman, Odurg, fixed him with a penetrating stare, his eyes brimming with cold fury. "Speak, intruder," he commanded, his voice low and venomous. "You've spilled the blood of our chieftain's youngest bride, someone dear to me as a daughter. You've stolen our treasures. Tell us, why have you stolen from us?"

The question hung heavily in the air, a guillotine poised to strike. The suspense was palpable, the gathering hobgoblins awaiting Adam's response, their bloodlust barely contained.

Anger ignited within Adam. He'd thought he had made a clean escape, but the shaman had some ability that let him trace Revilra’s killer.

Adam knew he had nothing left to hide now. Pulling back his hood, he revealed his striking white hair and pale skin. He didn't see a way out, but he figured, 'might as well try to talk my way through this.'

Several of the hobgoblins gasped, murmuring, "A human..."

The goblin servant, sitting behind the shaman, squealed, "Gh-ghost! Ghost of Three Days!"

The shaman turned to the terrified goblin, “Shut up you oaf.”

He turned back to Adam and continued, "I'm a fair man," the shaman began, his voice deceptively calm. "Return the resources you stole, and I will ask the chieftain for your forgiveness."

In response, Adam grinned, his eyes locked onto the petrified goblin. ‘This is a chance to get out of this alive.’

"Odurg," Adam started, his voice strong and calm, "I know things about you, things you wouldn't want out in the open."

Odurg's eyes narrowed, his face hardening. "I don’t like threats."

Adam shrugged, a hint of a grin tugging at his lips. "It's not a threat, Odurg. It's a promise."

Facing Odurg, Adam met his frosty gaze unflinchingly. "You've got me cornered now, but remember, things can change. Do you really want to meet me when I'm not at a disadvantage? Because, trust me, I won't hesitate to take you down then."

Their reaction was as he expected. The hobgoblins broke into boisterous laughter, jabbing their fingers towards Adam, their faces wide with grins. Even Odurg couldn't suppress his amusement.

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Only the goblin servant appeared frightened. But Adam didn't let it bother him. He offered them a calm, confident smile in return.

With a final chuckle, Odurg challenged him, "Your future is meaningless if you die today. Even if you become stronger tomorrow, reach the entity stage, how will that save you now? Return what you stole and I'll grant you a quick death."

Adam stayed cool, keeping his eyes on the shaman. "Maybe you'd change your mind if you knew the whole story," he replied calmly. He looked at the goblin servant. "Why don't you tell them why you call me the Ghost of Three Days?"

The goblin stuttered, clearly scared. "H-he... he comes back... like a ghost... three days after he dies. He can't be killed."

The shaman turned his attention to the trembling goblin. "Speak up," he commanded, "and speak clearly."

Shivering with fear, the goblin hastily began again. "The Ghost of Three Days, he would revive stronger with each death and he would slaughter more of us each time, and some... some he left mute, blank-faced. I didn't want to face that fate, so I ran to your village."

Turning to Odurg, Adam wore a confident smile. "Go ahead, end my life. But know this, I will come back. And my first act will be telling your chieftain about your little rendezvous with this so-called daughter of yours. I will hunt each one of you down, I will not rest until I am powerful enough to kill all of you."

Nodding towards the shivering goblin, “His old village is nothing but ash now. Everyone there died. No one was spared. Do you want the same thing to happen to yours?”

Silence descended upon the crowd as the laughter faded. Fear was evident on the hobgoblins' faces, replacing earlier smirks.

The shaman's face, though attempting to maintain composure, betrayed his fury. Their eyes locked in a tense standoff, Adam saw a flicker of indecision in the shaman's eyes.

Odurg scoffed, "I don't believe you, you crazy child."

Adam shrugged, meeting his gaze evenly. "Belief isn't a requirement. We can fight now. I'll probably lose, but that's fine because I'll be back."

Odurg whirled around to face the cowering goblin. "I took you under my wing because you were smarter than the other goblins. If you're lying, I'll make your existence a living nightmare."

The goblin, trembling, stuttered out, "I... I'm not lying, I swear. Just keep me away from the ghost."

There was something compelling about the raw fear evident in the goblin's demeanor. It lent credibility to Adam's claims, providing a crucial, if unwitting, ally in his bid to negotiate for his survival. His words may have induced terror, but the sincerity of the goblin's fear was what gave them weight.

Recognizing Odurg's hesitation, Adam chose to negotiate. "Let's strike a deal," he proposed. "I give back your stuff, you let me leave. Dying isn't fun, even if I do come back."

Odurg's eyes flicked from Adam to the petrified goblin and back. Eventually, he sighed, "Alright. Return everything you've stolen and we'll call it even."

Adam grinned, "except one item."

Odurg's brow knitted together, his voice firm. "You will give back everything."

Unfazed, Adam stood his ground. "I didn't risk my neck for nothing. I'll keep the Dream Stone. Your choices are simple: kill me now and pay later, or let me have it."

After mulling it over, Odurg gave a reluctant nod. It was a bitter pill for Adam to swallow, returning all the loot he'd risked so much for, but the Dream Stone was worth it. The rest was just a nice bonus.

But he stayed vigilant, aware that a betrayal could still be on the cards. He methodically dropped his loot, watching as his hard-earned spoils clattered onto the ground. Next came the resources, pulled out from his [Cult Resources] and dropped back on the ground.

Odurg commanded his hobgoblins to pick up their returned goods. They scrambled to gather everything, their mounts snorting as the excess load was strapped to them.

"All there, except the Dream Stone," Adam declared, maintaining his composed demeanor.

Odurg grunted in acknowledgment, then threw out another question. "Did you have any hand in Gundug's death?"

Adam responded with a firm shake of his head, denying the accusation.

Odurg's eyes narrowed, studying Adam one last time before he made his decision. "Fine, we're done. The chieftain might see things differently, but I won't hunt you down. Just stay out of our sight. Consider yourself lucky, I'm not too fond of Revilra."

Adam bit back a sharp retort. He didn't want to provoke the shaman into changing his mind. Instead, he nodded, accepting the decision. With that, the hobgoblins turned around and left, leaving Adam alone once again.

As Adam watched the hobgoblins fade into the distance, a chilly resolve settled within him. He made a silent pledge, "I'll get back everything I lost, and then some, when I'm strong enough."

The setback stung, sure, but he'd kept the most important things - his life and his invaluable time in the Dreamverse. Those outweighed any temporary loss of resources.

With a resolute turn, Adam left the place of his defeat, heading towards the mountain sanctuary. He brought up his [Map], checking if he was on the right path.

---

Back in the mountain sanctuary, Adam navigated to the 'build blueprint' button for the tier 1 sacrificial altar and clicked. The altar materialized right in front of his eyes, the system knew exactly where he wanted to place it.

He stepped back to take in the sight, and a wave of satisfaction swept over him. There it was – the result of his careful planning, calculated risks, and painstaking effort.

But as he reveled in his achievement, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment at the sight of his nearly depleted inventory and resources.

"Damn those hobgoblins, taking back what I worked hard to steal," Adam grumbled to himself.

A bitter taste filled his mouth as he remembered the hard-earned loot he had been forced to part with. It was a setback, but not an insurmountable one. He decided it was about time he found a communal species that he could sacrifice to reach his goal of level 15.

His mind drifted back to the sacred sacrificial ritual scroll tucked away in his inventory. Without it, he wouldn't have a clue about the necessary steps to perform a sacrifice. Its current tier was 0, and he needed to upgrade it.

With his remaining soul shards, he initiated the upgrade. A humming vibration spread through his fingers as the scroll absorbed the soul shards and began to transform.

The scroll shimmered, then grew larger, intricate runes appearing on its surface. The transformation ended with a final pulse of power, leaving him with an upgraded sacrificial scroll.

Adam turned it over in his hands, studying the glowing runes. He could feel the thrum of energy coursing through it, promising new possibilities and power.

“Time to find some beasts.”