Roddy cautiously walked through the dead forest, guarded by his dark servants on all sides, his mental power reaching out to detect any unseen dangers. Since entering Agardopolis, he had a persistent feeling of being watched, as if an enemy lurked ahead. Although not superstitious, Roddy couldn't help but consider if his intuition reflected reality. For three days, he progressed slowly, carefully exploring the path ahead, ensuring safety before passing through areas susceptible to ambushes.
Especially after discovering that a patrolling goblin captain was a four-star warrior skilled in fighting spirit, Roddy became even more cautious and vigilant.
Despite his precautions, Roddy was ambushed while crossing a seemingly safe area of low, dead trees. Suddenly feeling a chill of impending death, he instinctively protected his head and face and rolled backward. Marcus and Nicholas spread their arms to shield him, but it was too late. Roddy found himself on the ground with a long blowgun dart embedded in his shoulder. From the nearby dead trees, four or five goblins emerged, wielding strange knives, and swiftly attacked him.
Roddy couldn't understand how he had failed to detect the enemies so close, especially given his necromantic senses. Could goblin camouflage magic be at the level of a magic grandmaster? Without such high-level magic, how could they deceive his mental detection, especially when he was on high alert?
Dark carnivorous vines sprang from the ground, wrapping around Roddy's legs and pulling him away. More red-haired darts landed where he had just fallen. Marcus rushed to confront the attackers while Nicholas quickly released a blinding spell.
"Good reaction, human necromancer, but it's too late," a hoarse voice sneered from behind Roddy. Turning around, he saw an old goblin, cloaked in animal skins, wearing a bone hat, and leaning on a skull-topped staff. The goblin's hand glowed red, ready to cast a spell.
"Puppets..." In a life-threatening moment, Roddy calmly summoned a stone golem puppet, not to attack but to crouch beside him and forcibly block the incoming magical attack.
Almost simultaneously, a bolt of lightning shot from the goblin shaman's staff, striking the puppet's back and blasting it apart. Roddy was shaken, seeing stars and feeling dizzy, but a sliver of survival instinct made him command the dark vines to rapidly pull him away from danger.
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"Fire God above, grant your follower the flames to annihilate the enemy's body and soul," the goblin shaman chanted, conjuring a massive fireball that homed in on Roddy.
Emma lunged forward, her arms shielding Roddy, her stone skin enhanced with fighting spirit. But the explosion sent her flying, and Roddy was tossed several meters away.
Nicholas quickly cast a 'Ghost Fang' spell at the goblin shaman, while Marcus, holding Roddy, fended off the attacking goblin soldiers. The mantises created whirlwinds with their scythes, slicing open two goblins and spraying blood everywhere.
"Dark God above, grant your follower the curse to cripple the enemy's body and twist their soul," the shaman cast a purple fire, scattering Nicholas's 'Ghost Fang' and knocking him to the ground, unable to stand. Roddy, shocked and enraged, saw his most reliable dark servant incapacitated by a single strike.
With death looming and anger surging, Roddy concentrated his mental power into a nearly tangible mind hammer, smashing it viciously at the shaman.
The mantises flew around, slaying three more goblin soldiers. The goblin soldiers seemed ordinary, but the bizarre old goblin shaman was exceptionally powerful.
"Ah..." Struck by the mind hammer, the shaman wobbled, a mirror-like shield around him shattering into magical sparks. Surprised by Roddy's concealed and powerful counterattack, the shaman hadn't expected the beleaguered Roddy to break through his magical shield.
"Kill you!" Roddy, furious, lashed out with his mental power like a whip at the shaman's frail body.
"How did a human learn mental magic?" the shaman gasped, dematerializing and reappearing behind Roddy. The mental whip grazed him slightly, causing him to spew blood and nearly collapse.
Pointing his staff at Roddy, the shaman's eyes showed fear and confusion.
"Go to hell and ask!" Roddy, feeling half-paralyzed, realized the dire situation. The dart in his shoulder was poisoned, and if he didn't kill his enemy before the poison took full effect, his life would be in peril.
The dark vines and mantises attacked from above and below, aiming to kill the magically powerful but physically weak shaman.
"Beast God above, grant your follower a mighty summoned beast to ensure safety," the shaman chanted swiftly. A magical light descended, and a gigantic figure, over five meters tall, unfurled and stood up, roaring towards the sky. Marcus, after killing the last goblin soldier, hurled his greatsword at the shaman.
Roddy hoped this surprise attack would kill the shaman. However, experienced and cunning, the shaman used a goblin soldier's corpse as a shield, blocking the sword, which failed to reach him.
The massive monster, a two-headed hill troll, grabbed a dead tree as a weapon. Its brute strength was intimidating, but fortunately, its movements were clumsy. The dark vines tried to entangle the troll's legs, but it broke free. Roddy quickly cast another mind hammer, striking one of the troll's heads, causing only a slight daze.
Nearby, the shaman continued casting, summoning wolf-sized rat-like creatures that scurried out with shrill cries.
"Nicholas, Blindness!" Roddy called, urging Nicholas to cast a blinding spell.
"Moon God above, grant your follower the clarity to dispel all confusion," the shaman countered with a mocking laugh, releasing a moon-like radiance that instantly neutralized Nicholas's spell.
"I can't believe it, how many gods do you worship?" Roddy exclaimed in frustration.