Shin nonchalantly watched the tribe of tree goblins charge towards him. “Nor.”
The orange sickle weasel appeared at his call and rushed towards the horde. Nor lunged into a whirlwind, slicing through one side of the crowd like they were leaves. Two more lunges finished off the rest. A lash of his scythe bisected the enraged chief. A sphere of vines tightly wound around the fearful treepriest but another slash split apart the green barrier along with goblin.
[Achievement: Monster Slayer I. 25 attribute points rewarded.]
‘Kill 1,000 monsters with total attribute points higher than the player’s.’
Nor dashed over to the Shin’s side without ceremony. “Incompetents, Sir Shin. We must search for more worthy foes.”
“Soon, maybe.” Shin drew several talismans between his fingers, and a large ball of fire from the distance slammed into the goblin tree, setting the whole thing ablaze in moments.
Shin turned to look at the small group of players he had spotted a while back with spirit eyes. Eight in total, none scurrying around in secret, and in the middle of them out in front a middle aged man with a thick graying goatee, heavily armored and bearing an aura of relaxed confidence.
“I believe you have something of mine.” The man’s voice reached Shin’s ears from that distance as though he were standing right beside him.
“These are mine.”
“No.” The man hummed with a scottish twang. “When that fire settles, I’ll be claiming the emblem myself. Which means, you only have the one.”
A sword and axe appeared in Shin’s hands. The man with the goatee chuckled. “Now that wouldn’t be a smart move.” The rest of the members shifted slightly.
“Tell you what. You seem capable. Why don’t you join us and we finish this thing together.”
“No.”
“I suppose you haven’t seen the gatekeeper then, seeing as you think this is something you can take on alone.” Shin paused out of interest and the man seemed to pick up on that.
“You see, all you need is two pieces and it shines a light straight to where you need to go. If you met that monster, you wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss my offer. If that’s what they put outside the dungeon, one can only imagine what’s inside.” The man continued without waiting for a response.
“How about this. You come with us and see for yourself. Then you can decide if you want to be friends or… go at it alone.”
Shin put his weapons away. “Okay.”
“We have a plan then. Best get a move on. Don’t want to run out of time after all this work, aye?”
---
Shin jogged alongside the party at a pace much slower than he had become accustomed to. They were mostly physical types but centered their speed around their slowest, the casters. All eight were greater rank with uncommon tier classes, not a single exception. By class name alone, they were a Tactician, Curer, Spotter, Battlepriest, Fighter, Duelist, Marksman, and Evoker. He couldn’t see their skills naturally, but he had an idea about the possibilities based on experience.
Shin glanced at the leader with his eyes only, a Tactician, something he hadn’t encountered before in any capacity. He guessed it upgraded from a bard class, based on his voice magic, but had no definitive proof. Bards lean towards caster types but it was clear from the way he moved and his stamina that the bard leader had invested heavily into physical stats.
The whole party moved half decently, scouting ahead, checking their points, keeping a solid guard up within a flexible formation. All were attentive and steeled. Shin supposed over three weeks of this forest was enough to weed out the ones who weren’t capable. The gear they donned likely played a factor. Few traces of the starting items he was familiar with remained on them. Their gear was among the best he had seen before and all eight were well equipped in it.
“Where did you get your items?”
The party turned towards Shin, most of them rather amazed he could be so blunt and carefree given his situation.
“Dungeons and crafters, mostly.” The tactician answered.
“Mostly.” The bow wielding marksman echoed sardonically. A glance made that the only thing he said.
“What’s inside a dungeon?”
“Never been?”
“No.”
“A long line of monsters and a strong one at the end.”
“They drop items?”
“Some have usable gear. The best stuff comes in a chest when you kill the leader.”
“Game mechanics…” Shin thought.
“You have a strange class on you, though. What’s a spiritualist entail exactly?”
“Spirits.”
“Never would’ve guessed.”
A low whistle came from up ahead and the party followed into a small clearing with cover in all directions but nothing too dense to sneak up close.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
“Here’s good.” The leader said after glancing around.
Shin waited around in silence as the party started inspecting the surroundings, setting up traps, and talking amongst themselves. They gradually gathered around the tactician as they finished whatever their tasks were. The tactician looked up from a discussion and gestured Shin over.
“Right then.” He spoke as Shin walked near. “We’ll camp here, rest up for the big quest tomorrow. We have watch so feel free to get a good night’s sleep. Good?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Tawny, Mark, Lucas, Lynn, take first watch.” Four of them headed to the center of the camp and stood with their backs to each other facing each direction.
Shin walked over to the cliff face and set up his tent, entering it drawing the gazes of the party in awe of his careless attitude. The bard signalled the other three to follow him to the watch, and cast a transparent sphere around them.
“You serious ‘bout this, Wallace?” The duelist asked as soon as the veil of silence was up.
“Yes.”
“He’s wearing my brother’s armor!”
“Right, take that shite, yeah? And bottle it up. No one is running around on their own this late in the game if they can’t handle themselves. We can use him.”
“He’s got a greater rare middleweight at least…” The battlepriest woman spoke up.
“Probably melee skills too.”
“Whatever he’s got, something big is waiting past that gate.” Wallace cut in. “Anyone have a problem with having another body to throw at it?”
No one spoke up. “Alright. Now get some rest. I want everyone in top shape tomorrow.” Wallace walked over to his tent and entered. The veil containing their conversation dispersed as did the other three on second watch. Shin sat in the dark of his tent in calm silence, watching with iridescent eyes.
---
Shin stared at the entrance to the tree goblin dungeon, a stone door carved into the base of a small mountain between two goblin trees, a wide crest shaped indent visible. The roots embedded deep, partially breaking through the surface and encircling the ground around the door. Pacing the territory of the trees with thundering steps was a giant, hulking goblin. Bark covered its head and torso like armor and small branches and leaves grew from its flesh. In one arm it held a gnarled wooden club nearly as tall as itself, resting heavily on its shoulder.
[Giant Tree Goblin Gatekeeper (rare) - Greater Peasant]
“A superior rare.” Wallace told Shin from his side. “We call them Heavies. Killable, but it keeps growing back, no matter what. The trees drop wood goblins endlessly as soon as you catch its attention. They grow back into tree goblins if you don’t kill them right. The door is solid, no way in without the key. So… what’s your choice?”
Shin casually tossed a golden metal fragment, which landed slowly in the tactician’s hand. Wallace smiled and a notification appeared in front of Shin inviting him to join his party, which he accepted.
“Alright. Just like we planned. Lucas, Kai, Lynn draw the gatekeeper away. Everyone else is on gardening duty.”
The Duelist, Spotter, and Marksman ran off sticking close together. The moment they stepped into the territory marked by the roots the gatekeeper turned his head, roaring at the sight of them. Immediately they veered to the left and the giant goblin lumbered after.
“Go.”
The rest took off on Wallace’s signal, the battlepriest and fighter taking vanguard. The gatekeeper’s head lurched their way with the first step in but its focus was quickly recaptured with an arrow that burst into flames. It swung its mighty club as the trio jumped back, maintaining a steady distance. The first of the wooden fruit hit the ground before the team even got close to the door.
“Mark with me.” Wallace said as he and the fighter broke off to the left.
“Follow me.” The battlepriest told Shin right after and he followed, trailing slightly behind. The evoker and curer kept a straight pace to the door.
The first wood goblin to full form rushed straight at Tawny, and was bashed away to the ground by her shield. She struck a second with her mace sending it bumping over the first.
“Save your mana. We just need to keep them away.” She shouted at Shin as she struck away another wood goblin.
Two maces appeared in Shin’s hands as he followed her example, though to far lesser effect. He struck faster but the battlepriest woman had clearly favored strength quite a bit. Shin fought at a casual pace, knocking the growing number of wooden golems off balance more than away.
The evoker and curer reached the door and placed the emblem into the slot. The eyes of the emblem glowed green and the door shuddered, but instead of opening inwards, slowly starting sinking into the ground. The gatekeeper jolted in its direction and charged with a roar, ignoring all attempts to draw its focus.
“Door’s not ready!” The curer yelled
“Tawny!” Wallace bellowed. She knocked a goblin away and turned, sprinting off towards the gatekeeper without hesitation. Shin kicked a goblin away and belted them to the ground at a faster rate until the fighter showed up to take her place, his fists making for an effective a crowd control as a mace and shield. Shin heard a deep grunt behind him, like a warrior’s chant, and a thundering crash of wood on steel.
“How much longer?!” Wallace’s voice bellowed.
“Halfway!”
“Can you hold?!”
A heavy crash shook the ground. “Not long!” The Tawny shouted in response.
Shin ignored the intermittent crashes of soil and occasionally steel and focused on the growing army of wood goblins. One mace swapped out for an axe and cleaved through a wooden arm.
Shin struck another away with the mace and beheaded the dismembered one. The headless wood goblin rushed forward without pause and Shin bashed it away. Being headless didn’t affect them and Shin doubted he had the power to cleave through their torsos.
He swapped back to a mace and increased the pace of his attack, striking around their center mass to knock them over and over. Curses and shouts followed another crash behind him.
“Fire! Once!”
Shin knocked two wood goblins away and glanced back to see the evoker woman channel a great ball of fire and blast it straight at the gatekeeper’s head. The giant goblin reeled and clawed at the flames wrapped around its head before throwing off its fiery helm, leaving only embers behind on his body.
“Status!”
“The portal’s still not here!” The curer yelled back.
Shin glanced back again in between swatting goblins. The battlepriest was slow to her feet, and the others had heightened the seriousness of their attacks but still were holding back.
“Eyes.”
Nor emerged and darted towards the gatekeeper, breaking into a whirling lunge that slices clean through both eyes before vanishing midair. The giant staggered with a pained roar for a moment, before blindly charging towards the door, thrashing around its club wildly. Wallace cursed and then let loose a booming shout, sending a concussive shockwave right on the club as it lowered, knocking it into the gatekeeper’s stride. The giant goblin stumbled and fell flat on its stomach. But the lull in tension lasted only seconds before the monster started to rise to its feet.
“Keep it down!” Wallace urged. The others peppered the giant creature with what they could but it merely bought small moments.
“We need fire!”
“No!” He shot down. “Keep stalling!”
The curer frantically watched the stone door, his head swiveling back and forth between the threats surrounding him. Slowly the door sunk, just barely cracking the surface until finally it stopped and mana swirled in place of the pitch black wall.
“Open!” He yelled.
“Run!” Wallace ordered.
The curer and evoker jumped through first. Wallace ran to the entrance and stood point ushering in the others. First the spotter then the duelist, lending a shoulder to the battlepriest, running in a pained limp as fast as she could. Shin broke off from his vanguard at the same time as the fighter and glanced at the situation before passing through.
He stepped onto a stone floor and took note of his surroundings. A large corridor made completely of stone in a primitive but sturdy design. Roots broke through some of the cracks and coated the floor and walls sparsely. All the others who passed through were there, waiting. The battlepriest had slumped down against the wall, the curer casting magic on the leg she was holding. Only a second passed before Wallace and the archer came through the portal, both intact.
Wallace looked around, inspecting the status of his party. “Right. That’s the first hurdle done.”