When Elijah arrived at the northern exit of the village, he saw the goblins gathered together and waiting to leave. This exit was opposite from the exit normally used by everyone in the village. The reason Elijah used that exit was because he planned to explore the forest north of the village.
Elder Jamal and the other hunters focused most of their attention on exploring the forest south of the village. Elijah thought the hunt would be more exciting and fruitful if they targeted the beasts in the forest north of the village. He didn’t have to leave through the northern exit, but Elijah thought it was the best place to start their journey.
Other than a northern exit there was an eastern and western exit. These three exits were smaller than the southern exit and were less frequently used. These other exits were built so the villagers had multiple ways of escaping if the village caught on fire again.
Using his Supreme Eyes, Elijah examined the energy of the gathered goblins. Most of the goblins were missing a few health points, but it was nothing major. As for their stamina and mental energy, both were above ninety percent.
Now, Elijah didn’t mean to be racist, but he thought all the goblins looked the same when he first saw them grouped together. They all had green skin, yellow eyes, long ears and a short stature. They were covered in fur, a slingshot and a small pouch strapped to their waste, and a short weapon. The two most common weapons that the goblins were wielding were clubs and daggers.
Clink was dressed in a similar fashion, but he had a few additional items that made him stand out. The most obvious and attention-grabbing item was the staff in his hand. Also, Clink had a few gold and silver trinkets hanging from different parts of his body.
“Alright, it looks like were ready to go,” Elijah announced as he approached the goblins. Elijah was about to continue speaking but Clink quickly cut him off.
“It’s time to hunt! Everyone, follow me.”
Without looking at Elijah or any of the other goblins, Clink lifted up the wooden bar locking the northern exit and walked out. Many goblins followed Clink, but more than a few goblins turned to look at Elijah. What they saw was a smile.
Elijah was glad to see that Clink hadn’t lost his stubbornness. Elijah wanted the goblins to follow his commands and the rules he set for his territory. However, he wasn’t willing to destroy their will or individuality to accomplish this goal. With a smile on his face, Elijah calmly followed after Clink and the other goblins out of the village. For now, he didn’t mind letting Clink play the role of the leader.
“Looking for something?” Elder Jeb sternly asked.
Bart flinched and abruptly turned his head to look at Elder Jeb. Bart decided to take a stroll through the village after he finished his cultivation and stumbled upon the gathering of goblins. When he saw Elijah leave with the goblins a few dark thoughts happen to appear in his mind.
“I was just walking around,” Bart casually replied.
Elder Jeb wasn’t satisfied with that response. Instead of responding to Bart, Elder Jeb continue to look at him with a stern expression. It didn’t take long for Bart to become annoyed by Elder Jeb’s gaze. After a few seconds Bart responded with a frown on his face.
“What? Is it against the law for me to look at other people?”
Elder Jeb continued to silently stare at Bart.
“You got something to say old man?”
More Staring.
“Hmph, whatever,” Bart snorted and turned to leave. “Keep standing there like an idiot. I’m going back to rest.”
“Hmph, what a brat.” Elder Jeb muttered to himself. He watched Bart walk away and spoke after he saw him disappear behind a building. “It may be a coincidence that he showed up here, but even a blind man can see that he is nursing some evil thoughts. When Eli returns, I have to remind him to keep an eye on that boy. It would be a shame if the person I bet on died because of carelessness.”
Elder Jeb thought about the evil intentions that Bart might have and a few defensive measures they could take in response. After a few minutes passed, Elder Jeb decided to return to his home to rest. However, halfway through his journey he stopped after a thought entered his mind.
“Is that brat really going to rest?”
…
Under the night sky, Elijah and dozens of goblins crossed the grassy area between the village and the forest. Once they left the village, Clink led the goblins in jogging toward the forest. With Elijah’s current dexterity, he didn’t have a problem easily keeping up. He casually followed behind the group and let himself indulge in the night atmosphere.
Looking up, Elijah saw a brilliant silver half-moon hanging in the sky surrounded by a sea of stars. It was a beautiful sight. Taking a deep breath, Elijah enjoyed the pleasant feeling of the cold night air, astral energy, and the smell of grass and soil filling his lungs.
Elijah was a bit surprised by the cold, but he wasn’t bothered by it. With his current stats, the cold he felt wasn’t greater than a slight chill. Plus, he was in a virtual reality game. If he didn’t see some numbers or words on a screen, he wasn’t going to worry.
Other than taking note of the temperature, Elijah paid close attention to the grass. Moving through the grass that was taller than his waist, the first thing Elijah noticed was the gentle glow it emitted. The grass turned into green lamps that pushed back the darkness surrounding the village.
Under the effects of his territory’s astral vein, the beasts, plants, and the ground were undergoing changes throughout his territory. Therefore, Elijah wasn’t surprised by the glowing grass. However, he was surprised by the lack of information he received when he examined the grass.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Item: Grass
Description: An ordinary grass that can be found throughout Fallen Heaven. This grass has absorbed more energy than normal grass.
Perhaps there was really nothing special about it, but Elijah didn’t believe what he read. He was confident that there was something more to the grass. Therefore, he asked Walter to take a closer look at the grass. Hopefully, he would be able to uncover its secrets.
“Stop,” Elijah commanded with his Supreme Speech skill active. “Take a second to look over your weapons and other items before we go in.”
When Elijah spoke to the goblins, he always tried to use their tongue. Not all goblins understood the human tongue and Elijah wanted all of them to understand him. Also, he hoped that by speaking in their tongue, he would be able to forge a closer connection with them.
After Elijah gave the goblins their orders, he began to check himself. He took out his spear from his storage bag and made small adjustments to the clothing he was wearing. Also, he made sure his new skill was active and took a final look at his status page.
Status
Name: Eli
Cultivation Level: 38
Energy: 74,356/78,000
Race: Human
Cultivation Technique: Supreme Ruler 8, 23%
Specialty:
Ruler 39, 63%
Job: Chief 41, 46%
Health: 1934/1934
Stamina: 1934/1934
Mental: 2364/2364
HR: 2.4/min
SR: 50.1/min
MR: 15.3/min
Attack: 72 (+84 – 94)
Defense: 72
Stats
Strength: 169 (+20)
Intelligence: 212
Dexterity: 169 (+20)
Wisdom: 212
Endurance: 169
Perception: 180
Vitality: 169
Willpower: 244
Free stat points: 37
Talents:
Identify, Supreme Will, People’s Language, Supreme Eyes, Limit Breaker, Master of Willpower, BMS, Master of Perception, Master of Intelligence, Master of Wisdom, Supreme Astral Sense,
Cultivation Skills
Passive: Supreme Combat (L)
Supreme Speech (P)
Supreme Meditation (M)
Supreme Recovery (M)
Supreme Concealment (I)
Active: Supreme Power (E)
Supreme Shout (L)
Soul Shock (E)
Mirage Step (L)
Specialty Skills
Passive: Ruler’s Presence (P)
Battle Command (E)
Ruler’s Labor (I)
Active: Ruler’s Strength (L)
Ruler’s Defense (L)
Job Skills
Passive: Will of the People (E)
War Chief (I)
Active: Minor Healing Stream (I)
Call to Arms (I)
Titles:
Wilderness Survivor (T), Cultivation Technique Creator, Will Battle Expert Ⅲ, Master of Slaves, First Territory (T)
“Alright, is everyone ready?”
Finished with his final checks, Elijah checked if the goblins were ready. He saw that most of the goblins were ready and excited to begin the hunt. The only exception was Clink.
Clink was ready as well, but he wasn’t excited. He wore an unhappy expression as he looked at the goblins that followed Elijah’s command without hesitation. Clink’s unhappiness led to him glaring at Elijah. However, he didn’t dare to say or do anything else.
At first, Elijah was surprised by Clink’s glare, but it didn’t take him more than a second to figure out why Clink was glaring at him. Elijah couldn’t help but find Clink’s anger amusing. An arrogant smirk appeared on Elijah’s face when he saw Clink look away after they made eye contact.
“Have you realized the truth yet?” Elijah thought to himself. “I’m the supreme ruler. It’s only natural that the goblins and you follow my orders. The quicker you accept this the better things will be for everyone.”
“Clink!” Elijah barked. Clink jumped and turned to look at Elijah’s smiling face. “Since everyone’s ready, I’ll let you take the lead. It’s time to begin the hunt.”
The goblins let out a brief roar of excitement. Clink frowned, but he followed Elijah’s command. He snorted in annoyance before he commanded the goblins to enter the forest. Clink was still near the front of the group, but he was no longer recklessly charging forward at the very head.
Elijah followed at the back and slowly adjusted to the new environment. As the group went deeper into the forest, the light from the moon and the stars dwindled. Five minutes into their journey and the group was surrounded by grass, trees, and an oppressive darkness. Many people would be on edge in this environment, but Elijah was completely at ease.
Supreme Will.
Supreme Eyes.
Supreme Astral Sense.
Under the effects of his three talents, Elijah could calmly walk through the dark forest without fear. Of course, Elijah wasn’t using the active effects of all three talents. At the moment, the passive effects for the Supreme Will talent and the Supreme Eyes talent were enough.
Looking at the goblins, Elijah saw that they were fine as well. To Elijah, it was obvious that their excitement had increased as they went deeper into the forest, but they were more restrained. Their breath was weaker, speed was lower, and they carefully moved their bodies, so they emitted less sound. Using his Supreme Astral Sense, Elijah could feel that their heartbeat was quieter to.
Of course, Elijah didn’t let the goblins show him up. Using his new skill, Supreme Concealment, Elijah quickly adjusted his movements, so his presence would be less noticeable. Relying on the passive effects of his new skill, Elijah was able to be as restrained as the goblins. Of course, since Elijah recently started practicing his skill, he still had plenty of room for improvements. However, he would focus on improving his skill later. Right now, his attention was focused on the beast that he located with his astral sense.