NOVEL NEXT Chapter 28
In the ruins of Florence.
Green-skinned goblins can be seen scattered everywhere.
They sat in groups of two or three, with some sleeping while some were heating up a cauldron on a bonfire, which gave off an indescribable smell.
A few goblins also amused themselves by playing down on the ground.
On a patch of grass nearby, a team consisting of four elves and a “human girl” hid as they silently observed the unsuspecting goblins.
They were the members of the special attack team and had been lurking there after establishing the teleportation array.
Looking at the magnificent ruins in the distance, even though the structures had long since decayed into piles of rubble, Little Salty Cat still couldn’t help but exclaim in wonder upon seeing them.
“So that’s Florence… I can’t even imagine how beautiful this city must have been back on its prior intact state.”
HootyBird closed her eyes and tilted her head as she listened in to every noises within the vicinity.
Her expression then turned completely serious after a moment.“There are numerous goblins besides the ones we’ve already seen, and I cannot discern how many more are lurking inside the ruins. There are also some powerful individuals, possibly at the Iron-rank as well. One of them in particular, emits an incredibly chilling aura, which somehow frightens me.”
“Hiss–“
Upon hearing her report, the five chosen ones in the special attack team couldn’t help but sharply inhale a breath of air.
“Fortunately, we prevented the rest of the players from swarming the city…otherwise, they would have all been annihilated,” Boxlunch commented gravely.
Li Mu lightly patted Demacia on the shoulder.
“Demacia, follow the plan. The three goblins playing on the ground over there don’t seem that powerful, and their equipment appears to be in a rather poor condition as well. None of them should have reached level ten. It’s now up to you to kite those monsters over here!”
Demacia: “……”
Demacia’s face twisted into an awkward smile.
“Uhh…can I not go?”
“No.”
The four quickly responded in unison.
Demacia: “….”
Demacia sighed in resignation, muttering, “Ah, let it be then…the wind is rustling, and the water is cold…” ¹
He finally gave up resisting.
He flicked his long hair that was transformed through Salty Cat’s transfiguration skill, before finally arising from their hiding spot.
On the edge of the ruins, three goblins sat together, happily playing with clumps of dirt as they occasionally let out peculiar laughter from time to time.
Boom!
Suddenly, a stone swiftly flew in from behind and struck one of the goblins straight on the head, which caused a fountain of blood to spray out from its wound.
The struck goblin then immediately fell to the ground in an instant.
After a few seconds, the wounded goblin stood up once again and began surveying the area, locking eyes with one of its companion.
Enraged, the wounded goblin groaned and struck its companion’s head, momentarily freezing the other goblin.
Then immediately after, two goblins then engaged in a scuffle…
Boom!
Boom!
While the two were busy wrestling each other, two more stones sailed through the air, striking the head of the two goblins with a remarkable precision.
The third goblin stood up with its eyes wide open, and pointed to a distant place before yelling something incoherent.
The two goblins were drawn to their companion’s voice, which abruptly ended their scuffle and directed their gaze towards the direction indicated by the third goblin.
Several dozen meters away from the ruins, an enchanting woman leaned against an ancient tree, whilst toying with her curls as she caressed her thigh in a seductive manner.
When ‘she’ noticed the three goblins gazing at her, the woman winked and licked her lips coquettishly before extending her hand in a kissing gesture.
The three goblins eyes were immediately bewitched by her presence.
In that moment, their simple minds embarked upon the most complex calculation a goblin could undertake.
Head + two legs + upright posture + stylish clothes = Human
Human + big chest + big buttocks = Human Woman
Human Woman = Offspring!
Their eyes instantly lit up as their pupils transformed into comical stars.
They swiftly grabbed their weapons and rushed towards the human ‘lady’ in wild abandon whilst yelling and shouting incoherent noises.
Meanwhile, as soon as the goblins chased after the ‘lady’ she immediately turned around and ran towards the depths of the forest just like a nimble feline.
The three goblins didn’t notice anything wrong and simply just followed closely behind, like fish caught on a hook…
But a few minutes later, the three goblins finally felt that something was off…
This woman, she seemed to be running too fast, as if she wasn’t a human but instead were a child of the forest—an elf, to be exact.
However at that moment, they had already chased her to an open area surrounded by lush bushes and trees.
The lady up ahead finally stopped before turning around.
She then revealed a smug smile, with her voice coarse and mocking.
“Fools, you’ve been duped.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a ray of light flashed across her body, transforming her back into Demacia, a red-haired, cross-dressing elf.
The three goblins saw the transformation and was immediately frozen in place.
However, before they even had time to react, several vines suddenly burst forth from all around them and shot towards the three goblins.
It was Li Mu’s exclusive druid skill, Entangling Vines.
Shortly after, HootyBird and Boxlunch also jumped out of the bushes, forming a triangular formation alongside Demacia as they surround the goblins.
“Get them!”
Demacia drew his wooden knife, which he had hidden on the side, and excitedly charged forward.
The three goblins immediately panicked, then let out angry roars as they swung their weapons towards the vines.
Crack.
To Li Mu’s astonishment, his magical vines were easily severed by the goblins’ curved blades, while the three melee players engaged in close combat with the goblins.
However, the scene became somewhat chaotic after they started fighting…
“Oh god big sis HootyBird, you almost kicked me!”
“Sorry, you were in my way.”
“These goblins are so strong!”
“W-Wait, I think I got hit…”
“Minor healing!”
“Where’s the magic support? Hey Salty Cat, where’s my damn support!?”
“W-Wait a bit…here it comes!”
“Sh*t, your fireball hit me! Couldn’t you aim better!?”
“Guys, don’t attack recklessly! Conserve your MP and prioritize defending yourselves! Wait for the right moment to attack! We have numbers on our side so they can’t exhaust our stamina!”
Extensive planning can be rendered futile once the fighting commences, especially when lacking sufficient experience. Faced with relentless attacks from the three goblins, all five players found themselves unable to coordinate effectively, turning the battle into a complete chaotic mess of a scuffle…
Contrary to their initial expectations, the assault team was utterly suppressed instead.
Especially for the melee players engaged in close combat, if it had not been for the nimble Boxlunch saving them in the nick of time, Demacia and HootyBird would likely have already suffered severe injuries by now.
Nevertheless, the three of them still persisted and struggled hard.
Berserker who was hiding nearby, frowned as he watched their chaotic battle.
“A mere three level eight goblins are actually overwhelming five level ten Chosen Ones…What a joke.”
His voice was filled with deep disappointment.
It is worth noting that in Saigües, goblins were commonly synonymous with stupidity and weakness. To put it metaphorically, it was akin to the biases held by humans back on Earth against pigs and cockroaches.
In Saigües, the term “goblin” not only defines their species but is also widely used as racial derogatory slur.
As a matter of fact, “You’re just a goblin!” was the most profane insult one could utter to infuriate someone.
That was why Berserker and Alice were utterly disgusted when Demacia suggested the seduction method as a plan…
It was like asking humans on earth to have sex with wild boars and cockroaches, which would be a total disaster…
“Divine Matriarch, even though these individuals are skilled in construction, they are clearly not suited for combat. Why did you have such high expectations of them?”
Berserker knew that the goddess was also observing the battle, so he didn’t hide his apprehension.
Evé, who was watching the stream, let out a light laugh before her majestic voice resounded within the Oak Guardian’s mind.
“Don’t worry, just keep observing them.”
Upon hearing the goddess’s response, Berserker felt rather helpless, yet he still continued to watch with his frown deepening.
Fine then, just treat it as a learning experience. Let these goblins dampen their spirit for a bit, so these chosen ones wouldn’t be so reckless all the time.
However, even though it was barely noticeable, it seemed that the situation was subtly changing.
— 28 —
【FOOLS YOU’VE BEEN DUPED 】
¹ (风萧萧兮易水寒) – The wind is rustling, and the water is cold is a verse from ” Song of Yishui “; the name of an ancient chinese song. The sentence expresses the feeling of dying, knowing that there will be no repayment, but would still resolutely go, and never look back.
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