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Chapter 31: At the Forbidden Grounds, The Beginning of the Journey (4)

Fortunately, the witch’s hut was safe and sound.

The Blue Witch’s hut was a treasure trove of herbs and teaching materials.

With protective barriers constantly in place, it was no surprise that it remained intact.

Yuz

The name signed on the contract was Yuz.

After signing the request form, the witch brought out a map of the Forbidden Grounds from her hut.

Apparently having nothing more to hide, she spread the map open in front of the party.

"The Blood Forest is a very complicated path. If you go straight from here toward the Forbidden Grounds, you’ll reach a place called Rozewood. It’s like the entrance to the forest."

The map depicted something closer to a labyrinth than a forest. However, Yuz traced her finger across the pathways skillfully as she continued her explanation.

"From there, if you keep going straight... you’ll come across Brundoor."

"And what’s that?"

"It serves as the gate to the barrier. It’s the only way to access the deeper layers of the barrier."

Arzen asked,

"What’s inside the deeper layers?"

"*Velterek Lake*. Sorry, I can’t tell you more than that. But this is the place we need to reach. How long will it take?"

Kitan had already begun memorizing the map.

Sia seemed to be calculating the route in her head.

Arzen spoke on behalf of everyone,

"Given the distance and the dangers involved, we should assume it\'ll take at least five days..."

Sia and Jerome raised their eyebrows at Arzen.

‘Five days? Why five days?’

‘It won’t take that long.’

Yuz looked the most baffled.

"Five days? We can’t afford to take that long."

"It’s scary! There are so many goblins around! Eeek!"

What a con artist!

But unfortunately, the lessons Arzen learned from the Divine Guillotine mostly involved such tactics.

To survive as an adventurer, it seemed necessary to approach things this way.

‘Besides, she’s the Blue Witch... unlike the Red Witch, she hasn’t mastered any combat spells!’

Without combat skills, she’d naturally end up in a weaker position in these kinds of high-stakes situations.

"Ahh! I’m so scared! Eeek!"

Arzen covered his face with both hands, pretending to cry, while peeking through his fingers to gauge the witch’s expression, adjusting his wails accordingly.

Jerome and Sia exchanged satisfied glances, recognizing the devious look in Arzen’s eyes.

‘Huh, he’s got some skill.’

‘Not a bad negotiation.’

Sia, who was just as good at bluffing and scheming as Arzen, quickly joined in on the act.

"We were already exhausted by the time we got here, and we used up all our energy helping you."

"?"

"Of course, if more of that adventurer’s universal recovery potion—money—came our way, we might feel differently."

"!"

"Depending on how much is deposited, we might finish the task in three days, maybe even two, you know... that sort of thing."

Yuz let out a long sigh.

"Fine... the amount will depend on the gravity of the situation, and the Association will adjust the payment. Is that enough? Now hurry, we don’t have time to waste."

Beyond the Forbidden Grounds, The Dawn of the Journey (4)

There was no need to prepare any further.

The party followed the witch for nearly an hour along a narrow path, eventually entering the Forbidden Grounds.

Ropes adorned with golden threads were tied between the trunks of the giant trees.

It didn’t feel sacred; instead, it gave off a rather eerie atmosphere.

"Beyond these golden threads lies the Forbidden Grounds."

Arzen felt a sense of curiosity as he ran his fingers over the fragments of holy texts that were regularly attached to the golden ropes.

"Golden threads... I learned that they’re used by fairies to maintain miracles continuously. Humans don’t usually use something like this."

Sia’s lips curled into a slight smirk at Arzen’s words.

"It’s probably related to the fairies. You’re from the south, so you might not know, but most of the Forbidden Grounds on the Akhrad Continent are surrounded by these golden threads."

"Really?"

On the Adrion Continent, the Forbidden Grounds were controlled by the Red Dragon Legion and the Red Pilgrims.

"Yeah, most of the newly established Forbidden Grounds were set up by the White Dragon Legion, so it’s to be expected, right?"

"Whoa."

"I told you, there’s money to be made here. Since we’ll be fighting soon, let’s take a quick break."

During the rest, Yuz, the witch, seemed visibly anxious, nervously tapping her foot and biting her nails.

Sia spoke up,

"Hey, witch. I get that you want to keep information about the Forbidden Ground under wraps, but wouldn’t it be better to share at least the crucial details?"

"Crucial details?"

"What we need to be careful about."

"Originally, there wasn’t much to worry about. If you wandered off the path, you’d just get bounced outside the barrier, so that’s all you had to watch for... But now, the main thing to be cautious of is the Elder Goblins. I can tell you as much as you want about them."

At that moment, Kitan, who had been chewing on jerky, suddenly raised his hand and shouted,

"I am Elder Kitan!"

"Even though I’m serious! Listen, the Elder Goblins are incredibly strong. They even established their own kingdom."

To understand Elder Goblins, one must first delve into the history of the Mythic Era.

When the Lords of Light, known as the Arrived Ones, banished the Abyssal True Kings, the Forgotten Kings, the world entered a new dawn of creation.

"The Elder Goblins rose up during that time. When the kings disappeared, they tried to seize power for themselves. Unlike the goblins you see today, their strength is on a completely different level, as they survived under the rule of the Forgotten Kings."

Arzen tilted his head in confusion.

"So, these goblins are about 1,500 years old?"

"Exactly."

"How in the world did goblins from 1,500 years ago show up again? Does that even make sense?"

Yuz scratched her head awkwardly.

"Well, I’m not sure... but anyway, they’re Elder Goblins! Don’t underestimate them, got it? Alright, we’ve rested enough. Let’s move."

With a sigh, Sia grabbed her decapitation sword and stood up.

"This is like dealing with a terrible employer. Can’t we at least get a proper break?"

"Even after we agreed to triple the payment, you\'re still complaining?"

The golden threads were supposed to produce a barrier so powerful that even Arzen couldn’t break through.

But that was no longer the case.

The ropes were frayed and broken in various places, rendering the barrier completely ineffective.

Yuz crossed over the golden thread first, and the party followed behind her.

‘This single golden thread separates this side of the forest from that side...’

But once they crossed it, it felt like the entire atmosphere of the forest had changed.

Not just the feeling— the forest itself was truly deteriorating.

The sound of axes chopping echoed relentlessly from all directions.

Kitan, who had quietly tracked the source of the sound, let out a scream of horror.

"Whaaat the hell, the goblins are chopping down trees!"

Dozens of goblins were viciously hacking at the giant trees with axes.

It wasn\'t just a fit of rage; they were neatly stacking the chopped trees and moving them somewhere.

"Look at that! Those are iron axes!"

A goblin, who seemed to be supervising his subordinates, turned his gaze toward them.

In that instant, Jerome\'s Gatling gun erupted with a burst of steam.

"Kiiee!"

Tu tu tu tu tu!

In an instant, dozens of goblins were reduced to grotesque heaps of flesh.

"Oh dear, it seems that this new technology might be too stimulating for the Elder Goblins."

There was a hint of mockery in Jerome\'s eloquent wording, directed at the adjective "Elder."

‘Impressive!’

Arzen didn’t like that.

‘No matter how much I train the Voidlings, isn’t their power still comparable to a gun?’

No, that wasn’t it.

The gun needed to be reloaded, and he had to carry all that heavy machinery and steam engine with him.

‘So, that might just be Gold grade, but my Void has the potential to reach Diamond grade.’

Alternating between the holy texts and the gun, Arzen grinned, feeling a sense of superiority.

"Hey, witch. Is this place called Rozewood?"

In response to Sia\'s question, Kitan answered instead of Yuz.

"No, we need to go further this way."

"What do you mean? This is the way."

Although Yuz rebutted, all the party members were following Kitan.

Sia spoke, "Kitan\'s path is definitely the right one. You said it was urgent, right? Let’s go."

The shortcut Kitan led them on skillfully avoided the eyes of the goblins transporting the wood.

When they finally arrived at Rozewood without any obstructions, Arzen couldn\'t help but gape.

‘A fortress?’

It was indeed a fortress.

The logs were stacked up to two meters high, piled on top of each other like a massive structure.

"What I saw earlier was just a watchtower?"

Sia frowned in disbelief.

"No way, goblins building a ‘fortress’? I thought you said they were Elder Goblins; unlike the \'fortress\' goblins, they really built a ‘fortress’?"

The party members opened their eyes wide in disbelief and stared intently at Sia.

"Sia, is this how you vent your anger today?"

"Hah, you should just leave this party."

"You crazy little—"

Sia\'s face flushed as she cleared her throat repeatedly.

"Jerome, can you destroy it all with your gun?"

"Are you trying to change the subject and escape? You sound like a magic monkey."

"Ugh, sorry!"

"Hmm, since it’s a wall made of logs unlike the fortress goblins, I suppose we’ll need to dump half of the iron shots into it."

"That would be quite a loss."

The goblins atop the fortress were wearing strange masks and suddenly began spinning their slingshots.

"Kit, kit, kiiee!"

Slingshot.

A primitive throwing weapon.

If supported by skill, its power rivals that of the strongest weapons.

“In the name of the ashen lotus and the rune of tranquility, I command you to arrive with the power of protection! Elbisc!”

The blue witch’s spell soon enveloped the entire party in a blue circle.

This was a barrier spell!

The haphazard barrage of the goblins’ slingshots was completely blocked by the barrier.

“Oh, it seems that a professional is indeed a professional.”

Jerome exclaimed in admiration.

Sia nodded her head.

“She looks to be in her mid to late twenties, so she probably became an official early on, and her skills must be solid.”

Yuz said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“I didn’t write that for you to admire! You’ve got a method, right? You’re silver-ranked after all.”

At that moment, Arzen stepped forward.

He had already recited the initial incantation, known as “Kaz to Arkturas.”

The void bugs were rapidly unfolding into this dimension.

“Go, worker ant! Move the void creatures to that position!”

It was time to showcase a new technique.

‘Perhaps this is the technique that was destined for this moment!’

There was no better setup than this.

‘If I can’t seize this opportunity, I won’t be able to reach the future golden rank!’

Once the void creatures reached their target position and spread out as wide as possible, Arzen shouted.

“Ra Tsui Kua!”

The apostle’s command thoroughly negated the ontological status of the void minions.

Life is about the attachment to living, instinctively preserving strength for tomorrow.

However, at that moment!

The void beings began to overheat, not preserving their lifespan, but instead going into a frenzy.

‘The swarm of void creatures, emitting a dark green light from their entire bodies... in the next moment, they whirl and explode!’

As the swarm of void creatures decomposed into void matter and created a whirlwind, the moment it hit the fortress wall.

The void whirlwind, a blend of annihilation and pressure, engulfed everything in its vicinity.

The power of the void, which devoured the very essence of the target, tore apart a corner of the fortress wall and swallowed the goblins on top.

‘What is that power? Summoning magic?’

Yuz raised an eyebrow.

Summoning magic has diversified over the history of magic, with various branches of summoned beings.

As such, it’s challenging for anyone who isn’t an expert to grasp the fundamentals immediately.

‘No, but there’s something different about it for it to be called magic; it seems like the incantation is more akin to a spell or miracle...’

However, even Arzen did not know the origins of the void runes.

Naturally, it was impossible for the witch to discern their nature either.

“Wow, Arzen is amazing!”

As Kitan expressed his admiration, Sia dashed forward.

“The log wall isn’t completely collapsed, but it’s lost its cohesion and is a mess. If I hit it with my beheading sword, I could break through!”

Crack!

Just like that, the log shattered splendidly, opening a path to the other side of the fortress.

“Great, we’ve opened a path! This way!”

But crossing over the fortress wouldn’t be that easy.

If the goblins had only been slingshotting, breaking through wouldn’t have been difficult.

But the problem was the rush of psychic energy that surged in the next moment.

“This, this is!”

At the moment when the mist of thoughts was about to envelop everyone.

“Here, how about the Shield of Radiance?”

Arzen activated the miraculous light in front of him, parting the mist to the sides.

“Is it sorcery? A dark mage? If that’s the case, the commission fee will skyrocket.”

Kitan commented.

The witch shook her head vigorously.

“No, that’s a goblin shaman! Over there!”

In fact, some goblins dressed in ragged robes were playing flutes and beating drums, swaying their bodies.

“Wow, a goblin shaman. I’m terrified.”

Sia laughed.

Jerome chuckled too.

“Where are the goblin gunslingers?”

Arzen joined in the laughter.

“Isn’t a goblin swordmaster even scarier?”

At that moment, a rustling sound came from the bushes across the fortress.

Jerome, as if he had been waiting, aimed his gun and pulled the trigger.

Tu-da-da-da-da... Ti-di-di-ding!

The sound of impact was strange.

It wasn’t the sound of flesh being sliced.

Wasn’t it the sound of metal bouncing off metal?

“Ki-iiih...!”

What emerged from the bushes was... well, there was no need to explain further. It was a goblin.

But it was peculiar.

Gripped in both hands was a special sword, whether made of iron or stone, and its appearance was truly intimidating.

“A goblin swordmaster...!”

Yuz shouted in a panicked voice.

Sia aimed her beheading sword at the goblin swordmaster.

“It’s about the same height as Kitan, isn’t it? Indeed, to become a swordmaster, a goblin must be a mutant? This is going to be interesting.”

Arzen screamed in disbelief at the absurdity of the unfolding situation.

“No, what the hell, why is that thing actually real?!”