Chương 29: You Forced My Hand

"Damn savages, why not talk it out first? Discuss our differences. They'd rather fight to the death..." Maximus sighed and stabbed his staff into the ground, casting Entangle, whose roots erupted forward, thicker and longer than before, thanks to the staff's effects. As the roots bound half of the hobgoblins, Maximus tested a new skill on the rest and released a dense, almost fog-like cloud of white spores. Even he didn't expect how vast the cloud would be as it engulfed all ten goblins almost instantly.

Within a few breaths, those not bound by roots collapsed to the ground, twitching, while the others remained standing, wildly stabbing and clawing at empty air. As the cloud began to disperse, Maximus prepared Lunar Flare just as Felix and Oscar came rushing out.

"Oi! You're not nicking all the fun for yourself!" Oscar bellowed as he lunged forward, stabbing with a fiery spear at the closest hobgoblin. Felix moved beside him, releasing rows of sharp, arrow-like icicles with each slash of his blade. Silex and Embi joined the fray as well, one tearing a hobgoblin in half with brutal force, while the other spat fireballs that engulfed another in flames.

Seeing this, Sprout didn't hesitate and began lashing out with vines sprouting from his back, striking at the rooted hobgoblins.

"I thank you all for your help, but move back now!" Maximus shouted as he released Lunar Flare. The moment the skill was activated, high above them a silver magic circle formed, casting down a pillar of pale, cold light, shining brightly in the night sky. Then, with a sudden whoosh, the pillar detonated into a blazing flare of white flame that burst outward in a two-meter radius. The initial impact did moderate damage, but the flames that clung to the hobgoblins began devouring their bodies second by second.

As the pale fire spread like a merciless plague, the surviving hobgoblins screamed as the paralysis faded and hurled their spears at Maximus. He reacted instantly, shifting to the side as bursts of wind exploded beneath his feet, propelling him effortlessly out of harm's way. As Maximus dodged, his body morphed into a sabretooth cat, and he lunged forward, his claws glowing crimson. He slashed at the nearest hobgoblin, tearing off an arm, then bit into its neck and collarbone, ripping it apart in one savage motion.

Oscar activated his new skill, moving fluidly between the frenzied attacks of another hobgoblin, each dodge followed by a precise stab, driving deeper into the creature's body. Then, as the hobgoblin lunged wildly, Oscar dashed to the side and unleashed a rapid flurry of strikes, finishing off the already weakened monster.

Silex joined Felix, who froze two hobgoblins in place before Silex tore the leg off one, while Felix followed through with a frost-empowered strike, beheading the other, and with a calculated forward step, driving his blade into the crippled one, connecting his attacks flawlessly. With only two left standing, Maximus used the power of his feline form to leap high into the air, shifting back into his human body mid-motion, only to unleash a barrage of Wind Spears.

Four spears fell in rapid succession, each detonating in violent bursts of slicing wind as the last monsters were torn apart. As the final hobgoblins fell, Maximus descended, editing Gale Step mid-fall to release controlled gusts beneath his feet, slowing his fall until he landed gently on the ground. New Skill Detected: > Gale Step: Slow Release Gale Step: Slow Release – Cast winds under your feet that will soften your fall or make you float for a very short period of time.

"Piece of cake," Oscar said as he yanked his spear free from the hobgoblin's body.

"Yes, thanks to Max. Don't think we could take down ten hobgoblins on our own, you fool." Felix barked, clearly worried that Oscar would attempt something reckless one of these days.

"Too right, I know that! I'm not daft, you bloody frost mule!" Oscar shot back.

"Calm down, boys. While I was in the air, I spotted thick smoke rising from the goblin settlement. Looks like something's going on over there. You two stay here, I've got my stealth, so I can scout ahead and report back." Maximus said.

"Alright. Be careful." Felix nodded.

"Let me just recover a bit before I go," Maximus added as he opened up his notifications and sat on the ground. You have defeated: [Hobgoblin Hunter Lv. 21] x4 You have defeated: [Hobgoblin Hunter Lv. 23] x3 You have defeated: [Hobgoblin Hunter Lv. 24] x3 Class Leveled Up: [Druid Lv. 21 > Lv. 24] Talent Points gained: +6 Battle Tokens earned: 1200 Maximus swallowed a Cinder-Seed while gripping his staff to accelerate his spirit recovery.

He also noticed two corpses fade away, leaving behind two skill stones, but he left them for the duo for now. Once he reached around half of his maximum spirit, he morphed again and activated Prowl, his body turning transparent as he dashed silently through the woods toward the goblin settlement, leaving Oscar and Felix behind arguing with Silex over corpses and cores.

Maximus ran along the path they had already cleared, and the closer he got, the thicker the smoke became, while the distant screams of goblins echoed through the air. After sprinting at full speed for a couple of minutes, he finally reached the southern wall of the goblin settlement, which was now charred and partially collapsed.

Maximus leapt over it and was met with piles of dead goblins, their bodies scattered across the ground, and farther in, at the center of the settlement, a group of five women laughing as they slaughtered the remaining goblins, reducing them to ash with waves of fire and piercing them with rows of frozen arrows as they tried to flee. Mages?! Maximus finally understood what had happened. It looked like a group of mages had burned the entire place down just to level up faster. It is an efficient method, I suppose…

But it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. He thought as he moved closer, staying hidden.

"This was amazing! Good idea, Doris!" one of the women cheered as she tucked away what looked like skill stones. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"A few skill stones and a pile of levels with almost no danger! Didn't I tell you to listen to me, girls?" the short-haired woman said with a smug laugh.

"Shame there weren't more. We could've gained even more," a small blonde added.

"Where to next?" one of the others asked.

"We head east, of course. There's a village there, and if we keep this up, we can definitely push past the Wildlands!" Doris, who clearly led the group, declared confidently. Fools… If they think burning everything down is the best way forward, they have a rude awakening waiting for them. Children… Maximus thought bitterly as he slipped away and hurried back toward the cavern.

Just as Maximus lunged out from the woods, Oscar and Felix flinched, ready to strike. Maximus let out a low growl as he shifted back into his human form.

"It's me."

"What did you find?" Felix asked, lowering and storing his weapon.

"A group of five women. From what I gathered, at least three of them are fire mages. They torched the entire settlement, leaving nothing alive," Maximus explained grimly.

"Bloody hell… Who knew that womenfolk could be so properly vicious, eh?" Oscar said, genuinely taken aback.

"It is a smart way to level up, though," Felix added thoughtfully.

"Aye, if you're a proper nutter." Oscar cut in immediately.

"Are we leaving?" Felix ignored him and pressed.

"No… Let's stay one more day. We'll avoid meeting them along the way. I dislike people like those. Vicious just for the sake of it..." Maximus said coldly. Felix nodded and tossed him the two skill stones.

"Can you check these?" he asked. [Skill Stone: Spear Throw (F)] [Skill Stone: Enrage (E)]"A Spear Throw and Enrage skill. Nothing too useful for either of you. Enrage will increase your damage, but it will make you lose your mind in the meantime, turning you into a wild animal." Maximus explained.

"I'll take Enrage, if you don't mind," Felix said, his voice cold and steady.

"Are you certain?" Maximus pressed.

"It should be useful in extreme situations," Felix replied simply.

"I'll grab that Spear Throw, it'll do the trick for picking off muppets from a distance, won't it?" Oscar chimed in. Maximus sighed and tossed each of them their stones. As they absorbed the skills, he turned and walked back into the cavern, his spirits and Silex following behind him. He sat once more beside the cluster of crystals and began absorbing the abundant spirit energy. He restored his reserves while simultaneously strengthening his seed and roots.

Even Sprout began absorbing energy and reinforcing his new form, while Embi rested lazily atop Silex, who had already fallen asleep, his belly full of hobgoblin meat.

Suddenly, shouts pulled them from their meditation. What in the nine heavens is going on now… Always something. Can I ever just relax for once? Maximus muttered inwardly as he shifted his legs into a lupine form and dashed outside. Outside, Felix and Oscar stood on guard, weapons drawn, while before them, five robed women stood holding staves, chuckling among themselves, as Fireballs littered the air above them, whirring dangerously.

"Boys, how about you hand over what you've got stored? We won't harm you," the leading woman said, winking as she added, "Promise."

"Wind your neck in, mate! I wasn't born yesterday, me!" Oscar shouted back.

"Why don't we all just calm down?" Maximus stepped into view and said coldly.

"Oho, is this the alpha?" One of the robed women laughed loudly as she noticed Maximus's lupine legs.

"Sit, boy, sit. Woof, woof." A blonde one mocked, laughing even harder. A vein pulsed across Maximus's forehead as he took a slow, steady breath.

"Listen, we did nothing to provoke you. So, just leave us alone. Aren't we all trying to survive these trials?" Maximus tried to reason.

"Correct, but you see, the more we grow here, the better our lives get outside. So, you understand… some need to be sacrificed." The leader, whom Maximus guessed was Doris, said before snapping, "Ember Prison!" Suddenly, fire mana surged as it condensed into a burning cage around Maximus and the others.

"This isn't looking good…" Felix muttered, his eyes cold.

"Max, can you restrain them without killing? We don't need another bloodbath right now..." he whispered.

"Aye, they're just lasses, aren't they?" Oscar muttered, his grip on his weapon wavering.

"Maybe we can talk sense into 'em?" Maximus stepped closer to Felix and Oscar and whispered, "Leave this to me. You both are too soft. You hesitate because they are women, but their fire doesn't care about your chivalry." His voice carried a coldness they hadn't heard since the necromancers. Then, a cold, humorless chuckle escaped him.

"You dare try to trap me, in such a flimsy construct, you foolish wretches?!" he roared, his contempt palpable.

"Have you lost your pathetic minds?!" As he spoke, he channeled spirit energy beneath his boots, feeling for the structural weakness in their mana weave. Time to channel a bit of elven scorn... The women burst into laughter, as if enjoying a show.

"You moron. What do you think you can do now? We haven't met anyone who could break these burning bars. We'll cook you slowly until you give us everything you own." The small blonde, Angela, shouted gleefully.

"Angela, calm down. Let me teach this idiot a lesson!" another woman snapped as a whip of fire coiled into existence in her hand, lashing through the bars toward Maximus. Tssss, the whip tore across his Barkskin, leaving a scorched line along his arms as he raised them to guard his face.

"Haha, see? He's nothing. Just a man whose pride was hurt by being beaten by strong women." The woman sneered. Maximus didn't flinch. He looked at her with the pity one might show an insect.

"Silence, you loud-mouthed mockery of a woman. You call yourselves mages, yet you rely on parlor tricks, hah! Strong women, she says… What a farce." Maximus spat back, as spirit energy burrowed deeper beneath his feet, seeping into the structure of the spell.

"Zip it, asshole. Who even talks like that? I've had enough of your nonsense. Show us what you've got… Or else." The leader snapped.

"I have another offer for you," Maximus said, his voice dropping to a chilling calm.

"Turn around and leave… while I'm still asking."

"There's no point talking to him. Let's just kill him; the others will crumble after." Angela said coldly. Easy enough. Corrode the mana flow with spirit energy at a specific point, and it will crumble. Then suddenly, Maximus burst into a cold laughter as the burning prison shattered outward, and a surge of thick roots erupted from the ground, coiling around the five women, tightening until their bones creaked and pain twisted across their faces.

"Well then… foul-mouthed ones, what now?" Maximus asked emotionlessly as he stepped slowly toward them.

"If you think mere roots can hold us, you are mistaken!" Doris shouted as a blazing barrier flared around her, burning through the entangling vines, while the rain of Fireballs descended towards Felix and Oscar. Oscar lunged to the right, rolling on the ground, while Felix conjured frost armor around him and parried some of the fire with his icicles before lunging towards Oscar, as the rest of the Fireballs hit the ground where they just stood.

Maximus dodged the stray fireballs using the raw power of his feet, while making sure that the two behind him were in one piece as he lunged at the woman who had lashed him. She screamed and hurled a large icy arrow toward him, which he side-stepped simply, and with a single clean swipe of his iron blade, her head fell to the ground.

Screams erupted from the remaining women as they unleashed their own spells; earthen spikes, fireballs, and crackling lightning whips surged toward him, but Maximus, using Gale Step, avoided most of the attacks and retaliated with precise, lethal strikes, lightning dancing across his blade, until only Angela and Doris remained alive.

"Golden-haired… such a hue does not suit a burrow dweller. What a waste." He said coldly before driving his blade through Angela's throat. What a shameful life… The other two started pleading, giving up on any further resistance, "Please spare me! I only did it because Doris told us to do it..." One screamed.

"Ignore this bitch. Spare me! I promise to help you with the others; I will even give you everything we have in our inventory. I will change, I promise!" The other cried.

"Life is not that simple. We all need to pay for our deeds, one way or another. May the mana forgive you instead." Maximus spoke simply and swung with his blade in two simple, precise, connected attacks, shutting the pleading woman once and for all. Meanwhile, as he finished off the others, Doris managed to burn through the roots and flee, tears streaking down her face as she ran.

"First, you sought to kill and rob, and now you think you can flee from me? Ridiculous." Maximus sighed, his voice laced with contempt, as he activated Gale Step, his lupine legs surging with predatory power. In a single breath, he appeared behind her and lashed out with Thorn Whip. The barbed tendrils pierced her body, tearing open deep wounds as venom surged through her veins, her legs buckling beneath her.

"Don't kill me! I didn't mean… We didn't mean it!" she cried, her voice breaking.

"Mortal enmity can only be resolved by blood. Such hatred is not so easily undone." Maximus replied, his tone devoid of warmth.

"I will; I'll forget everything! I swear, I promise! Please…" she begged, trembling. Maximus raised his hand and released an Emerald Laser, piercing through her head in an instant, silencing her pleas.

"I take no pleasure in this. You forced my hand… May your name be lost to the wind, foul one." He said quietly as he retrieved the pouch from her waist. With a final gesture, he cast Lunar Flare, white flames consuming her body and reducing it to dust as he turned and walked away. It was a clean end, a mercy he granted to those who had none to give You have defeated: [Human Mage Lv. 20] You have defeated: [Human Mage Lv. 21] x2 You have defeated: [Human Mage Lv. 22] You have defeated: [Human Fire Mage Lv. 25] Battle Tokens earned: 500 ‎