Chương 126: Chapter 118-Goblin Smoking With The Chosen One

What does a Chosen do when in the middle of a Goblin Colony? Why he cooks! What else would he do? I mean, what else would I do? Having pulled out my handy-dandy portable magic oven, I watch as Clint and Clara place barriers on the windows and doors. Adiline looks at me with nervousness as she keeps an eye out for any enemies. Pouring some mana into the oven, I feel it come to life.

"You've been with me long enough. It's time to give you a name," I say out loud.

"Excuse me?" Adiline asks.

"Not you. I'm talking to Stovey. She's a beaut, isn't she? Built to last."

"Yes?" The awkward silence is broken by the distant crackle of lightning and fire. AOE Squad seems to be going strong. Based on how deep Hopper was, the Head Hunter Squad should be making quick work of the Hobgoblins. Guess it's time for us to impress.

"All the doors and windows are sealed except for the main door. Nothing is getting in or out without our say so," Clint says confidently.

"Good. Clara, could you put a barrier on Stovey? Something that lets gases out, but not solids," I say as I rummage through my pack. Right before she places the barrier, I chuck some leaves into Stovey. With the barrier up, I grab it, walk over to the unsealed door and kick it open. Two Hobgoblins, along with a small pack of Goblins, stare at me in awe. Before they can react, I [Throw] Stovey as deep into the building as possible. I then promptly shut the door.

"Okay, a barrier on this door would be nice," I say calmly as I hold the door closed. Clara and Clint rush over and create a quick barrier. Right on time, too. The door swings open to reveal the feral creatures as they slam helplessly into the barrier. Adiline looks on in confusion.

"I'm… not trying to be… disrespectful, but are you sure this will work?" Adiline asks with nervousness riddling her entire body.

"Yeah… It should. As long as Clara and Clint's mana holds out, that is," I say. Clint gives me a worried look as sweat pours down his face.

"What happens if I can't hold out?" Clara turns emotionlessly to Clint.

"We all die," she says.

"Ah, no need to worry about that. Look, it's already working," I say as I point into the room. Smoke fills the room as the Goblins clatter against the barrier. The two Hobgoblins split up as they test the windows. Not like that will work. Slowly, but surely, the movement in the room slows as they choke to death.

"That's what we call a lack of oxygen. You see, Stovey in there is pumping out a ton of smoke that does some funky things to your body. That funky thing then makes it hard for you to get oxygen into your blood. Until you finally die," I explain to the Goblins.

"How do you know that?" Adiline asks.

"It's one of the things Professor Stargazer warned about when doing cave explorations. Weren't you listening in class?" I ask as the last goblin slumps down the barrier. As soon as it does, Clara and Clint drop their barriers, releasing the smoke from the building. Adiline, with a quick wave of her hand, sends a torrent of fresh air that displaces the smoke. Walking in, I grab Stovey and turn her off. Hmm. Something's off.

"Stab them. We don't want them following us," I say as I look around the room. Goblins, Stovey, walls, chairs, tapestries, and… A sudden feeling of danger appears behind me. With a swing of my sword, I parry the dagger out of the air. From the corner, I watch as a stumbling Hobgoblin weakly steps out from behind a tapestry. That's what was wrong. I didn't see any Hobgoblin bodies. The Hobgoblin stumbles as it rushes towards me. It's still recovering from the smoke.

I should be able to kill it with my subpar swordsmanship, but I can't deal with the other one. At the edge of my vision, I spot the second Hobgoblin stumbling in the shadows. Luckily, I don't have to. A slash of air slices the hidden Hobgoblin's head clean off. The other Hobgoblins' eyes dart over to the source of the attack, or rather, Adiline.

"Where are you looking?" I ask as I cut straight through the neck of the distracted Hobgoblin. As the head drops, I pick up Stovey and place her back in my backpack. Clint and Clara finish off the unconscious Goblins and then rush over to me. Adiline takes a deep breath before joining us.

"How peculiar. With that [Skill], you should be a much higher rank," Clara bluntly says to Adiline.

"Uh, it's… nothing really. Anybody could've done that. They were weak and disoriented. If they were moving, I would've had a hard time hitting them. If they had gotten close, my [Skill] wouldn't have done as much damage. Then they would have stabbed me. I would've been stabbed. Getting stabbed really-" Adiline says at a million miles per second.

"Adi, you're rambling again," Clint interrupts her.

"Oh! Sorry," she says with a hushed voice.

"I do not understand," Clara says without a hint of emotion.

"I'll explain it to you later. Okay, let's not dawdle. Adiline, can you find the entrance to the caves now that we're inside?" I ask as I clean the blood from The Chosen Blade. Adiline closes her eyes and then points behind one of the tapestries. With a simple tug, the tapestry falls over to reveal a dark cave. Marvellous, just what I like to see. Now, to kill the Deblin. Although maybe Penelope was right…

These guys might not be the best fighters to take on the Deblin, but that's only if I plan to take on the Deblin fairly. Fair isn't a word in my vocabulary. Did I use vocabulary correctly? Gods I hope so. It'd be embarrassing to say it wrong or even use it wrong in front of people. Maybe I should…

"So, you have a big vocabulary?" I ask Clara as we trudge through the cave system. Clara looks me straight in the eyes and blinks without a hint of emotion.

"Yes, I do." Nailed it! Now, all I have to do is use this big word in front of Penelope to rub in how I'm the undisputable Rank 1. Yes, my late nights in the library reading the dictionary are finally showing fruit. Just you wait, Deblin. I'm going to decimate you! This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"So, what's the plan again?" Clint asks as his glowing barrier leads the way.

"Simple. I challenge the Deblin to combat. While that's happening, I need you and Clara to block off any other exits except the one we came from. That should create a chokepoint where Adiline's [Skill] should make quick work of them," I explain the plan again.

"You're going… to take on the Deblin… alone?" Adiline asks.

"Yes and no. The moment you see an opening, I want you to go for the kill, Adiline," I say with the utmost confidence.

"ME?! I don't think I can do it. What happens if I hit you?" she asks with more than a hint of fear.

"Don't," Clara says bluntly.

"Listen, Adiline. Clara may have been a bit blunt, but she's right. All you have to do is attack. You don't even have to kill it. I'm going to be too busy dealing with the Deblin. Clara and Clint are going to be focused on keeping the barriers up. You're the only one who can do this. So, I'm trusting you to use your better judgment and attack when you think the moment is right," I say without a hint of [Lie]. Adiline takes a long and shaky breath.

"Ok… I think I can do it." The way she said it didn't really inspire much confidence, but I picked her to be on this squad for a reason. She has the potential. I can see it, or rather sense it. I've gone through many near-death experiences during my life on the streets, and through those experiences, I've honed a keen sense of danger. It's usually just a gut feeling or something to that effect.

Like when the Hobgoblin attacked earlier, or even when Garus had set up a milk trap on the first day, or even when the Empress asked me about my relationship with Penelope. What I'm trying to say is that I can sense danger, and when I look at Adiline… my senses go haywire. Even though I know she's just a classmate, I still feel danger from her. One that I hope to exploit. Walking through the tunnels, we eventually make it into an open cavern. At the far end, there is a throne made of bones and leather.

Sitting in it is a blue-skinned, Goblin-looking creature. From the large axe in its hand to the muscles that adorn it. Everything about it screams danger. There's no doubt in my mind. This is the Deblin.

"I've been waiting for you, Chosen One. I am Button, the chief of this colony," Button says as their long fingers slide up the handle of the axe.

"Good to meet you, Button?" I ask out of confusion.

"Do you have a problem with my name?" Button asks menacingly.

"No…" I [Lie] as I struggle to match the body to the name. What's so button-like about this fucking guy? He's more like the whole Gods damned suit if you're asking me. As I think, the rest of the Cave Squad hugs the wall. We're in luck. It seems like there's only one other entrance into here.

"Well, I think we've done enough pleasantries. Why don't you start? After all, wouldn't want to end the battle too quickly," I [Taunt] as I keep an eye on him.

"So be it." His visage suddenly disappears from sight. With a swing of my sword, I barely manage to block the Deblins' axe, but why isn't he behind it? In one quick movement, I grab the axe and [Throw] it behind me, almost hitting Clint. Blood trickles down the wall as a blue finger falls to the ground.

"As expected from The Chosen One," Button says as they rip the axe out of the wall. Clint rushes over to the side, joining Clara and Adiline.

"It seems you're cockier than I thought? You dare turn your back to me?" Shit! Fuck! Not good! Did he already figure out my plan? This whole fucking shitshow goes out the window if he focuses his attention on them instead of me. Think, CJ, think. How do you… That's it! I carefully grab my Leech Dagger and stab it into my palm, letting it drain some of my blood.

"I've heard that you are a crafty one. Taking you head on is not something I plan to do," Button says as they get ready to rush Clint.

"Then I'll force you to face me," I say as I grab my Leech Dagger and [Throw] it at him. The dagger flies towards him, but he ignores it as he speeds past it. Or at least that's what he thought. The dagger curves and stabs Button in the back. Then, using [Disguise], I turn the dagger into another me. Confused, he swings his axe through the illusory me. At the same time, I close the distance and slash up the side of his chest.

"How?"

"Like you said. I'm tricky." Putting up my sword, I block the incoming kick, but I'm still sent halfway across the room. Fucking hells, that certainly shook my bones. At least nothing is broken, but to think he has this much strength left. Guess my slash wasn't deep enough. My eyes flick over as Adiline cuts through the growing pile of goblins.

"Can you really afford to look away?" Button says as I narrowly dodge his axe strike. That was close. Any slower and he would've- Button swings again right as I duck out of the way. Well, I got his attention. The trick with the Leech Dagger isn't going to work again. At least not without the dagger. I'm no match for his swordsmanship, but thankfully, this isn't a battle of [Skill]. It's a battle to the death!

"You're getting slower, Button. Why don't you pick up the pace?!" I [Taunt] as I parry his strike.

"What did you do?!"

"Why would I tell you, idiot?" I [Taunt] as I dodge out of the way of his next attack. Based on how much muscle he's lost and the way his attacks have grown weaker, the plan seems to be working. A Deblin's strength is directly proportional to the size of a Colony. So, what happens if that Colony drastically drops in number? Profit, that's what happens! Even then, he's still going to outclass me. I've just shortened the gap from a bug and a horse to a bug and a rat.

Which is to say, if I'm not careful, he'll kill me, but the same goes for him. So, this is the perfect moment. Come on, Adiline! A sudden sense of danger ripples from behind me. The moment I feel it, I purposefully slip. Button's strike comes barreling down on me as everything slows. Then I see it. A dark blue string that appears out of Button's chest suddenly goes taut and snaps. A rush of wind slices straight through Buttons' chest, leaving behind a clean line of blood.

In the next second, I hit the ground along with the top half of Button. With a devilish smile, I look towards Adiline, who's shaking.

"Now that's what I'm talking about, Adiline!" I yell with a weird sense of pride. She gives me an awkward smile.

"Yay," she says weakly. Goblin Colony Cleared! Kill List 1 LvL. 23 Deblin 7 LvL. 15 Hobgoblins 11 LvL. 13 Ogres 437 LvL. 7 Goblins Level Up!! +1 INT +1 LCK Congratulations! One of your [Attributes] has reached the 50-point threshold. Would you like to attempt an [Attribute-Skill Acquisition]? What in the fuck is that?