Chương 11: 10. Two of Chains

The boss had to be in the sewers. Marcus wouldn't have chosen to go there otherwise. Even with all the information I had kept to myself, he was smart enough to figure out that the trial would end the moment the boss was killed. It was all an elegant way of claiming most of the rewards while keeping us from taking as many ourselves. Why had Cathy agreed to his plan, though? After the balloon game, I had hoped she would have had more faith in me. Apparently, some things remained the same even the second time around.

The woman always refused to rely on others, which was why she had grown to become so strong. Running along the streets, I turned a corner and looked around. The post office was supposed to be on this block. The lack of adequate light made identifying buildings a real nightmare. Thankfully, there were other ways of doing so, as long as one knew where to look. Harlequin had been gracious enough to grant us a moonlit sky. I suspected that it was for the benefit of the goblins, rather than anyone else.

Nonetheless, it provided me with the single set of landmarks needed to navigate the modern jungle—a clear skyline. The tallest building was in view a few blocks away, and with it the goblin leader on the highest rooftop. I had a few suspicions regarding his skills, but that would have to wait. Before that, I planned on claiming another card. I readied my machete and cautiously continued onward. The thing about goblins was that they were always noisy.

There could only be three reasons for them not making any sounds: they were sleeping, dead, or preparing an ambush. Given the special attention I had gotten, it was safe to assume to be the latter. Nothing attacked me as I made my way to the building. Large signs were placed over the windows, informing the fictitious people of this town the services it offered. The prices were so low that they verged on the ludicrous, especially for the Grand Arcana.

The silver I carried was a good boost early on, but I would need a lot more. Three steps away from the door, I looked up. There didn't seem to be any goblins on the rooftops. That was starting to look slightly strange. No goblin was this disciplined. There had to be something else in play, which meant there was no point in sneaking any further. I rushed forward and kicked the door with all my strength. The experience was more painful than I would have liked, but it managed to shatter the flimsy entrance.

Glass shattered along with the sound of a bell ringing. Going by my past experience, I leaped back. Moments later, I saw that I was right to do so. Half a dozen goblins burst out of the post office. All of them were common grunts, and not overly smart, either. One somehow managed to impale itself in shards of glass, causing it to effectively end the fight before starting. None of its so-called comrades even noticed.

"Here we go." I ran forward. My first two strikes were on point, decapitating the creatures as I intended. Usually, this was the point at which a second wave would pour out in an attempt to overwhelm me. No such thing happened. The initial wave of goblins was all that stood against me, and despite the fear driving them to attack, they presented no challenge whatsoever. More heads rolled as I became more accustomed to the weapon. To think that such a low-grade weapon would seem unstoppable. Avon would have laughed.

Only one goblin remained. Aware that his support had just been slaughtered, the creature took several steps back. Gripping the crude knife with both hands, it slowly retreated, heading back to the post office. Without warning, a massive arm broke through the section of wall between the windows and grabbed its head. One loud squish later and blood splattered all over the area. Goblin Buster Level: 4 Cards: Two of Chains Special: Spread Fear Weapon: None Oh crap. I took a step back.

I expected the trial boss to be a level four or five, not any of the goblin leaders, though. A mass of distorted muscles emerged from the post office. Like a chick emerging from the shell of an egg, the monster crawled out of the building, then rose up. It was so tall that its head reached the third floor. My special told me that it had no weapon; it didn't need any. Its fists could smash stone and snap bones just as easily as a person could break a toothpick. That's why the name was so appropriate. Goblin buster…

In higher-level trials, these goblins acted as guards. They couldn't be called elite, but they weren't weak either. Also, unlike the other goblins so far, they were intelligent enough not to fall for obvious traps.

"Who sent you here?" I asked, taking a defensive stance. Slashing attacks were going to be useless against this mass of muscle. With my current weapon, the creature had only one weakness: the eyes and mouth. The chest, the neck, and even the throat itself were too thick to let a blade through, even one as sharp as the one I was holding. In order to win, I would have to put in a lot of effort, which also meant finding a better place to conduct the fight.

Rushing to the nearest goblin corpse, I grabbed the knife the creature held and threw it at the buster. The weapon's balance was slightly off. Thankfully, the practice I had from my previous run proved enough. The knife hit the buster's chest and bounced off, as if the flesh were made of hardened rubber. The goblin let out a loud roar. It seemed annoyed rather than hurt, but still refused to chase after me. Without losing a moment, I rushed to the next corpse and got another knife.

As expected, that urged the creature into action. Clutching its fists, the monster charged straight forward. Waiting for the right moment to react, I wondered what the Two of Chains did. For the most part, each house had its own overall theme. Sword was linked to attack, chalice to buffs, ring to magic, and chains to defense. The properties were not exact, with a lot lost in translation. Chains were also linked to imprisonment and binding, which could well be what the buster was going for.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. When the distance between us reached three steps, I used my card skills to perform a piercing thrust. The knife sank all the way into the goblin's stomach. That was enough for the moment. I gritted my teeth and leaped back. No sooner had I done so, when both of the monster's arms swung in an attempt to crush me. Had I been half a second later, the fight might have ended for me there and then.

Sweat trickled down my forehead. I needed another weapon. Sadly, none of the dead goblins were within reach, not unless I risked capture. If my current self were slightly more fit, I might have rolled on the street to grab another knife. Yet, the last thing I wanted to do was injure myself doing it. Out of nowhere, two arrows split the air, striking the buster in the shoulder. The creature looked to the side, surprised to see the arrows sticking out of it, then glanced in the direction they had come from.

Another arrow followed, hitting it in the forehead. Dozens of questions filled my mind, all of them important. My combat experience kicked in, pushing them all to the side. Right now, the buster was distracted. I wasn't going to get many opportunities such as this. I dashed past the creature, going straight for the nearest goblin corpse. For what I intended, I needed to have a knife. It wasn't because the weapon would cause any significant damage; rather, I needed it to boost the effects of my card skills.

While the goblin was still distracted by the other attacker, I snatched the weapon and with one fluid action slashed the creature's Achilles' tendon. It was a risky action, with only a one in three chance of success. Thankfully, luck was on my side. The machete cut through the hard layers of flesh. I could feel the resistance as if I were cutting thick rope wrapped in hardened leather. Even so, Arcana skills were no joke. On my own, I would never have achieved such a feat. The Three of Swords made it easy.

The buster wobbled. As tempting as it was for me to try a sweeping kick, I didn't. The proper approach was to leap back and patiently wait for nature to take its toll. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long. A new arrow hit the goblin in the neck, forcing it to attempt a step back. The attempt failed, immediately bringing it to its knees.

"Hey!" I shouted. Being the primal creature it was, the goblin turned around to face the source of the yell. Its mouth was opened in an attempt to snarl. One could say that was almost sweet; it was giving me a choice. I thrust my machete forward, sinking it into the creature's mouth. There wasn't even time for it to gurgle as the blade pierced its way through the brain. For the slightest of moments, I thought I heard clapping. Somewhere, a bunch of deities must have been amused by my performance.

Normally, such a kill wouldn't have batted an eye, but this was the first trial. Having a non-sponsored participant kill a buster goblin was unusual. It was safe to say that I had earned myself an additional prize. The mass of flesh vanished into a cloud of crimson smoke, leaving its prize to fall to the street. To my astonishment, the card wasn't the only thing offered. In fact, there were two of them. That was atypically generous of Harlequin.

Also, a crimson sphere, no larger than my thumb, glowed on the dark asphalt. A booster sphere! Quickly, I grabbed it, afraid that it might vanish. Moments later, I also picked up a card. TWO OF CHAINS (MINOR, CHAINS) (Rarity – Common) SKILLS (1/1): 1 CRUSHING GRIP: bend, crack, and break objects through the strength of your hand and arm grip That was a surprisingly good amount of luck. On its own, the skill was pretty crappy; some went as far as calling it a junk skill. For those in the know, it had its uses.

There always was the possibility that getting it was pure chance: a random element the buster goblin had been dealt. However, it was a lot more likely that this was the key to something a lot more valuable. As I stood, I heard steps approaching.

"Hi, Cathy," I said without even looking.

"Killed your goblin already?" I knew she hadn't, of course. There was no way she could get here so fast if she had engaged in a fight. The distance alone was prohibitive.

"You know more than you're telling," she said in a firm voice.

"How? Are you part of this?" Insightful as always.

"No." I stood up.

"There are those who are."

"Who?"

"Maybe the goths, but I can't be certain." That was also a lie. At this point, I had no doubt that the goth girl had a sponsor. Winning aside, her reactions weren't those of a person who'd entered the game unprepared.

"Then how do you know all this?"

"I told you it came to me in a dream," I began cautiously.

"That wasn't the entire truth. It wasn't a dream. It was a nightmare. In my mind, I was stuck in this place for years, playing the games, fighting monsters, going through trials that had no logic…"

"And what happened?"

"I woke up." Well, in a manner of speaking.

"This is a bit different from my dreams, but the principle is the same." I looked down at the remaining card.

"Take it. It's yours."

"You're the one who killed it," Cathy said, reluctant to claim her prize.

"We need cards to survive. There might not be many opportunities to get one for free." She remained hesitant.

"You can always trade it for something else later." Pragmatism won over. The woman went up to me, then bent down and claimed her prize. I gave her a few more moments to inspect it.

"So, what happens now?" she asked. That was a good question. It would have been better if she had killed her batch of goblins and claimed another card. Even so, having her around could prove very beneficial for what I had in mind.

"We take on the boss monster?" She tried to guess what I was thinking.

"We'll definitely try. But before that, how about a slight detour?" In the course of a trial, if someone suggested taking a detour, it usually meant trouble. The tougher the challenges became, the more options were offered to the participants. There was the short but difficult route and lots of detours of various difficulties. Some used to call it the risk-reward factor. Risk a lot, gain a lot. Sadly, that was never the case.

Facing and killing a strong opponent didn't guarantee a greater prize; the only thing certain was a more difficult fight. The only real reward was the opportunity to complete the trial before everyone else. Occasionally, detours meant something different: hidden loot stashes. I had no guarantee that the current trial had one, far less where it might be. Given the overall theme, it was a safe bet that if there was anything valuable, it would be in the town's bank. Finding the building proved easy enough.

The post office, or what remained of it, came with a standard assortment of newspapers, postcards, and tourist maps. Conveniently, all points of importance were clearly marked.

"What are we looking for?" Cathy looked over my shoulder.

"The bank," I replied. It was five blocks away. One couldn't describe it as particularly far, but it was in the opposite direction of the highest building.

"And why are we going there?"

"Gold." I folded the map several times and put it in my pocket.

"You get to keep that between trials. You can also use it to buy stuff or even gamble." That definitely caught her attention. If nothing else, it eliminated the risk of her getting killed at the betting tables.

"And we just walk in and take it?" there was a note of skepticism in her voice.

"Almost. We'll need to use a bit of strength."