Chương 46: This Is What Mages Are Like

When Zelier first read the Adventurer's Association notes on the White-haired Goblin in the bestiary, he had hesitated for quite a while.

"Kill any spellcaster on sight." Sigh. That was just how mages were. The moment they appeared on a battlefield, they came with a built-in taunt aura. The White-haired Goblin stepped out of the cave, leaning on a white bone staff. Beside it, the Hobgoblin never left its side, constantly scanning the surroundings with wary eyes. Zelier let out a cold laugh. Pretty smart, huh? It knew to keep a bodyguard around at all times. Then let me see if your bodyguard can actually protect you!

After exchanging a glance with Vaelis, the two immediately understood each other's intentions. Vaelis nocked an arrow and began infusing it with aura, merging the energy into the arrowhead. Meanwhile, Zelier raised his ashwood staff, preparing to charge up Arcane Missile. Two terrifying forces were silently gathering within the bushes! At that moment, the White-haired Goblin also raised its bone staff.

It hopped around on the spot, moving in a bizarre rhythm while muttering a string of malicious curses and distorted shrieks. It was casting a spell as well! As its strange cries echoed, a wave of mental energy filled with negative emotions swept across the battlefield. Psychic Magic — Vituperative Curse! Marcus, Grey, and Gark all felt their minds sink heavily, as if someone had smashed their skulls with a blunt weapon. Their movements slowed at the same time.

Against an enemy surrounding them from all sides, this was a fatal opening.

"Gawa ka!" The White-haired Goblin suddenly pointed its bone staff at Marcus and the others. (Kill them!) The goblin horde, which already held the advantage, became even more frenzied. The appearance of the White-haired Goblin had injected them with a surge of confidence. Marcus and the others were still suffering from the aftereffects of the Vituperative Curse. For a moment, they were unable to organize an effective defense, and the situation immediately became critical.

Then— A swift black figure suddenly cut into the battlefield from the side. It was Cyr! She lowered her body and accelerated forward, instantly diving into the center of the goblin horde. Two daggers flashed with chilling brilliance, each blade wrapped in layers of razor-sharp aura. Every goblin standing in Cyr's path was greeted by a merciless horizontal slash. Throats were opened, and brilliant sprays of blood burst into the air. Her target was the White-haired Goblin!

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Such an obvious assassination attempt immediately drew the White-haired Goblin's attention. It let out a furious shriek.

"Dulu wa!" (Grab that woman first!) The White-haired Goblin's command caused the goblins preparing to surround Marcus's group to change targets. Even the two Hobgoblins immediately charged toward Cyr.

"Hmph…" Cyr sneered. She pulled open her cloak, and two round metal spheres shot forward.

"Bang! Bang!" A massive cloud of white smoke instantly erupted around Cyr. Her figure disappeared within the fog, leaving the goblins unable to locate her. Cyr's move dramatically reduced the pressure on Marcus's side. The three of them gasped for air, immediately focusing their minds and breaking free from the Vituperative Curse's effects. At this moment, the hidden assassins had also taken position! Vaelis released the bowstring. Thunderclap Arrow — unleash!

After being filled with aura, Vaelis's arrow crackled with lightning as it locked onto the White-haired Goblin and shot forward like a bolt of destruction!

"Whoosh!!!" The terrifying force instantly annihilated the three ordinary goblins blocking its path, tearing their bodies apart. The arrow continued forward and struck the Hobgoblin standing beside the White-haired Goblin! The remaining force of the arrow blasted the bodyguard away, throwing it heavily to the ground. The White-haired Goblin was completely exposed! It suddenly turned its head, its eyes filled with shock. Humans actually had an assassin hidden in the shadows?!

Before the White-haired Goblin could react, the next attack arrived without pause. Arcane Missile! Vaelis's Thunderclap Arrow had cleared the obstacles in its path, leaving Zelier's Arcane Missile with nothing standing in its way. The White-haired Goblin had nowhere to escape. It could only watch helplessly as the spell struck!

"BOOM!!!" The explosion of the missile was deafening. The overflowing mana kicked up a massive cloud of dust, twisting the surrounding mist into a spiraling vortex. A blinding blue light erupted! Direct hit!

"CLANG!!!" The sheer impact of the Arcane Missile seemed to freeze the battlefield itself. Both goblins and adventurers widened their eyes, staring toward the White-haired Goblin's location. The result…? Slowly, the dust began to settle. The fur on the White-haired Goblin's head fluttered slightly. The expression on its face remained frozen in that final moment of disbelief. But its lower body was gone. Completely gone.

The Arcane Missile had torn apart everything below its waist, cleaving the White-haired Goblin in half on the spot! The decapitation strike had succeeded! When the goblins finally saw the horrific death of their leader, a wordless silence swept across the battlefield. Fear began taking root in their hearts. Their leader… Was just killed like that??

"Attack!" Marcus roared! This was the perfect opportunity to wipe out the entire goblin colony. The six-person squad no longer held anything back and launched their full assault! Vaelis drew his bow once more. After charging his aura, another Thunderclap Arrow was released! This time, his target was the Hobgoblin standing in front of Marcus. The Thunderclap Arrow struck directly, blasting away half of its upper body along with its shoulder! Blood and flesh scattered through the air.

The Hobgoblin collapsed, releasing a miserable howl. Marcus followed up immediately with a brutal shield bash, then delivered the execution strike. Zelier also continued providing ranged support. He condensed another Arcane Missile and fired it directly at the Hobgoblin in front of Gark. The spell blasted apart its skull. Red and white fragments scattered across the ground. The Hobgoblin died instantly! Before aura and magic, their physical bodies were simply too fragile.

The successive deaths of the White-haired Goblin and the Hobgoblins shattered the remaining goblins' morale. The ordinary goblins completely lost their will to fight. All they could do was scream in panic and flee in every direction. But Grey had no intention of letting this chance slip away.

"Hahahaha! Only now you want to run? Too late!" Grey laughed loudly. His longsword stabbed and thrust again and again, claiming the lives of two more goblins. Under Grey's relentless pursuit, the green-skinned monsters collapsed into complete chaos, losing all fighting spirit. Some goblins tried to escape back into the cave. But under the cover of the smoke bombs, Cyr had already circled around and blocked their retreat. Their final escape route was sealed. The dagger came first.

Then came the ghostly throwing knives. Against these creatures, Cyr did not even need to use aura. The hidden weapons she threw fell like rain. With countless assassination tools at her disposal, her killing efficiency was terrifying. When the final desperate scream abruptly faded away, silence finally returned to the battlefield. The goblin colony had been completely exterminated! Zelier lowered his staff and let out a breath of relief. Lv. 5 (22/200) → Lv. 6 (102/225) Level Up!

During the battle, Zelier personally killed one White-haired Goblin, one Hobgoblin, and several ordinary goblins, gaining a total of 280 experience points.