Chương 71: GOBLIN FOREST RAID (2)

Jimin's thoughts got cut off by a sudden grab on his shoulder. The hand gave him a firm shake. He flinched slightly and turned around. It was Yuna.

"Why did you suddenly stop like that?" she asked, her brows furrowed. Jimin blinked once, then quickly composed himself.

"Uh… nothing," he replied casually, brushing it off as he stepped back into position. Yuna narrowed her eyes. That was weird. But she didn't press further. Jimin moved forward again, keeping a steady rhythm with the rest of the group. Thin fog had already started to obscure their vision It had creeped into their vision, blurring the outlines of distant trees and dulling the already dim light. Their visibility range had dropped. Forty meters at best. Anything beyond that was nothing but vague silhouettes.

Jimin's eyes sharpened slightly. The goblins should already be within our sixty-meter range… But how do I inform the party without coming off as suspicious? Just as he was thinking, Hye-jin suddenly stopped. She drew her bow as she spoke.

"Get ready, guys. Monsters are approaching. Within fifty meters." It surprised Jimin. What the… Min-su immediately responded, drawing his sword in one swift motion.

"Shields up, Yu-jun." Yu-jun immediately raised his shield, taking a proper stance. Everyone became alert. The entire formation tightened. Jimin glanced sideways at Hye-jin for a brief moment. Her gaze was locked forward, unwavering. Does she have a detection type skill as well? Suddenly, some faint distant footsteps were heard. Everyone was ready for a battle. Waiting for the goblins. A faint silhouette started to form in the fog. Hye-jin's eyes narrowed. She didn't waste any time. SWISHH!

She immediately shot an arrow toward it. The arrow cleanly cut through the air Within a second- A faint thud was heard, followed by an instant groan and loud piercing screech. A goblin had been hit. The other goblins were clearly startled and chaos erupted. Battle cries followed. And then, three goblins emerged from the fog, charging wildly toward the party with a battle cry.

"Now!" Jimin shouted. His voice cut through the tension like a blade. Two goblins wielding daggers rushed in from the front, while the third stayed slightly behind, raising a bow. The first goblin lunged at Yu-jun. Yu-jun blocked it effortlessly with his shield. Trying to counter with his sword. The second goblin rushed in from the side. But Min-su intercepted it instantly. Meanwhile, The goblin archer was ready to shoot an arrow. But Jimin had already shot his two daggers forward.

One immediately pierced through the archer's neck, before it could shoot the arrow; dying on the spot. While, the other one carved its way, piercing through the remaining two goblin's necks in a clean and precise strike. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work. The bodies fell on the ground almost simultaneously. Jimin instantly recalled his daggers. The battle ended in a matter of a few seconds. And a series of notifications appeared in front of him.

【An E-Rank 'Goblin' has been killed】 Reward: +22 LP Total LP: 128 Jimin frowned slightly. Huh… Twenty two? That's- But his thoughts were interrupted.

"That was awesome!" said Hye-jin, staring at him, her eyes sparkling. Jimin was caught off guard for a moment.

"Yeah, man," Min-su added.

"That was cool." Dong-hyun also shook his head, looking at him intensely. Jimin scratched his cheek slightly.

"It wasn't much," he replied awkwardly. Then, he glanced at Hye-jin.

"It's because you gave us a heads up."

"Thanks," said Hye-jin, blushing slightly. But that wasn't the case with his regular party members. They weren't nearly as surprised. So, they just smirked.

"Good job," Yu-jun said. Jimin responded with a slight smile and a casual two-finger salute. He took a deep breath. Can't help it. I had to show them that I can manage by myself. His gaze sharpened. But I think I should first check how well they can fight without my involvement. Then-"Look, they dropped mana cores," Yuna said suddenly. Everyone's attention shifted immediately. The goblin carcasses and their weapons had already vanished. Leaving behind small, glowing bluish spheres scattered on the ground.

Min-su stepped forward and started picking them up. But Jimin used 'Telekinesis' to pick the goblin archer's Mana core and floated it to his hand. He pretended to simply observe it from angles, while he had secretly activated 'Appraisal'. A window appeared in front of him.

Name: Basic E-Rank Mana Core Grade: Common Description: A small, faint crystal sphere containing a trace amount of raw magical energy.

I see… Starting from E-Rank Rifts, Mana cores were standard drops. Basic ones didn't have affinities. Just raw mana. But some monsters drop special variants. And sometimes, completely different loot. Jimin tossed the core to Yu-jun.

"Here. I was just curious." Yu-jun caught it without any hesitation.

"It's fine," he said, storing it in his storage ring. Then, he said, "Let's move forward now." Everyone nodded and started moving in formation again. On the way, Yu-jun also picked up the mana core of the goblin Hye-jin killed. The party was slowly moving forward. But Jimin's mind wasn't at ease. Something felt off. Why did the goblin give only twenty-two LP? I even have the bonus passive now… His brows furrowed slightly. I clearly remember. During the outbreak, they gave thirty. Is it because I'm in a party now?

He nodded slightly. That would make sense. But they even felt weaker than before. Or is it just because I got stronger? He clenched his fist. I won't know unless I go on my own. The party kept moving along the path at a slow pace and steady rhythm.

Thirty minutes had passed just like that. It had been a smooth raid so far. On their way, Jimin had already detected a few pitfalls, shallow traps disguised under leaves and dirt. But he didn't need to worry about informing others, as Hye-jin did the job for him. She really did have a detection-type skill. Jimin helped with dismantling the traps, by triggering them with his daggers. The ground would collapse instantly, revealing the trap beneath. The encounters with goblins had also been consistent. Small groups.

Three to five at most. The party handled them efficiently. Yu-jun anchored the front like a wall. Min-su assisted him well. Gun-woo filled the gaps, stepping in whenever needed. Jimin had intentionally held back slightly, so others got the chance to shine as well. At the rear, Yuna kept an eye on everything. She had also replenished some of Hye-jin's mana from time to time. Most had played their part efficiently. Except Dong-hyun and Min-ji.

As the goblin groups were small and weak, magic and healing weren't needed that much. Still, it was just a matter of time before they did. But it was enough for Jimin to understand that the party was capable enough to stand its ground. So, he finalized his decision. It's time to go solo.

"Yu-jun," Jimin said suddenly. Yu-jun stopped immediately. The rest of the party halted as well. Everyone turned toward Jimin, staring at him. Jimin met Yu-jun's gaze first. Then Yuna's. His expression sharpened.

"It's time," he said calmly.

"I think I've proved enough." The whole party went silent. Then, Yuna facepalmed herself. Yu-jun let out a long sigh. Gun-woo and Min-ji shook their heads. But the three new members- Min-su, Hye-jin, and Dong-hyun; they looked completely lost.

"What…?" Min-su muttered. But before they could ask, Yuna lowered her hand and looked straight at Jimin. Her eyes were calm.

"Okay. You can go," she said. Jimin grinned, as he said, "Thanks, guys." That caught the three off guard. Jimin silently activated 'Mark' and marked Yuna. A faint thread of mana extended outward and attached itself to her. Now I won't lose track of them. Meanwhile, Hye-jin couldn't bear the suspense.

"What's the matter? What are you talking about?" she finally asked, her voice filled with confusion. But no one answered her. Jimin stepped back slightly.

"See you guys in 2 hours," said Jimin, as he instantly entered the forest; his figure disappeared in seconds. Hye-jin and the other two became speechless, eyes wide open.

As Jimin was out of the party's vision range, he reached into his inventory. And took out the new cloak and dagger from his inventory,"Finally," he murmured. He equipped them without hesitation. And the moment he did, his body started to feel lighter. He could experience the increase in his speed, his footsteps already silent. Perfect. He also activated 'Stealth', dampening his presence sharply. He quickly moved through the forest, weaving through the trees like a shadow. A faint grin spread across his face.

The goblins won't even know what hit them.

Back with the party-"He's going solo? Is he crazy?" asked Min-su.

"Yeah," replied the four in unison, in a defeated manner. Silence lingered for a while. Then-"Will he be alright?" asked Hye-jin. All four slowly sighed.

"Yeah…"