Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Goblin Outpost Assault
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Transcendent World.
A world of the law of the jungle, where those aiming for transcendence gathered.
It was also the place where they had to live the most realistically while chasing that illusory goal of transcendence.
And I was someone who might not have even qualified originally.
Of course, I think I've now proven myself more than worthy.
I pulled my sword from my inventory and prepared to hunt slimes.
Feeling the now-familiar medieval village scenery, I waited for noon.
This was day 9.
So far, I'd navigated everything without any major crises. Short time though it was.
'Noon soon.'
My high agility stat let me see the spawn point crystal clear, even from nearly the edge of the village.
Finally, the clock in the village center struck noon.
Multiple rays of light illuminated the spawn point.
A total of four.
And as expected, a system message appeared before everyone's eyes.
This system message was the longest one yet.
The more messages, the better.
I analyzed each one eagerly.
In the meantime, the spawn point glowed as new people appeared, but I ignored them and focused on the message.
Exactly 24 hours and 6 minutes until the event started.
The bosses on layers 5 and 10 meant the tower's structure was clearly defined.
And the most important info.
'All participants will be moved to the waiting room.'
This meant participation wasn't optional—it was mandatory.
A dangerous stage where failure could mean death.
All future events might be mandatory too.
But for me, it was the perfect opportunity.
The first chance to directly observe powerhouses from other dimensions and gauge their growth.
And probably, we wouldn't be able to fight in the waiting room.
Lost in thought as I walked, I suddenly found myself in Zone 1.
Todays hunt needed to be much faster and more efficient than before.
My current level was 19.
Hitting 20 today was a given.
Time to check the updated quest window.
I summoned it with a thought.
Goblin (Normal) Hunt
📍 Go to Zone 3 and kill 5 Goblin (Normal)
⏰ Progress: 0/5
🎁 Reward: 50 EXP, 500 Gold
Same number to kill as always.
I checked the elite quest next.
Goblin (Elite) Hunt
📍 Go to Zone 3 and kill 1 Goblin (Elite)
⏰ Progress: 0/1
🎁 Reward: 50 EXP, 500 Gold
Just one again.
The wolf quests rewarded 20 EXP and 200 Gold each.
Goblin quests were 50 EXP and 500 Gold each.
Same efficiency as wolves, so no reason not to hunt them if you could grow into it. Difficulty was the issue.
For Zone 3 hunting, I started with extra focus.
100 slimes and compound-eyed wolves fell in a flash.
I'd mapped their spawn clusters from repeated hunts.
It was less hunting, more systematic slaughter.
I definitely didn't belong in this level range anymore. Time for Zone 3.
In under 30 minutes, I'd cleared today's goals for Zones 1 and 2.
I dispatched even a star-eyed wolf in seconds and stood at Zone 3's entrance.
Unlike Zone 2's wild forest, the goblin outpost path was a well-maintained dirt road.
I stepped onto it without hesitation.
The transparent barrier between zones felt the same as ever.
+ All Stats +1
As expected.
I felt satisfied checking the achievement details.
All stats +1. Equivalent to another level up.
And from now on, first exploration achievements in every zone would be mine.
I proceeded cautiously along the dirt path.
Goblins could ambush from the surrounding forest at any moment.
I knew nothing of goblin habits yet.
The tension from the new zone put my demi-god power on high alert.
Soon, I felt a subtle anomaly underfoot.
The ground giving way slightly.
I leaped back reflexively.
The instant I did, the ground where I'd stood collapsed, revealing a pit trap with sharp stakes jutting up.
A trap?
I approached to inspect. The pit was pretty deep.
Falling in wouldn't kill me, but climbing out would be a hassle.
Crude, but it could've impaled someone else's foot.
I clicked my tongue. They were smarter than expected.
Capable of setting traps... or maybe just specialized in them.
More similar traps lined the path: log swings from trees, ankle snares.
Then deadlier ones: tripwire arrows, hidden poison needles on the ground.
The roadside was trap central.
Once I spotted the poisoned ones, I wrapped myself in demi-god power—minor cost, but worth it.
No telling how potent the poison was. Better safe.
Honestly, my high agility made these traps irrelevant anyway.
"Kreeeeek!"
A goblin?
Finally.
It hadn't noticed me yet.
Picking something in the bushes. Berries?
I crept closer for a better look.
Small, scrawny green creature.
Worn leather clothes, crude dagger.
As I closed in fast, it finally spotted me.
"Keeek!!"
Several more burst from the woods on both sides at the cry.
Weapons: daggers or clubs, like the first.
Up close, their grotesque faces were clear.
Pathetic bodies, but their eyes burned with cunning and malice beyond any wolf.
They didn't charge blindly.
Three or four grouped up, circling to surround me.
"Kiek!"
One screeched weirdly and slashed at my leg.
I casually kicked the attack aside.
The dagger snapped against my sturdy armor, sending the goblin tumbling.
'Stats around 7 or 8.'
I gauged from the impact.
Far beyond ordinary humans.
Though no ordinary humans remained in the Transcendent World.
Still, it'd overwhelm a solo level 5 or 6.
Not wolf-simple intellect—primate level at least.
I gripped my sword tighter.
The goblins prepared a coordinated assault. Primitive, but tactical.
I beheaded the first charger and kicked its corpse into another.
Generous rewards.
Compared to others: compound-eyed wolves gave 2 EXP, 10 Gold.
This little thing looked weak, but its power and speed topped compound-eyed wolves.
Goblins might be seen as trash mobs eventually, but not for weeks in the Transcendent World.
Until then, they'd be vile monsters that slaughtered countless peers.
As I assessed them, they finished encircling.
One drew my eyes frontal while others flanked and rear-attacked.
But their clumsy coordination posed no threat.
In under a second, the attackers screamed and fell.
After the first pack, I pressed on along the path.
Goblin tactics and levels were similar; only weapons varied slightly.
A spear-thrower surprised me briefly, but it just meant one disarmed goblin.
Slaughtering dozens like this, mid-pack a particularly burly one roared and charged.
Head taller than normals, muscled and scarred.
Better dressed too.
It roared and swung its club.
The whoosh wasn't casual.
I dodged lightly and shallow-slashed its side on purpose.
Slash!
Sensation of cutting thick clothes and muscle.
But it didn't scream—instead, backhanded me with its other fist.
I blocked with my arm.
Bam!
Heavy impact, but no damage.
Its strength matched or exceeded star-eyed wolves.
Stats firmly over 10.
The big one seemed shocked I blocked.
'Elite?'
High chance.
Gap from 10 was huge.
I struck harder at its neck.
The brute's head flew.
Thud.
As it hit the ground, other goblins showed fear.
One trembling noticeably tried fleeing; I wiped the pack instantly.
Killed the big one, but quest unchanged. Not elite.
Then it hit me: even normal monsters had elites.
Stronger than star-eyed wolves, yet normal.
Zone 3's difficulty was leagues beyond Zone 2.
I sensed hunts ahead would get trickier.
Leaving goblin corpses, I continued.
More big goblins appeared, even crude archers.
But resistance remained futile.
Arrows bounced off my defense. Big goblin hits wouldn't hurt either.
Steadily conquering Zone 3.
Then, the euphoric rush of level up hit.
Key milestone to 20.
Not huge since stats wouldn't break 30.
Still important.
20 meant eligibility for new job skills.
Without achievement, it'd push stats past 20.
First to 20, but no achievement—like level 10.
Goblin assaults continued.
I swept through like a typhoon, clearing all blockers.
Not tiring, but the outpost not appearing irked me slightly.
Should show soon.
Otherwise Zone 3 would dwarf Zone 2 absurdly.
Not 10x bigger suddenly.
Big goblins and archers now standard in packs.
Difficulty ramped toward the back, but time shrank thanks to Grasp Complete.
Finally, at forest's edge, a massive wooden fortress emerged.
Goblin outpost.
Crude, but huge.
'There it is...'
Watchtowers blared alert horns.
No hiding.
I'd end this war head-on, overwhelmingly.
I charged the massive wooden gate.
BOOM!!!
Deafening crash as the heavy gate shredded like paper and flew inward.
Several goblins behind it screamed, crushed flat.
Outpost interior turned chaos instantly.
Dozens—no, over a hundred goblins swarmed like a kicked hive.
Vast numbers screeched and charged me.
I leaped into the frenzy's heart, murmuring low.
"Domain."
Domain 2nd Grade
Range: 75m radius
Space warped in a 75-meter radius around my feet.
Onrushing goblins stuttered.
I closed my eyes, sensing every flow in the domain.
Then, the massacre began.
No need to swing my sword.
I unleashed hyper-velocity shockwaves at every goblin inside.
Bang! Pop! Bang-bang!
Invisible strikes burst heads, pierced hearts.
The outpost grounds turned hellish, soaked in blood and chunks.
I strolled over corpse piles, shattering plank doors, delving inside.
Interior was vast and maze-like.
Surviving goblins, heavily armed, blocked passages—prepped in the short time from the noise.
Tough bastards. If I weren't me.
Snap.
Flicked a finger, killed one. Still in domain.
The front pack massacred instantly.
Red goblin blood contrasted green skin vividly.
Monsters dusted faster than humans, but today it seemed crisp, slow-motion.
Even with high strength, finger-flicks couldn't kill big goblins stronger than star-eyed wolves normally.
But domain-infused shockwaves scaled with my strength stat.
Finger-snap vs. full arm extension differed little.
Shockwaves were ranged; even maxed, weaker than direct punches.
I thoroughly explored the crudely built interior.
Kept encountering ambush packs or formed lines.
But cramped confines prevented mass rushes, easing my advance.
No archers inside—wrong environment.
Post-hunt cleanup yielded item mats galore.
Goblins dropped odd stuff not from goblins—like loot from raids?
Passing sloppy outpost floors, I eyed junk: broken weapons, rickety chairs, hunt trophies, rotten meat.
Pure medieval bandit life recreated—not serfs, brigands.
Armory, food storage rooms, but mostly basic quarters.
Packed with goblins per room.
Goblins with barracks?
Zone 64 slaves like me got no housing, just food buys.
Worse than goblins...
A twinge of pity flickered, then vanished.
Roaming revealed openly strewn gold sacks—not just from kills.
Zone 3 was vast, packed with novel elements unlike priors.
Intriguing finds slowed me as I examined each.
I pondered faster clears tomorrow.
Glanced at outpost walls.
Wooden logs.
'Smash through?'
At my level, walls were negligible.
But assuming outpost wouldn't collapse.
In realistic Transcendent World, lose supports, it crumbles.
If it did, my stats let me dig out fast.
But resources would bury.
I inventoried piled mats from another corner, scanning.
Hunted silently, killing on detection via senses—no noise.
Goblins' hearing wasn't wolf-sharp; I'd known early.
Searched entire outpost for elite goblin.
No trace.
Cleared floors 1 and 2; only basement left.
'Fled underground?'
Smart creatures—plausible.
Might've missed some already.
Dark basement.
I figured elite goblins hid there unseen.
But it led deeper underground.
'What? Another level below?'
This outpost was too massive for an "outpost." Suspiciously so.
Following the long tunnel revealed the secret.
Astonishingly, it connected to a huge natural cave.
Midway, signs shifted from dug to natural.
Trailed goblin traces through the vast, dark cave.
Pitch black, but prepped: activated ultra-bright orb from shop via inventory.
Cave ended soon, light ahead signaling exit.
There, linked to another underground outpost.
Stone-built, far sturdier than wood.
The moment I reached the cave end to scout the new outpost—
Shieeek—!
Sharp air-rip; crimson-black energy orb hurtled at me.
I twisted reflexively, dodging.
It slammed cave wall behind, exploding massively.
BOOM!!!
Mana blast shattered rock shards everywhere.
Even evaded, shockwave grazed me.
Tanking it fully, I glared attack's source.
Atop the underground outpost's highest point—an altar-like spot—stood a bizarre goblin.
Far tinier than normals. Grotesque tattoos.
Tattered robe, crude staff topped with skull.
Elder goblin. Eyes blazed sickly green.
True elite monster.
Goblin Shaman.