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Chapter 78

  Ch 78

  A nagging sense that they were overlooking something made Matt hesitate before declaring their mission a failure. This prompted him to review everything he knew, and suddenly his thoughts turned to the labyrinthine network of caves they had entered through. He turned to Kal and spoke with curiosity.

  "Those caves we entered through, what do you know about the paths we didn’t follow?" Matt inquired.

  "Nothing," Kal replied, shaking her head. "I only ever walked the exact path we took to get here. Our guide always warned us that if we wandered off, we would be lost forever in them."

  "The goblin king is the oldest goblin alive, right?" Matt asked, his eyes narrowing with thought.

  "Yes," Kal confirmed.

  "So, if anyone knew their way through that maze, it would be him," Matt concluded, a spark of determination in his voice.

  "Matt, are you suggesting that we should enter that maze and search for the goblin king?" Eleanor asked, her voice tinged with unease. "I don't think we are equipped to do so safely.".

  "It needs to happen," insisted Matt with determination. "Otherwise, we might as well just abandon any hope of finding him at all."

  "We should head back up to the surface to strategize," suggested Greg thoughtfully. "If we are going to map out a series of caves, we ought to ensure it's done in an organized manner. For all we know, we might need to venture deep beneath the earth. I don’t know if you all noticed, but where we are now feels like tunnels carved out by human hands, whereas the entrance seemed naturally weathered."

  "What are you implying?" asked Tana, worry lacing her voice.

  "I'm saying that, for all we know, we could be searching in an area that hasn't been optimized for habitation," replied Greg, a hint of caution in his voice. "Goblins would be the least of our worries in such places, and we should never enter anywhere unless we're certain we can safely turn around if needed."

  "Matt, are you sure we should take such a risk?" asked Eleanor, concern evident in her voice. "Dealing with the goblin king doesn’t need to be your burden."

  "We will avoid any places where we feel the risk is too great," replied Matt confidently. "But I want to at least see what kind of caves we are dealing with. It seems crucial to understand the layout before making any decisions."

  "Use blood from dead goblins to mark the path," suggested Kal, her tone pragmatic.

  "That is just gross," commented Tana, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

  "Yet, not a bad idea," added Greg thoughtfully. "Matt, you kept a few of the smaller pots, right? They might come in handy."

  "Yeah," answered Matt, as he pulled one of the said pots out of his spatial storage, its surface glinting in the dim light. "I think we should start searching from this end since the cave system branched both ways where we entered, and this is at least one dead end. It might give us a clearer starting point."

  There was a bit more back-and-forth, with Tana especially pushing for a return to the surface, but in the end, they pressed forward. Greg took charge of marking the path they were walking. Their method was simple: they marked the point where they turned with a single slash and then added a second one to form an X if it was a dead end. On the few occasions when the path ahead was too risky to fully explore, Greg would only add the bottom half of the extra slash to indicate that there were still areas left unexplored. The dim cavern walls bore the marks of their journey, a silent testament to their cautious progress.

  As if in an instant, hours slipped away while Kal's light began to fade, and she announced that her stamina was nearly exhausted. When they eventually stumbled upon a chamber they deemed spacious enough for comfort, they settled down to rest, although Matt couldn't help but frown at their predicament. He longed for modern flashlights and other caving gear, but that was merely more of the same longing. Even though he had relinquished many modern conveniences back on Earth, this world was on an entirely different level. It made him ponder what wonders the rest of the universe might hold once they departed this primitive planet. Surely, a society bolstered by the enhanced stats provided by the system couldn't be less technologically advanced than Earth had been. Tempormr had even claimed they had contributed to technological advancements before Earth's integration.

  Suddenly, Matt found himself envisioning a reality straight out of a science fiction novel, yet something in his gut told him something was amiss. While he was certain that technology far more advanced than what existed on Earth was out there, the introduction of magic introduced a level of complexity beyond simple prediction. It was at that moment that Tempormr’s voice resonated in his mind.

  "Think of magic as both a power source and a mechanism for accomplishing things that science could never quite figure out. Right now, your access to the system is incomplete, and even the trick the goblin shared about healing is dangerous in ways you cannot yet comprehend. However, I sense that you are close enough to reaching your goals for me to reveal more to you without causing issues. But remember, this information is not to be shared with others."

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  "Then don’t share it with me," Matt replied, his mental voice steady yet laced with a hint of defiance.

  "No," replied Tempormr firmly. "It is crucial that you understand this before engaging an enemy like the goblin king. After all, he is regarded as an evolved goblin, possessing stats that would make yours seem insignificant. Normally, facing him would be an impossible feat for you, but your regeneration ability and the fact that he is a physical fighter give you a fighting chance."

  "Why do I feel like you're only telling me this now because a clash between us is unavoidable?" Matt mentally grumbled, a hint of frustration in his thoughts.

  "Because it is," Tempormr continued, with a sense of urgency. "He has located your group and will launch an attack shortly. I've frozen time to allow you to prepare, as you will be the first one he targets."

  "Alone?" Matt asked, a mix of apprehension and determination in his voice.

  "No, but he has commanded his followers to hold back until he calls them forward. He wants to hog the experience for himself," explained Tempormr.

  "Alright, then. Tell me everything you think I need to know," Matt said, steeling himself for the impending battle.

  "Firstly, not all skills are acquired solely by walking your path; some can even be stolen from enemies if the right circumstances align. Secondly, none of those accompanying you will be permitted to follow until they, too, reach level 9. However, any who survive the impending battle and pledge their allegiance to you will soon be allowed to join. Just remember, you won't have the luxury of waiting for them since you'll have a target on your back from the very beginning. Due to the constraints on my own power imposed by the system, I can only have one of them appear beside you once they reach level 9. Lastly, if you wish for any of the others to survive, you must keep the goblin king focused on you and lure him deeper into the caves. Trust your instincts, as they hold the key to emerging victorious from this fight. Now, when I unfreeze you, you will have just 30 seconds to speak with Greg before it's time to bid them all farewell for now."

  “Oh, is that all? I’m sorry, but I’m not fleeing from the goblin king. I’m taking the fight to him.”

  “Fool!”

  With that, time returned to normal and Matt turned to Greg, speaking urgently. “We’re about to be under attack. I’ll leave it to you to get everyone ready.”

  Greg looked confused, but Matt didn’t wait. He charged forward and spotted a dark figure slowly creeping towards his group, blending almost imperceptibly with the shadows. Seizing the advantage of surprise, Matt tossed a throwing knife. The figure batted it aside with eerie swiftness, but the loud clatter it made against the rocks was sure to alert everyone that something was amiss. Before Matt could celebrate the distraction, however, he felt a sharp pain as his ribs above his heart cracked, and only the reinforced plate in his armored clothing saved him as a sword thrust glanced off of it.

  As Matt spat out blood, he activated his ability 'Give Back to Your Enemy' and smiled as he watched the goblin king stumble. He was acutely aware that his own regeneration only took about five seconds to heal his chest, likely aided by Tempormr accelerating his body's healing process. During those intense five seconds, Matt found himself parrying one sword thrust after another, constantly on the defensive. Unfortunately, he was utterly overpowered, and as he felt the sword slide into his gut and out through his back, severing his spine, he could feel his life beginning to slip away. It was only thanks to his attack negation ability that he managed to continue fighting, as his body completely restored itself while he was falling to the ground.

  This proved to be the right decision, as suddenly an arrow and one of Tana and Greg’s combinations came flying in, blasting Matt and the goblin king apart. Seizing the opportunity, Matt also hurled a knife at the goblin king and grinned as it pierced the bottom of his foot. However, it only took a moment for the goblin king to recover, ripping the blade out of his foot and throwing it right back at Matt with a fierce growl.

  With a smile, Matt shifted his arm into the blade's path, watching as it embedded itself right into his arm, just below the wrist. The tip even protruded from the other side, but this only played to Matt's advantage. He used his skill to transfer the injury back to the goblin king as his own wound healed rapidly. As Matt pulled the dagger out, he noticed the goblin king struggling to stand at the same time. Feeling confident in his impending victory, Matt was ready for the final showdown. Unfortunately, the goblin king was no fool; realizing he was at a disadvantage, he turned and bolted, seeking refuge in the dark caves beyond.

  If it hadn't been for the wound on the goblin king’s foot causing it some difficulty, Matt was sure that would have been the end of their pursuit. However, not only was the goblin king wounded, but its injured foot was leaving an easy trail to follow. Matt called for everyone to follow him, his voice echoing in the dimly lit forest. Just then, Emily called out to him urgently.

  “Matt, don’t give chase! Kal’s stamina hasn’t recovered, and none of us have a good enough light to see if it fails us.”

  Matt felt a surge of frustration, cursing inwardly as he realized that if left alone long enough, the goblin king would likely heal before Kal’s stamina recovered. Suddenly, Tempormr's earlier words came to the front of his thoughts as he turned to address them all.

  “It seems that this is where we part ways. Any of you who wish to follow after me, just reach level 9, and Tempormr has promised me that he will put you on my trail. What that means, I am not sure, but you have to truly desire it, and it only applies to those gathered here.”

  "Matt, what are you saying?" asked Emily, her voice tinged with concern. "Didn't we come with you to help you fight the goblin king?"

  "That's what I thought as well," Matt replied, his voice laced with a hint of frustration, "but it seems that you were all just here to get me to the fight."

  With that, Matt turned on his heel and left, focusing intently as he strained all his senses to detect the faint splatters of blood on the cave’s floor. He moved cautiously, his eyes scanning the ground for any signs, and it was only a minute before his group caught up to him, attempting to dissuade him from chasing the goblin king down alone.

  "Matt, why are you so determined to press forward now?" shouted Eleanor, her voice echoing through the cave as it became clear that Matt had no intention of listening to reason.

  "He is injured," Matt explained, urgency in his tone. "If I let him heal, he'll surely approach a fight with me much differently next time, and I know that I will lose if he has half a brain."

  "Then we can hunt other monsters to help you get stronger—"

  "No," Matt interrupted firmly. "If I leave him alone, he will kill hundreds if not thousands of humans. I am the only one who can survive an encounter with him, thanks to my unique path. Now, let me go; I have a feeling I am about to head somewhere that none of you could escape with your lives."

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