Swish swish
Jason watched as Jeffery powered up. His eyes turning red and his muscles visibly bulging at the mention of snakos. Jeffrey jumped onto the mage's invisible shield scratching and biting the heck out of it. Jason took this time to analyze the mage and figure out his next move.
Boops had figured out the period of time the mage needed to chant a fireball. And currently, he had a few seconds left. Yet for some reason, the goblin mage didn't pay attention to Jeffery who was literally on top of his barrier trying to break it and instead kept on pointing the staff at Jason chanting furiously.
Jason shouted to Boops while preparing to dodge the fireball that was definitely going to be shot at him.
"Boops! help, any way to get rid of the barrier?"
Boops replied in a relaxed voice
'it's fine the goblin mage doesn't have an infinite pool of mana so calm down and just keep on dodging the fireballs and attacking the barrier.'
Jason accepted the answer and tried to calm down the adrenaline and panic he felt when he saw the fireball being cast. With a much cooler head, he was able to raise his sword up in preparation for the next fireball and hopefully buy some time for Jeffrey to do his work. The goblin mage finished the chant and a fireball was shot straight towards Jason. Jason kept his sword up and managed to deflect it away from him. Jason felt like he had just deflected a cannonball and his arms were still shacking from the aftermath. The fireball was sent into one of the nearby trees surrounding the small clearing they were fighting on. Jason analyzed the goblin mage.
[goblin mage (level 55)]
Boops couldn't tell how much mana the mage had left, which in hindsight they definitely needed when fighting against a mage. So Jason prayed that Jeffery could manage to break the barrier before Jason eventually made a mistake and got hit by a fireball.
The goblin mage was about to fire another one at Jason when he heard the audible *crack*. The goblin mage gave a genuine and real expression of terror, while Jason gave off the smuggest smile he could muster out of his tired body. The barrier broke into pieces and Jeffery fell next to the mage. The mage didn't even have time to screech out in fear, Jefferys jaws were already on his neck and biting. It was a universally known fact that most mages were weak in close combat and this mage was no exception.
[+1 goblin mage (fear)]
Jason walked to the goblin mage that was struggling with Jeffery hanging on his neck and stabbed the mage in the back of the head completely piercing it while being careful to not stab Jeffrey accidentally at the same time. The goblin mage knelt down and died after not being able to handle the sword in its head. Jason pulled out his sword and made sure that it was dead. Then he looked at the notifications
[you have killed a goblin mage!]
[you are the first to kill a goblin mage!]
[rewarding 20 gold]
[level up]
[level up]
[level up]
[level up]
Jason immediately went to loot the body. He was hoping that the mage dropped something expensive and searched around for his drops. Jason prayed while searching
"Please let there be something expensive please"
Boops asked Jason in a questioning voice
'why don't you want gear or a skill book?'
Jason replied like it was obvious
"because I'm not able to use them duh"
Boops replied in an even more confused voice
'Who told you that?'
"wait what are you trying to tell me? I know that only certain classes can learn certain skills"
' that's for a regular player, you have a system!'
Jason didn't know what Boops was going on about so he kept on pushing
"sooooo what are you trying to say?"
'basically you can learn any skill because your status is a real one that ties into reality, not a in-game one'
"wait really?"
'Yeah, but the downsides are that its harder to learn since its an actual skill your learning instead of an instant learn thing everyone else has, unless its a skill book, they will just input the skill into your brain which, well I think you already know will turn out.'
"So learning is harder and even when I'm able to learn it instantly it's going to hurt like hell?"
' yup good luck '
"wait why didn't the skills that I got before like slash and precise strike not hurt?"
'It took the fundamental moves you made in the training center battle and just made them better so it didn't hurt. If you were to learn a completely new thing like magic all of a sudden it would hurt a lot more. trust me'
"do you face the same thing for subsystems?"
'yup things having to do with subordination are much easier to accept into the system'
Jason learned a bit more about Boops and his status while searching and soon came up with wooden staff like the one the goblin mage was using earlier.
[mage staff]
[attack power: 5]
[defense: 4]
[special effects: mana manipulation while holding staff 20% increase]
[notes: a staff formerly used by an adventurer picked up and used by a goblin mage]
Jason wanted to admire the staff a bit more but Jeffery decided to pull Jason back to where the main battle was. Jason made sure that he packed all of the trinkets and shiny stuff left behind and followed Jeffery's intense tugging.
Jason and Jeffery emerged to see the entire pack of wolves decimating the last group of goblins who were no a disoriented bunch with no commander. Now they just follow instinct and when facing an entire pack of hostile wolves their instincts told them to run.
The pack of wolves closed in on the remaining goblins. Jason really wanted to steal some kills but the pack of wolves definitely wouldn't let him interfere with their hunt. So Jason sat with Jefferey and watched as the pack tore them into pieces.
Boops checked again to make sure that no more wolves were injured. Jason then went and collected the loot from the battlefield. This time he had gotten a lot of goblin weapons and armor they were all pretty small for him and a regular humans size but he was sure he could melt it down to make some money.
The pack started to look for any more stray goblins and started to regroup after the confusing attack the goblins made. Jason walked around camp confused as to what they were going to do. Jason noticed the alpha wolf talking to a few of the older wolves in the corner of the camp. Judging from how they were walking in hushed whispers Jason deemed it was important and sneaked over to check it out.
One of the older wolves was talking when Jason got close enough to listen
"chief seriously this is the 3rd attack this week! we won't be able to hold off for long, sure we haven't had any casualties yet, but they are bound to start pilling up sooner or later."
Some of the wolves around the alpha started to agree but then the alpha wolf answer them
"yeah I agree that we are in a dangerous position but what can we do about? our home was destroyed a long time ago and we have no place to return to and no family to protect. We are now wanderers and we really don't have a place to rest"
The rest of the wolves quieted down at the alpha wolf's reasoning. And a gloomy mood overtook them. They had just recently avenged their own kind and now didn't really have a purpose, sure killing goblins sorta was but they were going to lose in a battle sooner or later whether it be to a goblin camp or to age.
Jason was about to step in but a wolf pulled him from behind. Jason turned around and saw that it was Jeffery, Jason reached for Jeffery's mouth intending to clamp it shut but before he could do that Jeffery shouted loudly
"HOOMAN SNAKOES"
The group of wolves turned to Jason and Jeffery who was wagging his tail and not understand what he just did. The alpha wolf walked up to Jason and Jeffery
"guys you shouldn't be here"
"BUT HO....MHMHMH"
This time Jason successfully made Jeffery just up and he said the alpha wolf politely
"yes we will get out but later I want to talk to you"
The alpha wolf answered in his characteristic gruff voice
"in private?"
"yes it's important"
"alright after we eat"
Jason thanked the alpha wolf and left with Jeffery on his back who kept on encouraging him to give him snakoes. Jason walked to the pit that he had used to cook the rabbit meat and started to set up. While doing that he started to think hard on what he was going to say.