Chapter 65 : First Adventure (Part 2)

[Goblin] is the weakest of all monsters in its rank. However, even though it has the strength of a child, defeating it could be quite tricky.

For many Adventurers, who were already at the higher-class, would know how dangerous these monsters could be.

They grouped together and ambushed their prey by tricking them to think that they are weak. When someone showed a weakness in front of them, they will exploit it and after that...

Only despair awaited them.

******

'So basically...[Goblin] cannot be taken easily because of how tricky they are...especially the one that have evolved.' Ray explained.

'Evolved?'

'Yeah, evolved...such as the Boss type monster that you fought long ago...[Goblin] can evolve into many things'

'For an example, a [Goblin] that excels at magic and intelligence...[Goblin Shaman] and a [Goblin] that excel on both strength and agility of adult...[Hobgoblin].'

'They evolved because of one simple thing, which is the [Survival instinct]. They will learn what they are lacking and getting stronger each time they survived.'

'Hmmmm...are they pretty strong?'

'Well compared to what we have fought they might be childs play for you, but they fight in groups which is very hard to deal with. They don't mind sacrificing their own comrade just to survive.' Ray explained.

'I see...so basically they are pretty dangerous if you let your guard down.'

'Exactly...and when I see this team the way it is…' Ray looked forward through Rei's eyes as he could see something.

"Seriously! Can you go away for a minute!"

"No, you're the one who should go away."

Right now, as they made their way to the quest location, the two girls in this team were fighting over one boy once again.

Erika and Dahlia were both on the sides of Andrew as they fought against each other in the middle of the forest. Rei was walking behind them along with Lena who's by his side all the time.

"Y-you girls, please we are on our way to–"

"Could you shut up for a bit!" Erika and Dahlia shut him off right before he could tell them.

Rei sighed seeing what's happening before him

'I feel like we are going to have problem.' Ray spoke.

Rei couldn't agree with him more but right now he shouldn't be focusing on these three since he had a job to do.

Which is protecting their own healer in this team, Lena.

When Rei looked at Lena, she was quiet as she walked beside him. Compared to their first meeting before, she's somewhat quiet now.

"Ummm, Lena...is this always happen?" Rei decided to ask.

"A-ah! Y-yes, it's always like this." Lena stuttered.

"I see...and you seems okay with it." Rei said.

"Well I can't say I'm okay...but wherever I tried to say something, they just won't listen to me." Lena explained, sulking down a bit.

Rei sighed, "Well I can understand your situation a bit...but sometimes, you need to push yourself to say something to them, to correct their mistakes."

"E-eehh?! But isn't that quite rude??" Lena looked at him in surprise.

"Rude? Come on! They are at fault for potentially endangering the whole team! If I were you, I would hit their head to make them realize their mistakes." Rei said while cracking his fingers.

Lena looked a bit worried and scared at what he wanted to do to them, "N-no! you mustn't hurt them!"

Rei blinked for a moment and chuckled, "I'm just joking, you sure took those words seriously." Rei said while nodding his head.

"R-really?"

"Yep, I am sure." Rei smiled behind his helmet.

'Wow, you are a pretty good liar.' Ray commented.

'Shut up.' Rei replied.

Lena sighed in relief when he answered her while Rei himself sighed a bit.

"Well, I'm just giving you an advice for that part since if they cross the limit...don't blame me if I went rough on them." Rei said while giving off a bit of scary aura around him.

Lena could only nod at that, seeing how serious he was about it.

After that, Rei walked a bit closer to them and asked, "Andrew, isn't it about time you tell me about the quest? Cause you haven't told me the details."

"A-ah! Yes! Well I was about to tell you! The quest is about [Subjugate 15 Goblins and 1 Shaman Goblin that have been spotted in this forest]." Andrew explained.

"15 Goblins...does this quest information reliable?"

"Ummmm....I think it is quite reliable! I mean it's from the [Guild] themselves." Andrew replied.

"Hmmmm....I see." Rei hummed.

"Hah! You afraid old man? It's just a mere Goblin! We can take care of them!" Erika mocked him with a smug look on her face.

"Yeah, I don't think we need your help to begin with mister." Dahlia joined in, glaring at him coldly.

"....." Rei stayed quiet as soon as he heard those words.

"You girls!–" Andrew looked a bit worried but before he could even finish his words…

"But that's the truth! We don't know if we can rely on him! Besides, we already have one Warrior and that's Andrew! So stay away old man!" Erika glared, not letting Andrew speak even once. But what she said is true, there's 2 Warriors in this team, so it's hard to divide the role.

Rei sighed, 'Brats.'

'Indeed.' Ray joined.

"I see....in that case, I won't be helping you so don't worry, I will just watch." Rei shrugged as he walked back to Lena's side.

Erika and Dahlia huffed as they felt that they won the argument and now is currently dragging Andrew forwards with them.

Lena on the other side, looked increasingly worried, when she looked at Rei who didn't say a single thing after that.

"S-sir Crim–"

"Lena." Rei called

"Y-yes?!" Lena replied, getting even more nervous.

"May I ask something."

"W-what is it??" Lena asked him.

"Do you guys have prepared something? Like potion supply?"

"P-potion??"

Rei nodded as he looked at her.

"N-no we don't have any."

"Huh??" Rei widened his eyes and looked at her, "No potion?? Why? How come?"

"U-ummm...they told me we don't need it because it costs a lot of money a-and they only need me to heal them most of the time." Lena explained.

Rei was at a loss of words. 'Dammit...I should have known when I noticed they didn't bring any bag.' Rei thought and sighed.

'But it's true...potion can cost a lot of money, unlike us who can craft them from scratch.' Ray added.

"D-did we do something wrong? I-is it bad not bringing any potions??" Lena asked, starting to get scared.

Do they not learn from everything [Guild] told them or maybe they don't have anyone to teach?

The thought caused Rei to sigh once again, "It seems you're quite confident about this quest."

"E-ehh??"

"I will only tell you that...in a battle that awaits you right now...make sure you're prepared." Rei warned as he continued to walk, leaving her in confused state.

******

Night has come, they end up camping in the forest because they couldn't manage to arrive at the said location before night time.

They were setting up a campfire in the middle of the woods, where they all gathered there together.

As usual, Andrew were surrounded by the two girls, Erika and Dahlia as they all sat side by side.

Lena on the other hand is sitting right beside Rei who has been very quiet this whole time.

While Erika and Dahlia in the middle of their usual arguing, Andrew noticed Rei who just sat there without saying anything.

"U-ummm, Sir Crimson!" As Andrew called him, it broke off the atmosphere between the two arguing girls.

"Are you hungry? Or is there something wrong?" Andrew asked as he leaned forward to get away from their clingy arms.

Rei took a notice of him of course, but it left Erika and Dahlia in a bad mood after Andrew pushed them away just to talk him.

"There's nothing wrong, and I'm not particularly hungry at the moment." Rei replied to him.

"I-i see! Hahaha..." Andrew scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He looked as if this is the first time he talked with someone other than his teammate.

"Hmmm...tell me Andrew, how strong are you compared to the monster?" Rei asked while looking at him straight in his eyes.

"Huh?? Me?? I don't really know, but I must say I cannot live up to your expectations." Andrew said while staying humble.

"I see...but it's okay, you can tell me about it." Rei spoke while nodding.

"O-okay! Well–" But before Andrew was about to say anything, someone cutted him off.

"Yes! Andrew is pretty strong you know! He chased off a monster in our village once when we were kids!" Erika beamed, there's sparkles in her eyes as she gushed about his heroic acts, going back to Andrew's side again.

"E-erika!"

"What? It's the truth! You were so brave to save me from that monster!" Erika explained with her wide smile filled with joy.

"Ohhh? You chased off a monster? That is pretty impressive."

"Heheh! Obviously!" When Rei complimented him, Erika was the one who seemed proud of it.

But Rei chose to ignore that and questioned him again, "So what kind of monster is it?"

"Huh?? Uh...actually it was a [Goblin]." Andrew replied.

"A [Goblin] I see." Rei nodded, 'No wonder they thought a [Goblin] is the weakest monster.'

"Yeah? Something wrong with that, Mister?" Erika asked with a glare while folding her arms.

"Nothing, I was only thinking about something...and it's not something important." Rei shrugged.

"Heh! Well don't be suprised! That's not all, in the village Andrew was the most talented one as well! Even I can't defeat him on one on one! Because he has an innate skill since birth!" Erika huffed.

Rei blinked at that, "An [Innate Skill]?"

"Yepp! That skill is–"

"The skill called [Battle Instinct]." Dahlia cut her off by a second, finishing her sentence.

"[Battle Instinct]...?" Rei felt somewhat conflicted as he recognized that skill.

"Yes, [Battle Instinct]...a skill that allows you to increase your sense in a battle and adapting to it fast." Dahlia explained with a smile, "He defeated me who excels in great magic and managed to get me off guard! He is such a great man!" Dahlia gushed while clinging on his arm again.

"D-dahlia!" Andrew blushed in embarrassment at how easily they exposed himself to someone they have just met. Talk about having loose mouth.

And of course it made Erika angry once again after seeing Dahlia on him again. "You–!! Stop clinging on him!" And just like that, they argued once again.

'Houston...isn't [Innate Skill] is...'

'Yes, just like Banzana with his [Iron Body] skill.' Ray replied.

'Wait, how come [Battle Instinct] is an [Innate Skill]? I thought everyone could have that.' Rei asked.

'I'll have you know that only a few people had this skill...from what I heard of course.' Ray shrugged.

'Does your Master have it as well?'

'Yeah, he does but it came from experience...not from birth, unlike this Andrew guy. He is probably just very lucky to get that and from my point of view here...

I think he had to be the protagonist of some story from how he managed to swoon two girls.' Ray said while blankly staring at this young man who was fought over by the two girls.

Rei could only nod in agreement, 'That's definitely true.' Rei sighed as he watched them started bickering again.

However, suddenly he picked up on something...

'Kiritsuka.' Ray called.

'I know.'

"Um...sir Crimson! do you mind telling me about your childhood? I'm curious what about your experience and how did you get to have such a cool armor." Andrew asked him as he broke free from their hands a second time.

"My childhood?"

"Y-yeah! I'm pretty curious about it–"

"Hmm...may I ask something before that?" Rei asked.

"Huh?? About what?"

"I shall be straight with you...are you really sure, it was 15 Goblins and 1 Shaman Goblin in the quest information?" Rei asked while looking at him seriously.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it is."

"I see, then...are we close to the location where we should be?"

"Yeah, I think we are pretty close to it? W-why are you asking about this now?" Andrew broke a sweat with his questions, feeling some sort of dread creeping up from behind him.

Seeing his reaction, the others also became nervous.

"Why are you asking those question old man!" Erika glared in annoyance.

"Can you read the atmosphere? It makes us uncomfortable." Dahlia scoffed.

"S-sir Crimson?" Lena looked at him from his side.

"Did you know that we haven't been attacked by monsters this whole day because I was carrying this thing beside me?" Rei said while showing them a small pouch on his hand.

"Huh?? Is that?"

=======================================

[Odorless Monster Repellent]

Grade: Common

Type: Item

Durability: 100%

A pouch that is filled with strong smell only monsters can pick up. The pouch produces a strong smell to repell lower type of monsters.

=======================================

"Yes...it is a [Monster Repellent] that I created myself, but seems like it's useless if the monster doesn't have a strong sense of smell."

.

.

.

.

.

"Just like [Goblin]." Rei said while in the slits of his helmet, his eyes lit up a bit.

After that...

*SSSTTT* *SSSTTT*

A suspicious sound coming out from the bushes around them.

*KEKEKEKE*

Followed by a laughter. They watched as the bushes moved even more, as if a horde of something is approaching.

"E-everyone! Prepare for battle!" Andrew ordered, finally taking charge.

They quickly stood up to prepare their equipment, all of them except Rei who's staying still on his spot, resting his body against the tree behind him.

Andrew quickly unsheated his sword on his waist, Erika getting into her stance while Dahlia and Lena prepared their staff.

"H-how many are they?!" Andrew asked while trying to look at his surrounding.

"I-i don't know! I can't sense it at all!" Dahlia answered him her eyes glowed bright, trying to observe the enemies with her magic.

'Hmmmm...it seems the Shaman could use jamming magic.' Ray explained.

'Jamming magic?'

'A magic that allows you to distrupt someone's magic detection, which is why that glasses girl couldn't find them.'

'I see.'

'How many enemies did you sense with your aura?'

'Hmmmm...I think around 30 and there's a big one among them.'

'A big one I see, it could be Hobgoblin.' Ray replied.

Erika shouted, snapping him back to the reality he was is, "Hey you! Why you didn't tell us we are getting surrounded!"

"Yeah! If you were to tell us sooner, I can prepare my magic before they jammed us!" Dahlia joined with the complain as well.

But Rei could only sigh from all the complaints he got from them, "Well, you told me you don't need my help from the beginning."

"Even so! We're getting into danger! Even you!" Erika shouted angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about. It wasn't my fault to begin with."

"Huh?! What do you mean it wasn't your–" Right before Dahlia could even finish with her words, Rei cut her off.

"I told you, it wasn't my fault...did you even hear how loud you are from the moment we enter this forest until we camped out in the middle of the night?" Rei snapped back, sending a cold glare towards the glasses girl.

It gave her a chill running down her spine from his stare.

"If you have been more quiet and let the Repellent do the work, we would be able to have some rest before facing them all." Rei explained while sighing once again.

As he talked, several Goblins came out from the bushes. A grotesque looking small creature with green skin, yellow eyes like a frog, long nose and long ears, with their sharp teeth visible in the darkness, they were holding some sort of small club made out of woods and small axe.

1....3....6....8....14....19....as the number slowly continue to increase, they knew that the monsters were a lot more than they had thought.

They kept coming until a [Goblin] with a unique outfit showed up. The monster is wearing some sort of veil all over its face and holding a staff with a bell stuck on the top of it.

*CLING* *CLING*

Rei saw that monster and he could recognize it as...'[Goblin Shaman].'

When that monster showed up, it released its magical power, a dark murky aura around the place. Of course the team could feel it but it didn't effect Rei at all.

'It seems that big one is hiding behind him, well let's see if this team could handle them first.' Rei smiled behind that helmet.

The team looked nervous from the appearance of these monsters since it was the first time they met this many of them.

But only one person who still didn't take any stance or even stood beside them.

"Hah, well? what are you waiting for?"

The person was none other than Rei who just sat back and relax while leaning his back against the tree.

A smile formed behind that helmet as he looked at them, "Go get them, champ."

As Rei provoked them to start the fight, the rest of the goblins started yelling out their battle cries.

*KURAAAKKK!!!*

To be continue...