Chapter 69: | The Life of Goblin and Kobold

Theo saw Avara perch on a tree, specifically on one of its branches.

She had carried out her task, and now it was time for Theo to return to the village and prepare for tomorrow.

Since the goblins and kobolds were active at night, it would be much better for Theo to carry out his plan tomorrow morning, when the area was quiet and the monsters were resting.

After walking through the forest for quite some time, he finally arrived at the village.

He found an inn and rented a room on the second floor. It was more expensive, but the quality was worth the price.

He opened the door and saw that the inn room was quite spacious.

Theo opened the window and saw oil lamps beginning to light up the village. Not only that, he also saw a group of men arriving and gathering in front of the village chief’s house.

Night arrived, and Theo was inside his room. He saw the men beginning to leave the area in front of the village chief’s house.

They went to several different points, carrying torches and wooden spears. Theo clearly knew what they were doing.

Because of the kidnapping incidents, they set up a night patrol. That’s good.

Even so, the villagers’ activities were not disrupted. They knew there were monsters in the mine area, but they didn’t seem worried about it, as if they trusted the village patrols to protect them properly.

He used the opportunity to bring out the two skill cards he had bought earlier. He held them in his hands and began activating his power so that he could synchronize with the skill cards.

It didn’t take long before the system panel appeared in front of Theo, displaying a status indicating that his skill card had been successfully added.

[Please wait! New skill is being added]

[Synchronization process starting]

[Congratulations! Skill successfully synchronized with host]

[Name: Crescent Blade Strike]

[Type of Skill: Attack Skill]

[Rank: B-Rank]

[Element: Wind]

[Desc: Unleashes a crescent shaped slashing attack forward. Mana control and elemental affinity required to use this skill]

Theo’s body briefly glowed blue before the light faded away. He had successfully added his new skill, a B-Rank sword skill.

The skill would be a great help to him because it would increase the variety of his attacks later.

But he wasn’t finished yet. Theo extended his hand and took the second card, the defense skill he had bought together with the Crescent Blade skill.

Theo did the same thing he had done with the first skill card. The system panel appeared again.

[Please wait! New skill is being added]

[Synchronization process starting]

[Congratulations! Skill successfully synchronized with host]

[Name: Blade Edge Protection (B-Rank)]

[Type of Skill: Defense Skill]

[Rank: B-Rank]

[Element: None]

[Desc: Summons swords that rotate in a circle to protect the host]

Now, Theo had successfully added two new skills. Both were B-Rank skills with different skill types, one an attack skill and the other a defense skill.

He couldn’t wait to try out those abilities, but he had to be patient. He could use the skills tomorrow when he began exploring the mine.

The two skill cards that had already been used faded away and broke apart into floating particles of dust. Theo looked forward again, watching the hustle and bustle of the villagers.

The longer he watched them, the more Theo realized that something was strange. He glanced toward the village gate, the only route that could be used to travel from the mine to the village.

Theo had not moved away from the window since nightfall, and the inn was also located near the village gate. However, he hadn’t seen Zay and his party members return.

It had already been two hours since sunset, and there was still no sign of them returning. That made Theo slightly worried. Could something have happened to them?

Avara suddenly arrived and flew toward the inn. She entered through the open window and met Theo.

Within seconds, Avara transformed back into human form and told Theo what she had seen.

“You came back? What happened?” Theo asked.

“Do you remember Zay? The party leader from earlier? I saw one of their members unconscious in the mine, and the goblins carried him away.”

“My fear turned out to be true,” Theo replied. “There must be something that made them pass out, whether it was the pressure inside the mine or maybe…”

“Smell!” Avara interrupted firmly. “The smell was completely different compared to during the day. It was more like a mixture of flowers and sulfur.”

“So the smell and fragrance were what made Zay and his party members pass out, am I right?” Theo asked.

“Yes.”

“This is more dangerous than I imagined. I thought goblins would be as stupid as people often described them,” Theo replied.

Theo took a long breath before standing up from the wooden chair.

He said that the world was filled with mysteries, and the goblins and kobolds inside the mine might have learned something about alchemy, considering there were so many materials and items inside the mine.

“Goblins basically have the same anatomy as us. There’s a possibility they used something to produce that smell,” Theo replied.

“Otherwise, they should have been affected by it too.”

“Could it be that… the area inside the mine’s entrance tunnel is free of that fragrance?” Avara asked.

“That’s my guess. If they used it throughout their entire territory, they would pass out too.”

Theo turned around and walked toward the bed, placing his swords across his back. He also put his cloak back on and began covering his face with a scarf that concealed his nose.

“Where are you going?” Avara asked.

“Change of plans. I’m going tonight,” Theo replied.

“Are you crazy?! They’re roaming around, and there are a lot of them,” Avara replied.

“This is my chance to find the people they kidnapped. If I don’t do it now, it’ll be difficult later.”

The young man turned to look at Avara. “So, are you coming with me or staying here?”

“This is crazy, absolutely crazy,” Avara said. “You’re doing this alone, then attacking them during the time they’re most active. You’re seriously asking to die!”

“But I swore I’d stay with you. Damn it! If Father finds out about this, he’ll break your legs until you can’t walk.”

Theo smiled slightly and checked Avara’s readiness again. Avara let out a quiet sigh before agreeing to go. She transformed back into a crow and perched on Theo’s shoulder.

“I’ll be careful. Don’t worry, Avara.”

“Now, it’s time to save them all!”