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โฆ โฆ
In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.
The third academic year at the Preparatory School had ended, and Xiu Lim entered her annual vacation, which also marked the arrival of her tenth birthday.
Not long after her birthday, on a certain dayโ
Xiu Lim, as usual, came to the forest outside the town.
“Semilysโฆ what are you looking at?”
By the lakeside where the two had first met, Semilys was staring blankly at the water’s surface, so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice Xiu Lim’s arrival.
“โฆAh, Xiu Lim, you’re here.”
Semilys turned around, wearing a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.
“Yeah, I’m here. So, what kind of trainโฆ Hmm, Semilys? Is something wrong? You don’t seem as upbeat as usual today.”
Xiu Lim noticed something odd in Semilys’s expression and couldn’t help but ask.
“Eh? Me? Not in high spiritsโฆ Haha, of course not, Xiu Lim, you must be imagining things. More importantlyโฆ trainingโฆ Right, training.”
Semilys denied anything was amiss, but no matter how Xiu Lim looked at her, she seemed troubled by something.
“Hey, Xiu Lim.”
At that moment, Semilys’s expression suddenly became serious, and her tone grew solemn.
“Today’s training will be a bit special. You need to be mentally prepared.”
Xiu Lim felt a bit puzzled but still nodded.
Then, just like always, Semilys took Xiu Lim and flew into the depths of the Monster Forest.
But this time, Semilys was uncharacteristically quiet.
Her expression didn’t change at all, and she didn’t say a single word the entire way.
“We’re here.”
Not long after, Semilys brought Xiu Lim down to a mountaintop within the forest.
Xiu Lim glanced around and couldn’t help but ask, “Semilys, this isn’t the deepest part of the Monster Forest, right?”
Since she came here all the time, Xiu Lim could now gauge the time accurately. This flight was obviously much shorter than usual.
Semilys answered calmly, “That’s right, this isn’t the deep zone, it’s the middle area closer to the edge.”
“What are we doing here?”
“Look over thereโ”
Semilys didn’t explain, but instead pointed down the mountain.
Following Semilys’s finger, Xiu Lim saw wisps of smoke drifting into the sky. Beneath the smoke, a clearing appeared amidst the forest where there should have been trees. Now, crude houses stood in their place.
In and out of those houses, green-skinned humanoid creatures were busily coming and going.
“That’sโa goblin tribe!?”
Xiu Lim immediately recognized the creatures as one of the most famous and weakest monstersโgoblins.
Of course, goblins were famous not just for being the weakest monsters, but even more so for their notorious reputation.
As the most numerous grunts in the Demon King’s Army throughout the ages, goblins were the very symbol of the Demon King’s minions, and over a long time, they had become the living embodiment of people’s fear of the Demon King.
In every book depicting or recording the terror of the Demon King, these creatures were always present.
All of them, greedy and cunning, with mouths full of fangs sharp enough to easily crush bone, hands with long, pointed claws, and eyes as cold as if they hated all life.
More importantly, goblins were not always the lowest of the low. They were one of the few monsters capable of evolving, and even at their weakest, possessed remarkable intelligence.
The most common E-rank goblin could evolve into a D-rank Hobgoblin, or a Goblin Mage. Taking another step, they could become a Goblin Lord, then a Goblin General, and eventually a Goblin Kingโฆ
Some scholars had boldly speculated that goblins might not actually be monsters, but rather a degenerate branch of the demon raceโlooked down upon by stronger demonkin and thus relegated to monster status.
The evidence? When goblins evolved to a high enough tier, they were no weaker than ordinary demonkin.
“Semilys, you want me toโฆ”
Looking down at the goblin tribe, which seemed to number in the hundreds, Xiu Lim couldn’t help but ask.
“That’s right. This is your target for today!”
Semilys gave a firm answer, then gazed steadily into Xiu Lim’s eyes and spoke calmly:
“Xiu Lim, listen well. Your task today is to wipe out this group of the Demon King’s minions! You may use any method, any strategy. However, I will not be watching from the sidelines. I’ve placed a mark on the goblin leader. Only when it dies will I get the signal and return.”
“In other words, today, even if you die, no one will come to save you. Until that mark is triggered, I absolutely will not appear. That also means, if these goblins are not eliminated in a day, I won’t show up for a day, and you’ll be trapped in this dangerous forest for a day.”
“So, your only way out is to completely annihilate them!”
Xiu Lim looked at Semilys.
After a moment, she responded calmly as well:
“I understand, Semilys.” Then, she took the magic staff from her back and walked down the mountain toward the goblin settlement.
“I’ll wipe them all outโ!”
โฆ โฆ
โฆ โฆ
“Gahโ!”
“Gaki!”
“Garu!”
“Gaโฆ”
Xiu Lim crept cautiously to the edge of the goblin tribe, close enough to hear the voices of the goblins on guard duty.
She was currently hiding behind a large tree, still unnoticed by the goblins.
Crouching low, she carefully observed the ground.
There were many footprints to be made out, as well as tracks where large objects had been draggedโshe’d seen plenty of such traces along the way here.
This meant the goblins often came and went from the tribe.
For all she knew, right now behind her, there might be any number of goblins patrolling or out hunting.
Through the gaps in the underbrush, she could see the crude wooden fence built by the goblins. Around it stood some goblins wearing shoddy armor and armed with wooden bows and stone-tipped arrows.
Xiu Lim frowned.
They have ranged archers. This is troublesomeโฆ
With so many melee goblins charging, plus archers attacking from a distanceโand possibly mages as wellโnot to mention a C-rank Goblin Lord commanding themโฆ
A force like this, even if it looked like a ragtag militia, could wipe out a fully-armed C-rank adventurer party.
A frontal assault was out of the question. She would have to find a way to weaken the enemy first.
She would also have to constantly monitor her mana reserves, or else risk being stranded with no way out.
With her plan of action set, Xiu Lim decided to prioritize gathering intelligence for now, and then develop a strategy based on what she learned.
“[แแบแแแฃแแแแ แบแแแแแแแกแฃแแ แแแกแแแแแฒแแ แพแบื แช]”
“Essence of Nature.”
With a first-tier nature spell, Xiu Lim’s presence seemed to blend perfectly with her surroundings.
“[แแแ ืแแแแแแแกแฃแแ แแแกแแแแแฒแแฃแแ แแแแพแชแแแแแพแแแฒแแแ แแแแพแ]”
“Rhythm of Nature.”
With a second-tier nature spell, Xiu Lim moved in perfect harmony with her environment, as if she were born to be part of this very landscape.
“And nextโConcealment.” “[แแฒแแืแคแแแแชแกแแแ แบแแแแ แณแแแ แชแแแแแกแชแแแแพแช]”
When the second-tier darkness spell “Concealment” took hold, Xiu Lim became completely undetectable.
Though these spells couldn’t compare to third-tier magic, being only first- and second-tier, they didn’t put much strain on her mana, so she could maintain them for extended periods.
Moreover, these spells complemented each other well, especially the composite nature spells, which, when combined from the four major elements, produced effects no weaker than third-tier magic.
After all this, Xiu Lim did not immediately sneak into the tribe to scout. Instead, she chose to test the waters around the perimeter first.
Before long, she found a goblin patrol squad.