[Goblin Level 5]
[Ugly, short Elves. Extremely weak as individuals, making them the most suitable opponents for beginners. However, when appearing in groups, they undergo a phenomenon called group evolution, making them incredibly dangerous.]
Group evolution, simply put, meant that while a single Goblin might be Level 5, multiple Goblins appearing together would be treated as a single [Goblin Swarm Level 10] entity.
[Goblin Reconnaissance Team Level 12]
[A reconnaissance team consisting of over twenty Goblins capable of using Human weapons. The appearance of this entity usually signifies the presence of a massive tribe nearby.]
This time, the small merchant caravan of Hermes’ Travel Hat had not hired any Foreigners, so their Guards were soldiers who were Ordinary People. The swarm of twenty armed Goblins had already caused casualties, and numerous crates of goods had been toppled over.
A lavishly decorated carriage was the Goblins’ primary target, and the remaining Guards were desperately defending it.
Blaze charged forward, picking up a fallen Guard’s weapon from the ground.
[Soldier Iron Sword]
[A mass-produced weapon forged to standardized specifications. Popular for being lightweight and of high quality.]
The Goblins noticed Blaze. It couldn’t be helped; his pitch-black silhouette stood out far too much on the main road amidst the bright Sunshine.
They grabbed their weapons and charged straight at him. To them, Blaze’s intimidating Heavy Armor was nothing more than a comical iron can.
Having formed a [Goblin Reconnaissance Team], their Intelligence had significantly increased. They knew Heavy Armor restricted a wearer’s movements. As long as they aimed their stabs at the gaps in the Armor, the Heavy Armor would instead become the wearer’s coffin.
SQUELCH—
Large bursts of red virtual cubes erupted from the necks of three Goblins. Blaze, who should have looked as slow as a turtle to them, brushed past them like a Ghost with Silent footsteps.
The Soldier Iron Sword resembled a streak of light dancing across the Goblins’ necks. A single swipe was enough to unreasonably cause fatal, massive bleeding.
The death of their three companions only elicited cries of Anger from the Goblin Reconnaissance Team. They swarmed him, thrusting their small daggers into the gaps of his Armor.
However, beneath the gaps lay not Blaze’s flesh, but much more flexible Soft Armor. Blaze twisted his body, and his Heavy Armor acted like iron pincers, trapping and snapping those inferior daggers.
"Die."
The Soldier Iron Sword traced a perfect arc. The surrounding Goblins bled profusely as they turned into dust and fell.
[Bizarre Green Limb]
[A Goblin’s limb. Honestly, it’s best not to eat it.]
"It dropped..." Blaze’s expression stiffened. He had only been defeating Titan Hybrids recently, so he had forgotten about the Intimacy with Nature State brought by the Forest Blessing. Even to transition into the Natural Guidance State, he needed to consume meat drops.
"Human, are you troubled? I’ll handle it then."
The chicken fluttered its wings and landed on the bizarre green limb on the ground. Then, something even more bizarre happened.
The chicken was eating the green limb—more accurately, it grew tentacles from its claws and drained the green limb dry, much like a parasitic plant absorbing nutrients.
"That makes sense. Even though it looks like a chicken, it’s actually a plant."
[Honor Points 65/1000]
[Saved the ambushed caravan +4]
"Hey, hey, hey. Doesn’t eradicating all those Titan Hybrids count as a good deed? Do I actually have to actively save people from a crisis to be awarded Honor Points?" he thought.
Speechless, Blaze swiped away the Blessing’s notification.
"Um... Lord Blessed?"
One of the Guards approached tremblingly to greet him. Blaze’s Armor seemed perpetually shrouded in dark Qi, making him look like anything but a good guy at first glance.
"Are you all alright?"
Blaze handed over the Soldier Iron Sword. This weapon was far too light; using it with the Great Sword Master Profession gave it a floaty, imprecise feel.
"We suffered some casualties, but we are very grateful for your help." The Guard took the weapon, hesitated for a moment, and then pointed at the carriage. He whispered, "Lord Blessed, there is a lord who wishes to speak with you."
Blaze nodded. He glanced at the chicken, which was still absorbing the severed green limb, before walking toward the carriage.
If the Guard referred to them as a lord, it was likely an important client of Hermes’ Travel Hat, or perhaps even one of their higher-ups.
Only upon getting closer did Blaze realize that it was a rather luxurious carriage—luxurious in terms of practicality, that is.
[Noble Carriage]
[The aristocrat among carriages. Made of ultra-high-strength steel-wood and imbued with minor Gravity Magic to reduce weight.]
[Fast-Walking Ostrich]
[A terrestrial bird capable of running long distances. Possesses extremely high Endurance and running speed. It is said that it can run continuously for three days and three nights, crossing from one side of the Kingdom to the other.]
Blaze spared another glance at the Fast-Walking Ostriches. There had been four in total, but one had died under the Goblins’ attack.
"Are you... the Knight wandering the Mysterious Beast Grassland?"
A melodious voice came from inside the carriage, and the silhouette of a figure wearing a Victorian Hat was cast against the curtain.
Although the other party wanted to remain hidden, their identity was laid bare under the Blessing’s Identification.
[Audrey / Singer]
Level: 20
Profession: Singer Level 10 / Dancer Level 10
Power: 12
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 150
Faith: 10
Skill: ???
Magic: ???
Equipment
Weapon: Ladies’ Folding Fan
Head: Victorian Hat
Upper Body: Victorian Upper Body
Waist: Victorian Waist Cincher
Lower Body: Victorian Long Skirt
Accessory: Singer’s Shawl
"Are you also a Blessed?"
The silhouette on the curtain stiffened, but Blaze paid it no mind. He continued, "You have the Singer Profession, so you should be capable of using very powerful area-of-effect support abilities. If you had just sung a few lines, you wouldn’t have needed me to intervene, right?"
The Nun’s support had nearly doubled his Strength Value. If this Singer had taken action, the Guards alone could have easily dealt with all the Goblins.
"Ah, is this something I wasn’t supposed to say?"
Blaze felt the gazes of the surrounding Guards. There was astonishment and surprise, as well as a hint of concealed Anger.
"Human, sometimes you seem like a simple, good-natured person, but you’re incredibly scheming underneath."
The satiated chicken fluttered its wings and landed on Blaze’s shoulder.
"Ahaha—Audrey, I told you to let me handle this."
Another voice rang out, but this time it wasn’t a conversation through the curtain; instead, the carriage door was pushed open as someone stepped out.
It was a beautiful person whose gender couldn’t be determined just by their appearance. They wore a pale green suit jacket, but the bottom half was cropped suit trousers, revealing fair, pristine calves.
Pinned to their collar was a golden feather, the symbol of an Advanced partner of Hermes’ Travel Hat.
"I am Herbie Hermes, the director of the Running Branch of Hermes’ Travel Hat."Greetings, Black Knight."
Blaze’s Intuition told him that even though this person wasn’t a Blessed, they were quite dangerous.