CHAPTER 25
"Don't worry, I got your back!" a sharp voice echoed through the clearing.
The entire group of goblins spun around in unison.
They were met with the sight of a young man whose clothes were heavily stained with a thick, black liquid; even his mouth was smeared with the same dark substance.
He stood with his hands thrust outwardly, a fierce glare directed at the remaining monsters.
"Young human?! Weren't you just unconscious a moment ago?" Randin asked, his eyes widening as he watched Grey maintain his combative stance.
"Stop addressing me as a human! My name is Grey—call me that, you silly dwarf!" Grey shouted back, his voice crackling with newfound energy.
"And you should actually be thanking me for saving your life right now."
"Ha! I will give you my thanks when you have officially won this fight against them," Randin laughed, though his grip on his sword tightened.
Before Grey could offer a witty retort, a lightning bolt was discharged his way.
In a fluid motion, he raised his palms, causing a reinforced Earth wall to surge up in front of him, effortlessly blocking the electrical strike.
In response, the goblins unleashed a continuous, desperate stream of lightning at the barrier.
Gritting his teeth in anger, Grey pressed his palms against the stone wall.
Suddenly, dozens of jagged Earth shards, each coated in roaring flames, shot out from the structure toward the attackers.
Seeing the projectiles, the goblins tried to parry them using their spears.
However, before the shards could make contact with the weapons, they abruptly halted in mid-air and changed their trajectory—diving sharply into the goblins' heads or piercing through their chests, killing them on the spot.
"You fools, of course I can still control them!" Grey remarked as the last of the creatures fell.
He began to walk slowly toward a stunned Randin.
"Why do I feel like something is fundamentally different about you? It's as if you have just grown significantly stronger than before,"
Randin noted, eyeing the boy with suspicion.
"Well, I honestly don't know what happened myself," Grey said, shrugging his shoulders.
When Grey had fallen unconscious, he hadn't realized that he was advancing to the next stage of his journey; he was transitioning into a 2-star mage.
In the world of magic, while colors are used to grade specific elemental affinities, there remains a separate system to measure a mage's overall power and capacity.
This advancement occurs when a mage experiences a "mana core evolution," propelling them to a higher tier of mastery.
Grey had been a 1-star mage previously—the lowest possible rank—similar to Clark.
The higher a mage's star rating, the more they can utilize advanced spells and execute complex magical maneuvers.
The process of using his magic repeatedly and absorbing numerous cores had placed an immense strain on his small mana core, forcing him through the agonizing pains required to reach the next level.
Because the ability to absorb beast cores directly was a talent unique to Grey, he was capable of advancing far faster than his peers, though the path would only become more difficult now that he had reached the 2-star rank.
"So, what is our next move?" Grey asked, looking around the silent battlefield.
"We need to clear away these bodies so that more goblins do not appear in this area again," Randin stated.
"Well, I already have that covered," Grey replied.
He raised his hands high above his head, and they immediately erupted in vibrant flames.
"Gather the carcasses together."
Randin immediately got to work, dragging the dozen fallen goblins into a single pile in front of Grey.
Once the task was complete, the dwarf quickly retreated to a safe distance.
While Randin had been collecting the remains, Grey hadn't simply been standing idle; he was waving his hands through the air, performing intricate signs.
Slowly, a massive fireball began to coalesce above him.
It was far larger than any incendiary spell Grey had ever manifested—if his previous fireballs were the size of small stones, this current orb was as large as a soccer ball.
Thrusting his hands downward, the fireball crashed into the pile of bodies, incinerating them almost instantly.
Stepping back, Grey stood side-by-side with Randin, staring down at his own palms in disbelief.
'Is it true? Have I really grown this much stronger in such a short time? But how?' Grey thought, clenching and unclenching his fists as he felt the new power humming beneath his skin.
In a minute, the bodies were burnt totally, and both Randin and Grey retreated into one of the smaller caves to recover their strength.
"I want to thank you for saving my life earlier; I really am grateful for your intervention," Randin said, his voice unusually soft as he removed his scuffed gauntlets.
"Nah, it's nothing," Grey replied, waving off the gratitude with a tired hand. "So, are you finally ready to tell me how the hell those goblins appeared all of a sudden?"
Randin just sighed, leaning his back against the cool stone wall.
"They possess something similar to your magic—something called a magic circle or an array.
It is capable of detecting exactly where a dwarf is hiding and can teleport a small army to that location to get rid of them.
I have been smart enough to avoid their detection for years, but when you shouted my name and I responded, the sound must have pinged my coordinates to them; hence, they appeared."
"So, my guess is they arrived with those Otherworlders.
And now, they are systematically hunting any dwarf left on this continent. Is there any way to end this cycle?"
Grey asked, his expression turning serious.
"There is a method, actually, but it is utterly hopeless," Randin replied, staring at the cave floor.
"What is the way?" Grey pressed.
"We have to get rid of the Goblin Lord. When we eliminate him, the remaining army will fall into total disarray, and we can easily annihilate them.
But the reason I said it was impossible is that the Goblin Lord is guarded by an elite squad that is much stronger than what we faced today.
Also, to even reach his lair, we have to cross a forest that is filled with incredibly deadly beasts. So, that is why I said it is an impossible task," Randin explained.
Hearing everything Randin said, Grey just stroked his chin in deep thought while trying to formulate a viable strategy.
'If we want to take out the Goblin Lord, we have to cross that forest.
Things could actually go two ways if we do that: either we kill the beasts and I gain more power through their cores, or we get killed by much stronger monsters.
And let's not forget the elite army Randin mentioned. For a force like that, we would normally need our own army,' Grey thought.
"Randin, how many men are in this elite squad?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but the rumors say there are around twelve of them," Randin replied.
"Good. I have made my decision then. In the coming week, we will find and annihilate the Goblin Lord," Grey said firmly.
"What?!" Randin shouted, nearly jumping out of his skin.