Saelran took the ancient bone necklace from Hobgoblin Mugo's hands with great interest. Unlike Mugo, who was somewhat dirty, the necklace was extremely clean.
At first, he had not noticed anything unusual.
But after examining it more closely, he realized there was a faint, pale green glow flickering across the surface of the ping pong-sized bone.
That faint glow was the mark of a magical item.
"This is the bone of a Great Antlered Deer."
"The Great Antlered Deer is a kind of monster that lives deep within the forest. It has enormous antlers, like this…"
Hobgoblin Mugo quickly gestured with both hands as he explained the origin of the magical item.
From his sorrowful expression, it was clear how important this item was to him and to the Jike Tribe.
Although the hobgoblin's explanation was somewhat unclear, Saelran eventually understood the item's ability.
According to Mugo, the Great Antlered Deer, with its enormous antlers, was a monster that originally lived in the Arkenwald Forest.
It was born with the ability to move freely through the forest, so the magical item created from its skull naturally inherited this ability.
Hearing this, Saelran immediately knew what ability was contained within the bone necklace.
"Forest Passage"!
Just like "Camouflage," it was another faith-based spell.
The spell's specific effect was to allow its user to move without being hindered by vegetation in forest environments. Saelran could not remember if it was a third-tier or fourth-tier spell.
However, this "Forest Passage" spell was far more practical than "Camouflage."
Knowing the necklace had this ability, Saelran naturally had no intention of returning it.
But unlike Hobgoblin Mugo, he did not wear it around his neck. Instead, he wrapped it around his wrist.
A magical artifact needed to be placed in a fixed position on the body for its effects to function.
For example, a ring only granted its effects when worn on a finger.
But this bone necklace, despite being called a necklace, was actually just a ping pong-sized piece of bone. It was more like a trinket.
The vine-made cord was only used so the goblin could carry it easily.
Even if the vine cord were removed, the magical item would not be affected at all.
"All right, enough small talk."
"Now, let us get to business."
Feeling very pleased after obtaining the magical item, Saelran turned his gaze toward Mugo.
"B-business…?"
Hobgoblin Mugo looked confused.
"That is right." Saelran nodded, a faint cold glimmer in his eyes.
The reason he had not killed the goblin earlier was simply a side effect. His real goal was what he was about to do next.
"Since you came to the outer region to pick out exceptional goblins, you must be very familiar with all the goblin communities in this area."
"So, how about taking me to them?"
Saelran asked with a smile.
He had spent the past half-month hunting goblins in the forest, relying entirely on luck.
The Arkenwald Forest was simply too vast.
The difficulty of exploring the forest and the disadvantageous conditions at night severely slowed his leveling speed.
Before reaching level 10, the situation was still manageable. He could earn a few hundred experience points per day by hunting monsters and goblins.
But after reaching level 10, he now needed a full 5000 experience points to level up.
If he continued gaining experience at the same pace, he would not be able to level up much in the remaining half-month.
The appearance of Hobgoblin Mugo gave Saelran a new idea.
Who could possibly know the locations of the goblin colonies on the forest outskirts better than the goblins themselves?
Exactly.
He needed a guide, and this hobgoblin, who could communicate, was the perfect candidate. Not a perfect human candidate, but a perfect goblin candidate.
"Human Lord, you must not kill, kill…"
Seeing the smile on Saelran's face, Hobgoblin Mugo trembled and stuttered as if he were looking at a demon.
Naturally.
With near-human intelligence, the hobgoblin understood exactly what Saelran was asking for.
"This is not a negotiation," Saelran said with a smile, stepping forward and forcefully stomping on Mugo's left ankle, crushing the bone.
"Ah!!!"
The hobgoblin's scream echoed through the forest once again, startling several birds into flight.
After a short but friendly conversation, the hobgoblin quickly accepted Saelran's excellent suggestion and immediately revealed the location of the nearest goblin tribe.
Satisfied, Saelran hoisted the hobgoblin onto his back and headed in the tribe's direction.
A figure moved swiftly through the forest.
Bushes, grass, and interwoven branches parted to make way for him.
This was the power of the magical item: Forest Passage.
Saelran's speed increased several times over; the handicap of restricted mobility within the dense forest instantly vanished.
And the entire process was extremely silent.
With "Forest Passage" combined with "Camouflage," there was almost no chance of being detected unless someone used detection magic.
No wonder Hobgoblin Mugo had been able to follow him for so long without being noticed.
What followed was a massacre.
With the hobgoblin providing the locations and the magical item enhancing his movement, almost no goblin managed to escape Saelran.
During this period, Saelran even wiped out a large goblin tribe of more than two hundred goblins and five orcs.
Before obtaining the magical item "Forest Passage,"
Saelran, when faced with a siege by five orcs, might have been forced to temporarily retreat.
But with Forest Passage, the forest terrain no longer hindered him.
By relying solely on his advantage in speed, Saelran easily eliminated all five orcs.
After the large goblin tribe was completely annihilated by Saelran's sword, Hobgoblin Mugo, who initially showed resistance, ultimately surrendered and obediently became his guide.
Saelran fully understood Mugo's hidden intentions.
Given the greedy and cunning nature of goblins, it would be strange if the hobgoblin did not resist even a little.
However, after witnessing a powerful goblin tribe reduced to nothing by Saelran's efforts, the hobgoblin clearly lost all will to oppose him.