NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 379
And so, the party of five heroes set off from Procyon on a journey towards Vistia.
Starting from the south, where Procyon is located, they traveled all the way to the west, towards Vistia. A journey heading northwest.
Throughout their travels, they encountered various monsters and took down the self-proclaimed goblin kingdom army led by a Golden Goblin, continuing on their way.
“Indeed, the notorious golden goblin among the monsters of the Demon King’s army is quite powerful.”
“I didn’t think lightning would be so troublesome…”
“My bad…!”
When Eric and Alice were around, those monsters were easy pickings. But now, the situation made them a tough opponent.
With metal equipment, there was no escape from the lightning, and no matter how much they prepared, they couldn’t dodge being paralyzed.
The Golden Goblin, equipped with attacks that were both precise and paralyzing, combined with the raw power of lightning itself, proved to be a formidable foe.
Without the Sword of the Hero, which absorbed magical power, or Alice’s superior magic to crush their enemies, it was only natural that they found themselves in this predicament.
“Still, thanks to the Dragon Priestess’s magic, we can somewhat hold our ground,” someone said.
“Yeah. Even if I’m weakened, I can handle a monster like that.”
“But we should have had some time to prepare that magic.”
Lily complained as she forcefully tried to comb her spiked hair down, which was sticking up due to the lightning.
“But you did cast the defense magic.”
“Hmm. If it weren’t for the defense magic, I might have died.”
Yukira, still trying to flatten her frizzy tail, spoke up.
Despite having received defensive magic which increased their resistance against lightning, some damage was unavoidable.
“As long as we’re alive, that’s what matters.”
Eric, who had stood at the front and took the brunt of the lightning, lightly dusted off his tingling fingertips.
“Still, it would be nice to have a clearer strategy…”
“Alice’s magic hasn’t stabilized yet, so it won’t be easy.”
Though the Golden Goblin’s race was often seen as inferior, their ability to manipulate lightning was not to be underestimated.
There was no way a creature that could unleash powerful lightning capable of incinerating skin, muscles, and nerves in an instant could be weak.
“When I only heard about it, I thought it was easy pickings. But I heard you both have repelled the Demon King numerous times…”
“Back then, we were at our best.”
Eric said this while looking down at the sword in his hand.
The sword obtained from the Goddess of Life. Caladbolg.
Its sharpness and strength were on par with the Sword of the Hero, but its unique ability to decompose and absorb enemy magic was irreplaceable.
Thus, the hero felt an even stronger dependence on it.
Realizing how weak he became without the Sword of the Hero struck Eric’s heart hard, but he masked his feelings and said.
“Just a few more days and we’ll reach the territory of the Lizardmen; once we’re in there, the Golden Goblin won’t be so eager to attack us. So let’s hurry.”
Everyone nodded at Eric’s words.
The territory of the Lizardmen was a land where most monsters wouldn’t survive.
In that place, they would likely have a more comfortable journey.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
But the hero party thought this way.
“Whoa! Such extraordinary swordsmanship and an impressive sword! You must be a well-known adventurer! Please, I ask you for a duel!”
“Hmm?! Is that… a hammer? No, it’s not a hammer but an anvil?! Pretty impressive for a dwarf! Swinging such a hefty weapon! Let’s have a spar!!”
“That’s some sharp and careful dagger skills. You may be weak in open combat, but in an ambush, that’s a different story. Would you help me train in stealth attacks?”
“You… are a mage? I can sense an unusual aura; with that level of energy, you could rival an Archmage. But there seems to be an issue with the flow of your power…”
“A bow? Lizardmen don’t use bows. Maybe a javelin, but… spirit magic? That’s something only mages would care about. Just relax; it seems like the other party members have enough on their plate.”
Though there weren’t any issues with monster attacks, the Lizardmen’s ambush…? Was it even an ambush? In any case, they found themselves in a tricky situation due to the Lizardmen.
To me… to the Creator Dragon God, the Lizardmen were trying hard to maintain their politeness and faith, but to others, well… they’d become a battle-hungry tribe.
Given their racial traits, they were robust, and ordinary attacks wouldn’t even scratch their scales. Lizardmen, skilled in combat, seemed like they were treating the level of injury with blood and broken bones as just a game.
That’s not too surprising, given that one of the biggest festivals for the Lizardmen was a Great Warrior Selection Tournament, where they fought desperately to prove themselves. It was only a matter of time before the entire race would worship strength and aspire to become stronger.
Ultimately, this was a result of my own past mistakes.
But what can I say? It’s already done. Undoing it sounds troublesome.
And as a result…
“Whoa! Excellent sword skills! If your scales were just a bit thinner, that would’ve been a fatal wound!”
“Why the heck are you happy about getting cut…?”
“Hmph. These wounds are proof of a warrior! What kind of warrior fears getting hurt!”
They’d become a warlike race that wouldn’t even flinch at serious injuries.
That said, these racial traits seemed kind of amusing, so maybe I’ll just leave them be. Yeah.
Having a race like this isn’t so bad, I think.
“How on earth… how can a spear made of stone fragments and wood hold up against my hammer?!”
“You lack faith in your own weapon! A weapon is like your second body! If your will is strong enough, even a plain stick can have the strength of steel!”
“No, no! But honestly, this is a bit much! My anvil hammer can’t break this thin spear! Something’s off!!”
“And this spear carries our reverence for the Creator Dragon God! A spear prepared from materials the Creator Dragon God has given us, blessed by the Mage! It won’t break easily!”
Though that was never the case. Due to the Lizardmen’s preference for high humidity environments, metal rusted easily, so weapons made from sharp obsidian were commonly used. Still, witnessing such a stone spear withstand a massive anvil hammer was quite impressive.
Could the Lizardmen’s will strengthen the weapons or something? I’ve seen many cases where focusing the thoughts of many could create certain effects, but to see such an effect on an individual’s weapon is something new.
Could it be that the Lizardmen’s will is stronger than other races? Or is there some other factor at play? I’m not too sure. Really not sure, but…
“Phew. Let’s wrap this up for now. Thanks to you, I’ve thought of some defense tactics against ambushes.”
“But given how you figured out my position the moment I hid, that hardly qualifies as an ambush…”
“If you can determine the enemy’s position before they even ambush, then it’s not an ambush anymore! Isn’t that a tactic against ambushes?”
For some reason, the Fox Beastgirl, Yukira, was shaking her head in disbelief, but well… knowing beforehand can also be a way to prevent ambushes.
“And if you can sense an ambush from behind, you can prepare beforehand, or lure the enemy into an ambush for a counterattack.”
The Lizardman who practiced with Yukira lightly swung his thick tail, and with a whoosh! Clouds of dust flew around him.
If he swung such a thick tail quickly, it could serve as quite a weapon. And if it had scales or spikes jutting out, it would be even more powerful.
In any case, the Lizardmen were conversing and interacting with the hero party when suddenly…
“Goblins! Goblins have appeared!!!”
“What?! Goblins?!”
“I can’t hold back! I’ll chop them into pieces!!!”
“Ha ha! Waste disposal time!!!”
“We’ve spotted a Golden Goblin! Prepare magic resistance spells!!!”
“Golden Goblin!!! I’ve heard they’re goblins with special powers!! This can’t be ignored!!!”
“This is a disaster!!! The Great Warrior is already on the move! Hurry before he wipes us out!!!”
The emergence of the Golden Goblin, seemingly chasing after the hero party, had the Lizardmen excitedly charging out.
“This is… just a bunch of savages…?”
“Well, I had the same thought, but let’s not voice that out loud.”
Ignoring the brief conversation between Finna and Eric.
“My archery skills and spirit magic… here, they have… no value at all…?”
Lily, feeling a bit gloomy, was also ignored.
“For now, the Golden Goblin looks like it’s following us, so we should move too.”
“The Lizardmen will probably handle everything… but we can’t just sit around.”
Though Alice was slightly reluctant, she eventually nodded as if to follow Eric’s lead.
So the hero party headed towards the location where the goblins had been sighted, following the Lizardmen.