Allen and Reymond could see the goblin’s village after they walked along the riverbank. Two goblins guarded the entrance.

Ahead of the village, there was a forest as he thought. Allen pondered the way to get past the guards. Suddenly, Reymond pulled his arm to his shoulder.

“Clutch to me tighter, Len.”

Reymond gathered mana in his legs and leaped forward. Allen looked back and realized they had moved past the village’s gate.

“That’s Gu Style-Locust Form: Desert Chase. If you train your martial arts further, you can evolve it to become martial magic. The key is to transform your mana naturally without a chant. It’s different from melee spell,” Reymond said.

Allen nodded. “I will keep that in mind. Not that I intend to become a melee specialist.”

“Eh, it’s a pity. You have talent in martial arts. Martial magic will benefit you in the future when you want to advance to the next realm faster.”

They continued further and arrived at the forest. Allen cast a darkness chain to a branch and retracted himself to a tree. As for Reymond, he only needed a single jump. They observed the surroundings from above.

“I don’t see any trace from animals. But, I do see the traces of activities,” Reymond whispered.

“There’s no one here. I think it’s safe to call my minions.”

From the river, undead minions came out and rushed to the forest. Allen made them scouting in three groups. He put the Mark of Shadow Sentry to each of the leaders. They didn’t go too far, so he could call them or reinforced them when there was trouble.

As he waited for the undead minions to finish scouting, he watched the others from the ghosts’ visions.

Mircalla had found a monster nest and slaughtered them. There was a trace of blood in her lips. Allen guessed she had drunken their blood.

Her complexion was pale as she dragged herself to walk. Her crimson eyes occasionally glowed.

“There’s something wrong with Mircalla.”

Reymond looked at him worryingly. He shook his head and watched the surroundings again. “It can’t be helped. She’s holding herself to stay sane. I wish I can find young goblins to feed her.”

“My minions have found a burrow between bushes. It leads to the underground.”

Reymond’s expression brightened. “If I am right, that’s the black goblins’ orphanage. It’s their culture to exile their children. Then, this forest is a training ground for black goblins. They train at night. There must be a magical beast farm somewhere around.”

“That means we can feed Mircalla. There must be one or two virgin goblins.”

“Yeah, don’t do anything crazy yet, Len. Mircalla’s favorite flavor is the taste of happy girls.”

Allen sneered and mocked him, “Do you think they are the same as humans? They love brutality. By the way, you do know me well.”

Reymond frowned. “What are you planning?”

“You will see. Let’s go.” Allen shot a darkness chain to another tree and retracted himself. Reymond followed him by jumping from a tree to another tree.

They landed at bushes. Smoke came out of a sealed hole. Loud crying and knocking could be heard.

Reymond clenched his fist as he shook his head constantly. Allen could see the disappointment in his eyes, but he ignored it. This was the easy way to hunt them.

A half-hour later, undead minions carried young goblins’ corpses outside and piled them. The other minions still scouted the surroundings. Allen was suspicious of why there was no goblin around.

In his vision, Allen saw Mircalla entering the forest. Her expression was grim. He had ordered the ghost to call her here.

Allen approached Reymond who faced the other side. The man had said that he couldn’t look at the scene of slaughtering innocent lives. He tapped him in the shoulder. “Mircalla is coming.”

“We have to hide, Len. I know she can smell the blood from far. If my guess is right, she is in a frenzied state.”

Allen willed the minions to scatter. He and Reymond hid on the tree. After a while, he could hear a loud laugh. Mircalla was running with both of her legs and arms. Droll came out of her mouth.

Mircalla stopped at the pile of burnt corpses. She pulled out a girl's corpse and bit her neck. She spitted out the flesh and suck her blood.

Mircalla threw the girl aside and pulled another one. Each time she sucked the blood, her hair changed color into white a bit. The sight of her doing it was unsightly, even Reymond didn’t look at her.

Mircalla’s crimson eyes stopped glowing. She looked at the surroundings and the girl in her clutch. She freaked out and crawled back.

At soon as Reymond heard Mircalla’s cry, he jumped from the tree and landed beside her. He pulled her into his chest.

“They died in pain. I almost turned into the countess.”

Allen landed beside them. Mircalla was giving him a sharp glance before buried her face in Reymond’s chest. Allen sighed. He focused his vision on the ghosts.

Allen frowned. One of the visions were fixed on him. A black jet silhouette was standing behind him.

Before he could turn back, the barrier that Mircalla cast shattered into pieces, and a hand pierced his belly from inside. Allen found himself floating. His body flew to the hole.

Allen looked at the figure who attacked him. He was an adult black goblin who wore an animal headdress. “The black goblin’s shaman!” He muttered and coughed up blood.

“Allen!”

He could see Reymond’s scream. The hole closed.

 

……

 

Johan chanted a spell as he approached Vanilla who was sleeping in the corner. He knelt and patted her head. His hand ran down to her nose, neck, chest, belly, and waist.

Vanilla opened her eyes suddenly and kicked him. Johan fell on his back. She stood up and looked down at him. He stared back at her brown eyes.

As he was about to say something, a goblin wearing animal headdress approached the cage. A naked woman floated beside him. He spoke with human language, “Tell me where you come from?”

Vanilla gasped. She hesitated before begging him, “You understand our language. Please let me out of this place.” She grabbed the shaman’s shoulders through the iron bars.

The shaman pointed at her and shot an invisible wave. Vanilla was thrown back. “I am the one who asks the question.”

In normal times, Johan would be stubborn and act mighty. But, he couldn’t afford to let Vanilla hurt. He gritted his teeth and ducked his head. “We are from the outside of the Nether Necropolis,” he whispered.

“Outside? Nether Necropolis? Tell me how to get out of this Death Canyon.”

Johan looked up. “Death Canyon? Impossible! Ever since the death of Arkor the Necromancer a few hundred years ago, no living beings can live there.”

The shaman rubbed his long beard. “I see. Now, you choose if you want to live. Either you have to perform intercourse or one of you have to fight me.”

Johan grinned. He had been pathetic, but his chance to have glorious death came at least. He stood up and stretched his body.

Vanilla held his wrist. “Do you plan to die? I hate you, but I don’t want you to die. It makes me the same lunatic like you. Let’s do it. We have done it.”

Johan pushed her. “Begone, I am lunatic? You are just an ignorant fool. Just lives and continue being the pathetic girl you are. No loyalty, no purpose, no self-regard. I will open the way to the magic core realm. I will open the chance to fight the kobold king who suppresses us.”

The shaman chuckled. He turned into mist, entered the cage, and got back to his form.

Johan immediately chanted a spell, but the shaman already stabbed his stomach before he could finish the line. His vision blacked. He muttered, “This is my sacrifice to open the way to the magic core realm.”

 

……

 

The goblin shaman looked at the lying man before him and glanced at the girl who cried beside the man. He turned into mist and exited the cage.

As he walked, a black goblin approached him. “Elder, the guards are killed.”

The goblin shaman rubbed his beard. “By whom?”

“It’s a pink-haired woman. She’s going to the forest right now. What should we do?”

“I will handle this matter. Tell everyone that they can do the woman inside the cage. Don’t forget to throw away the man to the river.”

“Why don’t we eat him?” The black goblin asked, drooling.

“You are simpleton like others. Just let me handle the thinking. I don’t kill the man.”

After talking to him, the shaman looked up to the sky. He could see the invisible barrier that caged them. “Our Lord finally sent people here. They are a clue for us to escape this death canyon.”

The shaman’s body turned into mist. He and the ghost woman flew to the forest.

 

……

 

Johan opened his eyes and saw the sun hung above. “I survived?”

He looked around and realized his body was lifted by two goblins. They were walking to the river.

Don’t tell me they want to dump me into the river?

Johan moved his body aside and fell. The two goblins were shocked. He wanted to crawl, but rocks and sand grazed the hole in his stomach. He flinched.

He heard the goblins chuckling. Hands grabbed his feet as his body was pulled. Johan screamed in pain. Suddenly, they stopped pulling him.

Johan used this chance to crawl forward to the river. He shouldn’t have moved. He regretted it.

He heard laughter. But, it wasn’t a hoarse voice. He turned back and saw a man laughing at him. A familiar woman stood beside him. She was his guard.

“You are alive!” Johan exclaimed.

Johan looked at the undead minions that pulled the two goblins away and trampled them. “Undead!”

“My lord, you are injured.” The woman knight approached and knelt beside him and held his hand.

“I truly want a glorious death, but now I can’t die yet.”

“Why?” The woman knight asked.

“I want to save someone. She is a follower of Ashkera, but I have to save her.”

The woman knight didn’t ask anymore and nodded. “I understand. Where’s she?”

Johan chanted a spell and enveloped his body with healing light. “Her name is Vanilla. She is held by the black goblins.”

“What?” Someone shouted.

Ren arrived with Peter and undead minions. He heard Johan’s conversation. “What did you say?”

 

……

 

Allen straightened his back and rubbed his belly. There was a hole, but he didn’t die. His cautious personality made him suspicious. If the goblin shaman wanted to kill him, he could do it easily.

The shaman deliberated missed his vital organs. He wondered why.

Is it because he knows I am the successor of necromancy? No, what if I look at his perspectives. What’s the benefit of sparring me?

As he thought of that, Allen coughed out blood. “I need to heal myself first. Luckily, my minions are outside. The shaman, Mircalla, and Reymond have disappeared. It’s my chance to call them.”

The hole opened. He could see his undead minion. He exhaled in relief.

The minions climbed down one by one. Allen tapped one of them and absorbed their life forces. The hole in his stomach shrunk little by little.

The first minion fell. He heard a cheerful shout as the spirit got its freedom.  Then, he tapped another minion.

A while later, all minions lied on the ground. Allen stretched his body and rubbed his healed belly. He smiled. “I have advanced to level 11.”