Chapter 013: Green Circle

…

I woke up in the morning.

It seemed I wasn’t woken up. I poke my head out the tent.

Nobody's up.

(Did they even continue the night watch after that monster raid?)

Not sensing anything abnormal, I go back inside my tent and take out my apostle slate.

I could afford a fifteen pointer skill.

The usual hesitation to wait to purchase a better skill dwelled in me.

I could either get Enhanced Dexterity or Enhanced Accuracy, but since dexterity wouldn’t guarantee accuracy as much as the skill named after it, I put Enhanced Dexterity on the back of my mind.

Still, I had access to a number of options.

Enhanced Accuracy, Mental Power Regeneration, Mental Power Control and Magic Bullet spell 1 were all on my list and I could afford one of them.

It made little sense to buy the Magic Bullet spell before Enhanced Accuracy, so that left me three options.

Using my newfound godly intellect, I deliberated over and over for three minutes.

And then… I still couldn’t decide.

So I took my phone, used a dice application and threw a six-sided die after attributing values to each option. One and two would be for accuracy, three and four for regeneration, five and six for control.

I threw the dice and got… One.

I actually wasn’t happy after seeing that result.

(Oh, well. Shouldn’t matter anyway by tomorrow or something.)

I buy Enhanced Accuracy 1 for 10 points.

A wave of electricity goes through my nerves for an instant, making me shake a bit.

My limbs all the way to my fingers and eyes felt more accurate, as if I could move them more precisely.

When I get Magic Bullet I should waste less shots now. Once I clear this trial I’ll be able to impress Cassandra a lot with my archery.

Suzy on my side is still sleeping soundly.

I lift over a few strands of her blond hair away from her eyes, which somehow wakes her up with a smile.

“Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“Un… No, I was just laying in bed.”

Suzy lifts herself up a little then climbs on to me using my shoulders in order to kiss me.

I hold her and caress her hair.

Half an hour later, we were out and almost done packing the tent.

The ground was still a bit muddy. Worst of all was the stench of the dead monsters.

Others were waking up as Suzy and I ate breakfast. Although we had less burden on our shoulders after eating and drinking, I knew we’d need to start hunting in a few days.

I feel a presence approaching.

(Oh!… One monster incoming.)

Loud rustling in the tree leaves warned of something big.

A small tree breaks in half and tumbles, just beyond a bush blocking the view.

I ready myself, about to cast a powerful magic missile.

The bush is pulled out and thrown to the side, revealing a big and dark warthog.

It has large tusks protruding out like horns.

“Magic Missile.” I try out a full-powered missile first, due to its imposing gait and my legs trembling a bit from facing it head on.

The missile approaches the warthog as the animal makes a deep rumble.

Suddenly mud lifts up, about to block the magic missile.

The missile’s lock on feature still detects the warthog behind the mud so it charges in.

My magic missile pierces through the mud shield and hits the warthog, as evident with its cry of pain.

However that very cry also meant it wasn’t killed.

(Damn it! This guy can do magic!)

I could still use two and a half more of these missiles. Wasting shots would be detrimental.

“Alright big guy,” I say as the warthog pounds the ground and the tents nearby rustle with people about to get out. “Block this!”

I take a handful of nails and place my hand in front of me, levitating one nail.

“Shoot!” I use Telekinetic Grab and throw the nail as fast I can.

Enhanced Accuracy enables me to launch it twice as fast as before. The nail whistles on its path to the warthog’s skull.

Wruiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

It feels some pain clearly, but the nail didn’t go all the way into its brain.

I shoot more nails one by one, while the warthog charges me.

(It’s fast!)

Jumping out of the way, I realize I’m about to be hit.

I push myself out of the way with telekinesis, barely dodging the charge.

DUN DUN

Lin Hao’s shoots twice.

“Water Arrow!” Raquel launches her water arrow but misses as the warthog continues to run further away through the camp, luckily avoiding the other tents.

With the warthog showing me its back, it is the perfect opportunity to send a missile after it.

With a hand and my knees in the mud, I shoot one more magic missile. “Magic Missile!”

The missile shoots out at decent speed of 30 kilometers per hour, slightly slower than the warthog.

As the warthog decelerates to turn and charge back, the missile hits.

The warthog falls dead to the ground.

Six points. What a beast!

I could now afford Magic Bullet.

“It’s dead, guys.” I reassure them.

We inspect the corpse, impressed at its resilience and magical abilities.

The only comfort was that its charge was simple and predictable. Still, the beast was quite fast.

The sudden danger stirred us up. We soon departed on our journey to civilization.

Only half an hour in, we encountered a horned rabbit sprinting by, not paying us any attention.

A moment later a small pack of wolves appears, running towards us.

The moment our eyes meet, both us and the wolves stop moving.

The next second one wolf growls and the pack starts running towards us.

I was ready and sent a few magic missiles.

Within thirty seconds the fight was over, with me sending one last magic missile to an escaping wolf.

Plus four points. Almost twenty.

…

The day went on like this.

The night was slightly troubled and I had to wake up once.

I won 13 more points in total.

In the morning, I felt rejuvenated and bought Magic Bullet 1 and Mental Power Control 1 for a total of 25 points, leaving me with 4 points.

Testing out Magic Bullet, I figured out it cost half as much mana as Magic Missile but did only 25% less damage. Overcharging Magic Bullet would let me do as much damage as a Magic Missile for less mana.

Obviously, that’s all in exchange of the tracking feature. On the other hand, a Magic Bullet travels almost twice as fast as well.

(It’s only the beginning of the fourth day and I’ve already gained 90 points in total. Assuming there are 15 more days to the goal, I’ll gain at least a few hundred more points, more than enough for the healing skill I wanted for Alice.)

…

Two days later, lunch break.

The sixth day since the start of the trial.

The previous day was a slow one, with two times less monsters roaming about.

Today is actually even slower.

We rejoiced.

I did wonder about the presence of an apex predator or such in the area, but there were no corpses, tracks or any hint of that sort.

Everyone was quite exhausted after walking through the jungle for such a long time.

The mental fatigue had finally pierced through.

I took my apostle slate on the side, checking out available skills.

I had gained 16 points since the last time I bought anything, putting me at a total of twenty points.

(… Hum… How about I search for… I don’t know…)

There was a multitude of options.

A few that I had my eyes on were: Mental Power Regeneration 1, Chant-less Magic 1, Telekinetic Armor, Mana Discharge technique, Health Capacity 1, Enhanced Strength 1, Stamina Capacity 1, Stamina Regeneration 1, Wood Skin spell, Elemental Resist 1, Willpower Accumulation and finally Ice Spike spell 1, with that last one only for the purpose of just holding some ice and cooling down a bit.

There were good skills for 25 to 30 points as well, such as the Mana Radar technique, Infrared Vision 1 and Magic Weapon Enchantment 1. Completing my apprentice apostle equipment was also tempting, even though I promised myself to not buy those during the trial.

I was still conceiling information about the apostle slate.

With my accumulated fatigue, I could only dumbly type in Stamina in my apostle slate and buy Stamina Regeneration 1 for ten points.

(Let’s buy another ten-pointer…)

I was already starting to feel better.

I went through a bunch of options and chose Willpower Accumulation. With ‘accumulation’ in the name, I knew it would be good.

Click

Down to zero points.

That last skill went right in my passive skills as the only one without a level.

The description said that it let me overcharge my “will to live” and release it in times of duress.

It does seem like this would change my personality somewhat, but not really…?

(It kind of sounds like a try-hard mode or something.)

I packed my apostle slate and after a while our group continued on.

Within half an hour my body felt refreshed. Stamina Regeneration was a good choice after all.

…

…

Suzy walks a bit closer to me and comments something peculiar.

“Edward, don’t you think it smells a bit bad?”

Unsure of what she is referring to, I reply haphazardly.

“Hum… Maybe?”

A few minutes go by.

GUERG! GUAAAAR! GINI! GINI!

We were walking in the empty jungle as always. But this time a symphony of cries harmonized into a terrifying noise all around us.

“We’re surrounded!” I shout.

I didn’t detect them before, they were out of my range.

Only now were these monsters closing in on us.

(How long have they been following us!?)

The cries came closer.

Looking around, I noticed that not only my legs, but everyone else’s were trembling.

(This is an army. We’re fucked.)

Seeing the many jungle goblins swinging around, with some dropping themselves to the ground, my fists squeezed themselves tight.

“Lin Hao…” I say. “Wake up. Shoot at will!”

Lin Hao seems to gather his wits and grabs his gun, loading in a magazine within a second.

I shoot a two-thirds powered Magic Bullet at a random goblin. It dies after convulsing.

(Perfectly adjusted.)

I can shoot nine more like this, but I better save up on mana in case they have a boss leading their troupe.

However looking at the dozens of monster silhouettes, I could only hope we would all make it through alive.

“No… We’ll make it! Form a circle everyone! Suzy! Stay in the middle!” I shout, hoping for the best.

Although I had only 3 points right now, I also had a mana potion that was three-quarters full in my bag. Now was the time to use it.

For the goblins to encircle us like this, I believed there was a mastermind behind them.

(It could be the pixies, or an alpha goblin…)

Seeing two goblins high up in the trees, I make them slip and fall with my telekinesis. I shoot a magic bullet at another.

With the four kills, I unexpectedly gained 11 points.

These goblins were worth more!

Danielo starts up his chainsaw and enchants his sledgehammer while Lin Hao infuses chi in his bullets.

A goblin charges Claire, who forces it to maintain a distance using the tip of her spear.

Another two charge at Raquel who almost disappears for a while and returns to her spot, with the goblins falling to ground dead on the spot and blood spurting out of their necks.

DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN

Lin Hao starts blasting the goblins with bullets.

The stench of blood mixes with the bullets’ smoke.

The goblins are now swarming our group with numbers. I can’t preoccupy myself with anyone else.

I hear the explosions coming from Danielo’s sledgehammer.

I swing my sword with great precision, slashing goblin throats and wrists, stabbing into goblin heads and hearts.

Using my sword, I can handle two goblins at once, but when a third comes I launch a Magic Bullet.

After a single minute that feels so very long, I have killed six more goblins.

I now have 24 points. I only have enough mana to use seven more Magic Bullets.

There are still at least sixty bloodthirsty goblins encircling us.

One goblin jumps from a tree onto Suzabeth.

“AAAHHH!” Suzabeth cries in pain. I turn back and see as the goblin’s teeth bite off a chunk of Suzy’s shoulder.

Even quicker than I, Raquel dashes and decapitates the goblin.

This leaves a spot open in our desperate formation. Although Raquel only takes a few seconds before coming back, while I cover for her absence I use the last of my mana.

Eight kills. I have 51 points, but I’m out of mana.

It was time to use my potion.

I shout, “Suzy! Find my potion!” while swinging my sword and scaring away the goblins in front of me.

A stronger-looking goblin that’s taller and has larger muscles appears in front of me.

(Damn it! Now of all times! Time to use my all!)

As the beefy goblin charges and swings both its arms together towards me, I stab my sword into its chest while accelerating my sword with telekinesis.

My sword pierces the goblin’s chest twice as fast as any other stab I had ever done.

It stabs its heart. Its arms still collide with my motorcycle gear, which knocks me to the ground.

I get 8 points out of it.

(God, was that the goblins’ leader!? It’s big… It might as well be a hobgoblin!)

I get up.

Suzy is going through my bag, kneeling on the ground. Lin Hao reloads and empties a magazine of bullets after infusing more chi.

My mental power is almost half used.

Dozens of goblin corpses laid on the ground.

The rest start running away.

(Is it because I killed their leader?)

I hear a shrill cry from the jungle.

New goblins come running towards us.

(No… They’re all hobgoblins!)

About thirty of them could be seen watching us, ready to pounce.

BIIIIIIKAKAKAKAKAKAKAAA

A strident rumbling sounds out.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAP BOOM

A flash blinds my eyes as my skin tingles.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!”

A loud cry of pain sounds out. I look toward its source, barely making out Lin Hao, who dropped his gun, falling to the ground.

(What was that!)

I activate my Mana Sense, and low and behold, a strong mana signature is waiting behind the hobgoblins.

It walks closer.

My vision is now clearer. I see a goblin wearing furs and bone accessories, slowly walking towards us.

(That’s the leader. That previous magic… It’s a goblin mage!)

Claire hurries to heal Lin Hao. “Soins! Soins! Please heal him, my God… Guri!”

The goblin mage breathes heavily. It seems that previous spell took almost all of its mana.

“Gah!…” Lin Hao gasps in pain as he gets back on a knee, wielding his gun.

The goblin shouts out and the hobgoblins charge us.

I block a hobgoblin’s fist with the blade of my sword, injuring its skin.

I feel the goblin mage regenerate its mana at an unprecedented speed.

In order to cover Claire and Lin Hao’s areas, I swing my telekinesis-enhanced sword three times in quick succession, killing three hobgoblins and making the rest stay a bit further, on their guard.

Thanks to this, Claire has time to finish healing Lin Hao, who starts shooting again.

I order Lin Hao to shoot the mage while I block another hobgoblin.

“Lin Hao! That clothed goblin is the leader! It can use magic! Kill it!”

Lin Hao grits his teeth. With an “Alright!” he charges his bullets with more chi than he had ever used before.

His bullets glow with a bright green. It’s definitely the strongest Chi Enforcement he had done.

Lin Hao’s face becomes pale.

He flicks a switch on his gun and it shoots three bullets in close succession at the goblin mage.

POM POM POM

The sound I expected from his burst fire didn’t come out. Looking at the goblin mage, the reason is clear.

A transparent yellow shield covers the goblin, holding the bullets mid-air for half a second, before they fall to the ground. The shield has cracks that disappear after two seconds.

“Damn it!” Lin Hao cusses.

Danielo advises him. “Shoot the big goblins! If it can protect itself from bullets and chi then it won’t protect itself from my fire and hammer!”

I feel a tug on my sleeve. Suzy hands me my mana potion. I take it and take a swig.

Lin Hao uses the rest of his magazine on a bunch of hobgoblins, which try to block the shots with their arms. The bullets explode inside the hobgoblins, making fist-sized holes inside them.

Danielo runs towards the goblin mage.

Lin Hao finishes shooting and falls to the ground, exhausted.

He had managed to kill seventeen of the thirty-two hobgoblins on his own.

The goblin mage cries in anger. Following its cry, all of the remaining hobgoblins sprint towards us.

(My mana has come back!)

I use full powered Magic Bullets and shoot four hobgoblins.

This charge level is barely enough to kill them, which gives me a great sense of satisfaction while I drink more of my mana potion.

(The last seven hobgoblins gave me 54 points. I now have a total of 113! Lin Hao must have hit it rich as well!)

Danielo faces two hobgoblins, one with his chainsaw and the other with his enchanted sledgehammer.

Raquel launches her Water Arrow and flashes through two other hobgoblins with her knives.

Claire controls and stabs a hobgoblin with her spear.

This leaves one last hobgoblin for me.

“Magic Bul--!” SNAP

A whip strike sounds out across the jungle. A terrible pain goes through my legs while I am propelled to the ground.

While I spin and hit the ground. I notice that Claire, Suzy and Danielo were also hit as I was.

A burning sensation on my upper legs stop me from getting back up.

Raquel finishes her two hobgoblins.

I look towards the goblin mage. A vine extends all the way from it, moving around like a snake.

I recognize the spell.

(It can block bullets and it can use the Vine Whip spell!)

I extend my arm towards it. “Magic Bullet!”

The goblin immediately summons another shield spell, this time glowing with blue light.

The magic bullet dissolves into nothingness when it hits the shield.

The goblin mage had decent reflexes. But now that it had let go of the Vine Whip spell, it was an opportunity to kill the last four hobgoblins.

Raquel dashes and kills one, and I shoot down the other three.

I take one last gulp from my mana potion, now empty.

I shoot a Magic Missile and a Magic Bullet one after the other at the goblin mage.

It uses its shield to block both.

I quickly launch a nail at it but the goblin switches shields.

“Motherfucker! Magic Missile!” I launch another Magic Missile and immediately propel a nail at the goblin mage.

The mage uses its Anti-Magic Shield spell, which diffuses the Magic Missile.

But right behind the Magic Missile comes the telekinesis-propelled nail, which flies and embeds itself into the goblin’s stomach.

GYAAAAAH!

Its cry of pain is of great comfort to my ears.

I shoot out another Magic Missile and two more nails.

Probably sensing the greater danger came from the Magic Missile, or perhaps not being able to see the nails flying from behind the bright Magic Missile, the goblin keeps up its Anti-Magic Shield spell, before getting pierced with nails.

I propel two more nails towards it.

The goblin falls to its knees in pain and switches to the yellow shield. I quickly shoot one last Magic Bullet.

The goblin gets hit with the Magic Bullet and dies.

I get 14 points from this one, giving me a grand total of 150 points.

I’m completely exhausted, but even if I were not, the pain coming from my thighs would stop me from getting up.

This goblin mage could defend itself really well. If that Vine Whip had also hit Raquel, we would have been in trouble.

Claire heals herself, Danielo, me and finally Suzy.

Claire is thus completely out of healing power.

My legs now give small amounts of pain around where I was hit.

The area, filled with countless corpses, had a terrible stench.

Lin Hao was half-awake.

Everyone was exhausted.

But I knew we couldn’t stay around here.

“Everyone, we have to move. Danielo, please carry Lin Hao, I’ll carry your bags in exchange.”

“Ugh… Alright…” Danielo replies weakly.

We all start moving away from this corpse-cluttered part of the jungle.

I could only hope we wouldn’t encounter anything for the rest of the day.

Still, walking along with the group, I buy another mana potion and store it in my pocket.

…