"Saa~aaafe..." Xiang Ya cried while panting. She rested her bottom on a rock just by the foot of the Desolate Mountain where the Game Master's abode was hidden. When they arrived at the safe zone, it was already the break of dawn which proved just how troublesome the goblins were.

It was a hectic trek that tested their mettle from the Butterberry Forest to the harsh mountainous paths of the Desolate Mountain. The most annoying thing was because the Desolate Mountain Ranges were long and quite enormous, it was difficult to pinpoint where the 'safe' Desolate Mountain actually was.

"We would need a signpost in the future..." Nee Chen rubbed his kneecaps while alertly watching the surroundings as he was still tense from the various encounters with the goblins. "We lacked even a proper path to the Game Master's Cave Abode..."

The Desolate Mountain was barren, and even the mountain the Game Master claimed lacked any touch of civilization which was giving Xiang Ya and Nee Chen a difficult time.

"Chen, do you want some water?" Xiang Ya took out a bamboo jug from under a medium-sized boulder.

"Thanks," Nee Chen received the jug to take a sip. "That was surprising... Since when did you build something like this?" He glanced at the unassuming boulder, and under the boulder was a pit where a couple more bamboo jugs were hidden, and there was even more stuff that he could hardly identify. 

Xiang Ya explained. "It was little Gao who made this... supply depot. Yes, that was what he called it. I helped him store a few things like the bamboo jugs. I only made a few though, but they should suffice with how few of us there were. Lu Gao though, on top of creating this supply depot, also smoked a few jerkies. That little guy was actually so capable."

"I heard you," Nee Chen grinned realizing the pride in Xiang Ya's words when she spoke about Lu Gao. "We came so far, and look how far we had reached."

The 2nd stage of the Four Earthly Attributes is the Mind Enlightenment realm. The both of them were now cultivators, and they should be proud of it. But this was only the beginning.

They would only get stronger, and when they had reached the level where they could call themselves experts, they would begin their revenge with the Bones Devouring Sect.

"What did you think about the goblins?" Nee Chen's question aroused Xiang Ya's disgust.

"They were disgusting, ugly, and disgusting." Xiang Ya recalled the brutality of the goblins in that they would resort to any cruel means just to subjugate their opponents. The goblins were more beastly than beasts.

Nee Chen nodded in agreement. "Where do you think they came from?"

The Game Master's Beta Expansion Pack... They really did not know what it meant, but they had an inkling... 

Xiang Ya voiced her thoughts. "We could not understand the Game Master's thoughts. There was something Lu Gao told me once. It was to not pay attention to things we could not understand and just do the best that we could. Even now, I was feeling the same. But if the Game Master wished for us to fight this monstrosity, then we should just do it."

...and if there was a reason for them to fight such monsters, then it must be because for the greater good.

Nee Chen resolved himself to never lose against these monsters. He saw the evil in this creature's heart. These goblins would kill their own if it meant killing others. And these goblins would surely do... more unspeakable things in the future.

It was not pure righteousness that was driving Nee Chen to kill the goblins, but out of self-interest in the form of Exp Points. This was also his mindset on killing the beasts of Butterberry Forest, but wouldn't it be nice for his mental health if he was fighting for a righteous cause? Perhaps, this was merely sophistry or hypocrisy, but that was what humans were.

Despite their flaws, they would try to do their best in whatever situations they landed themselves in.

"We rest for four hours. Sleep tight. There would be a long battle ahead of us..." Nee Chen proclaimed and lied on the dirt not minding that it was improper. He was tired. He received a lot of hurt, and while Xiang Ya could heal him, the battles still exhausted him.

"This was a safe zone, so we could rest easy... good night... ah~ it should be good morning..." Xiang Ya softly cooed as she lay beside Nee Chen. The two slept side by side.

~~~

[Bi Yuan | Little Bunny | Level 35 Paladin | 2nd stage Mind Enlightenment]

The exp gain was good, and it was the goblins' persistent numbers to thank for. When Bi Yuan thought she had killed so many goblins already, she would only be shocked to learn that there were more of them!

In survival instincts alone, the goblins seemed to surpass the rabbits which annoyed Bi Yuan as it was the bunnies' hallmark ability to have a strong survival instinct. That was why the bunnies had developed the method to multiply rapidly for the sake of survival through incessant reproduction, but even the goblins had beaten the bunnies when it came to reproductive ability. The goblins just kept on multiplying!

For some reason, Bi Yuan was feeling competitive against the goblins. When dawn arrives, Bi Yuan wakes up from her deep sleep. The night is not fitting for her. That is why she chooses to retreat at the last minute before dusk arrives. Now that the sun is rising, it is time she wakes up from her resting place, a hollow stump of a relatively tall tree. She bravely chooses to rest here so that she does not waste travel time by going back and forth between the safe zone and her hunting ground.

With 'Survival of the Fittest' as her creed, she proceeded to hunt the goblins.

Because the goblins had targeted her, it would only be fair for Bi Yuan to target them back. This was 'Survival of the Fittest,' and while her thoughts about such thinking were somewhat disproven some time ago, the little bunny had resolved herself to continue moving forward.

Bi Yuan bounced from tree to tree while searching for prey. She realized the goblins like ambush tactics which prompted her to always move so that she would not fall under their radar. Another observation she made was that the goblins liked to march in organized units with scouts bounding on the trees.

So if she wanted to find a group of goblins fast, she would only need to stay with the trees, and it didn't fail her.

[Level 18 Goblin Scout] [Level 16 Goblin Scout]

Bi Yuan saw two scouts which she fearlessly attacked with a burst of speed. She killed the higher-level one with a single stroke of her Fork. When the other Goblin Scout realized they were being attacked, Bi Yuan had already cast her martial spell: Spirit Shackle. Following that was a swift strike to the Goblin Scout's chest, killing it in one blow.

Suddenly, the little bunny sensed a commotion just below her tree. She was careful in disposing of the bodies of the Goblin Scouts in that she made sure that they would not fall to the ground where more goblins must be waiting. When she peeked at what the commotion was, she was surprised to see goblins... a lot of them!

[Level 32 HobGoblin Spearman] [Goblin Soldier Level 27] [Goblin Soldier Level 22] [Goblin Spearman Level 16] [Goblin Shield-bearer Level 18] [Goblin Archer Level 15] [Goblin Level 10] [Goblin Level 12] [Goblin Level 9] [Goblin Level 14] [Goblin Level 10] [Goblin Level 12] [Goblin Level 9] [Goblin Level 13]

It was goblins. And there were a LOT OF THEM!

Bi Yuan's blood boiled for battle at the sight of such a sizable army! The normal goblins were especially many, and the most notable of them all was the HobGoblin Spearman who stood at six feet tall which was quite a strong contrast for goblins who were normally scrawny.

The little bunny resisted her desire for battle. 

"Kyu~!"