[Raul PoV]
The following day, we were positioned right at the edge of the urban area.
We had arrived here the previous evening and decided to spend the night in an abandoned shack not far from the city outskirts.
Our food and drink supplies have dwindled to only two loaves of bread and four small water pouches. Because of this, we'll have to hunt other participants to secure enough provisions to reach the finish line.
"Let's go, Valeria. I suspect many other participants have already entered this area."
The green-haired woman nodded and followed behind me.
We began entering the city gates, which appeared to be in ruins. This city is called Edessa; it was abandoned by its citizens about 20 years ago. Long ago, the city was quite prosperous as it sat on the trade route between the Aragon Empire and the Land of Kuwalid.
After this territory fell to the Empire, the residents chose to migrate back to their homeland rather than remain as a minority under the Aragon Empire, which is notorious for treating other races poorly.
Now, this place is a ghost town teeming with desert monsters. There is a wide variety of creatures here, the most numerous being Level 1 desert goblins and insect monsters like Big Fleas and Desert Centipedes, both of which are Level 0.
For now, monsters below Level 4 don't pose much of a threat to the second-stage participants. However, I also scattered several Level 4 and higher monsters in this area.
There is a trap I set in the Edessa City Hall—an artifact that summons monsters, disguised as treasure to punish greedy and careless players in the game. I hope the participants don't find that artifact, or the situation in this second stage will become far more complicated.
After walking for a few minutes, I stopped in my tracks.
"What is it, Raul?" Valeria asked, sounding confused by my sudden halt.
"Look over there," I replied, pointing toward footprints on the ground. "The tracks look fresh, likely made between 10 to 20 minutes ago."
Valeria held her chin as if deep in thought. "Don't these look like Hobgoblin footprints?"
"You're right. We should be more careful here."
Even though goblins are only Level 1 monsters, they can become a nightmare for anyone who underestimates them once they have the advantage of numbers.
We continued our journey at a slower pace than usual. I didn't want us to be suddenly ambushed by the city's inhabitants. I only intended to fight them if there was no other way. Fighting monsters here attracts stronger predators; if a fight is inevitable, it must be finished as quickly as possible.
—Kikiki...
Valeria and I stopped again. We saw a swarm of goblins feasting in the middle of the street, gorging themselves on food supplies stolen from the examinees. We hid in a nearby building to scout their activity.
"There are so many of them..." Valeria whispered.
There were about 50 ordinary goblins and 5 Hobgoblins. This seemed to be the territory of this specific swarm.
"What should we do, Raul?" Valeria asked.
Honestly, it would be more logical to sneak around them without fighting. However, we have no idea what other monsters occupy this place. If we were to run into a Level 5 monster or higher after bypassing this group, the goblins here would notice the commotion and make it much harder for us to deal with multiple strong threats.
What should I choose? Slaughter the monsters here first before moving on, or bypass them and gamble that we won't be discovered by the stronger monsters lurking in the area?
"Valeria, go to the top floor of this building," I instructed.
"What are you planning, Raul?" Valeria asked, curious about my thoughts.
"We're going to wipe them out in under a minute," I answered casually.
Hearing my words, Valeria's eyes widened in surprise. "But how can we defeat a swarm like that so quickly? Who knows if there are other goblins not gathered there."
Valeria had a good point. It would be difficult to kill them all if they weren't concentrated in one spot. Using one of Valeria's AoE (Area of Effect) spells, the gathered goblins could be annihilated in one or two casts, but it's a different story if they are scattered.
"I'll attack them first to draw their attention," I said, explaining the assault plan. "Once all the goblins gather to surround me, use an Enhanced Fire Ball to wipe out the ordinary goblins encircling me."
The average mages at the academy have mastered Level 0 and Level 1 elemental magic. Valeria, however, has mastered Level 3 magic—which consists of Level 1 and 2 elemental spells enhanced by the user's incantations to deal significantly more damage than usual.
"Alright, I understand," Valeria replied.
She entered the building beside us to position herself strategically for her strike. Meanwhile, I sneaked through the narrow alleys between buildings to get closer to the five Hobgoblins in the middle of the street. There were also a dozen ordinary goblins near my targets.
The ordinary goblins would hinder my path to the five Hobgoblins. I wondered how I could get close to the leaders without wasting time on the fodder surrounding them. Looking around, I saw a rope hanging from a 20-meter-high building nearby.
I entered the building and climbed to the roof to perform a maneuver. Once at the top, I grabbed the rope tied to a post. I walked to the edge and looked down at the five Hobgoblins still chatting in the street.
After pulling the rope taut, I gripped the end with both hands tightly. I didn't want to fall before reaching my targets. I jumped to a neighboring building to gain momentum for the swing. Then, I took a running start toward the edge and leaped from the building.
My body swung rapidly toward the five Hobgoblins, passing over a dozen ordinary goblins who looked up in shock at the human flying over their heads. Releasing my grip on the rope, I landed right in front of the Hobgoblins, performing a somersault to maintain my momentum.
The Hobgoblins stood up as I lunged at them. The one in front tried to reach for his mace, but my hand was faster, decapitating him before he could touch it.
—Groaahh!
Another stepped forward, swinging his mace to crush my head. I nimbly ducked to avoid the blow and slashed the Hobgoblin's leg, forcing him to his knees.
—Slash!
His head flew into the air; my blade easily sliced through his exposed neck.
Two other Hobgoblins rushed toward me, followed by the last one behind them. Both swung their maces simultaneously. In response, I used a Charging technique, lunging forward past their attacks.
"..."
The Hobgoblin in the back was startled to see me suddenly right in front of him. He tried to attack, but my sword was faster, severing his hand.
—Groaahhh!
The Hobgoblin fell in agony, clutching his stump. Without stopping, I performed a 270-degree spin, slashing my sword through one of the Hobgoblins I had just passed, splitting his body in half.
Seeing four of his comrades fall in an instant, the last Hobgoblin began to tremble. I walked toward him calmly and decapitated him without hesitation.
—Krikikiki...
Looking around, dozens of ordinary goblins had surrounded me while I was finishing off the five Hobgoblins. I didn't panic; I looked toward the building where Valeria was supposed to fire her magic.
Three massive fireballs appeared from the building and hurtled toward us at high speed. I immediately threw myself onto the ground to avoid being tossed by the shockwaves of Valeria's spell.
—Bomb! Bomb! Bomb!
The three fireballs slammed into the goblins surrounding me from all directions. I could feel the heat from the explosions. The death screams of the goblins filled my ears.
A few moments after the blast, I stood up to survey the scene. Dozens of charred goblin corpses lay scattered, burnt by Valeria's flames. Smoke rose from their mouths, and the scent of burnt meat began to hit my nose.
I hurried away from the spot toward the building where Valeria was waiting.
"Good magic, Valeria," I said, praising her execution.
At my praise, Valeria turned her face away. Her cheeks were flushed bright red.
"I-it was nothing. Actually, it took me some time to release a spell that powerful," Valeria said softly.
For a mage like Valeria, preparing a third-tier spell like that takes time. I estimated it took her fifteen seconds. This was quite fast, considering newly graduated official mages usually take twenty seconds for such preparation.
"Let's hurry and leave this place," I urged. "That explosion will definitely attract other monsters."
The green-haired woman nodded in response. We continued our journey to reach the city center by nightfall. I hoped we had cleared out most of the threats with that quick strike.
"Raul, you smell fishy with goblin blood all over you," Valeria said, looking uncomfortable.
"Well, what can I do? Just hold on until we reach the Oasis after we exit this city," I replied.
"Huh? There's an Oasis in this desert?" Valeria asked in surprise.
"Exactly. We can refill our water and wash up there."
Hearing this, Valeria seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. It seems women are always uncomfortable when they can't bathe for even a single day. Liana—my ex-girlfriend in my previous world—was the same. She always complained during long trips because she couldn't clean herself comfortably.
Thinking of my memories with her made the corners of my mouth lift. However, the nostalgia didn't last long. I realized something was approaching us rapidly.
Spinning around, I saw a humanoid monster lunging forward, aiming a fist at Valeria.
—Bam!
The monster was sent flying; I kicked its body before it could strike the green-haired girl.
"Valeria, watch your surroundings. I don't think this monster is alone."
At my words, she became more alert than usual. The monster I kicked began to stand up. It seemed uninjured by my attack. It had a cricket-like body, two pairs of arms of different lengths, and incredible jumping power.
This monster was a Moonblanc Cricket—a Level 5 humanoid cricket monster. With its high speed and agility, it is a terrible opponent for mage students.
"Raul, I see another one on the rooftop at 10 o'clock!" Valeria shouted, pointing to give me information.
I saw an identical humanoid monster standing atop a building. If I were alone, I could defeat these two by leading them into a narrow space where they couldn't utilize their speed. However, it would be difficult to fight both while simultaneously protecting Valeria.
Well... I suppose this will be good practice for her. She must learn how to face fast enemies like these monsters.