Tower of Paradise

Chapter 61: The merchant (2)

[Will you enter the stage?]

 

The message appeared before my eyes.

 

— Yes. —The blue light of the portal intensified its brightness and I experienced the sensation of falling into an infinite void. As I descended, my entire field of vision completely transformed...

 

The white space in my eyes was colored again. The landscape and temperature on my skin changed, but this sensation wasn't bad.

 

Ca, ca—!

 

Hwing—!

 

The songs of an unknown species of birds resonated as an icy wind blew against my face. Before I knew it, I was standing in the middle of a deep forest, surrounded by dense vegetation and unsettling shadows.

 

An ethereal voice resonated in my mind:

 

[The judgment begins now.]

 

[You are being pursued. Your opponents are the Goblins, a species that dominates this forest.]

 

[You must take the Goblins' treasure and escape from the forest. If they steal it from you, you will die.]

 

[Survive and protect the treasure. Time: 167: 59: 57.]

 

As soon as the message ended, a necklace appeared in my hands. I didn't know at what moment I had begun to carry it. It was most likely the treasure that was mentioned before. The goblins' treasure.

 

Goblins, although they were categorized as a species, were identified as monsters that moved in tribes. Through my Successor's Eyes I could see their true nature.

 

Besides their massive numbers, they were the simplest and weakest among monsters. They only had the size, strength, and intelligence of a small human child. Their only advantage was the ability to see in the dark.

 

They were hunter-type monsters. Excellent at tracking. It definitely wouldn't be easy trying to escape from them in this dense forest. Although they didn't have exceptional physical abilities, they were difficult to defeat when acting as a group, especially for someone like me, who was about to take on the challenge of the third floor.

 

A forest filled with goblins might sound nice and cozy to some, but I knew it would reduce my chances of survival to zero. There would be no terrain to take advantage of, nowhere to hide, and everything would depend exclusively on my capabilities.

 

I didn't rush. I had expected to find myself in immediate danger, or even die suddenly before being able to orient myself, but this was unexpectedly peaceful. If I didn't take the opportunity to catch my breath now, I might never have another.

 

I placed the bracelet on my left wrist. It looked like a large wristwatch with a wide band, primarily black and gray. It had a dark gray front plate in the middle—like a watch face—that had a light blue hourglass shape. The front plate was part of a cylindrical tower. The band had an activation button on the side facing me. The ring of the front plate had four symmetrical lights that shone with the hourglass symbol along with a band that sported two rings of white tubes, glowing in sky blue.

 

It produced no perceptible effect. It didn't seem like a treasure at all. Perhaps it would only show its effect after passing the test.

 

It would have been better if the necklace had been sealed. Sealed objects had a much better effect than common objects.

 

Crack, squawk!

 

A terrible scream resonated from somewhere in the forest. It was the unmistakable cry of a goblin. It seemed outraged by the fact that its treasure had disappeared.

 

—It seems quite angry. —Protect the treasure, escape, and survive. I now clearly understood the objective of this test. If that was the case... Forget about escaping. I would face them head-on.

 

 

I began to walk toward the goblins' screams. It wasn't my style to run away when I had the chance to take control of the situation.

 

I paid attention to any sound. In the deepest parts of the forest where light couldn't reach, I heard footsteps. They had probably come to investigate.

 

I took a dagger from my belt and threw it at the approaching goblin. The sound of something being pierced came from the distance. Under the dim sunlight, I saw how a goblin collapsed on its back.

 

Taking advantage of the moment, I lunged forward and gave it a fatal stab to the heart, making sure it didn't survive to alert the others.

 

With its throat pierced by my dagger, the goblin couldn't make any sound as it died. My quick movements were impossible for its primitive eyes to follow.

 

[You have killed a goblin (G)]

 

I bothered to pull out the dagger that had been blunted by the goblin's blood and fat and realized that goblin was a scout. A scout that would never return.

 

If you were a goblin, what would you do?

 

This question came to me so suddenly that I stopped for a moment and thought intensely.

 

If I were a goblin, what would I do?

 

—I would... set an ambush. —I muttered, feeling how the pieces fit together.

 

Correct.

 

What would await me inside the forest would undoubtedly be an ambush. But I would defeat them at their own game. In the end, only one thing mattered to me: maximizing my chances of survival.