Tower of Paradise

Chapter 67: Goblin village (2)

In the night, while most of the goblins slept, I moved stealthily around the perimeter of the camp, memorizing the location of each sentinel and the patterns of their rounds. The goblins, although superior in number, were still predictable in their routines. Their overconfidence in the security of their hideout was their first exploitable weakness.

After completing my reconnaissance, I withdrew to a safe distance to complete preparations.

In the place where I had arrived, I found a mountain of dry underbrush, herbs, leaves, and large branches adorned with quite a bit of resin. On the ground, there were two stones.

What took me the most time to prepare was the resin because it could only be found in the bark, trunk, and branches of trees.

I took my time gathering flammable materials and placed them in strategic areas. This place was the closest to the camp.

The first step was to set the forest on fire.

I was never a supporter of destruction, especially if it involved a forest, but in this case, I had no other alternative.

Knowing that I would have to start a fire, I would have liked to be a mage at this moment. I didn't know the mission would be so difficult and unfortunately, the merchant didn't offer any item capable of generating fire. And the spells he offered were skills that only mages could learn through their skill tree.

I crouched down and picked up the two stones. It took me a few minutes, but I finally managed to create a spark and ignite the mountain of flammable materials.

The red flames arose, turning into a firestorm that devoured the materials, burning them to ashes, producing a voracious fire that severely affected and spread to the trees.

The goblins seemed to sense the threatening fire as it approached this place and roared with anger and fear.

The closest guards reacted exactly as I had anticipated: with howls of confusion and uncoordinated movements.

By then, I had already started running while activating my private attribute. My plan was about speed, so I couldn't waste a single second as I ran fervently through the forest with my body enhanced to the second strategic point that I had to set on fire.

While the goblins tried to put out the first fire, I was already causing the second fire. There were three fires that I had to create to reduce the forest to rubble and ashes, so I had no time to lose.

I burned the second strategic point and kept running. As I ran, I saw that some goblins with severe burns frantically beat their hands, trying to extinguish the fire burning on their bodies. However, apart from lighting more places, there was no effect.

They all tried to escape frantically, but their fellow creatures surrounding them prevented them from moving. The flames grew larger and larger. The trees along with the tall grass ignited instantly. The flames burned uncontrollably in that space and screams could be heard everywhere.

The goblins trapped in a desperate situation became even crazier. To survive, they began to attack their fellows around them, trying to clear enough space to step on the corpses of their companions and escape the burning barbecue.

I contemplated the destruction I was causing. To tell the truth, I didn't feel good, but I knew I had no other choice. Life was always like this. Reality never changed no matter how many ideals one had. It was kill or be killed.

I burned the third checkpoint and ran as if I were fleeing from my sins. My lips were dry, and I felt my throat burning, I felt short of breath while my heart beat a thousand times per second.

In the process, I contemplated how the fire tinged the sky red while the temperature of the forest rose dozens of degrees. In the air floated a burnt smell mixed with that of flesh, the flames showed no signs of weakening as the dozens of trees turned to ash.

The howls of the countless goblins still alive continued to resonate, though increasingly weak. The flames had exhausted all the oxygen in the area. Many of those who did not die burned perished asphyxiated.

The entire area had been turned into a crimson fire hell. The goblins were reduced to ashes in the flames I had created myself. Waves of scorching heat spread everywhere.

For a moment, I saw dust flying everywhere. Some of the weaker goblins had their sternums crushed and blood gushed from their mouths because they had been trampled.

Leaving the chaos I had caused aside, I continued with my plan that was not yet finished. I knew that this, although it would kill most goblins, would not be enough to eliminate the strongest ones.

The second step was to set traps.

I stopped at the entrance to the forest and took out a reel of rope, wooden stakes from a bag I had picked up much earlier, and began to align them at my feet.

Sounds of curses and footsteps approached, meaning the goblins were coming. As I had imagined, I knew there would be some who would manage to escape.

Taking a glance, I saw that the one leading them was a large goblin, it was one of the hobgoblins.

The goblin whose face and torso were burned was blinded, not noticing the rope at his feet. Then he tripped and fell to the ground...

I immediately rushed forward, took out my spear from behind my back and thrust it through his medulla oblongata, and twisted the blade. The hobgoblin screamed a few syllables that were incomprehensible before writhing to his death.

Unfortunately, more goblins were approaching.

I quickly took a small bottle from my bag and threw it at the hobgoblin's corpse.

As it broke, the black, sticky, ard muddy substance inside the bottle spread everywhere. It was oil that the goblins themselves had somehow produced.

I had not seen that substance before, nor had I smelled such a repugnant odor in my entire life, but this was one of the items I had found when looting one of the goblin camps.

— Goodbye.

I kicked the gigantic and dirty hobgoblin hard toward the forest. The huge body of the hobgoblin ignited as soon as it made contact with the forest fire.

The goblins coming from behind saw a gigantic block of flaming flesh flying toward them and immediately attacked it with the weapons in their hands.

With a sound of *bang*, the goblins and the hobgoblin were engulfed in flames. Sharp screams could be heard as the burning goblins fought and fell deeper into the forest.

I killed them one by one. There were no more than five, they were already burned and wounded, so their resistance was almost insignificant. Goblins never thought someone could ambush them.

I quickly turned to look behind me. At that moment, I saw the Goblin Champion jumping from his hiding place and rapidly closing the distance.

Desperation filled my face.

As if he had been aiming precisely for that moment, the eyes of the Goblin Champion crossing the air gleamed coldly.