Encircling the Goblins

After calling a halt to the fight, Isaac had the Black Knight carry back the three sets of materials they had purchased. Then he turned and headed into the castle. He could hardly wait to start learning magic!

The Black Knight in particular possessed astonishing intelligence. Whether in battle or daily life, it could be commanded with simple orders. Its intelligence had already surpassed the artificial intelligence available on the market in his previous life.

And this was merely one of the lowest-grade Golems!

Magic was becoming more and more interesting!

Back in the laboratory, Isaac placed the three books he had bought on the bookshelf. Then, with a tearing sound, he summoned Demon Claw.

"Kehehehe~" The palm of Demon Claw, which could devour five Soul Hall elders in one meal, split open to reveal a savage mouth. It gave an evil laugh as it gently rubbed Isaac's cheek with the back of its hand, like a small animal.

Isaac smiled faintly and gently patted Demon Claw. He picked up the last bottle of Bloodline Essence Potion from the desk and poured it directly into the gaping, serrated maw in Demon Claw's palm.

"Hiss~"

Demon Claw chewed twice, and the potion turned into crimson streams of light that flowed into its veins, beginning to strengthen it.

Although Demon Claw existed somewhere between reality and illusion, it was still fundamentally a Magic Pet. Moreover, it was a Magic Pet Isaac had formed by seizing a portion of a Demon through a ritual, so it possessed a bloodline—the Demon bloodline.

Naturally, it could consume Bloodline Essence Potion. Since a Magic Pet and its wizard were one, using it on Demon Claw was equivalent to using it on Isaac. There was no need to feel any regret over it.

Besides, this was only an appetizer. According to the information Isaac had gotten for free in Lakeside Town, Magic Pets like Hand of God were considered a rather classic type among Legendary Wizards: convenient and powerful, with many possible cultivation paths.

Bloodline Essence Potion merely laid the foundation.

"Burp~"

Demon Claw let out a burp, its claws curling up somewhat bashfully. Isaac smiled faintly, patted the back of its hand, then dismissed it.

Now it was... study time!

Although he had bought new books, Isaac had not changed his study plan. He still intended to learn the Basic Three Arcana first and raise his combat strength further. In a world where individual power was absurdly high, burying one's head in research was a foolish thing to do.

Just like that, three days passed in the blink of an eye. During those three days, Isaac did not crazily stay up all night researching spells. Instead, he returned to a normal routine. Though his physical condition and stamina had become extraordinary after being enhanced by magic power, he was still a living creature and still required proper rest.

Even so, Isaac's progress had not slowed much. He had completely mastered the Basic Three Arcana—Arcane Missile, Arcane Shield, and Arcane Leap—and had even begun studying one of the three Spellbooks he had bought, the Basic Spell Compendium.

However, that morning, Isaac put aside his Magic Spell studies. He led a guard unit composed of one Quasi-Knight and ten Knight Squires to wait early at the training grounds before the castle.

Today was the agreed-upon day to eliminate the Goblins. They were waiting here for Goblin Killer's arrival.

Before long, Smith dismounted with a man clad in tattered Leather Armor, a worn little sword hanging from his waist. Goblin Slayer was wrapped up from head to toe, with bandages around his hands and a black hood over his head, leaving only his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth exposed.

It was obvious that this Goblin Slayer was poor.

But that was hardly strange. Anyone with money became a knight directly. Who would become a Goblin Slayer?

And anyone with money would not take on this tiny job for five Gold Coins.

Isaac had once considered becoming a Goblin Slayer himself, because it could genuinely increase one's strength. It was like playing a game—just kill Goblins. For someone as frail and sickly as he had been, it had truly seemed like a decent choice.

But in the end, he had given up on the idea. First, being a Goblin Slayer was dangerous, and even more so for someone weak and sickly like him. Second, no noble became a Goblin Slayer. Doing so would make one a disgrace to the nobility, and that carried considerable consequences. Third...

There was also the option of becoming a Legendary Wizard.

Still, since it had once been an option, Isaac knew a little about Goblin Slayers, especially their attire. Wrapping themselves up so thoroughly was a rule for Goblin Slayers, a necessary part of obtaining power.

Of course, from Isaac's current perspective, he could detect traces of ritual magic power within it. The reason Goblin Slayers could grow stronger by killing Goblins was likely related to that ritual.

"Hello. I'll be relying on you from here on. As agreed, you only need to find the Goblins, and we'll handle the rest. Of course, you're welcome to join the fight if you wish." After meeting him, Isaac immediately handed two Gold Coins to Goblin Slayer. The remaining three would be given after the Goblins had been completely exterminated.

Goblin Slayer nodded, silently accepting the coins without saying anything more.

"Young Master, are you going too?" Smith walked to Isaac's side, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Don't worry. They're only Goblins. I know what I'm doing. Besides, the Black Knight needs me to control it." As he spoke, Isaac patted the Black Knight behind him.

Smith was still somewhat worried. As a retainer, he instinctively did not want Isaac to take risks, but he could not ignore Isaac's orders either. He could only nod helplessly and resolve to keep a closer eye on him during the battle. It should not be a major problem.

Just as Isaac had said, they were only Goblins.

Soon, after roughly checking their equipment, the group set off.

After leaving the village and entering the wilderness, Goblin Slayer crouched beside the road. He searched through the grass for a while before pointing toward the river.

Clearly, the Goblins were over there.

"How could you tell?" Isaac asked curiously. He had been watching from the side for a long time and had not noticed anything at all. There were no obvious traces, and he had swept the area several times with his Mental Power.

Goblin Slayer glanced at Isaac, then at the two Gold Coins in his pocket. "Magic."

"...All right. A reasonable explanation..." Isaac was speechless.

The answer was concise, but there was nothing wrong with it. That was simply the answer.

A large part of why Goblin Slayers had a special advantage against Goblins came from the ritual magic on their bodies. Only those who had been Goblin Slayers for more than a decade could rely on their own skills to gain that advantage against Goblins.

After confirming the direction, the group followed Goblin Slayer's lead and finally arrived beside a small river around three or four in the afternoon. There, they discovered seven or eight Goblins fishing along the bank.

Isaac narrowed his eyes slightly, but he did not act rashly. Instead, he crouched in the nearby grass with the others and observed carefully.

The number of Goblins was wrong. There should not have been so few.

Sure enough, after watching for a while, Goblin Slayer successfully found the Goblins' nest—a cave beside the river. Its entrance was covered by a huge boulder at an extremely tricky angle. If Goblin Slayer had not possessed specialized magic, they truly might not have found it.

Once they had confirmed the location of the nest, things became simple. Isaac lightly waved his hand.

"Move!"