Giant Boulder Descends

Andeno had chosen the very route Yang Yu had taken to hunt Goblins two days ago.

That route provided the easiest access to the depths of the Goblin Forest. Since the last great campaign, Goblins were scarcely seen along the forest's outer edge, and Goblins moving in groups were even more unheard of.

Yet twenty had appeared at once two days ago. Andeno believed it had to be some kind of omen.

This world held all kinds of legends, one of which concerned the Goblin Empire. Legend said that long, long ago, before the Three Human Kingdoms existed, Goblins had established an empire. They had not only enslaved humans, but even dragons, and their flourishing age had been unmatched by any other.

But their rule had been too brutal, and all races had united to overthrow them. Through the merciless ravages of time, Goblins had dwindled and degenerated, becoming scattered among several forests, their former glory long gone.

Goblins occasionally caused trouble, but ordinary D-Rank Adventurers could suppress them. They had become thoroughly weak monsters.

Now, however, they had begun acting in organized groups and had caused numerous adventurers to vanish in a single strike. They absolutely could not be underestimated.

The most likely possibility was that a powerful individual had emerged among them, unifying the Goblin tribes in this forest and organizing them to set traps.

A worse possibility was that someone was directing the Goblins from behind the scenes. Anyone capable of commanding so many Goblins was certainly no ordinary person, and catching a glimpse of his true intentions would be harder than reaching the heavens. Unless the mastermind was dealt with, there was no telling what trouble he would bring next.

The most dangerous possibility was the resurrection of the ancient Goblin Emperor—or that an ancient seal had loosened, and the Demon King would once again descend upon this world in the near future.

Contrary to Andeno, Yang Yu's first thought was the Demon King's influence over the Goblin race.

Perhaps someone from the demon race had already passed through the seal on the Demon Realm Gate and begun interfering with this world, intending to plunge it into chaos. When the Demon King descended upon the world, he could then bulldoze the entire world before humanity had time to react.

Small disturbances gradually escalating was a routine tactic commonly used by descending Demon Kings, so there was a ninety-percent chance that a mastermind existed behind it all.

That mastermind would also become one of the hidden plotlines, but he absolutely could not be contacted too early. Even if Yang Yu found him, it would be best not to expose him, or the plot would definitely kill him so thoroughly that not even scraps remained.

As for a powerful Goblin emerging and unifying the tribes, Yang Yu considered that the least likely scenario.

An utterly ordinary Goblin leading its tribe to rise and achieve unification, while coordinating on multiple fronts to make traps, lie in wait, hunt in groups, and plan so meticulously that it let only one adventurer escape to lure a large number of adventurers deep into the forest—its IQ would have to be over 250 for that to make sense. And if it also picked up some ancient ancestor's treasure, then this was practically the most Long Aotian plot imaginable.

Was that Goblin going to lead a Goblin army in a massive assault on the cities next, overthrow human rule, and restore its ancestors' glory?

How could such a plot possibly happen? Yang Yu would not believe it even if someone beat him to death.

After cautiously walking through the forest for a while, they saw rows of towering trees, each marked with cuts from blades and swords.

There was an unwritten rule among adventurers: to keep young adventurers from mistakenly entering the depths of the forest, experienced adventurers would carve cross-shaped marks into trees as warnings.

Of course, the marks were not absolute. Due to the forest's ecosystem, all living creatures moved about, and powerful monsters occasionally appeared outside the marked perimeter. Naturally, those were only rare cases.

No matter what, seeing trees marked with crosses meant they had entered a dangerous area and had to proceed carefully.

"Everyone, stay alert! Once we enter the depths of the forest, stick close to the group. You must not fall behind, you must not run away alone, and you must not act on impulse. Avoid unnecessary battles and conserve your strength. Those are the keys to a successful rescue. Remember that!"

Andeno's booming voice was clear to everyone present. The group immediately gathered together and cautiously advanced behind Andeno.

Andeno was not leading the party forward aimlessly. Before entering this forest, the Adventurers Association had assigned a mage instructor to use scouting magic and survey the depths of the forest from above. No Goblin activity could be seen in areas where the trees were sparse; the only areas where Goblins might be found were the dense woodland regions filled with large trees.

Even now, members stationed at the Adventurers Association were closely monitoring the rescue operation through the mage instructor's crystal ball.

When the adventuring party reached a hill, the image within the mage instructor's crystal ball suddenly vanished.

"Why did the image disappear?"

One onlooker was greatly displeased, but before he could finish speaking, the crystal ball cracked, then finally split into two pieces.

"We've been discovered. Someone conducted counter-reconnaissance."

The mage instructor wiped the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. Concern was impossible to hide on his aged face. Aerial reconnaissance was clearly one of the spells he excelled at most, and after reaching old age, there had been few people capable of preventing him from spying on them.

Yet now, not only had someone appeared who could block his surveillance, they had also smashed the tool he used for it. That meant—

"There is a presence in that forest whose magical perception is no weaker than mine."

Hearing the old man's words, all the onlookers were shocked. They clasped their hands together and silently prayed for the rescue team.

Meanwhile, although Andeno did not know what had happened at the Adventurers Association, his instincts told him that something bad seemed about to occur.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.

"What's going on? Is it an earthquake?"

The tremors grew stronger and stronger. Quite a few adventurers could no longer stand on their own and leaned against nearby trees. Several assassins responsible for scouting above also leaped down from the treetops to steady themselves. Only a few remained at their posts, and they were the ones who clearly saw the source of the tremors.

"A boulder taller than three large trees combined is rolling toward us! Run! We can't stop it at all—we'll be crushed into meat paste!"

A round boulder more than fifty meters in diameter tore through the forest with unstoppable force. It moved so quickly that birds and small animals that failed to flee from the treetops were all swallowed up, leaving only a long trail behind it like a comet streaking across the sky.

The ground shook ever more violently. Some adventurers tried to run, but the moment they left the support of the tree trunks, they uncontrollably dropped to their knees. A few strong-willed individuals drove their weapons into the ground and moved their bodies as best they could, trying to escape the danger zone whose boundaries they did not know.

With his feet planted in the earth, Andeno clenched both fists. His clothes instantly burst apart, exposing his muscular body.

"Don't panic! Those of you who still have strength, come with me and try to stop the boulder! Otherwise, we'll all die!"

With that, Andeno spread his arms where he stood. His sturdy back seemed to become everyone's last hope. One by one, those who could still stand approached and placed their hands on Andeno's shoulders. Those who could apply buffs frantically applied buffs, while those who could not copied Andeno, burying their feet in the soil to form stable triangles.