Chapter 127: Fight Against The Goblins 3

"Too late."

Adam opened his inventory.

A large bow appeared in his hand.

Not an ordinary bow.

A model far more powerful than those he had used during his initial training.

He drew an exceptionally long arrow.

Almost as long as a small javelin.

Elaria immediately turned her head.

Adam nocked the arrow.

He drew the string.

Again.

Again.

Until it was fully taut.

Its new stats made the effort much easier than before.

He stabilized his breathing.

The distance was calculated automatically.

The goblin was already running toward the darkness.

Adam released the bow.

The arrow streaked through space with impressive force.

A moment later...

The leader collapsed near the entrance, stopped before she could raise the alarm.

Adam lowered his bow.

Elaria studied the distance.

Then the trajectory.

"Very good shot."

Adam immediately turned his head toward her.

"Thank you."

She continued:

"When we get back, I can teach you several advanced archery techniques."

Adam’s smile vanished.

"Why does your compliment always come with more practice?"

Elaria thought for a moment.

"Because you’re progressing quickly."

"That wasn’t an invitation."

Lyriana stifled a laugh.

"Selene will be pleased."

"You two, stop thinking about Selene."

Lyriana finally pulled out a piece of paper.

"I sketched the main structure during my reconnaissance."

Adam approached immediately.

This time, no more joking.

The drawing was simple.

But precise enough.

The entrance descended for about fifty meters.

Then the gallery split in two.

Each branch descended for another fifty meters.

Then it split in two again.

Each branch descended again.

Then...

Another split.

This time into three branches.

Several secondary galleries branched off in different directions.

Lyriana marked eleven areas.

"Each circle corresponds to an important chamber."

Adam followed the map.

"And these?"

"About a hundred goblins per chamber. One High Goblin in each, sometimes more depending on the area."

She pointed to the central passages.

"These two galleries lead to the heart of the colony."

A much larger circle was drawn at the far end.

"The Queen."

"Five hundred."

"About."

"Two Shamans and four High Goblins."

"Yes."

Adam immediately memorized the plan.

The structure was almost symmetrical.

Not perfectly.

But enough to establish a route.

Lyriana added:

"The rooms are far apart."

"How far?"

"Far enough so that a short fight isn’t automatically heard in the neighboring rooms."

Adam frowned.

"Even with a hundred goblins?"

"It’s very noisy inside."

She grimaced slightly.

"And the smell is extremely strong, too."

Adam decided he didn’t need any more details.

Lyriana continued:

"The real danger comes from the patrols moving between the rooms."

Elaria added:

"If one of them manages to escape and reach the central room, the entire colony will be alerted."

Adam studied the map again.

So...

Not just fight.

Infiltrate.

Isolate.

Eliminate each group before the information spreads.

This time, the exercise was getting really interesting.

Adam pointed to the most distant areas.

"I’ll start with those."

Lyriana smiled slightly.

"Why?"

"Because if I start near the center and someone notices something amiss, reinforcements will be nearby."

He moved his finger.

"The outer rooms are more isolated. I’ll clear them out gradually."

Elaria nodded.

"Makes sense." "

"And I don’t have much time."

Adam looked at the entrance.

"The outside group was bound to come back at some point. When no one returns... someone will eventually check."

Lyriana nodded slowly.

"Right."

Adam filed the map away in his mind.

Then he looked at the two women.

"Are you staying here?"

"Yes," Elaria replied.

Lyriana nodded as well.

Adam didn’t notice the quick glance they exchanged.

Nor the slight smile on Lyriana’s face.

The decision was already made.

She would follow him.

But Adam mustn’t know.

Not yet.

If he knew she was watching every gallery behind him...

Some of the pressure would disappear.

And that pressure was precisely part of the training.

Adam took a deep breath.

Then he exhaled.

He adjusted his breathing.

His mana flow.

Its compression.

His heartbeat.

Two daggers appeared in his hands.

"Okay."

This time...

No spectacular fight.

No scythe.

No hammer.

No charge.

Silence.

He walked toward the entrance.

The first fifty meters were strangely quiet.

Adam moved slowly.

His Delimiter scanned the surroundings.

His steps were short.

Controlled.

He instinctively avoided small pebbles.

Pieces of metal.

Bones.

Anything that could make noise.

No guards.

"Strange."

But not impossible.

After the loss of the outer group, they probably hadn’t yet realized an enemy had penetrated.

Adam reached the first separation.

Left.

Right.

According to the map...

He was supposed to turn right.

He continued.

About twenty meters.

Then he stopped.

Not.

Two people.

Adam immediately slipped into a dark alcove.

A few seconds later...

Two goblins appeared.

They were walking calmly.

Weapons slung over their shoulders.

Clearly a patrol.

They passed in front of Adam.

Without seeing him.

He waited.

One step.

Two.

Three.

Then he stepped out of the shadows.

No sound.

He positioned himself behind them.

His two daggers moved almost simultaneously.

Two swift attacks.

The two guards were neutralized before they could raise the alarm.

Adam caught them before they fell noisily.

"First rule."

He pulled them into the alcove.

"Cover the tracks."

He continued.

The next intersection was empty.

Adam mentally consulted the map.

"Right again."

He stepped inside.

The tunnel narrowed slightly.

Then his Delimiter signaled three presences.

Adam stopped before the next fork.

He leaned forward just enough to look.

Three goblins.

This time, motionless.

Posted in front of the intersection.

Adam stepped back.

Three.

Neutralizing them outright was possible.

But there was always the risk that one would scream.

Adam looked at the ground.

A small stone.

He picked it up.

Then he slipped around another corner.

He threw the stone into the tunnel through which he had just entered.

Tap.

The three goblins immediately turned their heads.

One approached.

Then a second.

The third stayed behind.

Adam waited.

The first two passed.

He silently stepped out behind the last one.

A movement.

Neutralized.

He gently set her down.

Then followed the other two.

They were still looking into the tunnel.

Probably convinced that an animal or a rock had made the noise.

Adam arrived behind them.

A few seconds later...

The passage was silent again.

He led the bodies back into a dark area.

Then he shook his head slightly.

"Ordinary goblins really aren’t very careful."

What he didn’t know...

Was someone watching the whole scene.

About thirty meters away.

Invisible.

Lyriana was following his every move.

She had seen the stone.

The waiting.

The group’s separation.

The decision to neutralize the one who remained behind first.

Then the other two.

A slight smile appeared on his lips.

Not bad.

Adam wasn’t just relying on his statistics.

He was thinking.

And above all...

He already understood one of the fundamental principles of infiltration.

The best fight is sometimes the one that never really begins.

Lyriana had a thought.

Maybe I could train him too.

At that moment...

A cold sensation ran down Adam’s back.

He stopped.

Looked behind him.

Nothing.

"...Why do I have a bad feeling?"

Silence.

Adam remained wary for a few seconds.

Then he shook his head.

"My imagination." "

In the shadows...

Lyriana smiled more broadly.

Adam finally reached the first room.

It was much larger than he had imagined.

The old mine had been transformed.

About twenty rudimentary structures occupied the area.

Wood.

Stones.

Hides.

Scraps of salvaged metal.

Small dwellings.

Or rather...

A veritable little underground village.

Adam observed.

Little movement.

Strangely little.

He quickly understood why.

Most were asleep.

Lyriana had mentioned it.

The goblins hunted mainly at night.

During the day...

Only the guards and a few workers remained active.

Adam contemplated the houses.

Then his daggers.

"That changes things."

He certainly didn’t intend to deliberately wake a hundred enemies.

The first house was nearby.

Adam approached.

He looked inside.

Several sleeping goblins.

No guards.

He went in.

A few moments later...

He came out alone.

Then he moved on to the next house.

Same process.

Silent approach.

Check.

Discreet neutralization.

Exit.

A guard passed close by him at one point.

Adam pressed himself behind a flimsy wall.

She continued.

Adam appeared behind her.

She didn’t have time to alert anyone.

He continued.

House after house.

Guard after guard.

Little by little...

The room became silent.

Even quieter.

Adam almost lost track of numbers.

He had never faced so many monsters in a single day.

And yet...

It wasn’t really a fight.

It was methodical.

Cold.

Fast.

And above all, much less tiring than charging a hundred opponents head-on.

A few minutes later...

Only one building remained.

The largest one.

Located at the back of the room.

Adam observed it.

"High Goblin."

He approached.

This time, several noises came from inside.

Adam slowed down.

He peered discreetly through an opening.

Then his expression hardened.

A High Goblin occupied the center of the room.

Several male goblins were present around her, mating. And the signs in the room made it clear that she was using her dominant position to monopolize the colony’s few males.

Others, exhausted, rested further away.

Adam glanced away briefly.

"Charming."