CHAPTER 32
It was finally the following morning, the day after Grey had battled against his familiar.
He was currently wide awake, standing outside the small cave where he and Randin had camped out during the night.
Having risen early, Grey sat upon a nearby stump, deep in thought as the forest began to stir.
'I know I planned to take out the Goblin Lord, and I'm not scared of the task. But what truly worries me is how I'm going to explain this hair color to mum,' he thought, reaching up to pull a strand of his vibrant red locks into his line of sight.
"Ha! What a baby," Noir's voice echoed sharply inside Grey's mind.
"Oh, so you are awake," Grey noted.
Noir simply scoffed. "Familiars do not require sleep."
"Great!" Grey said as he stood up from the stump and walked into a small clearing a short distance away from their campsite.
"Because I want to ask a favor of you."
"And what exactly is that?" Noir inquired.
"You are strong, right? The strongest of the familiars, and you have battled against the Otherworlders before?" Grey asked, leading the conversation.
"Yes, of course," Noir barked with a hint of pride.
"Well then, why don't you be my sparring partner every day? I need to grow powerful enough to defeat the Otherworlders when they eventually return, and I also need to gauge their strength through you," Grey requested.
"And what, precisely, is in it for me?" Noir asked.
"Think about it. You said you fought against the Otherworlders with your previous owner and lost, which resulted in his death.
By sparring with me, not only will you slowly regain your lost strength and powers, but you will also be able to take your revenge upon them when the time comes," Grey said with a persuasive smile.
Noir went silent for a long moment.
"Let me think about it... No thanks, not interested," Noir finally stated.
"Great, let's get started the—wait, what?"
Grey shouted. "You are not interested? But why?"
"Did I stutter? I am not interested, and I don't need to provide you with a reason," Noir said before falling into a stubborn silence.
"Noir! Noir! Noir!!!" Grey called out, but he received no further response. "Darn it! What a useless pet."
Walking back toward the cave, Grey saw that Randin was already awake and busy packing their bags and camping equipment.
"Oh! You woke up before me," Randin noted.
"Yeah, I just decided to go stretch a little," Grey replied.
He then remembered the spoils of their previous battle.
"The crystal from that Jaguar beast—what can it be turned into?"
Grey would have typically tried to absorb the crystal, but there was no mana essence running through it since the creature lacked magical abilities, making it useless for his cultivation.
"It can be fashioned into a pair of boots. Since the beast was exceptionally fast, the footwear will also grant its user increased speed," Randin replied.
"Great, then," Grey said.
They finally set off again into the thick woods, searching for the hidden lair of the Goblin Lord and his minions.
"How far away are we from our destination?" Grey asked.
He was actively using a wind spell to boost his momentum in order to keep pace with Randin, who was running at top speed.
"At this current rate, we will arrive there in two days," Randin replied.
'Good, because I'm starting to get tired of this constant exertion,' he thought, pushing his legs harder as he continued running through the dense foliage.
…..
Randin and Grey spent the next two days in a grueling cycle: running long distances, slaying aggressive beasts, nursing wounds sustained in combat, and camping under the stars.
Every spare moment was dedicated to training, all with the singular goal of reaching the goblin base.
Finally, their persistence paid off.
They crouched low within a small, wooded thicket, peering out at a massive cave entrance where several goblins were pacing back and forth.
The creatures held their jagged spears at the ready, patrolling the perimeter of the cavern like a disciplined guard unit.
"The Goblin Lord and his elite squad are stationed inside that cave, along with a hundred goblin soldiers," Randin stated grimly.
"How are you able to determine their exact numbers?" Grey asked, eyeing the entrance.
"Because I attempted the same mission we are on right now, entirely alone. I failed horribly, mainly due to the overwhelming power of the elite squad," Randin admitted.
"But that cave looks relatively small from here; how could a hundred-man goblin army possibly fit inside?" Grey questioned.
"Don't you remember your own human proverbs? Do not judge a book by its cover. The cave might appear cramped from the exterior, but it is massive once you step inside. It is easily large enough to house even two hundred goblin soldiers comfortably," Randin explained.
"That means there is plenty of room for me to move around and unleash my spells then," Grey said, a confident smile crossing his face.
"So, how do we plan to take care of those four sentries in front of us?" Randin asked.
"Like this!" Grey declared.
He launched himself out of the forest at a tremendous velocity, his hand outstretched toward the unsuspecting guards.
"Earth magic! Earth trap!" Grey commanded.
Immediately, the ground beneath the goblins' feet shifted, encasing their ankles in solid stone and leaving them unable to move.
"Wind magic! Wind blades!" he called out again.
Four invisible crescents of pressurized air whistled through the clearing, slicing through the goblins' necks with surgical precision.
They were killed on the spot, silenced before they could alert the others deeper within the mountain.
Randin emerged from the hiding spot to inspect the carnage Grey had caused.
He stared at the four dead goblins, amazed that they had been neutralized without even a hint of a struggle.
'He is growing stronger by the moment. He can switch between his various elements quickly with only a slight delay. He is certainly becoming masterful with the use of his powers,' Randin thought.
'However, those Otherworlders are still significantly more powerful than he is. I can't forget the day their leader struck.' Randin shuddered in fear as the memory of the devil's mask flashed in his mind, along with the devastating, world-shaking power that individual had unleashed.
"What's wrong?" Grey asked, noticing the dwarf's slight tremors.
"No, it's nothing," Randin replied quickly, shaking off the dark thoughts.
"Good! So, how about we go hunt some goblins down and reclaim this planet for you?" Grey said, his grin widening.
"I'll say—let's do it!" Randin smiled back, drawing his sword as his heavy armor locked into place around his body.