"Did... did you just eliminate all those goblins?!" The Elf Ranger stared in horror at the now-empty surroundings before turning her wide-eyed gaze back to Yuki.
"Correct," Yuki replied simply. "Now, that's not important. What matters is we can proceed deeper. I've placed an ability on all of you. The goblins won't be able to detect our presence. This way, we can walk right in and see the true state of their nest. It'll be a good opportunity to update your understanding of goblins."
He spoke matter-of-factly, offering no further explanation about the ability, and turned to continue deeper into the forest.
Lilis, trusting Yuki completely, quickly hurried after him. The Elf Ranger followed closely behind without a second glance at her three hesitant teammates. The remaining three exchanged looks, nodded to each other, and then trailed after them.
Along the way, they were burning with curiosity about how Yuki had wiped out an entire group of goblins with just a snap of his fingers, but none dared to ask. They simply followed in silence.
It was Lilis who finally spoke up, asking Yuki if the ability he'd placed on them was a form of stealth magic.
"Stealth magic? Not quite," Yuki answered. "I simply transposed the space we occupy. Right now, we exist in a different spatial layer. From here, we can observe the external space, but those outside cannot perceive us."
He gave a simple explanation. Lilis listened, her expression one of dawning, if not fully comprehending, understanding. She grasped the general idea—such a feat was something only Yuki could accomplish.
Hearing this, the Elf Ranger reached out and attempted to pluck a leaf from a nearby bush.
Just as expected, her hand passed right through the leaf without making contact. This confirmed they were indeed in a different spatial layer from the physical world.
"How incredible," the Elf Ranger murmured, her gaze now filled with open curiosity as she studied Yuki. The other three adventurers tried the same and shared her sense of wonder, looking at Yuki with renewed respect and awe.
Initially, they had thought Yuki was just a remarkably handsome man. But now it was clear his power far surpassed theirs. His methods were beyond anything an ordinary strong individual could achieve. Faced with such a being, they naturally accorded him the utmost respect.
They hadn't walked for long before arriving at the entrance of a cave. Outside the cave mouth, they saw two Trolls standing guard on either side, like sentinels. Everyone except Yuki was taken aback.
"Those Trolls... they can't possibly be guarding the entrance for the goblins, can they?"
"Impossible... those are Trolls!"
As soon as the words left their mouths, the scene that unfolded next completely confirmed their suspicions.
A goblin emerged from the cave and began jabbering at the two Trolls, gesturing animatedly. Immediately, the Trolls moved as if following orders, lumbering off in the direction the goblin indicated.
This sight validated their worst fears.
"They... they really are guarding the entrance for the goblins!"
"This is... insane!"
Today had already been filled with events that shattered their understanding of the world, yet this scene still managed to shock them profoundly.
"I can't even imagine the scale of the goblin forces inside the nest," the Elf Ranger remarked coldly.
Beside her, Lilis's face had already paled. This only reinforced her belief: without the chat group, without Yuki, this adventure would have ended in a disastrous, total party wipe.
"You haven't seen anything yet. Wait until we get inside. It'll really open your eyes."
With a light chuckle, Yuki stepped forward into the cave. Lilis and the others hurried after him.
They passed right by the goblin, which remained completely oblivious to their presence. This reassurance allowed the four adventurers to relax somewhat, following Yuki boldly deeper into the nest.
What they witnessed inside the cave next thoroughly convinced them of everything Yuki had said earlier.
The narrow cavern passages were meticulously lined with traps—from simple to complex, lethal to non-lethal. Every type of trap imaginable, ones developed by humans, elves, lizardmen, and other intelligent races, was present. The fact that goblins could set such sophisticated traps sent a wave of cold dread through them. If they had entered here normally, navigating this nightmare gauntlet would have been nearly impossible.
Furthermore, halfway through the cave, they realized the entire nest had been deliberately structured into a maze-like labyrinth. In certain shadowy corners, groups of goblins lay in ambush, ready to strike. This only reinforced the certainty that venturing into this nest would have meant certain death.
"Alright... these goblins can no longer be understood by our old common sense at all!" the Warrior leader finally admitted, fear flashing in his eyes. "They've developed such high intelligence... not just rookie adventurers, even Gold-ranked ones would be wiped out here."
The sheer numbers of goblins, combined with the maze, the traps, and the ambushes, made this a force they could never hope to overcome. At this moment, they all felt a deep sense of gratitude towards Yuki for saving their lives. Without him, their naive entry would have led to a fate too gruesome to contemplate.
And it wasn't over yet. When Yuki led them to the deepest part of the nest, the sight that greeted them made them gasp in horror.
The vast cavern space teemed with a massive population of goblins living there. Beyond the ordinary ones, they saw a variety of specialized goblins: Goblin Shamans holding staffs, the wolf-riders they'd encountered earlier, hulking Goblin Champions far larger than the norm, and seated upon a central throne—the unmistakable leader, the Goblin Lord.
This staggering number and diversity of goblins sent a chill down their spines. Faced with such a massive goblin force, could they have ever hoped to clear this nest? The answer was a resounding no.
To the side, Lilis and the others also spotted dozens of naked women of various races, their bodies covered in marks of torture. Seeing this, Lilis and the Elf Ranger felt a wave of nausea. From the women's half-dead states, they dared not imagine the horrors they had endured at the hands of the goblins.
"These goblins... they truly deserve to die!" Anger flashed across Lilis's face.
Yuki gently patted her shoulder in comfort. "Don't worry. After today, there won't be a single goblin left in this world."
With that, he raised his hand once more. His gaze pierced the void, and his voice carried infinite, awe-inspiring authority.
"In my name!"
"Henceforth, let no goblin exist in this realm!"
As these words, resonating like heavenly edicts, echoed across every corner of the world, every being, regardless of race, heard the proclamation and instinctively understood its meaning.
All life in the world looked up towards the sky—some puzzled, some confused, some utterly stunned.
Priests and priestesses everywhere fell to their knees, praying to the heavens. They believed this to be a divine manifestation, an oracle from the gods they worshipped.
In an instant, this event sent shockwaves through every nation, every faction, and every race across the world.