Evelyn's POV
My main body stayed behind in the village, keeping to my usual schedule. Lately, I had begun training the village children in basic skirmish tactics. It might not seem necessary—our village already had several strong fighters and capable mages—but the thought of a goblin horde breaking through still worried me. Better safe than sorry.
Meanwhile, my copy, Arthur, rested at his campsite. He had just finished clearing out yet another horde of goblins. That was the problem with goblins—it wasn't their individual strength. Most were only as strong as a stage one cultivator. The danger came from their sheer numbers, attacking in groups of twenty or thirty at a time. Their strategy was simple: overwhelm and exhaust their victims.
By the time Arthur cut down his third horde, a group of adventurers stumbled into his camp. To my surprise, it was the same party that had visited our village before. Of course, I couldn't reveal that Arthur was merely a magic construct—a mirror image spell. Instead, I introduced myself under the guise I had chosen.
"My name is Arthur," I said, inclining my head. "An aspiring adventurer… though I haven't registered with the guild yet."
Alice, the mage and healer of their party, smiled warmly. "I'm Alice. It's good to meet you." She gestured to the others. "This is Adam, our shield and spear fighter, Jenny our archer and tracker, and Alex, our new assassin. He just joined us after our last assassin retired."
I returned their greetings politely, all the while reminding myself to keep my cover.
When I mentioned the frequency of goblin attacks in the area, Alice's expression turned grim. "It isn't just here," she said. "Something similar is happening all across the country. I believe the source lies to the north. If I had to guess… a Goblin King has appeared. That would explain the sudden coordination and numbers."
Jenny frowned, her bow resting across her knees. "If that's true, then this could be dangerous. The four of us are only stage three cultivators. Fighting a Goblin King directly…" She trailed off, worry clear in her voice.
"I'll join you," I offered without hesitation.
Jenny's relief was immediate. "That helps a lot. Honestly, I thought you were stage four when I first saw you. That armor of yours is no joke."
I realized then what they assumed. Arthur's body was clad in mana-forged armor that enhanced his strength. Of course, they'd think he was a stage above.
I tilted my head curiously. "Why doesn't Adam forge his own armor? It would strengthen him considerably."
Adam chuckled sheepishly, shifting his heavy shield. "That's something you can only learn after reaching stage four. Even then, the Adventurer's Guild charges five hundred gold just to teach it."
Ah. That explained why mana armor wasn't common. Teaching him outright would only draw unwanted attention, but I could at least share something simpler.
"Armor might be restricted," I said, "but there's no rule against learning to form weapons from mana."
Adam's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
I guided him through the process. It took time and focus, but eventually he managed to manifest a gleaming spear and shield, both entirely forged from his own mana.
"Incredible," Adam breathed, testing the weight of the weapons. "It feels so real… but it's mana. You're amazing."
We continued northward together, our pace steady until a dark plume of smoke rose in the distance.
Alice's face hardened. "There's a village in that direction."
None of us needed further prompting. Weapons in hand, we broke into a run, praying we could reach the villagers before the goblins did.