CHAPTER 21: GOBLIN SHAMAN

Astrael crouched low behind the large rock, his sharp eyes scanning the goblin camp below. Smoke coming from the fires, the smell of roasting meat drifted through the cavern.

No matter how he looked at it, a direct confrontation would mean certain death.

He leaned his back against the rock wall, silently cursing. Even with his stat boosts and new abilities, Astrael knew this wasn’t a battle he could brute-force his way through.

Then, something caught his eye.

A thin patch of blue moss grew along the cavern walls, softly glowing and releasing a strange, sharp scent that reminded him of mint and soil.

A thought clicked.

Astrael moved toward the moss, crouching low. He scraped a large handful into his palm, its texture cold and slimy. Without hesitation, he smeared it across his arms, chest, and face, making sure to coat himself as thoroughly as possible.

"If this hides my scent from their noses... then maybe I have a shot," he whispered under his breath.

Sticking close to the shadows, he began circling the camp’s perimeter with quiet, calculated steps. Each movement was deliberate, his body hugging the cavern’s jagged edges. He avoided open spaces, instead slipping through natural crevices and weaving between stalagmites.

He took note of everything: goblin patrol routes, their reaction to noise, the way they snarled at one another, the places where they dropped their guard. It took hours—two days, in fact. During that time, he survived on the brown mushrooms from his inventory, watching and waiting.

The camp was split into layers of disorder: makeshift tents, firepits, small cages, bone piles, and a central command area. And at the heart of it all—his goal—the largest tent, where the boss likely waited.

To reach it, he’d need to cause chaos. Disrupt their order. Thin them out.

Tonight was the night.

He formed his plan with cold precision. Or it’s the only plan he could think of. He scanned the camp edge while hiding near the rock. Astrael spotted his first target—an isolated goblin, slinking toward the stalagmites to relieve itself about twenty paces from him.

Perfect.

Astrael melted deeper into the shadows of the cavern walls. He slowly moved with silent steps, his heightened agility afforded.

When the goblin was just ten paces away, it paused and sniffed the air. Astrael tensed—but the moss on his body masked his scent. The goblin turned away.

That was enough.

Astrael activated [Mana Augmentation]. Mana surged through his legs, coiling like compressed lightning.

He burst forward.

The goblin barely had time to blink. A streak of steel flashed.

A horizontal slash. A gurgle escaped its throat as Astrael caught the limp body and dragged it behind the stones.

[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 2 Goblin sentry]

[+120 exp]

"One down," Astrael muttered.

He repeated the pattern.

Another goblin, far from camp,was fetching water.

Dead.

A third, distracted during an argument.

Gone.

Each kill was efficient and quiet. The moss masking his scent, [Quick Draw] letting him strike in a heartbeat. He used the terrain masterfully—dragging corpses into shadowed pockets, luring targets with tossed stones, attacking only when no one watched.

He became death incarnate, leaving the corpse near the periphery of the camp.

Every time he kills, a notification chimes in his mind.

[+110 exp]

[+90 exp]

[+130 exp....

....

By the end of the second hour, Astrael had eliminated more than a dozen goblins. But that also meant—

"By now, the rest of them would think something was wrong, and this is my chance," Astraek muttered under his breath. The real problem is Hobgoblins. For that, he needed to create chaos.

He spotted a stack of dried branches leaning near a supply pile, just outside a tent. He silently recited the spell.

’Emberspark’

Suddenly, the pile of dry branches caught fire. Within seconds, a small blaze came to life. It spread quickly.

A moment later—

"GRRAAAKH!"

A goblin’s cry echoed through the chamber. Then another.

The camp erupted in confusion. The dozen goblins began shouting, grabbing buckets, and running in every direction.

By now, Astrael was certain that this mindless beast was commanded by a more intelligent one, and the suspicious one was their boss.

Astrael smiled grimly. The chaos had begun.

He ghosted through the madness, slipping between tents, dispatching goblins who strayed too far in the confusion. Another kill. Then another. Notifications chimed in his mind like a war drum.

The hobgoblins, seeing the chaos, ran to the fire place to pacify.

His path is cleared. The goblin near the boss tent was empty.

’This is my chance,’ Astrael thought before moving. He spotted.

He spotted a lone scout frantically trying to stomp out a flame near the fire pit.

[Quick Draw — Activated.]

A blur. A slash.

The scout fell, dead, before its body hit the dirt.

But just as Astrael began to turn toward his next target—

Everything changed.

But then... the air changed.

A sudden pressure weighed down on the air, thick and heavy. The goblins who were running erratically fell into a stunned silence. Even the fires flickered and dimmed.

Then, from the central tent, a figure stepped out.

Cloaked in tattered robes woven with bone charms and dyed in blood, a hunched, withered goblin hobbled forward, leaning heavily on a twisted wooden staff. Pale green skin sagged over his gaunt frame. His face was a mask of scars and inked tattoos, and his eyes glowed with a strange blue fire.

The entire camp fell into silence.

Astrael narrowed his eyes and activated [Appraise].

[Target: Gorthak the Bone-Eyed (Goblin Shaman)]

[Tier: 0]

[Level: 19]

[Threat: High]

[Status: Alert, Actively Channelling Mana, Mentally Unstable]

[Note: Mutated variant of goblin shaman possessing advanced cursed arts. Displays poor physical durability but exceptional magical offence. Possesses limited eyesight, compensated by enhanced mana perception and olfactory sensitivity. Caution: Capable of mind reading and area-wide curses.]

"Mind read...?" Astrael exhaled, hiding in a shadow behind a pile of broken bones. "Great. That’s going to be a problem."

The shaman’s glowing eyes swept across the camp... then locked on him.

"Ksssshhhhh... little human..." the shaman hissed, its voice laced with a murderous tone. "Did you think you could hide... from Gorthak?"

A violent pulse of mana surged through the cavern.

BOOM!

The tent Astrael had passed moments ago exploded outward in a burst of raw energy. Splinters of bone and hide flew through the air.

"Shit!" Astrael hissed, throwing himself into a roll as a bolt of green flame scorched the ground behind him.

He landed on the ground while leaning on the sword.

"So much for staying hidden."

The goblins roared as one.

"GRAAAWW!" (INTRUDER)

"GROOOOL!" (KILL)

"GRRRAAW!" (BURNHIM)

The entire camp surged toward him.

Astrael gritted his teeth and activated [Mana Augmentation] again, energy surging through every vein. The world slowed. His vision sharpened. His grip tightened.

One goblin lunged—its head flew.

Another swung wide—Astrael stepped in and plunged his blade through its chest.

The shaman raised his staff, mouth muttering ancient syllables. Dark energy formed in twisting runes at Astrael’s feet.

"Bone Curse!" the shaman shrieked.

Astrael instinctively leapt backwards the moment the ground beneath his feet began to fracture. A split-second later, jagged black tendrils exploded upward, writhing like serpents hungry for flesh. One of them caught the edge of his boot and barely grazed his shin.

"AHHH—!"

A scream tore from Astrael’s throat as he tumbled across the stone floor, his leg spasming violently. Agony erupted through his body. It felt as if fire had been poured straight into his nerves.

It was the second most painful thing he’d ever felt.

"Kukukikikik... Human cub," the shaman rasped, voice laced with a murderous tone. Gorthak stood with one hand raised, staff glowing with pulsing runes, his eyes gleaming with otherworldly fire. "You thought you could sneak into my domain and walk out alive? Foolish! I’ll flay your flesh and craft your screaming soul into a blood puppet. Kukkuuaaahhh!"

His cackling and hideous laugh echoed off the cavern walls.

"Kukiiiiiki"

"Kikkuuki"

"Kikkiiiikuu"

The goblins joined in, their shrill, growling cackles rising in unison as they jeered at the lone human standing before them.

Astrael clenched his teeth, trembling as he pushed himself off the cold ground. The pain still lingered, but he forced himself to breathe through it, sweat dripping down his temples.

’Move, damn it... This is nothing compared to the pain of dying a million deaths,’ he told himself, biting down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword as he steadied his feet beneath him.

His eyes never left Gorthak.

He knew now—there was no bluffing, no clever feints. This thing... this monster wasn’t just reading his movements. It was reading his thoughts.

Astrael shuts his eyes. His thought stilled.

And then, the temperature dropped.

A strange, intrusive sensation crept into his mind like cold fingers prying open a locked door. His vision trembled for a moment, and a whisper brushed against the edges of his consciousness.

"Ah... so that’s your fear... Interesting."

Gorthak’s lips twisted into a malicious grin as he slowly raised his gnarled staff and tapped it against the stone floor.

"Spirit Pulse".

A sudden black flash erupted from the tip of the staff, crackling with malevolent energy. The wave shot forward in a jagged arc, like a spear of lightning, and struck Astrael square in the chest before he could react.

"—Guh!"

Astrael’s body convulsed as the spell surged through him. His limbs stiffened, his breath caught mid-gasp, and an unbearable cold bloomed inside his chest.

It wasn’t just pain—it was as if something had reached in and grabbed his very soul, wrenching it with invisible claws.

His vision blurred. For a second, he saw things—memories? Dreams? Echoes of emotions he couldn’t name.

Then came the pressure. Overwhelming. Suffocating.

He collapsed to one knee, sword clattering beside him.

From across the battlefield, Gorthak chuckled darkly, the glow in his eyes pulsing brighter."Let’s see how long your little soul lasts, human..."

.

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