CHAPTER 104: CHAPTER 104: GOBLIN NEST RAID

Axelius stepped forward with a cold glint in his eyes. As he yanked his katana from the goblin’s head—still wedged high in a tree trunk and absorbed it.

His Core Cycle ticked forward again [Current Core Cycle: 6th Stage – 15%]

"We need to find a group of these guys," Axelius muttered, inspecting the dark goblin blood on his blade before flicking it off.

Owen was still in his slime form, half-spread across the ground like a puddle. He didn’t bounce. He didn’t even jiggle. Concerned, Axelius prodded him with the tip of his katana.

Jiggle-jiggle.

"Hey. What happened to you?" Owen shifted slightly, forming half a face with droopy slime eyes.

"I feel weird. It’s nothing, Nevermind..." he mumbled, then quickly tried to brush it off. "Let’s keep going. We’ll probably see a pack of goblins somewhere."

They moved ahead through the trees until a sharp rustle in the distance made them stop. Hiding in the thick brush, they crouched and peered through.

In the distance: a large cave, dark and musty. Two goblins stood guard outside, crude spears in hand, armor made from mismatched bones and leather. From inside the cave, more faint screeches and grunts echoed.

"You think you can handle no matter their numbers inside?" Owen asked, eyeing the size of the cave.

Axelius smirked, cracking his neck. "100% sure. It’s just a shame they’re not goblin riders... I still owe those guys something."

Without hesitation, Axelius stood up and walked directly toward the guards. Calm. Casual.

Owen sighed and bounced along beside him. The two goblin guards screeched in alarm, charging. One leapt forward, spear thrust straight at Axelius’s chest. But Axelius tilted sideways, dodging fluidly, and used his momentum to slash upward—his katana slicing the goblin diagonally from hip to shoulder. It didn’t even have time to scream.

The second goblin went for a swing, but Axelius spun low, sweeping its legs. As the goblin tumbled, Axelius planted his katana into its neck with a single clean stab.

Both bodies turned to dust and were absorbed instantly. Then behind him, Owen began shifting—his slime form bulging and reshaping into the form of a goblin.

His disguise was near-perfect, aside from a faint jiggle. He held both of his stolen bone weapons, now dual-wielding with confidence. He grinned with a goblin voice, "Let’s get inside."

They stepped into the cave—dark, damp, echoing with goblin chatter and shrieks. Inside, several goblins spotted them and charged. Axelius met the first wave without hesitation.

One goblin lunged down from a ledge, but Axelius vanished from its sight mid-air and reappeared behind it, slicing through its back. Another tried to stab from the left—Axelius deflected the blade with his katana’s guard and kicked the goblin into a wall, then slashed through its chest. Each movement was clean, brutal, and fast.

Meanwhile, Owen—blending in as a goblin—moved through the crowd. The moment they turned their backs, he struck.

Crack! A bone club to the head.

Thunk! A jab to the throat. Some goblins paused, confused by his appearance, giving him just enough time to slice their ankles or knock them unconscious. "Man, these guys are dumb," Owen muttered mid-fight.

Axelius fought like a storm, spinning, slashing, dodging. Goblins screamed and crumbled to dust as the two carved their way deeper into the nest.

Owen ducked under a swing and stabbing upward with both bone blades.

Axelius just smirked, his eyes locked toward the deeper tunnel ahead—where more growling echoed. "Let’s see how deep this place goes."

The underground tunnel twisted deeper. Owen, now in his goblin form, moved ahead carefully. His goblin body helped him blend in, and he could move faster than in his slime form.

Every step was quiet, but the smell of rot and sweat filled the air. Axelius followed behind, katana in hand. He walked slowly, eyes sharp, like a hunter ready to kill.

Then, they heard footsteps—many of them. Owen stopped and whispered, "They’re close."

From a narrow passage, a group of higher goblins appeared. These goblins were different—they wore armor made of bone and leather, muscles stronger, and their eyes glowed red in the dark.

Owen tried to act natural showing himself, They ignore him. But one goblin leader, taller and with spiked shoulders, stopped. It sniffed the air.

"It smelling you." Owen muttered. The goblin leader roared, "Intruder!!"

Axelius didn’t wait. He dashed forward like a shadow. His katana gleamed—and then blood sprayed. One goblin’s head flew. Another’s arm dropped to the ground before it realized what happened.

Axelius spun, his blade slicing a goblin from shoulder to waist. Brutal. Fast. Cold. A goblin jumped at him with a spear—Axelius grabbed its face midair and slammed it into the wall, cracking the stone. He then stabbed it through the skull, pulling the blade out without looking.

Owen got pushed back by a mace. His goblin body dented, but inside, his slime core shook and healed quickly. "You messed up now!" Owen said, stretching his goblin arms.

He mimicked the way the goblins moved—clumsy, wide swings—but his slime body let him dodge with fluid motion. He let a sword stab through his chest—but since his core was safe, he wrapped the attacker with slime and crushed its face with a headbutt.

Three more higher goblins came, weapons raised. Owen rolled forward, legs stretching like rubber, and kicked one in the gut, launching it into another.

"Combo hit!" But a strong goblin captain roared and swung a huge axe. The axe cut through Owen’s side, splashing blue slime—but he regenerated fast, jumping away with a smirk.

"Nice try!" Axelius, now covered in dark blood, stabbed his sword into the ground.

"Move, Owen." Owen stepped back. "What are you doing—"

Boom! Axelius raised his leg and kicked a large stone into the goblin captain’s chest. While the goblin staggered, Axelius jumped up and drove his katana down, splitting the goblin’s chest all the way to the ground.

Another tried to run—but Axelius threw his sword like a spear. It pinned the goblin to the wall, the blade vibrating from the impact. Axelius walked forward and snapped the goblin’s neck with his bare hands.

"Too weak," he said, pulling out his sword.

From deeper in the tunnel, more growls echoed. More higher goblins were coming—twice as many, and stronger-looking.

Axelius smirked. "Good. Let’s make this training worth it."