Nightmare Fantasy Online

The day after the day when the Goblin extermination meeting had taken place, in the wake of dawn, I, along with a small group of NPC adventurers, was hiding in the bushes close to a huge cave. This cave is the lair of the Goblins, and also, of the Vile Queen.

"Okay, men. The Goblins took the bait, so the rest is up to you. The attack force will come in an hour, so try to get your job done before that. Warn your companions with the magitech we've provided you with. The green light will signal that someone has found the ring, and the red for that they have started on "that" part of the plan," said the Union Master. "Now, get busy!" 

All the rogues, thieves, and hunters nodded silently to the boss' words before they stealthily headed to the cave. There were a pair of Goblins on guard, but they were far from guarding the place. Two seconds later, and an equal number of Goblin corpses were towed into the bushes.

As the path was cleared, I followed my seniors into the cave, ready to start the operation. 

When we arrived at a cross in the path, we split up into different groups so to cover more grounds. But this place is damn complicated. It's a wonder that simple-minded Goblins would choose to live here. Before I knew it, I was all alone.

Ah, a Goblin. I snuck past it with [Lurk]. I could kill it, but the smell of blood could've warned its brethren. Using both Detection-type skills, which I'd improved thanks to Fredrick's teaching, I kept on searching for my goal.

What the goal is? A bunch of highly flammable alcohols that we've snuck into the Goblins' lair. 

The plan I suggested to the boss and vice-captain was simple: bake the Goblins inside their cave. To do that, we "hide" tons of bottles containing alcohol around the forest so the Goblins could find them and take them back home. We also snuck in some trinkets and other stuff that would cause Detection-type skills to react. 

The purpose of us Scouts being sent in first is to sabotage this place. Specifically by igniting the loads of alcohol that the Goblins have done us a favor of transporting into the cave. And as a bonus, we're supposed to take with us any treasures we may find in the cave, the enchanted ring included.

If we don't find the ring, big deal. We'll still cook the Goblins, and hopefully, the Vile Queen. The fire won't kill the Queen? So what? We still would have weakened her for the attack force that comes later to finish her off.  

The Goblins don't seem to have noticed that they have intruders. Guess the Queen didn't improve their communication abilities. They got no clue that the guards on the front are already dead. But where is that blasted..., got it!

[Detect Treasure] found something, and from its reaction, I'd say something big. 

Following the signal, I found a door guarded by a pair of Goblins who were drowsily leaning on their spears. Goblins aren't morning persons then, I guess. I quickly killed them with [Mystical Thread] by shooting the thread right into their brains and kept it there until the disintegration of their corpses started. Doing it this way would prevent their blood from spilling, therefore not alerting the sharp-nosed Goblins..., I hope.

And behind the door, I found something that could be described as the Goblin's treasure chamber. Lots of valuables were spread all around. Rather, it's too messy in here. How am I supposed to find the ring in this big mess?

While searching through the various tools the Goblins have gathered over who knows how long, the magitech I'd gotten from the Union started to vibrate in my pocket. It's flashing green, then it started to flash red...

Those stupid senior adventurers!! They're too good at this!

I hurriedly tried to snatch some of the expensive-looking stuff before high-tailing outta here. When I reached the entrance, I saw several Goblins fighting against adventurers outside. The Goblins are losing big. They don't have any decent equipment on them, probably because the adventurers came as such a big surprise. Plus, they've gotten the worst wake-up call in the form of an inferno going on inside their home. 

Using [Lurk], I got around the battlefield of adventures and Goblins and left. I don't wanna join that brawl. I'm too delicate for that, plus it's not my part of the plan.

I'll leave the rest to you guys~. I don't wanna face a Queen so soon after the last one~. Or ever~. So don't screw this up. 

---

After the brawl at the Goblin lair, along with the sudden appearance of the Vile Queen, the NPC adventurers returned to the village without any casualties. They did take some beating though, especially the boss who was the one who finished the weakened Queen.

As for the ring, it seems that Fredrick was the one who discovered it and brought it back in one piece. The vice-captain lived up to his word and made sure that the village would be compensated for all the damage and expenses that the village had experienced due to this event. Including the alcohol and oil used to turn the Goblin lair into a huge oven. 

And regarding my reward, the vice-captain promised to tell the capitals that "the Darklands has a secret area where one can harvest as many Dark Lilies and Crystals Roses as they please". The former has become a popular ingredient for Darkness-related potions while the latter is a big hit among the nobles due to their beauty. That should be interesting enough for adventurers to get their lazy butts over to this region.

Me? I prepared to leave the village. I don't like parties, and there's no way I wanna be stuck in this place for the rest of the game, so I said my farewells to the boss discreetly while he and Fredrick became the guests of honor for the party. 

I'm now following the map the boss gave me as a final parting gift. If I follow this, I should reach the nearest town outside the forest before it gets dark again, another reason why I left the village so early.

There were a few rabbits that looked like they wanted to attack, but they fled when I glared at them while using that [Demon's Presence] skill. Honestly, this skill is useful when you don't wanna have monsters after you. Not that it's any useful in other scenarios, I think.

Thanks to the map and my fearful presence, I reached the outside of the woods without any problems. Thank god! I don't think I wanna be in a forest for the rest of my life. It's not bad, but the lack of modern necessities can kill a city girl like me.

I took a break on top of a huge rock so that monsters wouldn't reach me and looked at the new area. It's a huge plain filled with cows, bulls, and pigs for some reason. No boars, just plain old pigs. I'm as confused as anyone else would be. Why pigs? Are these plains supposed to be a meat gathering area or something?

The only common points I can see between the monsters are that they're all quadruple animals and that their hides are jet-black. Some sorta Darkness animals? There's a piggie near me, so let's get its info.

Demonic? This little guy? And the piggie didn't seem to like that I Identified him. The piggie curled up into a ball and started to roll around the plains before hitting the rock I was sitting on. The attack did more damage to the pig than the rock, as the little guy lost more than 10 HP from that rollout. I finished it off by throwing a dagger into its back.

Despite our little dispute, none of the other animals didn't seem to take notice of it. Guess they're "non-active" mobs. If so, then great. I can just walk my way out without worrying about attacks. 

After dismantling the pig and taking its meat as my trophy, I continued to travel across the plain. If you ignore the fact that these animals are supposed to be demonic, then this is quite a peaceful place. I even took a few screenshots of the grazing cows. 

Maybe I should consider them as a target for the new skill I obtained today. One of the items I snagged from the Goblin lair was a skill book. God knows where the Goblins got that from. It's not a rare skill or anything. In fact, it's a common General-tier skill like [Identification] is. But just like the example, this skill here may also turn into something amazing.

While pondering whether to go on with my idea or not, a dustcloud was suddenly running around on the plains. What is that..., and it's coming this way. I can guess the next thing that will happen...

---

"...didn't you say you were leaving?" - Fredrick

*Punch!*

I gave the rat-looking guy a silent belly-punch before looking for the boss to demand an explanation from.

"Figured you'd return quickly." - Belford

"What was that dustcloud?" - Garami

"A strange bird-type monster called a Zoom Ostrich. They're a flightless type of bird that has no fixed habitat and travels to new areas as they please in a hurry. Also, they are damn fast runners and can hit like a golem. They're close to the Demonic Plains at this time of the year, but the odds of meeting them are normally damn low. Just what star of misfortune were you born under, missy?" - Belford

"That is what I like to know..." - Garami

"No worries. Those birds are leaving faster than they arrive, so they should be gone in the next two days. And you Migrants cannot die even if you want to, so think of it as a valuable experience. Gua-hahahaha-*guh*-?!" - Belford

I gave the boss a belly-punch boosted with [Demonic Combat] and went for the Quest board. After finding some decent hunting-type Quests, I left for the forest again. I need some venting done before I go to bed tonight. And especially if I find some bird-type monsters!