MEMORIES AND ABU HORMUZ

Episode 19 - Not Quite Proud of the Mention of the Goblin Exterminator

They wake up as the bells ring at six in the morning, then have breakfast while getting ready for the day. At eight o'clock, they headed to the North Gate of Atalante to meet with Susi, then left for the Old City of Damroww. The map they made was still incomplete, so they tried to add it while hunting Goblins.

At the current level, they can handle a group of 3 Goblins with little difficulty, but at least, they can minimize the risk. But the story is different when they face a type of Goblin light and agile, who is good at avoiding attacks. If meeting such a monster, they would have to be extra careful. Also, over time they will increasingly face Goblins equipped with long-range weapons usually in the form of short bows. However, the arrows shot by the weapon did not have high speed and the piercing power was also weak, so they did not need to worry too much about it.

On the contrary, crossbows were weapons that they had to be wary of. A sharp shot from a crossbow will kill the enemy's life directly. Armored goblins also sometimes cause problems, as some of them are very powerful. To belittle them is a big mistake.

At most, they could handle a group of Goblins consisting of 4 tails. Even so, they preferred to miss the group of 4 Goblins, unless the situation was very favorable to them. And if they cross paths with a group of 5 Goblins, they even pretend not to see. And when they meet a group of Goblins consisting of 6 tails or even more, then they will mark the location

it is the territory of the Goblin family or the territory of the Goblin clan, or the like. These areas were filled with Goblin populations, and entering the area was tantamount to entering the territory of hungry lions.

Self-roaming goblins were usually only equipped with bad weapons and armor, but sometimes they kept valuable items hidden in pockets. There is never a thief who steals from the poor, it seems that Goblins also understand this saying, so they look poor to keep their valuables.

And once a day, every day, they meet him.

Goblins can be categorized into two main types, namely the type that dwells in a place, and the type that roams. They also found the second type. They often encounter the second type in the Old City of Damroww. As Haruhiro and the others watched them from a distance, the urge to launch a surprise attack was unbearable. But they can't. Now is not the right time. They

must patient.

Not that there are no obstacles. Today, the Haruhiro Party is the only group operating in the Old City area of Damroww. With no other group around, then they have no rivals and

they could spend some time building up strength, before finally launching an attack.

Although this did not happen every day however, when they returned to Atalante, the party would head to Sherry Shops. They do not go for a specific purpose, but only for drinking and chatting. Lusi never said much, but he was a thousand times better than Marco the champ making a fuss.

Every time they were at the Sherry Shops, at least one or two other Red MooN Members would approach, then mock them by saying "Hey, Goblin Exterminator," or "How are you, "How are you, hey Goblin Exterminators," or "Are you guys having fun at Damroww, hey Goblin Exterminators?"

Marco always yells at them saying “hush!” But Haruhiro knew if he was angry every time he was scorned, the scorn would never end. After all, the ridicule did not bother Haruhiro too much, even that nickname did not sound bad.

Goblin Exterminator. Not bad. Not bad at all. They will be the best Goblin Exterminators in Red MooN.

Tomorrow they must hunt the Goblins, tomorrow the Goblins again, tomorrow the Goblins again, tomorrow the Goblins again, tomorrow the Goblins again, tomorrow the Goblins again. Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin, Goblin. When starting out, all the Goblins looked the same, but after a while, Haruhiro began to be able to distinguish a few of them. He knew that most of the Goblins he encountered were male, and rarely female.

According to Lusi, most of the female Goblins were taken by high-ranking Goblins as wives, and they dwelled in the deeper parts of Damroww City.

"Ah, I also want to have a harem like that highly ranked Goblin ..."

"I feel sorry for the female Goblin if her Harem King is like you, Marco," Haruhiro said.

"Haruhiro's stupid!" Marco barking. “You don't know? Even a Goblin knows that I am a very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very interesting! Do not insult Marco, who once earned the nickname The King of Travelers who Very Attractive Eve!”

"Any ... The King of Eve said, whereas all the servant girls in the tavern always stay away from being seduced by him" Vina commented.

"Er ... Um ... Well, even an invincible general must have suffered occasional defeats ..”

"Oh, I understand that, that means….. The king who is very very very very very very very very very very attractive Eve turned out to never attract the women once in a while, right?" Vina pondered.

“Stop the word ‘ very very very very very very very’ it! You say that because you never know how attractive I am, you flat girl! People already understand, definitely won't say that!” Marco looked at Lusi furiously. “Lusion! If you had no choice but to choose one of the three men here, then who would you choose? Of course it will BE ME, right!”

"I will choose Barto," replied Lusi subtly.

"What-what!" Marco said as he squeaked.

"A-A-I?" Barto stared in disbelief with wide eyes. Instead of being embarrassed, he was astonished

"Haha?" Haruhiro stared blankly at Barto and Lusi several times, alternately.

Vina's expression showed that she was pondering deeply, while Alice blinked repeatedly, and her eyes kept on Lusi.

“Oi! Oi-oi-oi-oi-oi-oi-oi!” Marco could have bitten his own tongue if he had said Oi sooner. “What?! Whyyy?! Barto better than me? No way! No possibility!!!”

"He's big and attractive" said Luci calmly and indifferently, as usual.

"Size?! Size does not matter! It has nothing to do with size ... Siaaaaaaaaallllll ... I lost to fucking Barto! What the fuck!”

"Unfortunately, the King of Eve" said Vina.

"Stop calling me the King of Eve, bottom of the chest of the laundry board!”

Haruhiro was surprised after realizing the fact that he also lost to Barto. So, Lusi is not the type of girl who cares about appearance alone. Maybe he said so because he saw his own beautiful face when reflecting every day, so he did not always attach importance to the beautiful face. But Marco and Haruhiro are also not good-looking, so there may be other factors of consideration so that Lusi chose Barto.

Haruhiro's paras and intelligence are at an average level, but he is quite confident when fighting Goblins. He fought Goblins every day. Be careful not to be arrogant, he told himself. He is unlike Hector, Udin, or even Luci, who is endowed with talent for things he never had.

Before, when Udin was alive, he held Haruhiro in his arms when injured and carried him in his arms. But now, Haruhiro was able to stand up using his own short legs to

slashing every Goblin that attacked towards him. For a mediocre man like Haruhiro, overconfidence ends in failure. Ah not really, Haruhiro is a man who can fail at any time even though he is not very confident. At least he has to do everything

by his own efforts.

Speaking of money matters, if luck was good, they could earn around 10 silver in total, meaning each Party member could have 2 silver. It seems that Lusi already has a place

the stay was permanent, but Haruhiro and the others were still staying at that cheap inn for Red MooN's training members. He kept the money spent on food, less than 20 bronze per day, even if there was leftovers, he would use the money for himself or the party's interests.

There were two other things that required investment, namely Equipment and Skill. Haruhiro has bought a used vest, waist protection, lower arm protection and also shin guards. Everything is made of hardened skin, so the texture is light, flexible, and does not inhibit movement. But the protection afforded by such equipment was only peace of mind. In other words, having better protectors

rather than nothing, and of course, the physical protective effect of such equipment was extremely low. But sometimes, the comfort of the mind can also increase guts in fighting, so Haruhiro is still grateful to have such a simple protector.

As for the dagger, he had no intention of obtaining a new dagger. He was already used to the aura of this one dagger, and if he were to bring it to the Forge, his dagger could be coated by a sharper blade. However, the extra money he had was spent to buy a helmet for Barto.

[Forge was a kind of workshop used by blacksmiths to forge metal items.]

Barto also tried hard to get the Equipment he craved, namely steel plates. In reality, a good steel plate had to be forged along with his armor, but asked for an Armor mason

to make it a complete set of armor would cost at least 10 gold. Of course it was an amount of money that they could not possibly earn, so Barto bought a makeshift material, and took it to the blacksmith to get the size of the armor adjusted to his body. Even this alternative way of spending several tens of silver.

So far, it protects the body by placing protective plates on its chest and back. There was also a steel plate attached to the shoulder, the base of the arm, and he also had a kind of safety glove that was

wrapped half his shins. Everything was wrapped in simple armor. As for the helmet, he was still wearing the Barbute helmet that Harihiro had bought. His sword was still the same as before, that of the giant sword given from the Guild. Gradually, the sword will be more and more used and must be replaced.

Marco had also bought metal armor, yet somehow, he was still wearing leather armor on it. Maybe Marco thinks it's cool, because there's a Skulheill crest on it. He had also bought a helmet shaped like an upside-down bucket, which he apparently liked very much. Although it was a bit strange according to others, he still wore it in the fight. He had also found a long sword that looked cool on the market, then he bought it so that the rest of the money was equal to zero.

Idiotically. What a stupid job, Haruhiro thought.

Vina had also bought leather armor to protect both the upper and lower body, and Haruhiro had to admit, it was a perfect fit for her. He had also obtained a hooded robe, which made his overall appearance very similar to that of a real Hunter.

The mage robes and hats Alice received from her Guild were already worn out and torn, so there were holes everywhere. So, he bought a new set of magician equipment. However, the stick still remains. Unlike other Mages, the magic of a Mage Elemental shadow was not affected by the quality of the staff. In fact, shadow magic does not require a wand at all. Alice has also learned a new spell, [PHANTOM SLEEP].

Haruhiro has asked Master Barbara to teach him [STEALTH WALK] and [SWAT], Barto has learned [WAR CRY], Marco has gained [JUKE STAB] and [PROPEL LEAP]. Vina had already learned [SHARP SIGHT] which improved the accuracy of her bow, and also made her avoid attacks at a speed similar to a rat hole. While Lusi has been one step ahead in terms of ability and experience.

No one doubted the girl's fighting ability as long as she moved around the Party, yet how great was she?

They found a group of 5 Goblins in what was once the Forge on the west side of Damroww Old Town. The building was half-destroyed and the roof completely lost, but there was still a furnace, paron, and other tools. Haruhiro and the others had come to this place many times before, sometimes for rest, and lunch. Just this time they saw a Goblin on the spot

those.

There seemed to be a huge social gap between the Goblins living in the new area of Damroww City, and the Goblins pacing around the Old City. In a fight for supremacy

occurring between the upper class Goblins, those who lost were no longer considered part of the group, then simply discarded. In other words, the Old City was a place of seclusion for the loser Goblins.

The five Goblins occupying the Forge must be newcomers, who had just been exiled. The first thing a newcomer does is find a place to live. If the group was large enough, then they would claim the area around it as a dominion. Haruhiro suspects that they may intend to use the remaining items from the building as headquarters.

Haruhiro finished scanning the area, then he returned to the place where his comrades were waiting, not far from there.

"Interesting ..." Marco licked his lips and placed his hand on the bucket-shaped helmet. “We should try it. A few more victims, and I'll have more than 41 Vice. When everything is complete, I can call the Zodiac this afternoon also ..” he said with a slow laugh.

Vina glared with a cold look at him. “What the hell is this Zodiac capable of doing to us? He said he only occasionally whispered to opponents to distract them, but that was it. Cannot be relied upon."

"He can surprise the opponent, right?! When his level rose, he could even rip off the arms and legs of our opponent! He will hinder their movement ... and he will do it when he wants!”

Alice smiled with a tired expression, as if the girl was tired of hearing Marco's repeated talk. “... Changeable as usual.”

“Dan uhh .. one more thing. Yep. He will only do it at night. Before night, erm. YEP!! He can whisper a warning to us if there are enemies around who are approaching, and, umm ... Devil joke. Yep! He would have done it if he wanted.”

Lusi sneering. “Inchable.”

"Shut up!!" Marco was wearing his bucket-like helmet.

“You know nothing about the Zodiac! And I don't care if you don't understand, because I'm the only one who understands it! Heh. This was the life of a lonely Dark Knight. Nobody understands us ..”

"I-I will finish them off as much as I can" said Barto, nodding vigorously. “I'm sure I can finish 2 tails. And if necessary, I will use [WAR CRY] to intimidate them.”

Alice tightened the grip on her staff and nodded briefly. “I will use magic and make them fall asleep from the beginning.”

"Alright," Haruhiro said as he nodded. “Then Alice put the goblin in bed armed with a crossbow.

Defeating a Goblin first will make a meaningful difference in our fight.”

"I understand" replied Alice. “Give me.”

Vina speaking. “Vina's first attack is an arrow shot, then Vina will face it directly if it is near.”

"I will keep trying to get behind the Goblin, then kill any one if I have the chance" Haruhiro said. “Dan Lusi ..”

When Haruhiro looked at Susi, the girl nodded at him. Haruhiro realized that he was calmer than before. This time, Lusi responded to all the tasks assigned to him, and he did his job

well done.

He did not participate in the fight in the way that Haya had once explained, but this difference was possible after he experienced a dark past with his former comrades. His attitude towards Haruhiro and the others was still cold, but now Haruhiro was confident that they could entrust the duties of a Priest to Lusi. If only Lusi would smile at them, maybe that would be enough for Haruhiro and the others.

"Let's do this." Haruhiro looked at his friends in turn, and put his right hand to the ritual before they fought.

Marco, Barto, Vina, and Alice did the same thing, they arranged the right hand over the back of Haruhiro's hand. Finally, Lusi added his hand to that pile.

They were not far from the abandoned Forge, so Haruhiro whispered a low-pitched cry, "Fight!" And others answered him in the same low voice, "All or nothing!"

Haruhiro advanced first with Vina and Alice, while Marco, Lusi, and Barto followed closely behind. Haruhiro bowed low and tried to relax his knees, so there was no sound when he moved using the [STEALTH WALK] skill. Vina and Alice were not Thieves, so they could not replicate the technique even if they tried. Even so, if they followed Haruhiro's footsteps and placed his footing at the same point, then a commotion could be avoided.

They moved from the shadows of destroyed buildings, entered enemy territory, passed through collapsed fences, and hid themselves behind large piles of rubble. They were already within reach of Alice's [PHANTOM SLEEP] magic, which was about sixty-five feet away.

Only the two pieces of wall on the Forge building were still standing, yet the wall was even filled with holes. The rest of the buildings must have been reduced to rubble, so from their point of view, four Goblins could be seen. That means, four potential targets.

Haruhiro's hand beckoned Vina and Alice, then the two girls popped their heads out of the wall. Vina prepared a bow, and she closed her eyes, as well as took a deep breath.

When his eyelids opened, the [SHARP SIGHT] skill had been activated. From what Haruhiro understood, [SHARP SIGHT] was a skill that improved visual acuity performance by using eye movements and special perception.

Meanwhile, Alice had already drawn an Elemental letter that floated in the air using her wand, and she chanted the mantra quietly, "Oom rel deckt chrome dash."

Elemental shadows, a fuzzy black sphere exploded from the tip of his stick. This spell could not be fired as fast as [SHADOW ECHO], so there was a chance the enemy could avoid it when he saw the ball coming. Everything will be fine, Haruhiro assured himself. That'll hit him.

And it did happen. The shadow elemental struck the Goblin armed with a crossbow right on its face, and the magic seeped into the body through the ears, nose, and mouth. The goblins immediately swayed in a grove. The spaced goblin that was leaning against the wall noticed it, and he jumped in pain after Vina released her arrow.

The arrow sank on the Goblin's shoulder, so he collapsed again.

"Barto, Marco!" Haruhiro Shouts.

Barto and Marco rushed to the ruins of Forge, they shouted excitedly with all the air in their lungs. The goblin armed with arrows was now crawling on the ground, and sleeping quickly. He sleeps more soundly than a normal human, but will wake up if, say, given a hard kick. They had to finish the fight before his friends woke up the monster.

Haruhiro and Vina followed behind Barto and Marco. Barto, shouting “STILL", while using the skill [RAGE CLEAVE] on the Goblin on the axe. His enemy was shocked and tripped him. Marco attacked the sword Goblin using the [ANGER THRUST] skill, but missed.

Barto then rushes past the retraced Goblin, which has yet to recover, to attack the shielded Goblin. The monster resisted Barto's attack with his shield, then there was a violent clash until he moved back. Without a moment's delay, Barto then turned back to the Goblin on foot, and slashed the monster with his sword. As he said, Barto handled two Goblins at once.

Marco fought against the Goblin armed, and Vina rushed to attack the Goblin armed with a spear, which she had already darted before. Haruhiro gave a brief glance at Alice and Luci. Lusi clasped his staff in a ready position, and watched the fight with a solemn expression that was frightening. If one of the Goblins attempts to get close to Alice, Haruhiro is convinced that Lusi will protect her.

As a Mage, Alice had almost no armor, but if she knew that Lusi would protect her in an emergency, she could fight back with confidence. But Haruhiro will not let the situation where they are cornered so that Lusi must intervene.

"Stop them!" Haruhiro is again pumping the fighting spirit of his comrades, and he tries to choose which Goblins to target by him ...

Therehewas. Goblins armed with axes. No matter walking or running, Haruhiro bowed low and moved as if he was gliding on the ground. He was not quite used to using the [STEALTH WALK] technique, but he was trying to match that technique with the other styles. Shortly thereafter, he was in a position right behind the Goblin on foot.

At that moment.

Haruhiro saw a line of light, and it was as if the Goblin's backbone was enlarged by a photograph. The picture is not very clear, however, the lines are worthy enough to be defined as the colorless line's light ending at a point on the Goblin's back.

He did not know what kind of line of light he was looking at. Lines like this have never appeared before, but lately, Haruhiro has seen the phenomenon several times. The line disappeared instantly, but by the time it appeared, he must have known his position. Without knowing why, without understanding how, Haruhiro understood what to do. If he rolled his dagger along that line of light, until it went to the point where the line ended, his dagger would cut through the flesh of his target like a hot knife through butter.

He knew the exact point to stab, but before his brain could process that information and order the body to move, his dagger had already pierced through the Goblin on foot, as if something had guided his movements. The tready goblins let out a short groan and died before even touching the ground.

The shielded goblin gave support after a while, perhaps he was gobsmacked after seeing his comrade instantly dead. He had taken less than half a step back, but of course Barto took advantage of the gap. He smashed his sword over the Goblin's shield with all his might. The blow caused the shield to fall from the Goblin's arm, so that Barto immediately eradicated the Goblin without protection.

The Goblin still had a sword, and he anticipated Barto's attack, but Barto did not even try to dodge. He only received the sabre with his armor, then gave a loud reply

until his opponent collapsed. Then he raised his sword high, and swung it at the head of the monster until its skull was split.

There are 3 more left.

"[LEAP PROPELLOR]!" Marco stuck out his tongue and jumped back with all his might.

[PROPEL LEAP] was a special movement skill that allowed him to widen the distance with his enemy in a short period of time. The goblin chased after Marco, as if sucked in by a vacuum, and that was exactly what Marco wanted. With a big smile, he retreated a little more, then suddenly pushed his sword out and shouted "[JUKE STAB]!"

All of the Goblin's momentum was directed completely forward, making it impossible for him to dodge Marco's attack. Marco's sword instantly pierced through his throat and out from the back of his neck. While

laughing, he kicked the Goblin out of his sword, and twisted the sword while pulling it out.

Marco's laughter was drowned by Alice's spell. “Oom rel eckt vel dashboard!”

[SHADOW SCHOOLYARD]. A shadow Elemental shot shot out from the tip of his staff and struck the chest of the Goblin armed with a spear. Vina moved closer to that Goblin whose body was shaking uncontrollably due to being exposed to the ultrasonic sound waves [SHADOW ECHO].

Vina slashed at her opponent using Kukri, then cut the base of her neck with a diagonal stroke. His kukri is embedded in the base of the Goblin's throat and his victim is unable to strike back,

he just screamed with anger. By the time his voice ran out, it was Barto's turn to end Goblin's suffering by giving him death.

Barto stepped firmly, while swinging his sword at the head of the Goblin. “THANK YOU!”  And finished in one stroke.

"We can do this," Haruhiro breathed heavily and nodded. “We can definitely do this.”

"The time is running out" Marco replied as he approached the sleeping Goblin. He raised his sword, and grinned.

Haruhiro thought that maybe one day, he could smile with a cruel smile like a cold-hearted villain, just like Marco wanted, but not today.

"But whatever," continued Marco. “This is the end. Not only for these Goblins, but for them as well.”