Goblin Cave III

Jake quickly glanced at each of them and then made his choice, " Give me Ephemeral Plunderer's Grimoire"

[Are you sure, taking an Ultimate Authority will make unable to get any more Authorities until you reach S rank] Nexus asked.

Jake paused for a second and then said " Just give me this one" 

[Okay]

As Jake made his choice, a surge of ethereal energy enveloped him. The air shimmered with arcane power as the Ephemeral Plunderer's Grimoire Authority manifested within him. Nexus confirmed the acquisition with a subtle acknowledgment.

Unlike his previous time, Jake had a lot of Soul strength to spare, sparing him from fainting or feeling any pain.

Jake closed his eyes for a second and digested all the information, and then opened his eyes and looked at the Goblin Lord.

"Guys stop acting, that beast intelligence is better than any other C rank beast" Jake said and his friends serious demeanor vanished.

"Tch, I though we will also clear this gate without using our arts but this guy had to be intelligent" Jimmy murmured looking at the Goblin lord who is now looking at them seriously.

"Well, let's use String shot formation" Mark said rubbing his chin.

"I agree" Jake

"Me too" Jimmy

"Hmmm" Emily.

The ethereal grimoire in Jake's soul space seemed to resonate with his intentions as he muttered, "But first, let's take care of that small fry." His gaze focused on the dwarf goblin, the Beastmaster Goblin, wielding the bone staff and standing beside the Goblin Lord.

Jake pointed his hands towards the dwarf goblin, and his chained dagger swiftly shot towards the target. The Goblin Lord frowned, realizing the impending danger, and leaped in an attempt to save the dwarf goblin. However, Jake's chained dagger moved with remarkable speed.

The ethereal chain extended, wrapping around the Beastmaster Goblin before the Goblin Lord could intervene. The chained dagger pierced through the dwarf goblin's Head and heart, and a brief moment of surprise flickered across its face. The Goblin Lord's attempt to rescue its subordinate proved futile as Jake's precision and speed outmatched the creature's efforts.

The dwarf goblin let out a screech, collapsing to the ground as the ethereal grimoire absorbed its essence. The Goblin Lord landed back on the throne, glaring at Jake with a mix of fury and frustration.

Jake looked at the Grimoire and saw the fist page of it became engraved with many runes, And Jake learned he can transfer this runes to any one core and let them have this ability.

"You..Humans I will skin you all alive!!!" The Goblin lord shouted and ruched at them holding a Bone Great sword, The black panther also died alongside the Dwarf goblin leaving only the boss.

Jimmy rushed to parry the sword the moment their swords collided, Jimmy opened his mouth and a sonic boon attacked the Goblin Lord. The Goblin lord's ears bled and he jumped backwards and then his bone sword engulfed in black flames which he slashed towards Jimmy and a dark slah formed and moved towards Jimmy.

This is all thanks to Jimmy's art:

Zephyr Harmonics:

Overview: Zephyr Harmonics is a sophisticated magical art that revolves around manipulating and harmonizing the elemental forces of the wind. Practitioners of this art, known as Zephyr Harmonists, can harness the power of gentle breezes or unleash formidable gales with finesse and precision.

and the technique Jimmy used is one of this art technique called Sonic Resonance.

The Goblin lord's ears bled and he jumped backwards and then his bone sword engulfed in black flames which he slashed towards Jimmy and a dark slash formed and moved towards Jimmy.

Jimmy jumped away to avoid but it detonated midway burning jimmy, propelling him to crash land.

Mark quickly came to strike at Goblin Lord but it quickly parried Mark's spear with his great sword.

"Tch this guy got some serious vitality" Jimmy frowned as he gulped down a potion.

"It's C+ rank after all" Jake said 

As Mark continued to engage in combat with the formidable Goblin lord, the trio of Jake, Jimmy, and Emily observed, ready to intervene if needed. The Goblin lord's resilience was evident, and the battle showcased the significance of their rigorous training and the enhancements from their Pseudo white cores.

As the battle reached a critical point, Mark showed signs of struggle against the relentless onslaught of the Goblin Lord. Sensing an opportunity, Emily swiftly released an arrow, aiming directly at the Goblin Lord's head. However, the Goblin Lord, keenly aware of the danger, tilted his head and countered by kicking Mark.

Seizing the opening created by the distraction, Emily emerged into the fray, unleashing a barrage of arrows at the Goblin Lord. The Goblin Lord, utilizing his great sword as a shield, defended against the projectile onslaught.

In the midst of the defense, the Goblin Lord began chanting in a strange tongue, signaling the invocation of a powerful spell. Jake, utilizing his Akashic Insight, understood the impending danger. Employing his own art, the Luminarium Arte technique called Aetherial Discharge Pulse, Jake released a wave of harmonized energy that forcefully interrupted the Goblin Lord's spell casting. The backlash inflicted internal injuries upon the Goblin Lord, causing him to momentarily drop to his knees.

Taking advantage of this vulnerable moment, Emily continued her assault, releasing another arrow. The Goblin Lord, sensing her intent, attempted to dodge, but his injuries compromised his balance. The arrow struck true, destroying the Goblin Lord's right hand.

In agony, the Goblin Lord let out a deafening scream, and black smoke started emanating from him, signaling his entry into the Goblin Rage mode, boosting his powers by 15%.

"My turn now," Jake declared, rushing to Emily's side and using his dagger to block the incoming overhead strike from the Goblin Lord. The ground beneath them caved in due to the sheer force of the strike. Jake, leveraging the dual core empowerment and the various Lord-class beast enhancements, managed to withstand the blow.

Tilting the dagger expertly, Jake slid the Goblin Lord's great sword to the ground. With a swift motion, he formed a pistol shape with his hands and uttered, "Sayonara." A ray of white lightning emitted from Jake's finger, pulverizing the upper part of the Goblin Lord.

This powerful technique was a clear manifestation of Jake's proficiency in the White Star art. Not content with just defeating the Goblin Lord, Jake proceeded to plunder the Predator's Mockery, a rare ability possessed by his defeated opponent. Despite the desire to acquire another ability, the limitations of the Grimoire restricted Jake to only one rare ability from his fallen foes.

"Well done, all of you," Tom materialized and praised them for their victory. "Now let's leave this gate and find out if the Key is changing coordinates or not," he continued, and the others nodded in agreement. Mark picked up the Bone Staff, and Jake retrieved the Bone Greatsword.

Examining the great sword, Jake discovered that it was crafted from the bones of Copper Ants, a species known for consuming ores and incorporating them into their bones.

A satisfied smile played on Jake's lips as he realized the potential of the Copper Ant bones. These bones could serve as an excellent solvent, capable of blending three different metals into a high-quality alloy. With the Copper Ant bones in his possession, Jake was now confident in his ability to create rare-ranked equipment.

On the way they also retrieved various equipment on Jake order, Seeing this Tom asked " Jake what are planning to do with all this junk"

"I will practice blacksmithy on them" Jake replied and Tom nodded his head while mentally praising Jake resourcefulness.

Soon the group exited the portal and soon the portal broke, Sera picked up the Key stone and saw it's neither breaking nor changing coordinates.

"Any change?" Reynold asked after Sera put the key stone on the table.

Sera shook his head while others sighed while Jake anticipated all of that, thanks to quest that sprang up after they cleared slime gate and Key stone rank increased.

[ Continuous Quest : Gate evolution 

Condition : Clear Goblin Cave (1/2)

Reward : Key upgrade to next rank

Time limit : None]

"It's weird it's neither breaking nor changing it's coordinates" Sear said.

"Hmm, now maybe it's no longer will change coordinates" Tom said. 

"maybe it's need to be cleared more than once" Jake shrugged trying to hinting at the problem.

Sera, Reynolds, Tom and his friends looked at him collectively.

"That maybe the reason" Tom said and then once again poured his energy in to the core and once again Goblin cave portal materialized.

Tom then entered the portal and just after 2 minutes came out of the portal with various junk equipment and bone staff and Bone Greatsword.

The portal broke down once again and Sera picked up the key and looked at it and exclaimed " It's changing once again".

"Its definitely a treasure" Reynold said and othrs nodded.

Sera then called Jake towards her and said " Since you discovered it, let's bind it to you, that way it will be only lost when you die".

Sera then started muttering incomprehensible language and a thread appeared which got attached to Jake and the key.

[Connection formed with Key stone, Now only user can use the key stone]

Sera nodded, advising Jake to take care of the key and emphasizing not to enter without his friends. As the mystery was solved, Tom expressed his intention to leave.

"Now that the mystery is solved, I will be returning," Tom said, standing up to leave. However, he suddenly turned back, taking out a purple silver box and placing it on the table. "A gift for you brats. We were planning to give it to you on the day of departure, but consider it a reward for clearing the Goblin gate without my help," he explained before exiting the house.

Curious, Jake approached the box and opened it to find four platinum rings inside. "Mom, Dad, what kind of ring is this?"

Reynold explained, "Storage rings, crafted by Tom himself for all of you. Each has a storage capacity of 500 square meters."

Jake and the others' eyes lit up with excitement as they each took a ring. Quickly trying them out, they discovered a spacious interior within the rings. Additionally, the rings contained a trophy-like item. Upon inspection, Jake realized it was crafted from the bones of the first beast they had slain, serving as a symbolic proof of the beginning of their magnificent journey.

Grateful for the thoughtful gift and acknowledging the significance of the trophy, Jake and his companions felt a surge of motivation. With their newfound storage rings, they were now equipped to carry the spoils of their adventures and face whatever challenges lay ahead in the magical world.