Goblin Cave

Tom looked at them, bowing their heads silently, and said, "Now, tell Jake what you will do as a team leader."

Jake raised his head and said, "First, I will ask Emily to keep providing details of our surroundings. Second, if we encounter any Goblin group, I will tell Jimmy to isolate sounds near us so that the fight sounds won't alert the other goblins. I will also instruct Emily to mask our smell from reaching inside the cave. Lastly, we will keep moving like this, with Jimmy in front, supported by Mark and me protecting Emily while she strikes enemies with her bow."

Tom nodded and then asked, "What will you do if Goblins suddenly bring out captives as shields? Don't forget, Goblins are the most wicked and sly beasts."

"I will tell Jimmy to play a melody that will put them to sleep," Jake replied, and Tom nodded.

"Very well then, let's start the exploration of this Goblin Cave," Tom said, and Jake and the others positioned themselves.

"You all move while I follow you all while hiding, or my presence alone will scare away all the goblins" Tom said and vanished, Jake and his friends looked at each other and then started their exploration.

As the team prepared to explore the Goblin Cave, Jake signaled to Emily to take point and provide details of their surroundings. Emily, armed with her bow, moved cautiously, her eyes and ears communicating with wind for any signs of danger. Jimmy followed closely behind, ready to use his musical talents to lull any potential threats.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, the damp and musty air surrounded them. Jake kept a watchful eye on their rear, ensuring no surprises from behind. The faint sound of water dripping echoed in the cavernous space, creating an eerie atmosphere.

Suddenly, Emily spotted a group of Goblins in the distance. She discreetly informed Jake, who quickly formulated a plan. He gestured to Jimmy, who understood his role in isolating sound to prevent alerting other Goblins nearby. Mark tightened his grip on his weapon, ready to defend the team.

"Jimmy and Mark will engage , Emily will keep scanning the surroundings while I keep an eye for you all and assist if any need arrives" Jake said , after checking all the 9 goblins with Akashic eyes.

[Cannon fodder Goblin *9]

Mark, Jimmy, and Emily nodded, and positioned themselves. The moment the Goblin Group reached their position, sudden attacks aimed at them eliminated three Goblins, leaving only six alive. Jimmy took care of one, while Mark, using his spear, pierced two Goblins together.

Kekekek

Kreejeii

The Goblins screeched and started attacking Jimmy and Mark, but they were easily eliminated; their weak strength wasn't able to touch Jimmy and Mark before they were taken down.

"Good. Now, let's keep moving like this." Mark said and Jimmy and Emily nodded.

"What are you looking at, Jake?" Emily spotted Jake checking the goblin's weapons and asked.

Jake turned to look at Emily and passed them the small knife.

"What's special about this knife?" Jimmy asked, looking at the kitchen knife.

"This is a kitchen knife!!" Emily exclaimed, understanding what Jake meant.

"Yes, and it means the goblins have attacked a village and plundered them. There are most likely captives too," Jake said in a serious tone.

The others fell silent. Before, they only thought of it as a superficial situation when Tom talked about captives, but now there were really captives.

"Now, Jimmy, you have to make sure to keep isolating the sound, or we might risk both captives and our lives," Jake said seriously to Jimmy.

Jimmy scratched his head and asked back, "Isn't there Master Tom? He can always protect us."

Smack

Emily smacked him and said angrily, "Idiot, today Master Tom is with us, but what makes you think he will always be with us."

Jake and Mark nodded, clearly agreeing with Emily.

"Sorry," Jimmy said.

The team then again started moving, with each of them playing their role perfectly.

As they progressed deeper, the cave's twists and turns became more intricate. Emily's sharp eyes continued to be crucial in spotting potential threats ahead. The rhythmic sound of Jimmy's music served as a protective shield, muffling any noise that might alert the remaining Goblins.

After navigating through a series of tunnels, they entered a larger cavern where the sound of echoing footsteps hinted at a larger group of Goblins. The team silently prepared for another confrontation.

With Emily leading the way, the team strategically positioned themselves for an ambush. The moment the Goblin group reached the designated point, arrows were released, and swift strikes took down three more Goblins. Jimmy's magical melodies incapacitated another, leaving only two to face Mark's spear and Jimmy's quick maneuvers.

"Kikkekek! Kreejeii!" echoed the Goblins' screeches as they launched a counterattack. However, the experienced team effortlessly dodged the feeble attempts and swiftly eliminated the remaining threats.

"Puchi... How many have we killed so far?" Mark pierced a goblin and asked.

"125 exactly," Jake replied.

"Which means there are still around 400 of them left," Mark said, sitting on a nearby rock.

"Just how big is this cave?" Jimmy said.

"Around 5 km" Emily replied

"I didn't mean that?" Jimmy sighed

"Let's rest for some time and we will start moving again" Jake said seeing everyone is tired now.

As the team was resting they suddenly heard a large amount of footsteps coming closer to them.

Jimmy, Mark and Emily stood up and readied themselves for attack.

"How they know about us?" Mark asked griping his spear

"Sister, did you let the smell leak?" Jimmy said looking at the tunnel from where the sound is coming.

"No I perfectly isolated it" Emily frowned and replied.

"It's okay just sit and relax, I will take care of them" Jake said standing in front of the entrance and pointing his right hand towrds it.

"Ahh yes we forget about Jake weapon, it's perfect for this situation" Mark smiled and sit back and Jimmy and Emily also sat back.

Thud thud screech

The sound of the Goblin horde kept increasing, and then the moment Jake first saw a goblin appearing out of the tunnel, Jake let go of his Chained Dagger. The dagger glowed silvery white, the effect of the steel enhancement Rune. Then, Max tapped another Cerulean Rune, and the Chained Dagger multiplied into 16 daggers.

Those 16 Chained Daggers moved straight, leaving a silvery glow. Jake felt his daggers piercing through many Goblins, but he kept moving the daggers skillfully. After 5 minutes, all sounds subsided, and Jake took back his Chained Dagger.

And Jake came to sit with his friends, after some time of relaxation , they looked at the tunnel full of dead bodies, Emily frowned and froze all the dead bodies.

"Oh, now I understand how they got to know of us" Jake said suddenly.

"How?" Mark asked.

"The smell of dead bodies, we isolated our scent but forget about the dead bodies" Jake said and Others realized their blunder.

Soon the group started moving and soon they saw 3 human sized goblins standing in front of a tunnel.

"They are probably D rank goblins" Mark said.

Jake nodded as he looked at them his his Akashic Eyes :

[Name : Goblin warrior 

Core: Mana

Rank: D

Health: 750/750

Mana: 100/100 

Attributes:

Strength: 80

Agility: 50

Vitality: 70

Intelligence: 20

Wisdom: 25

Skills:

Slash (uncommon)

Block (uncommon)

Charge (uncommon)

Goblic Rage (Passive) - Increases damage output by 15% when health drops below 30%.

Armor Proficiency (uncommon) - Reduces incoming physical damage by 20%.

Equipment:

Rusty Iron Sword

Tattered Leather Armor

Wooden Shield

Descripton : A Goblin who has learned to use weapons ]

Jake then looked at the others; they were the same, with one difference in skill, which was Spear Proficiency and Sword Proficiency instead of Armor Proficiency.

"Jimmy, Mark, and I will take each. Emily, make sure to keep an eye out for surroundings," Jake instructed. A sound barrier appeared at the tunnel entrance. The three warrior goblins looked back but found nothing, despite detecting some anomaly earlier.

Suddenly, they heard a piercing sound. Before they could turn back, the middle one's head got pierced by a dagger attached to a chain. The goblins looked at Jake, who was holding the chain, and screeched at him.

The remaining two rushed at Jake, one with a sword and the other with a spear. Jake eliminated the armored one, leaving only two. Before their weapons could reach Jake, they saw two silvery glows nearing them. Without a chance to react, Jimmy's sword split the neck of one goblin, while Mark's spear pierced the head of the other goblin.

The remaining Goblins, startled by the sudden and swift attacks, fell to the ground lifeless. The silvery glow from Jimmy's sword and Mark's spear added an eerie illumination to the cavern. The team stood victorious, their coordinated efforts once again proving effective.

"Great job, everyone!" Jake exclaimed, acknowledging the successful teamwork. Emily, who had been keeping watch on the surroundings, nodded in approval.