Chapter 25
Randin and Grey had been locked in a brutal battle against the goblins. While Grey had been holding his own until he suddenly lost consciousness, Randin was struggling against the relentless assault.
And now, he was about to receive a fatal blow to the head.
Just as the lightning bolts surged toward him, an earth wall abruptly erupted in front of Randin, blocking his view—and, more importantly, the deadly attack.
"Don't worry, I've got your back!" a voice called out.
The goblins turned, their gazes locking onto a young man whose clothes were stained with black liquid, his mouth smeared with the same substance. His hands were raised, his glare fierce and unwavering.
"Young human?! Weren't you unconscious just now?" Randin exclaimed, his eyes widening as he took in the sight of Grey standing tall.
"Stop calling me 'human'! My name is Grey—use it, you silly dwarf!" Grey snapped. "And maybe thank me for saving your life."
"Ha! I'll thank you when you actually win this fight!" Randin shot back with a laugh.
Before Grey could respond, a lightning bolt hurtled toward him. Instinctively, he raised his hands, summoning another earth wall that absorbed the impact. But the attack didn't stop. A relentless barrage followed, forcing Grey to act swiftly. He touched the wall, and in an instant, dozens of fire-cloaked shards shot outward.
The goblins tried to block the attack with their spears, but just before impact, the shards veered off course—only to strike them in their heads and chests, killing them instantly.
"Fools," Grey sneered. "Did you really think I couldn't control my own magic?"
He strode forward, past the stunned Randin, who eyed him warily. "Something's different about you... You feel stronger."
Grey shrugged. "No idea what happened."
Unbeknownst to him, his unconscious state had been the result of an advancement—he had become a 2-star mage.
In the world of mages, while affinities were graded by color, a mage's true power was measured by the number of stars they had. Mages experienced something known as a mana core breakthrough, propelling them to the next level. Grey had started as a 1-star mage, just like Clark. But through relentless spellcasting and core absorption, his small mana core had been strained to its limit, forcing an evolution.
Since Grey alone could absorb beast cores, his growth rate was unparalleled. But with this advancement, the journey ahead would only grow more arduous.
"So, what now?" Grey asked.
"We clear out the bodies before more goblins arrive," Randin said.
"Already on it," Grey smirked, raising his hands. Flames erupted from his palms. "Gather the corpses."
Without hesitation, Randin set to work, dragging the lifeless goblins into a heap. Meanwhile, Grey traced intricate patterns in the air, his fingers weaving a sequence of hand signs. A massive fireball—larger than any he had conjured before—materialized above him.
If his previous fireballs resembled pebbles, this one was a boulder.
With a swift downward motion, he sent the blazing sphere crashing into the pile of corpses, incinerating them instantly. As the flames devoured the remains, Grey flexed his fingers, his mind racing.
'Is this real? Have I truly grown stronger? But how…?'
Within minutes, the battlefield was cleansed, and the two retreated into a nearby cave to rest.
"I owe you my life," Randin admitted. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Grey replied. "Now, how about explaining how those goblins appeared out of nowhere?"
Randin sighed. "They have something similar to your magic—something called a magic circle. It detects dwarves and teleports a squad to eliminate them. I've been careful to avoid detection, but when you shouted my name and I responded… I must've triggered it."
Grey frowned. "So, my guess is these goblins came with the otherworlders. They're hunting down the remaining dwarves. Is there any way to stop this?"
"There is—but it's hopeless."
"What is it?" Grey pressed.
"We have to kill the Goblin Lord," Randin revealed. "Without him, the army will fall into disarray, and we can wipe them out. But it's impossible. The Goblin Lord's elite guards are far stronger than the ones we fought today. And to even reach him, we have to cross a forest teeming with deadly beasts."
Grey rubbed his chin, contemplating. 'If we go after the Goblin Lord, we'll have to brave the forest. This could go one of two ways: either I gain even more power from the beasts, or we die horribly. And then there's the elite army… we'll need forces of our own.'
"Randin, how many are in the elite squad?"
"Not sure. Maybe around twelve."
A slow grin spread across Grey's face. "Perfect. I've made my decision. In the coming week, we will annihilate the Goblin Lord."
Randin's jaw dropped. "What?!"
________
{A/N}
For more updates on MSS, MS and future works, please remember to follow me up on my social media accounts below.
Instagram: KBKayboy.
Facebook: KBKayboy.
When news on MS or any other series comes out, you will be able to see it there first. Also, if you just want to chat, ask questions, or say something which you can't say here. Then my social media accounts above, are always active for such especially Facebook.
Our mass release goals are locked in guys!
500 power stones= 2 extra chapters plus the normal release rate making it a total of 4 chapters to be released.
500 Golden tickets= 2 extra chapters plus the normal release rate making it a total of 4 chapters to be released.
Magic Castle= 5 chapters.
Spacecraft= 10 chapters.
Golden Gachapon= 15 chapters. Note! The chapters will be released as soon as the goals have been met with only a few hours delay so I can gather the chapters ready.
P.S you all will be seeing a lot of author's note, you can skip if you want to but the reason for this is that I'm going through a massive editing phase for the book so the app I'm using, sometimes shorten my word count.
So please, bear with me guys. Thank you 😊 ✌️