Jean sprinted towards the only possible direction, the picnic area where goblins were being roasted on huge bonfires. The huge goblin was hot on her heels and camoufge wasn't doing the trick. She would get nowhere if she kept running.

  She undid the invisibility and focused on Cursed Needle. A slender piece of her armor instantly appeared in the palm of her hand. Whispers asked what skill she wished to imbue by default.

  “Cursed Binding!”

  The needle, which until then had been light blue, turned a shade of green as dark as the corruption she carried. With a mere thought, the needle darted between two bonfires until it stuck in her pursuer.

  ?Brute Demon Goblin?Level 56Name: BigfootMarks: [Killer], [Sadist], [Torturer]Details: This creature alone represents an overwhelming challenge for you.Highest Attribute (Strength): 91

  The impact was as Cursed Binding would have been. Painless and unnoticeable. The mana expenditure and the corruption consumed, negligible. She could cast 100 needles like that before she lost 1%. She smiled despite the whispers alerting her to flee. Even more so when the huge goblin stopped and assumed the necessary stance to perform Mist Ssh.

  Jean instinctively rolled across the floor to her left. Not a second ter, sparks from the attack flew as it shattered the walls of the vast living area. Tiny particles of stone leapt everywhere as the goblins roasting fell into the fire split in half.

  Bigfoot wasn't going to stop there, he was already preparing another Mist Ssh. This time, he squatted down to prepare the attack; it would be impossible to roll to dodge it.

  She conjured Chameleon so that he would not try to trick her and waited until the st moment to jump. Only when sparks began to fly from the side of the cave, she jumped. It missed Jean's feet by two centimeters. Bigfoot was swift wielding that crude greatsword.

  Raging to see that no drop of blood had stained the floor, he executed a lunge, spinning like a top in the st direction in which he had seen Jean. Managing to chain several teral dispcements at full speed to position herself at his back, she darted six cursed needles at him.

  After stopping just short of hitting the wall and seeing his sword clean of blood, he snarled angrily. “I'm going to kill you very slowly, human!”

  Jean took the opportunity to shoot fourteen more needles as he searched for her. “When will they take effect?”

  The whispers told her they were enough. Without looking back, Jean undid the invisibility and ran towards the nearest exit. No matter what she encountered, she avoided any confrontation as the huge goblin followed her scent. All he could do was watch helplessly as she disappeared into the grassy forest.

  Sniffing the air, he shouted. “Where are you, you cowardly human?! ... Come out so I can kill you!”

  In the dim moonlight and absolutely still, Jean was invisible to the eye. However, it was only a matter of time before the brute goblin would eventually find her. Jean waited impatiently until she heard his first cough. That made her smile even though he kept coming closer. “When I catch you, I'm going to eat you alive!”

  “Keep dreaming!”

  His huge body began to block out the moon as she waited impatiently for another cough that eventually distracted him. It happened sooner than expected. A Mist Ssh with a new picked elite goblin’s greatsword mowed the grass in a semicircle of a few meters around him. The sshes to both legs were deep, but not as deep as she would have liked, as he responded with an instant counterattack at the same height. Jean was already jumping up and executing Mist Ssh in the air.

  In such a dynamic stance, it was a very weak and imprecise attack that barely managed a slight cut on Bigfoot's face. He shouted as his body was surrounded by a red aura that seemed to emit tongues of fme. Ignoring his injuries, he performed a whirlwind of sshes in her direction. It would have hit her had it not been for a psychic scream augmented with Cursed Tenacity at the st moment. That gave her the time she needed to keep running and hide again.

  “Damn cowardly human!!!” The shout was quickly interrupted by more coughing and a vague attempt to heal his wounds. A slight regeneration that Jean took advantage of to walk away in the direction of the dungeon. Her intention wasn't to actually go inside, but to make use of the scattered ruins.

  It didn't take long to see him approaching limping. She smiled despite the whispers yelling at her to run away. “No! He’s already mine!”

  She began to move from rock to rock, taking advantage of the fact that he could not locate her. A Mish Ssh hit him squarely in the side. Due to the distance, the powerful attack lost force quickly, but she got what she wanted. A quick response in her direction. Two horizontal attacks hit the ruins, lighting up the night with sparks. Neither hit her and to top it off, she had disappeared again.

  The grass moved to his right before he executed several horizontal attacks with all his fury. A rge portion of grass fell, cut. “You want me to scythe all this until I find you, human?! No problem!”

  He didn't hesitate to attack every movement around him without a break. Sixty sshes ter he was panting and looking at his bde furious at not finding blood.

  Just as he id his greatsword down to rest, Jean surprised him from behind. An acid fire ssh obliterated his vision. Screaming, he shed out in all directions. When his right knee failed from a deep cut, his face changed; he looked tense now. That feeling intensified when his arms were shattered at the elbows with Demolishing Blow.

  “Who are you, human?! Tell me your name!”

  Jean looked at him indifferently, cutting off his limbs until only the torso was left. She even allowed herself the luxury of sitting on him to pass him a rge amount of corruption. He could no longer stop coughing.

  “The mighty Ak-Crest will hunt you down, human!”

  Jean sighed. “Sure!”, she said before decapitating him.[You have defeated Brute Demon Goblin. Level 56]

  [Experience bonus awarded for killing creatures corrupted by evil.]

  [You have reached Level 36. +5 attribute points.]

  [You have acquired +3 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Vitality, +2 Endurance.]

  [You have learned Mist Whirlwind — Level 1.Multiple enemies in front of you? As you advance, you can project up to 3 energy sshes. It loses 50% of its destructive power for every meter it moves away from you.]

  [Cursed Needle has increased to level 2.]

  [Demolishing Blow has increased to level 4.]

  [Mist Ssh has increased to level 8.]

  [Cursed Rush, Cursed Tenacity and Psychic Scream have increased to level 6.]

  [Cursed Efficiency has increased to level 2. Rank 2.]

  [Cursed Perception and Cursed Search have increased to level 9. Rank 2.]Jean sighed. So much power and she'd only gotten one skill out of him. No. His forte was Mist Ssh. The range and power of his attacks were far superior to hers. Surely that was the reason the skill had improved six levels.

  “Do you think I could withstand those 60 seconds against Ak-Crest if I take care of a couple more of these?”

  Whispers shuddered in terror at the thought. Whoever she expected to answer, didn't. “What the hell is wrong with you? Are you mad at me?”

  That disappointed her. Since when had she gone from distrusting him to expecting his advice? She didn't really know, but what was clear to her was that in the fight with the brute goblin, she would have died if he had hit her. Even Demolishing Blow had felt weak despite increasing her strength with Cursed Tenacity. It would be best to isote them if she wanted to fight them on equal terms. But what could she do when they weren't alone?

  She headed back into the dungeon weighing her chances. Attacking with Cursed Needle imbued with Cursed Binding was too slow. Although it consumed almost no corruption, it was of no use in times of real trouble; the reductions were insignificant in the short and medium term. However, doing it with Cursed Spsh was dangerous. To blind the huge goblin, she spent 12 needles saturated with acid and fire. That meant more than 6% of Cursed Graveyard. Added to the cost of Punishing Blow with Cursed Tenacity, it reached 25%. Definitely, against many enemies it would be her downfall.

  Cautiously, Jean circled the ruins looking for another entrance to the dungeon. She didn't have to walk too far to find more veteran goblins and some elites. They didn't st too long and replenishing Cursed Cemetery was possible with 3 of the 8 veterans, but she had to leave the rest behind. Another level 40 brute demon goblin came out through the nearest entrance. The problem was that he didn't come out alone. He gave the arm to 3 other demon goblins, two other brute demon goblins and six elite goblin soldiers.

  “Damn it! I've stirred up the hornet's nest too much.”

  She instantly turned invisible, but it didn't do much good. One of them seemed to see her perfectly. A demon goblin proved it so by pointing in her direction with his spear that glowed in a light blue hue.

  The slightest attempt to move resulted in a lightning bolt passing within an inch of her at blinding speed. She had underestimated them. She cast Cursed Rush, wasting mana and corruption in torrents as a great ball of fire exploded a few feet away from her. It was so powerful that it almost knocked her down.

  “Shit, shit, shit!”

  Jean ran through the forest trying to leave them behind, running as far away as possible from the ruins and the vilge. The st thing she wanted was to lead them there.

  For more than 5 minutes, she ran until exhaustion without managing to leave them behind. The worst thing was that hiding was impossible. They were setting the bushes on fire and destroying the trees in their path. Although the fire wasn't spreading rapidly, there was no doubt that if they kept it up, everything would burn out of control.

  After 10 minutes of running, she began to deeply regret having gone in there. If they followed her until dawn, she was dead. She had to get rid of them at any cost and return to the ruins of the portal. Dawn was still far away, but her reserves were not at their best.

  It was at that moment that she noticed something unexpected. Multiple presences were approaching, cutting off her path. Where had she gone? The absent-mindedness of paying more attention to the ambush than to the terrain, caused her to fall to the ground. Something had caught her foot. When she tried to get to her feet between curses, she realized it was a bear trap. It was so primitive that it couldn't pierce her armor, but it was strong enough to hold her back.

  A shadow stepped out from behind a tree and pointed a bow at her. It wasn't long before she had more company.

  ?Bck Bow Bandit?Level 26Name: NoktopMarks: [Killer], [Sadist], [Torturer]Details: This aspirant can be a challenge if you have to face him in a group.Highest Attribute (Strength): 39

  “Release me! I'm being chased by goblins from the dungeon!” The bandits ughed uproariously. “I'm not lying, dammit!”

  “Nice try, bitch! We're not that stupid! ... Don't move and you'll...”

  “Hey, man, what's that approaching?”

  “It looks like a small sun!”

  “Get down,” Jean shouted. Nothing could they do to dodge the huge fireball. Everything went dark when a lightning bolt hit her squarely.

  ?????? ??????

  A strong, annoying pressure on his face woke Al-Hek. Anger almost made her lose her temper until he realized it was Dih's foot. He understood that she was still angry with him, but that was going too far. “What bug has bitten you, Rancid?”

  Dih didn't even bother. “It's almost dawn and Jean hasn't given any sign of life!”

  That alerted him, but he instantly came to his senses. “She's probably in the subterranean ruins. I guess she must have sheltered from the sun there.”

  “I come from there and she's not there! Yarosh is at the entrance and has sent no sign that that has changed. Plus, we have seen a lot of smoke to the east of the forest.” That voice was new. Behind Dih was a big, strong guy that Identify recognized as Zad. It also showed him two annoying interrogations on his level.

  “And you are…?”

  “Friend of Erish and yours if you are willing to join... !”

  “Sorry, buddy! Nothing, and no one, will stop me from following my Boss's lovely ass.”

  Zad smiled. “I don't like to question anyone's decisions. However, you already know that following her is suicide or are you that stupid?”

  Al-Hek stared at Dih, as if the guy's words were only the distant sound of rain. “You think she'd have wandered into the dungeon of those fucking goblins by herself?”

  Dih turned her back to him, facing east. “If I believe it? I'd bet my ass! I saw it in her eyes after fighting Choog. She wanted to get over the fear she sure went through.”

  Al-Hek had also sensed it, but he didn't know her well enough to think she was a fan of suicide fighting.

  “Shaggy,... Jean's okay?”

  The awkward silence put a knot in his stomach. “Are you deaf, asshole?! ... Are you going to answer or do I have to worry? ... ... Dammit!”

  Al-Hek rose to his feet and went straight to the inn's bar. Since Erish and her companions had volunteered to keep watch for the night, he had slept back there. He picked up a piece of stale bread and stuffed it into his mouth. “We're off to find her!”

  “That's for me to decide!” shouted Dih in a dismissive tone as she interrupted his passage with her hand. Their gazes met. “Next time I'm about to die, it'll be because of a damn decision of mine!”

  It was clear. She wasn't going to forgive him. “And what do you propose?”

  Dih looked at Zad with a mischievous grin. “Zad volunteered to convince the rest to join their cause.”

  Zad's face was a poem. “I know where this is going! Don't expect me to willingly go into the Goblin King's dungeon with a level 13 and a level 18! She included your brains when she gave you those bodies?”

  “Excuse me, pretty boy! It's been ages since I've been in a dungeon, and I know I'm not a professional, but there's no need for us to face anything dangerous to get her out of there.”

  Zad crossed his arms. “And how are you going to do that?”

  Dih also looked at him skeptically. “Yes…!How are we going to do it?”

  “The goblins I've fought outside were only between level 6 and 20. I bet it's tough inside, but if you help me farm a bit to reach level 15, I'll get Chameleon for sure. That will allow me to go look for her inside if you guys py decoy outside.”

  Zad looked outraged. “And how long do you expect us to help you...”

  “I'm very close to level 14.” Al-Hek interrupted.

  “If you're the only one who's going to risk his ass, I'm in!” Dih added.

  Al-Hek marched on without letting anyone else speak. “So all agreed!”

  Zad raised his voice. “And what if the system doesn't give you Chameleon? ... You need knowledge...”

  Al-Hek raised his hand to shut him up. “Calm down! A bitch has resurrected me a bunch of times the st few years and I always reached Chameleon at that level. Have faith!”

  “Faith?!” A newly arrived guy shouted. “I'm not joining!”

  “No one asked you to!” Erish raised his voice. She seemed very resentful with all of them for not telling them about the problems Jean would have surviving outside Nimireth's dungeon. “I'm going with him. The rest of you can stay! We don't need you for anything!”

  Al-Hek looked at her in bewilderment. She had a bad face, as if she had not slept all night. “Look, Dimples! I really need them. We have no healer and...”

  She started to walk. “I don't need you either!”

  “Holy shit!” Al-Hek muttered.

  Zad chased after her. “Wait, Erish! Dammit... Wait!”

  “You're all going to die!”, shouted one of those who disagreed. “You're all going to die for a bloody demon.” They all headed for the portal without exception. “I'm going back to base.”

  “Shit! I was counting on them!” Their levels were unknown for Al-Hek.

  Dih followed Zad as she gnced sideways at Al-Hek. “You better not fuck up again!”

  That felt like a stab. He thought about making a bad joke, but decided it was better to shut up as soon as he saw one of the peasant women standing a few meters away. Her look was one of desperation.

  The woman muttered nervously. “There's a military camp to the southwest with a portal to call the Guild. You could have reinforcements in a day.”

  Al-Hek stared at him, remembering his deal with the Keeper of Souls. He appreciated the gesture, but sensed it would be too te. He hadn't expected to have to fulfill the pact so soon, but it looked like it would be imminent. “Hide! We'll try to get back as soon as possible.”