Chapter 91: The fisherman part 1

(MASS RELEASE ON THE WEEKEND)

(To celebrate a the end of the month their will be a mass release on the 25 and 26 with 2 Chapters each

NOTE:for additional Chapters

100 power stones or 10 golden tickets per Chapter

Progress will be under the end of the Chapters)

As the group moved forward at a steady, measured pace through the dense foliage of the forest,Vesper who was at the very front of the formation traveled back toward the rear. She leaned in closely to Smith’s ear and murmured, "Smith, I think something has been following us. My senses have been trying to pinpoint its location for some time now, but I have failed to catch its exact presence. At the beginning, I thought it was just my lingering paranoia or heightened sense acting up. But no—it has now become blindingly obvious that there is something very wrong about this place. I am convinced it is an enemy."

?Smith did not outright dismiss her inquiry. Instead, he paused to reflect deeply on their journey thus far. Even from their very first battle with a goblin hunting party to their subsequent skirmishes, there had been a very odd, underlying pattern. They were not encountering enemy groups randomly out in the wild. Rather, each fight they engaged in had been steadily drawing them toward a specific direction. The scouting parties and hunting groups had all been aligned along a clear, deliberate path.

?Although Smith and the others had noticed this anomaly when they first set out, they had initially brushed it off as a mere coincidence. They assumed that perhaps the local parties were simply released to forage for food in a specific place. But now that Vesper had brought up her own independent concerns, the matter took on a much more serious tone. It was clear that it was far from accidental; it was a calculated and deliberate maneuver by an unseen adversary.

?Seeking a second opinion, Smith called Velvet over to ask for her advice on how they should proceed.

?When Velvet heard Smith’s assessment, she simply gave a light laugh. "You don’t have to worry at all," she said casually. "I had already noticed it right from the very beginning. Judging by Vesper statements, I am certain there is some foul play happening under the table. But in the end, with our current strength, we can handle whatever comes our way. You truly don’t have to worry about a thing."

?She paused, a sharp, confident smile spreading across her face. "As for them using these small groups as bait, I can say only one thing: we will swallow every single piece of bait they throw at us. And if the fisherman really thinks that we are just an easy fish waiting to be caught, we will swallow the bait, drag the fisherman into the raging river, and swallow the fisherman himself."

?Velvet’s unshakable confidence settled Smith’s heart. Although he still felt a lingering sense of unease about an enemy operating in the shadows and trying to force them to play by its rules, he looked at the girls, their immense combat power, and their thorough preparations. Smith honestly couldn’t imagine what level of enemy could realistically threaten their party at this moment. Pushing those lingering doubts to the back of his mind, he decided not to dwell on them any further.

?And so, the group continued to navigate through the dense forest, following Velvet’s declaration that they would consume every piece of bait placed in their path. Yet, as they pushed further ahead, new suspicious details began to catch their attention. Every scout group and hunting party they encountered was noticeably smaller than the last.

?In the beginning, a standard goblin scouting unit consisted of five members, but those numbers steadily dwindled until only two goblins remained in each group they found. The hunting parties had thinned out just as drastically, now only ten goblins were found per hunting group. Furthermore, the hobgoblins were nowhere to be found, leaving only the big goblins to lead these diminished squads.

?This dramatic reduction in enemy numbers confirmed their suspicion beyond a shadow of a doubt: something was profoundly wrong, and they were actively being led by the nose. Nevertheless, the group did not care. Confident in their superior power, they pressed forward regardless.

?As they marched deeper, another change in the environment caught their eyes. The thick vegetation that had been blocking their sightline and forcing them to trek at a slow pace began to gradually thin out. It did not immediately open up into a vast field, but the dense undergrowth and heavy bushes steadily lost their density.

?Moving further along this thinning path, they began observing clear tool marks on the tree trunks, suggesting that someone—or something—had been systematically clearing the area. Eventually, they reached a stretch of woods where only sparse, widely spaced trees remained.

?This sudden change in terrain immediately heightened their vigilance. The surrounding atmosphere fell dead silent, as though the forest itself had suddenly lost its breath. The only audible sounds were the occasional rustle of birds taking flight in the far distance and the faint, rhythmic chirping of hidden insects.

?The group immediately raised their guards, slowing their pace even further as they moved cautiously through the sparse trees. Passing through the final stretch of the forest, they emerged into a massive, clear opening.

?Scattered across the landscape were clear signs of artificial lumbering, with dozens of freshly cut tree stumps dotting the ground. In the very center of this wide clearing sat a large settlement.

?The party halted at the edge of the tree line, carefully scanning the encampment for several minutes. To their surprise, there was no movement whatsoever on the other side. It was as if the settlement’s residents had completely vanished, or simply hadn’t noticed their arrival. Observing the area intently, they confirmed that there was no visible activity anywhere within the perimeter.

?"Okay," Velvet said, breaking the silence. "Let’s head in and take a closer look to see what is actually going on over here."

?Maintaining their strict tactical formation, they slowly approached the settlement area. When they reached a distance of ten meters from the outer perimeter, they observed a crude wooden fence supported by several watchtowers and sentry posts. Yet, the entire camp remained eerie and quiet. The heavy wooden gates hung wide open, almost as if inviting them inside—or as if the occupants had fled in a hurry.

?Stepping inside the settlement, they found crude tents fashioned from animal skins and Judging from the pungent, foul smell hanging heavy in the air, it was indisputably a goblin settlement.

?Holding their defensive posture, they began surveying the interior of the camp and to their surprise, the settlement was completely deserted. There were no hidden forces waiting to spring a trap the interiors of the tents were entirely bare.

?Velvet gestured to the party. "Spread out and search the camp individually for anything that might tell us what happened here."

?The girls immediately dispersed to search the structures, though Fiona and Magenta remained firmly behind to guard Smith and Sarafina.

?As they conducted their search, they noticed something even stranger: there were no signs of a panicked, chaotic evacuation. items were not scattered across the dirt, nor were there any bloodstains or marks of combat that would indicate a violent struggle. It appeared as though the entire goblin population had simply decided to pack up and vanish into thin air.

?It was an intensely eerie sight, but after searching every corner of the settlement for several minutes, they turned up absolutely nothing of value.

?Reassembling at the center of the camp, the girls regrouped to evaluate the situation.

?"It seems this place is completely deserted," Velvet stated, looking around the empty encampment. "We don’t know why they left, but frankly, we don’t care. Since there is nothing here, let’s just get out of this camp and search for another target."

?Initially, the group had anticipated an ambush inside the camp. They had actually hoped for one, which would allow them to wipe out all the goblins at once, saving them the effort of hunting them down individually. But Velvet realized her initial assumption about the enemy’s plan had been wrong. The enemy had not been funneling them toward this camp to trap them in a corner; they had been using small skirmishes as a stalling tactic to buy enough time for the settlement to evacuate.

?Feeling a bit deflated that their expectations of a grand battle had been thrown out the window, the girls prepared to return to the forest in search of another target.

?However, just as the group turned toward the open gates to exit the camp, a deep, reverberating horn suddenly blew from deep within the forest.

?The sound was heavy and extraordinarily loud, carrying across the clearing with such force that flock after flock of nearby birds erupted from the canopy and fled into the sky. Hearing the resounding horn, the girls grew tense, immediately dropping their relaxed stances and snapping back into a tight battle formation.

?A few seconds after the first horn ceased, a second horn bellowed just beneath the frequency of the first, creating a haunting, overlapping echo. Within moments, a continuous chorus of horns erupted from every direction around the perimeter.

?Velvet listened carefully, analyzing the origin of the deafening sound. She quickly realized that the blasts were coming directly from the tree line that completely encircled the clearing.

?Scanning the dense boundary of the forest, Velvet let out a soft chuckle and smiled faintly at the girls. "It seems I was wrong earlier. They weren’t running away to escape us after all. We are completely surrounded—this clearing was the real trap."

?The horns blew louder and louder echoing in the forest. Suddenly, the trees at the edge of the forest began to sway violently. The bushes along the entire perimeter rustled as heavy footsteps approached from the shadows of the woods.

?A few seconds later, dark figures began emerging from the tree line on all sides. One by one, standard goblins, big goblins, and heavily armored hobgoblins stepped into the light of the clearing. They wore their usual crude leather and iron gear, but their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

?The stream of monsters seemed endless, stepping out of the forest in tight, disciplined rows to the rhythmic blare of the horns.

?Despite the terrifying spectacle, the girls did not panic or rush into a hasty attack. They remained calm, holding their tight formation while silently analyzing the emerging army.

?After a few tense minutes, the resounding horns finally fell silent.

?The entire outer tree line surrounding the clearing was now completely wall-to-wall with a massive horde of goblins. The rank-and-file monsters stood shoulder-to-shoulder, covering every inch of the perimeter. Looking around, Smith’s group realized there was not a single gap left in the enemy’s lines.

?They were entirely surrounded, with the true battle finally at hand.