Chapter 81: Fire weapon

By now, all six of my goblins were equipped with E-tier weapons.

Gopuro wielded his trusty Big Iron Axe, while Gopuran carried a One-Handed Iron Sword. Gopushadow had his Twin Iron Daggers, and Gopugiga was equipped with a Big Iron Shield. Meanwhile, Gopuflammy carried an Iron Hammer, and Gopuberry had her bow.

However, I had something even better prepared for this expedition.

A D-tier weapon.

It was another axe, which I had just purchased from the Daily Equipment Shop after spending a few more points on refreshing its inventory.

And its name was...

[Blazing SkullCleaver]

Type: Weapon

Rarity: D

Attribute: Fire

Description: A two-handed battle axe imbued with the power of fire. Its keen edge can cleave through flesh and armor, while the flames sealed within its blade await the command of their wielder.

Effect: +5 ATK, +5 SPD

Special Effect:

- Grants the holder the skill [Whirling Flame Lv. 1].

- When wielded by someone with a Fire mana attribute, all damage output increases by 10%.

....

[Whirling Flame Lv. 1]

Description: By channeling mana into the weapon and unleashing a powerful slash, the wielder sends out a spinning wheel of fire that rushes toward the target, tearing through enemies and leaving them engulfed in flames.

Mana Cost per Slash: 30

...

Holy crap...

That was my reaction when I first saw the weapon and read its details.

Previously, F-tier weapons had cost around 10 points, while E-tier weapons usually cost about 100. But this monster? It had robbed me of a whopping 2,230 points!

That was more than twenty times the price of an ordinary E-tier weapon!

Of course, I had a pretty good idea why the price had skyrocketed so dramatically. It was probably because of this new feature called [Attribute].

In a sense, this was no longer just an ordinary weapon. It was a magical weapon capable of unleashing elemental attacks!

Does this mean that elemental weapons will start appearing at D-tier?

If so, I couldn’t wait to see what other kinds of weapons the shop had to offer.

Also, that reminded me of something.

When I upgraded my Castle System Shop to Level 3, the system had also added several types of elemental stones to its shop as another basic materials.

I wondered if those stones had something to do with weapons like this. Perhaps they were materials used to forge weapons or imbue them with elemental attributes?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough information to be certain.

Still, one thing was clear. Despite its ridiculous price, I had to buy this axe.

After all, I wanted my goblins to be as well-equipped as possible before sending them into a potentially dangerous situation.

*****

Now, as for who would receive this precious new weapon, the answer was obvious.

My favorite axe wielder, Gopuro!

Gopugiga stepped forward, carrying the newly purchased weapon in his massive hands before presenting it to Gopuro.

It was an enormous axe indeed, looking huge even in Gopugiga’s hands.

The long handle stretched nearly as tall as Gopuro himself, while the broad, heavy axe head made an ordinary iron axe look like a child’s toy.

Its head was made of iron, but the metal was much darker than that of ordinary iron weapons, polished to a glossy sheen.

Meanwhile, faint orange patterns ran along the blade and curled around the handle, glowing like embers buried beneath a layer of ash. Every so often, the patterns pulsed with a faint reddish light, as though a small fire were burning just beneath the surface.

The moment the axe came into view, it immediately caught Gopuro’s attention.

His eyes widened, and he stared at the weapon with an intensity that was almost frightening. For a moment, he didn’t even seem to breathe.

Whoa, buddy...

It was almost as if the dude had fallen in love at first sight!

Meanwhile, Gopugiga seemed a little reluctant to hand it over. Although he followed my orders without complaint, I could practically see the disappointment written across his face.

Haha, I totally understand.

This is one monster of an axe, after all!

Honestly, I couldn’t blame him. A weapon like this was bound to be tempting, especially for a goblin who loved fighting as much as he did.

Unfortunately, Gopugiga wasn’t the best candidate for this particular weapon.

His maximum MP was currently only 20 points due to the side effect of his passive skill, which wasn’t even enough to unleash a single slash of [Whirling Flame]. Each activation cost 30 mana, after all.

Giving him the axe would be like handing someone a fancy sports car without the keys.

Sorry, Giga. I’ll find you a better weapon that’s more suitable for you soon.

But for now, this axe belongs to Gopuro.

Besides, there was another reason I had chosen him.

Gopuro had already spent plenty of time wielding his Big Iron Axe, and through repeated use, he had learned the skill [Big Slash Lv. 1] and could now unleash it while wielding other weapons.

It was time to pass that weapon along to someone else and give another member of the tribe a chance to learn the same skill.

With that in mind, Gopuro eagerly accepted the Blazing Skull Slasher. He then handed his old Big Iron Axe to Gopugiga, who finally seemed to recover from his disappointment.

The moment the exchange was complete, Gopuro raised his new weapon and let out a booming laugh.

"Muahahaha! Thank you, Big Boss! With this, I can defeat a Colossal Bear all by myself! No, ten Colossal Bears!"

The guy was practically roaring with excitement.

Haha, alright! I’m glad you like it!

But ten Colossal Bears?

I doubt it.

I couldn’t help feeling pleased with myself, though.

With Gopuro now wielding a D-tier magical weapon, our group’s overall combat strength had increased considerably. And if he managed to master [Whirling Flame], he would gain a powerful ranged attack that could prove invaluable against enemies like the Dark Giant Spiders.

More importantly, I couldn’t help feeling excited about seeing [Whirling Flame] in action myself. This would be my first chance to witness real magic in this world.

Hehe, I wonder how powerful it’ll be...

Though, of course, I hoped Gopuro wouldn’t get too carried away and charge headfirst into danger just because he had a new toy.

****

Now...

With the equipment sorted out, the group turned toward the stream and looked upstream, in the direction of the Bright Red Nose Tribe.

The excitement gradually faded from their faces, replaced by the same grim determination I had seen earlier.

We all knew there could be terrible dangers waiting for us ahead.

Gopuran tightened her grip on her sword and glanced at the others.

"Everyone ready?"

"Yes..." the others answered, their voices unusually solemn.

I took one last look at my six goblins, making sure everyone was armed and prepared.

Then, with their weapons in hand and their expressions resolute, we finally set off toward the Bright Red Nose Tribe.