Five days passed very quickly in the game, with Zen coordinating internal constructions for a new well. The soldiers toiled without a break in preparation for a huge mission to restock their fortress’ food supplies. Even the women offered to help weave hunting nets and dig trenches for water irrigation.
The goblins were rather silent as they prepared for the ritual. According to Zen’s advice, the scout leader made many petty attacks at the side entrance near the forest, leaving deliberate animal carcasses at the fortress’ doorstep for the humans to discover. Zen was nowhere to be seen, and the goblins worked hard to build a floating raft.Eventually, the night of the new moon arrived. As planned, the goblins held their ritual upstream. Gunter sent some of the most talented scouts to confirm the goblin numbers and troop condition. Zen waited by the river with Venedict to intercept the raft while the soldiers went for an all-out night hunting trip to restoc“This…”Too stunned to formulate words, Gunter could only clutch the paper with trembling hands. He did not speak for a while, and even Venedict was worried. He’d never seen their garrison commander looking so flustered before.Staring at the adventurer in goblin chain armour, Gunter wondered how the heavens chose such a hero to guide humanity. Zen was the epitome of cowardly with his underhand tactics. Yet, they were brilliant beyond understanding. It made the garrison commander wonder if the difference between a genius chosen by the heavens and an ordinary man was the level of insanity to proceed with a mad plan.“Is this why you wanted us to mine out a quarry?” he asked.From the beginning, Zen told the commander he needed them to mine a large quarry big enough for a hundred men with only one entrance that could be easily sealed with a large boulder that not even ten men could move. He thought Zen needed a quarry because he
“Gyaa! It’s the hero again! Retreat!” the goblins screamed and pelted pebbles at the suit of metal as they ran into the dense cover of the forest.Zen watched from a gap in the fortress wall and nodded at the strategy. Venedict fitted the role of a hero more than he did in that suit of armour.Thanks to all the blacksmithing, Zen’s proficiency with armour and weapon repairs increased again. Although he was still a beginner, he was able to repair them significantly quicker using his portable workshop. Ben must be proud of his speed. If Zen ever decided to retire within the game, he could always sign up and work at the grouchy blacksmith’s workshop as an assistant.Who was he kidding? Blacksmithing was tedious, and Zen’s hands would be numb from all that metal pounding if he weren’t in a game. On the bright side, the human army was able to fight better against the goblins despite their inferior numbers. The stones mined from the
The ‘ancient dwarven weapon’ was finally completed. It took everyone’s effort to bring it into the quarry, where Zen added the finishing touches to the newly crafted masterpiece. It weighed too much for anyone to carry alone, and even the wagon they used to transport broke.Zen crafted a decent handle sticking out of the more hideous bottom half of the ‘weapon’. Honestly, it was just a lump of metal he melted together after collecting daggers and broken armour from the battlefield that the goblins left behind. The handle was coated with something sturdier so it wouldn’t break under the hobgoblin’s crushing grip.“Why are we burying the weapon in soil?” Gunter asked, unable to make sense of Zen’s directions.The soldiers toiled away doing landscaping work in the quarry to make it appear like an abandoned dwarven workshop. Zen helped with carving designs and littering tools all over the place. Old kegs and brok
“Gobo?”“Gobo! Gobo-bo!”Gathered around a fire in the middle of the goblin’s main camp under the stars, the hobgoblin and his shaman advisers listened to the new scout leader report his information. Whoever this halfling was, he was rather capable. Unfortunately, the hobgoblin hated tainted blood. There was no way they would accept a half-bred loser into their camp of elites.“Gobobo gork!”Raising their weapons, the goblins who heard their leader’s decision cheered. After the frustrating appearance of an elusive hero who always fought in circles, they were finally one step ahead of him!Thrilled that Zen’s plan worked in their favour, the scout leader couldn’t stop grinning. That halfling worked hard to find critical information for them after receiving meagre hunts from the forest. While that starving child was eating scraps, he would be promoted to lead the way for the future.With the new
Flabbergasted, the Shady Merchant could not believe the story Zen told him. It was the first time in his career that he met an adventurer who refused to engage in battles if there was another route. The system administrators made exceptions for this lad, and he could finally understand why. Zen was an utter nutcase but a brilliant one!“I guess this completes Baron Leron’s museum collection.”Apart from the [Pound] Skill from the quest completion reward, Zen finally learned the name of the goblin-obsessed noble. It was weird for the game to keep such an important lore NPC’s name hidden until now. Even the guards on duty had their names on display! He almost thought the Baron’s last name was Stoneberry or something.“Glad to be of assistance,” Zen laughed falsely.Now that the main war was over, he no longer had to pretend to be a filthy half-goblin. Dumping the spare goblin chain armour with the Shady Merchant as a
The sentry guard on duty eyed Zen doubtfully. The letter was indeed written by Commander Gunter with the official stamp from their Baron. However, believing this was the backup the main camp sent was still difficult. Venedict was the only reason the sentry guard gave this kid the benefit of the doubt.“Please wait here. I’ll bring your letter of recommendation to Sir Rowan.”Sir Rowan? Zen looked at Venedict for an explanation. There was nothing mentioned in his special quest notes.Answering the questioning looks, the mercenary bodyguard explained that Sir Rowan was an old retired knight who served three generations of the Baron’s family.“He taught our current Baron swordsmanship during childhood, but it didn’t work out. Ever since the war against the goblins, he volunteered to return to arms and guard our flank with minimal manpower. He might be retired and frail now with slight difficulty seeing and hearing, but Sir Rowan i
After two draws and one loss, Zen wanted to dig a hole in the soil and bury himself. Despite his best efforts, Sir Rowan casually defeated him with minimal movement. It was difficult to launch an attack against an excellent defence. Sir Rowan’s King piece never moved a single step from the baseline, and Zen had to exhaust every piece he had to clear an open path. Yet, with mere pawns, the experienced knight managed to push him back to base.“I’m sorry that I’m lacking,” Zen bowed meekly in his chair.Instead of laughing at the young, foolish thing, Sir Rowan hummed thoughtfully. He had played many strategy games with all kinds of people. Usually, it was easy to understand a person’s character from their actions. There were ambitious people, cautious people, timid people, uncertain people, brainless people, rash people and even murderers. The old knight was usually able to identify those traits straight off the bat. However, the child Gun
Thanks to the fast-forward option in the virtual dungeon, Zen watched the war between Stoneberry Keep and the hobgoblins in the first wave of the goblin invasion within two minutes. Who knew his side quest would turn into a simple game of simulated chess, reflecting an actual battle?Ping![You are victorious and have successfully defended against the Goblin Invasion Wave 1. You have been awarded 20 leadership Points.]Now, that was fast! Compared to the main quest, Zen might be able to complete the side quest quicker. The cut scene showed Sir Rowan using Zen’s tactic to bait ten hobgoblins from their spot to the boundaries of the Keep, where they were ambushed and killed. It was a battle without mercy, as all ten hobgoblin warriors were eliminated. Yet, Zen couldn’t help but wonder how these warriors could take down ten hobgoblins. Venedict fought with one, and they seemed rather tough. It was the reason why Gunter was unable to win the war head-on.