Malphegor
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MoP: Ch. 53
🕑 Added 2025-02-09 23:05:37 +0000 UTC---Viktor's POV---
In fact, red-scaled worms have a limited distance they can travel in a day.
While the players were still worried about running into magical creatures, we had already made it through the thorny terrain.
We arrived at a relatively open clearing in the forest. Setting aside the potential dangers lurking in the shadows, the terrain here was quite suitable as a temporary resting point.
The ground was scattered with footprints and drag marks in disarray.
The three of us split up to search.
I dragged out a strangely shaped backpack from a patch of grass behind an oak tree. The backpack had a wooden frame made of oak, covered in brown leather, and studded with several copper rivets.
Judging by the knotting method of the rope, I concluded that it was likely something left behind by the dwarf.
The backpack had been crudely torn open, leaving a large gash, and was nearly emptied. All that was left inside were a few faintly glowing gold coins—genuine solid gold.
Aeltia's currency system was chaotic and varied, but gold was one of the universally accepted hard currencies across most races.
I glanced at the gold and then looked away. The value of these rare materials was nothing compared to the energy ore we found.
The other two players finished searching and came over to regroup.
LootGoblin spread his hands. "There's nothing here except dead branches, weeds, or the bones of unknown creatures."
"I found a sharpened bone," Garble said, pulling out a bone as long as an adult's arm. One end of the bone had been sharpened into a pointed tip, resembling a weapon.
"A bone spike..." I lowered my gaze to the four-clawed footprints on the ground. "Judging by the tracks here, goblins were here not long ago."
"So, the dwarf we're looking for was captured by goblins?" Garble speculated.
LootGoblin clicked his tongue. "The game developers didn't do their research. Aren't goblins creatures from Japanese fantasy? Such a weird addition to the setting."
This player was highly influenced by anime! If not, he wouldn't say something so wrong.
To enhance the players' experience, I had even deliberately localized the translations. And still, they complained? The magical races of Aeltia had plenty of equivalents to fantasy creatures from Earth.
There would be plenty of surprises in store for them later! And the origin of the goblin mythos was Europe, not Japan!
Pretending I didn't hear his grumble, I explained, "Goblins are small, scrawny, green-skinned creatures. They are one of the few intelligent species that can coexist with magical creatures."
I knew goblins weren't particularly intelligent, but compared to magical creatures, they were smart enough to qualify as an intelligent species. "They live in a tribal structure, so there should be a goblin nest nearby."
"The good news is, they don't eat people. The bad news is, they offer living sacrifices to magical creatures."
Unlike most species that avoided magical creatures like the plague, goblins believed magical creatures infused with divine remains were the emissaries of gods—divine beasts walking the earth. By offering sacrifices to magical creatures, goblins believed they would be granted better lives.
Perhaps goblins simply didn't taste good, because magical creatures seemed to tolerate their existence. As long as goblin tribes regularly offered sacrifices to the magical overlords of their territory, they were allowed to live nearby.
This ability to move freely complemented magical creatures, which couldn't stray far from their nests.
After explaining everything, I summed up, "Magical creatures are very picky eaters and only eat live prey. So, the dwarf should still be alive until the next sacrificial event."
Though the treatment wouldn't be great. I knew goblins weren't known for their patience with sacrifices; they'd probably throw in just enough food each day to keep the captive alive.
After hearing all this, Garble asked, "So the three of us need to rescue the target from an army of goblins that might number in the hundreds?"
"That sounds impossible," LootGoblin said sincerely.
I understood their concern. The downside of the hyper-realistic game design was that numerical advantages became crucial. Hundreds of goblins, no matter how small, could overwhelm us just by sheer numbers.
"Maybe we should head back?" LootGoblin suggested. "It's just some random dwarf. If we can't save him, we can just leave."
Garble looked to me for my opinion.
He didn't say anything, but I could tell his thoughts aligned with LootGoblin's.
There was no point in fighting a losing battle. The players could die and respawn, but losing me, their faction leader, could cause the entire server to implode.
"No, this isn't just about rescuing the dwarf," I said gravely. "The goblin tribe is too close to Honeyvale. Its existence poses a significant threat to us and is something we must investigate!"
I knew goblins were like humanoid locusts, leaving destruction in their path. If one day a goblin were to damage the terrain and accidentally destroy the core of a magical formation, exposing Honeyvale Town's location, the current players would be unable to survive in the Great Oak Forest.
This oversight was my fault. If I'd known there was a goblin nest nearby, I would never have chosen this area as the players' starting village! We had to locate the goblin nest as quickly as possible!
Hearing how serious I was, the two players fell silent.
I turned to LootGoblin. "Have you sensed anything unusual since we arrived here?"
He tilted his head, closed his eyes, and focused for a moment before vigorously shaking his head. "Nope, I don't feel anything!"
I sighed. Without his special sensory ability, finding the goblin nest would be much harder.
---
Due to recent rain and the heavy activity of various creatures in the area, it was difficult to use scent-tracking magic. I had no choice but to follow the scattered footprints on the ground.
But after walking a short distance, the tracks were interrupted by a patch of overgrown weeds. The path forward was blocked, leaving us with no clear direction.
No matter where we turned, it seemed like every path was both open and closed.
After trying various methods to scout the way forward and failing, I felt defeated. "Let's head back to the town and take what we've found," I relented. It looked like this trip would yield nothing.
"Yes!" LootGoblin cheered, jumping with excitement.
Garble picked up the bone spike and the torn backpack, considering them the spoils of our outing.
The two players watched as I summoned a massive fireball, setting the thorny terrain behind us ablaze.
The water-soaked branches crackled and hissed in the flames, making Garble's forehead throb. He looked worried, probably feeling like he could hear the footsteps of magical creatures creeping toward us.
"Leader, how are we supposed to get back now?"
"Simple, we'll take a different route!" I replied casually. "The fire will keep burning until it clears the thorns. Follow me!"
Previously, I had used fire to carve a path when we rushed out, leaving a scorched trail behind. If it had been only magical creatures in the area, that wouldn't have been a problem.
But with goblins around, the man-made trail was a significant risk and had to be erased. The best way to deal with it was to make it look like a battle between mages had taken place.
After using wind blades to trim the tall grass and vines around the area, I led the two players away from the town—in the opposite direction.
The three of us had just left when I heard the sound of something heavy colliding from behind.
I noticed Garble glancing back—the fire hadn't subsided but was spreading outward. The raging flames were clearly visible through the gaps between the branches.
LootGoblin clutched his chest, still shaken. "My gosh, setting fire to a mountain? That's a one-way ticket to life in prison!"
"This fire... it will stop, right?" Garble asked, uncertainty in his voice.
I watched several massive shadows move toward the bramble field, understanding his concern. But I knew better than to let their worry grow.
"It will," I said firmly. "The life force of the Great Oak Forest isn't as fragile as you think."
I skirted the grass ahead, grabbed a vine hanging from a branch, and slid down a small slope. "This isn't an ordinary forest."
I knew this well—after coexisting with magical creatures for 600 years, it had become both a symbol and a component of their nests. One fire wouldn't change that.
As soon as I finished speaking, fine rain began to drizzle from the sky. I brushed leaves off my clothes, stood up, and tilted my chin upward. "See? Problem solved."
Sliding down after me, LootGoblin gaped. "Artificial rain in a different world?"
He stepped to the right, trying to peek through the gaps in the treetops to get a better look at the rain clouds.
Crunch!
His foot landed on something dry and sticky.
LootGoblin quickly took two steps sideways and looked at the sole of his shoe. "Crap, I stepped in poop!"
I froze mid-step. That sound... I knew exactly what it meant.
"Get out of the way!" I whipped around and shouted.
The moment Garble heard me, he instinctively rolled to the ground. LootGoblin wasn't as quick—I watched as his ankle was snagged by suddenly appearing white threads. In a dizzying spin, he ended up hanging upside down.
Struggling to bend forward, he grabbed at the threads around his calf. "What is this stuff?"
His hand stuck to it too.
I saw Garble pull out a Thornleaf Blade from his game inventory and activate his wind magic to slash at the threads. I quickly pressed him back down with my hand.
"Don't move—this stuff can't be cut with your blade."
I retrieved my wand and tapped the ground in several places. More white threads shot out from the fallen leaves, attaching to nearby branches with distinct swishing and thwacking sounds.
Before long, the area was filled with them, swaying in the wind like white willows.
"These are the silk of Level-1 magical creatures, the Thread Spiders," I explained. "Their natural ability lies entirely in their silk—they're incredibly sticky, hard to cut, and resistant to ordinary flames."
"We must've stumbled into one of their hunting traps. Fortunately, the spiders typically scatter their traps across an area, so the main body isn't likely nearby. They're quite particular about keeping their silk dry—always building them under thick canopies."
"So, we use water to deal with it?" Garble asked, catching on.
"Smart!" I praised him. "Thread spider lose their stickiness quickly when exposed to water."
"In fact, after being washed a dozen times, the silk can even be turned into textile materials!"
Their lifespans were typically short, and their numbers were scarce. Encountering one was considered lucky.
The warehouse had been running low on resilient grass for crafting beginner outfits for players. With these silk, our trip wouldn't be in vain.
LootGoblin, still hanging upside down, groaned, his eyes starting to roll. "Enough explaining—just get me down already!"
"Oh, right! Almost forgot about you." I smacked my forehead in mock regret.
I shot a water arrow, not only bringing LootGoblin down but also knocking all the surrounding silk to the ground. Of course, I wasn't that heartless—I used a wind blade to swing him to the highest point on the web before cutting him free to prevent him from landing on his head.
LootGoblin got up, rubbed his sore backside, and yanked off the silk still stuck to his feet. "Ugh, bad luck!"
I watched as Garble quickly collected the fallen silk.
"Don't waste them—didn't Viktor say they can be used to make clothes? These are valuable!" he called out excitedly.
I nodded in approval at his initiative. But then, I tilted my head, listening intently. A faint rustling sound was heading our way.
"Not good—the thread spider is coming back! Hurry up and pack your stuff!"
The two players moved quickly, gathering the scattered silk in no time. The pile of silk was so large it almost buried the three of us.
Something about this didn't feel right, I thought with a frown. But there was no time to dwell on it.
The fire in the bramble field hadn't been extinguished, and magical creatures were still nearby. Facing the thread spider now wasn't an option.
I brushed off my unease and led the players away without delay.
---
Once we reached Honeyvale, panting heavily, the realization finally hit me.
It was the amount of silk!
The sheer quantity of silk in a single trap was enough to bury three people—double the usual amount for a thread spider trap!
This was the output of a pregnant thread spider.
No wonder the thread spider had returned so quickly—it needed an enormous amount of nutrition and had restricted its hunting range.
There had to be a nest nearby!
My eyes lit up with excitement. The silk in a thread spider's nest far outstripped those in a single trap. The potential profits were enormous!
Garble looked back, puzzled. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." I quickly responded, seeing the curious gazes of the two players. It was time to wrap up their mission.
"Although we didn't find the target during this rescue mission, I won't let your efforts go unrewarded."
"The uses for thread spider silk have already been explained. The silk you've collected are yours to keep as compensation."
After handing them some experience points and magicoins, I hurried off. I had plans to finalize my idea.
If it worked, the next batch of players would be arriving soon!
---Third POV---
Having received their rewards, the two players quickly forgot about Viktor.
As long as he didn't interfere with quest rewards, they didn't care what he was up to.
They continued toward the town gate, discussing how to process the silk.
They nearly bumped into NeverShowOff, who was roasting meat at the gate.
"Stop! Any closer and you'll catch fire!" NeverShowOff rubbed his eyes. "Garble? Weren't you off on a rescue mission?"
Then, spotting LootGoblin, he was even more surprised.
"LootGoblin, why are you with Garble?"
