Beyond the two archer platforms that lay at the end of the goblin village were the tall and thick trees of the forest. Past them lay the hill with the cave to where the boss was keeping Belamouranthe.

  Like the first time through this Wave, four club-wielding goblins emerged from behind the trees and two blue goblins popped out from within the cave, followed by a single yellow archer.

  Adam was feeling pretty out of breath already, which was a bad way to start off the fight. Instead of charging straight down the middle between the trees that naturally guided Players towards the cave, Adam veered right and around one of the thick tree trunks, such that the archer couldn’t see him.

  The green goblins came around the side as he’d expected and ran face-first into his spinning buzzsaw, which now moved 55% faster than when he’d started off the Stage.

  The results were gruesome and swift, with all but one of the four creatures ending up headless on the ground, and the last one having a massive slice carved out of its cranium.

  Adam quickly harvested their ears and ran to the right of the trees to block the archer’s line-of-sight as much as possible. Unlike last time, the two spear-wielding goblins surged forward to try and drive him out into the open.

  His barrier was slightly cracked from grinding against the last goblin’s skull, but he didn’t resummon it, since it could still work as a shield in a pinch.

  The blue goblins were smarter than the rest and came around the trunk he hid behind from both sides. Adam immediately shoved his barrier into the one on his left and then flung it back towards the other, who destroyed it with a quick thrust.

  He summoned another and stumbled as the dizziness struck him hard.

  [Warning! Mana below 30%.]

  I’ve gotta be careful, otherwise I’ll trigger Mana Exhaustion, which will definitely get me killed.

  Still, it doesn’t feel as bad as during the first Stage. It might be possible to build up tolerance towards it by intentionally using all my Mana when I’m back at Interim.

  Instead of just shoving the barrier in-between himself and the incoming spear, Adam waited a terrifying moment before making it strike the long handle of the weapon instead. Centimetres before the spear-tip struck his abdomen, the barrier sheared through the wooden shaft and shot the dangerous tip off into the forest.

  The impact with its weapon set the blue goblin off-balance, and Adam quickly switched to Gram and swung the heavy sword down onto its head, driving the creature into the soft grass and dirt. Then he switched back to the spell-tome and chopped its head off with the ‘guillotine’ strike.

  He formed the barrier back into a spinning buzzsaw and flung it at the other goblin which was only just now leaping back into the fray.

  With precise zigzagging movements upward, he sheared through its right leg and then its arm, before finishing it off by cutting through its neck and decapitating it. He grabbed their ears with efficient movements of the barrier, then flung it off into the air past the trees and broke from his cover.

  The archer immediately spotted him and took aim, but his buzzsaw was already descending on the goblin, having been sent on a curved trajectory that made it impossible for the creature to see.

  Just as it fired its arrow, Adam threw himself onto his stomach, while moving the spinning barrier down into the back of the yellow goblin’s neck where the skull mask didn’t cover.

  The arrow flew through where he’d just been standing, but a second one never followed.

  Phew.

  [Well done! You cleared the Wave within 60 seconds.]

  Bit slower than last time.

  Adam walked over to the archer and cut off its ear.

  < < Wave Four Complete > >

  < Choose your Upgrade >

  I should go get the two down at the start, but I’ll lose time on Wave Five…

  No, the Points are more important than a few seconds lost.

  He took in a deep breath as he began walking back down towards the start again. His heart was pounding like crazy, sweat was rolling down his head, and his brown hair was soaked.

  I’ll run out of Stamina if I run there…

  Then an idea entered his head. He remembered leaning on the barrier and it not breaking under his weight since it wasn’t fully carrying him.

  Maybe that means something like this will be possible.

  Adam reverted the barrier to its normal square shape and pushed it against his back at a slight angle that allowed him to lean his weight on it partially. Then he moved it forward and began sliding through the grass on his shoes.

  Fuck yeah!

  Adam zoomed across the forest and into the village.

  Lamest form of magical travel possible I think, but a lot faster than running.

  He slowed it down as he reached the green goblins from Wave One and skidded for about two metres before stumbling and falling face-first onto the dirt.

  “Ugh!” he groaned.

  Okay, I might need to work on the brakes a bit more…

  “Tell me the upgrade options,” he said, while reshaping his barrier and getting to work harvesting the ears.

  < < Upgrades Available > >

  < Barrier Efficiency (Uncommon) — Reduces barrier summoning cost by 10% >

  < Manipulation Effect (Rare) — Increases manipulation responsiveness by 35% >

  < Luck (Uncommon) — Increases luck by 2 >

  Luck is a solid pick with good returns, but right now I need more responsiveness to make full use of my shaping ability. And it’s Rare, so it’s hard to say no to that. With that, my Effect bonus will be at 75%, which should make a big difference.

  [10 seconds remaining.]

  Adam put the last ear into his left back pocket and moved the barrier around his back. Then he leaned against it and pushed himself towards the cave.

  I wonder if there’s a way to set a specific time for the selection so I don’t waste the precious seconds between Waves.

  “Shitbox, select Manipulation Effect when there is 1 second remaining.”

  [Understood.]

  Huh, that actually worked.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  I’ve gotta experiment more with commands to make the full use of my time.

  Adam was halfway to the cave entrance, sliding across the grass, as his command triggered.

  < < Upgrade Selected > >

  < Manipulation Effect (Rare) >

  Though he wanted to immediately try out the new upgrade and see what a difference it made, he continued pushing himself towards the hill with the cave opening recessed into it.

  He slowed the barrier down gently this time and avoided stumbling and falling as he came to a stop a couple metres from the entrance.

  < < Wave Five > >

  < 300-Second Timer >

  Adam steeled himself for the tunnels.

  I know where all the goblin ambushes are, as well as the right path to take me all the way to the boss. If necessary, I can block the tunnels with my barrier, since it’s big enough that nothing would get through.

  Perhaps I should go straight towards the boss and try to pull the goblins with me, making use of the narrow tunnels to kill them all quickly.

  Adam nodded to himself.

  Yeah I think that’s what I’ll do.

  He pushed the barrier into the tunnel, shaping it into an oval shield that moved in front of him. It barely fit and he had to constantly use his shaping power to warp the edges so it wouldn’t scrape the walls and get damaged.

  Instead of moving into the branching pathways where ambushes lay in wait, Adam followed the tunnels directly to the main chamber. Unlike last time, it took no more than 45 seconds to get there.

  The branching tunnels made this place seem a lot bigger than it actually was.

  As he stepped out into the main chamber, he manoeuvred the barrier around his back and turned it into a spinning buzzsaw. He also dropped all the Collectible Relics in the ‘doorway’ since they were weighing him down.

  On the chair of bones in front of him was the red Hobgoblin. He immediately stood up when he noticed Adam, grabbing his sword that leaned against the fake throne.

  As Emelia had warned, the weapon had the tell-tale appearance of the Fiendbarb, which had turned its machete-like blade into something that looked like a torture device from the Dark Ages. Bone-white spines poked in every direction and Adam knew that a single hit would be fatal.

  The boss slammed his chest with his left fist and roared.

  “King! Goblin!”

  From behind him in the tunnels came the answering calls of the six green goblins that’d lain in wait along the branching pathways. Then the sound of their feet came closer.

  Adam pulled off the Rusted Crown and threw it across the chamber to the Hobgoblin.

  The creature paused his advance to look down at the Relic.

  “Try that on for size,” Adam said.

  The Hobgoblin knelt down to slowly grab the crown with his free hand. It would be the perfect opportunity to attack him, but Adam was fairly sure it wouldn’t count as killing a Secret Boss until the announcement popped.

  Meanwhile, the first of the goblins ran straight through the tunnel and into the buzzsaw spinning at neck-height.

  It died before it could even alert its friends. Two more followed in the same manner, but then the last three stopped at the end of the tunnel and shrieked.

  The boss was completely focused on the crown, which he slowly lifted from the ground.

  Figuring he had enough time, Adam turned around and stared at the goblins down at the end of the tunnel where it curved right. With a grin, he quickly shaped the barrier into an oval and then sent it flying down through the narrow space.

  The goblins didn’t realise they were in danger until the frontmost one crushed into the other two, breaking bones by the sounds of it. Adam quickly reshaped the oval into a long cleaver and then chopped it down, destroying their bodies. He swung it down two more times, just for good measure.

  Behind him in the chamber, the Hobgoblin roared and he spun back around to face it, resummoning his barrier in front of himself in preparation for what was to come.

  “King! King!!!”

  < < Secret Boss Discovered > >

  < Hobgoblin Lord >

  < Wave Timer extended to 300 seconds >

  Strangely, the Hobgoblin hadn’t actually changed, but the crown had. The rust had flaked off and the whole thing was bent and warped to fit the creature’s large head.

  Adam remembered the Relic’s hint: “A crown does not a king make, but for some the symbolism alone is sufficient.”

  Maybe since goblins and hobgoblins are simple creatures, a symbol of power is equivalent to actual power.

  The boss looked at Adam and showed all its hideous misshapen teeth in a gruesome smile.

  “Bulge king now! No mo’ deal! King no need deal!”

  His name is ‘Bulge’…

  By deal, I’m guessing he means whatever he’s holding Belamouranthe hostage for.

  Adam’s eyes flicked over to the opening leading to the nearby chamber within which the Elphin girl was held captive.

  Shit.

  That means he might try to kill her…

  Adam shot the barrier out in front of him, turning it into a spinning buzzsaw mid-air. He hadn’t even realised it until now, but shaping it was a lot easier, and it now had twenty individual teeth on it that he was somehow keeping track of in his mind’s eye.

  I might be able to push it to twenty-five individual teeth even.

  Like the first time he’d fought the Hobgoblin, the boss had a bone vest with a neck-guard and a skirt protecting the top of his thighs. Adam aimed the barrier towards the side of his neck, where the armour didn’t protect.

  Bulge took a step that dug his foot deep into the compacted dirt floor, then he shot forward like a humanoid missile.

  Oh shit!

  Adam immediately summoned a barrier in front of himself, only barely managing to get it into place before the Fiendbarb-tipped sword drove at his face.

  The weapon bounced off the magical shield and Adam quickly switched to Gram as it broke into pieces. He swung the sword and struck the side of the Hobgoblin’s torso, breaking off a part of the bone armour, but failing to deal actual damage.

  He suddenly remembered what Mori had told him.

  I’ve gotta use the Unique Skill!

  Bulge swung again and Adam barely managed to block the strike with the scabbarded stone sword. Then he swung a third time and, when Adam blocked, he was knocked back two steps from the sheer force of it, the bones in his hands feeling like they were vibrating from the impact.

  Before the boss could swing again and knock the sword out of his hands, Adam switched to the spell-tome and summoned a barrier that he immediately shot forward.

  [Warning! Mana below 50%.]

  It struck the Hobgoblin just as he was about to swing, interrupting the attack and slamming into his big nose hard enough to break it.

  “Bulge strong! Feel no pain!”

  Adam noticed the Hobgoblin Pendant Relic around his neck. It was a necklace of spun hair with three finger bones on it. According to Lenard, it made the wearer immune to pain and allowed them to survive a fatal hit. Emelia had mentioned the boss’ ability to survive a fatal hit as well, so it matched up.

  With a gesture, Adam warped the barrier and tried to fold it into a tube while spinning it. The result was chaotic, with a lot of random incoherent edges forming as he struggled in his mind to maintain the mental image that he still wasn’t strong enough to accomplish, while also giving it a spin.

  The effect on the Hobgoblin that it pressed against was that the irregular and pointed edges carved all along its bone vest, face, and neck, leaving a bunch of cuts and small stab-wounds.

  Bulge swung his blade into the barrier, breaking it. Like before, his weapon bounced off, leaving him open for a moment. It was long enough for Adam to switch to Gram and lift it over his head.

  “Anvil Splitter!” he shouted and drove the sword down through the boss.

  It caught him in the left shoulder and carried down through his body for almost half a metre before slipping out and slamming into the floor. The Hobgoblin was torn open and his armour was destroyed.

  Adam switched back to the spell-tome and summoned a barrier while back-pedalling.

  [Warning! Mana below 30%.]

  The wooziness struck him again, but he remained standing.

  With quick gestures, he flung the barrier forward while folding it along the middle and forming a wedge with an acute angle. He inserted it into the tear in the boss’ shoulder that already threatened to rip him apart.

  The boss, predictably, wasn’t slain by the fatal strike, but unlike what Adam had assumed, surviving a fatal hit didn’t equate to it being healed back to full, as the wound itself didn’t heal shut. It was more like the boss had been spared from death.

  Before the Hobgoblin Lord could even take a step forward, Adam released his shaping powers on the barrier and it naturally returned to its preferred shape of a square plate. Unfortunately for the boss, this meant that, as it was inserted inside his body, it ripped his torso into two by unfolding.

  The boss face-planted on the ground and a great amount of blood spilled everywhere. Adam switched to Gram and swung the blade down three times until the Hobgoblin’s skull produced a noticeable crack.

  Only then did the Eye announce his victory.

  [Excellent! You cleared the Wave within 30 seconds.]

  Wait, how??

  Oh, right, it changed the timer to 300.

  Hold up… Does this mean I get my Relic rewards upgraded in rarity too!?

  < < Wave Five Complete > >

  < < Stage Complete > >

  < Tallying Score >

  I wonder what I’ll get this time, he thought, while quickly chopping off the boss’ right ear and adding it to the pile by the entrance. He went down the tunnel and collected the six ears from the goblins that were spread throughout. Then he added those to the pile as well.

  I might need to use my shirt as an improvised bag to be able to carry them all.

  He did a quick head-count of the trophies.

  I’ll make a fortune off this Stage in terms of Points…

  < < Score > >

  < 145 Seconds Completion Time >

  < 500 Point Secret Boss Bonus added >

  < 400 Point Flawless Bonus added >

  < 250 Point Speedrun Bonus added >

  < 0 Damage Received >

  < 3530 Points Awarded >

  Adam choked on his spit and started coughing violently.

  Holy shit!

  3530 fucking Points!?

  With the 25 ears I’ve collected, I’ll get 1875 Points from selling them to Lucca, which puts my total from this Stage at 5405!

  Adam started laughing like a maniac. He had more than tripled the Point score from his last time through the Stage.