They panicked, their formation fracturing almost instantly after Grakk’s body burned down to charred remains.
Arrows were loosed in uneven volleys, so goblins abandoning rhythm entirely and firing as fast as their fingers could manage. Others hurled spears downward with reckless force, hoping sheer volu might accomplish what precision had not.
But it was all useless.
The projectiles struck the invisible spatial threshold surrounding and fell away harmlessly, clattering against stone and dirt in a widening circle at my feet.
I didn’t even bother moving this ti.
I simply stood there, watching.
When it beca obvious that conventional arrows would not work, several goblins rushed toward the mounted siege contraptions along the wall.
Ballista.
I had noticed them earlier.
Now they were being used.
A massive bolt—thicker than a spear shaft and reinforced with tal bands—was loaded into place. I saw faint runes along its length begin to glow as energy was fed into it. This wasn’t just a sharpened stick. It was augnted.
The chanism released.
The bolt tore through the air with violent force, humming as the rune-carved shaft destabilized the atmosphere around it. When it struck the spatial field surrounding , the impact triggered a contained explosion—compressed force bursting outward in a concussive wave.
The blast kicked up dirt and dust, briefly obscuring my form.
I had to admit.
It was powerful.
Against a normal opponent, that shot would have been devastating.
But when the dust settled, I was still standing in the sa position.
Untouched.
It was going to take more than that to stop .
They prepared another bolt, but before it could be released, movent erupted from within the settlent.
Three figures erged from the direction of the central structure, descending the wide stairway with controlled urgency. The goblins along the wall halted imdiately, lowering weapons and stepping back instinctively.
Several dropped to one knee in salute.
Authority had arrived.
I didn’t need to guess.
[Finder] had already notified the mont I entered proximity that multiple Chosen were within range.
I wasn’t surprised.
If anything, I was eager.
Ordinary high-level goblins were one thing. But Chosen... they carried sothing more. Innate abilities. System-granted advantages.
And those could be taken.
I activated [Analyze] and focused on the first of the three.
He was tall for a goblin, clad in layered crimson armor trimd in black, the plating refined rather than crude. His skin was darker than most, marked with ritualistic carvings that faintly glowed under the armor’s gaps.
[Na: Kharos]
[Level: 56]
[Title: Drugar’s Chosen]
[Innate Ability: Blood Dominion (A)]
Blood Dominion.
Now that sounded interesting.
The second stepped forward slightly as I shifted my focus.
She was leaner than Kharos, her build built for speed rather than raw force. Instead of layered plate, she wore tight leather armor reinforced at the joints, designed to allow fluid movent without restriction. Twin curved blades rested at her hips, their handles worn from frequent use. Her eyes were unnaturally sharp, almost luminous, scanning the field.
I activated [Analyze] again.
[Na: Veyra]
[Level: 54]
[Title: Drugar’s Chosen]
[Innate Ability: Predator’s Echo (A)]
Predator’s Echo.
The na alone suggested heightened perception or tracking. Sothing instinct-based.
The third stood slightly behind the first two.
He didn’t carry himself with visible aggression, and unlike Kharos, he wore no heavy armor. Reinforced cloth layered with tal rings hung across his fra, flexible yet protected.
[Na: Drel]
[Level: 58]
[Title: Drugar’s Chosen]
[Innate Ability: Binding Vines (A)]
Level fifty-eight.
The highest among the three.
Binding Vines.
A control-type ability, most likely.
Interesting.
"You fools," Kharos barked suddenly, his voice cutting across the wall. "Why are you wasting the ballistic on a single enemy?"
The goblins operating the siege weapon stiffened instantly, hands frozen mid-motion.
No one answered.
"Where is Grakk?" Veyra asked, her gaze sweeping across the clearing below.
One of the goblins swallowed and said.
"Intruder... kill him."
Kharos raised a brow, then yelled:
"And how the hell did that happen?"
The goblins along the wall were visibly shaken, but one of them forced himself to speak under Kharos’ glare.
"Grakk... went down to him," he stamred, pointing downward. "Get killed in one blow. Body pieces."
His hand trembled as he gestured toward the scorched remains scattered across the clearing.
The three Chosen shifted their gaze to what was left of their forr captain, then back to .
"That fool," Kharos muttered under his breath, irritation flashing across his face before he leaned slightly over the wall and shouted down.
"And who the hell are you supposed?"
"That doesn’t matter," I replied calmly, not raising my voice. "Your chief tell him to co see ."
Kharos blinked once, then scoffed.
"Huh? Why the hell would I do that?"
I let a slow grin spread across my face.
"Isn’t it obvious?" I said evenly. "For a place in the gas."
The shift in his expression was imdiate.
The irritation that had been simring beneath the surface sharpened into sothing uglier.
"You piece of shit," he snarled. "You think you can stand a chance against our chief?"
"Calm down," Drel said quietly, his voice steady but firm. "He doesn’t seem like just any Chosen. I suggest we exercise caution."
"Caution?" Kharos snapped, rounding on him briefly before pointing down at again. "He has the audacity to co to our base, kill one of us, and is brazen enough to demand we summon our leader, and you say I should be calm?"
"You’re right to be angry," I interjected smoothly. "But you should listen to the smart one."
I tilted my head slightly, eting his eyes without hesitation.
"Unless you want [Blood Dominion] to beco a new skill added to my collection."
A vein visibly throbbed at Kharos’ temple.
"This bastard!" he hissed, fury rising in his aura like a rising tide and he prepared to leap from the wall, out of the barrier, just as Grakk had done.
But Drel moved, placing himself directly in Kharos’ path.
"Get out of my way!" Kharos snapped, his aura flaring hotter.
Drel didn’t budge.
"The chief shouldn’t have to deal with this nuisance," Kharos continued, gesturing toward . "Not when the King’s Gas are so close. It’s our duty to remove disturbances like this. So why are you stopping ?"
Drel’s gaze didn’t waver.
"Exactly," he replied evenly. "The King’s Gas are close. Why should we risk losing our abilities right now?"
Kharos turned to him sharply.
"Lose our abilities?" he repeated, incredulous but alert.
"Don’t tell you don’t sense how powerful he is," Drel responded, his tone lowering just enough to carry weight.
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