Might of Players 78 – Ten Minutes to Demolition

CowardlySurvivor nonchalantly waved his hand.

"Sothing going wrong is perfect timing. I have class tomorrow anyway, so dying today just resets my resurrection cooldown!"

"I've already stored everything in my bag except for weapons and quest items in the shop. There's nothing to lose. So, let's die, guys!"

"..." Lux was silent.

"I've cleared out my inventory too," Garble said.

"..." Lux's expression grew increasingly complicated.

Was this the ntality of veteran players?

Even dying was calculated to the smallest detail?

Garble glanced over. "Do you want to stay behind?"

Lux imdiately shook her head like a rattle drum.

"No way."

She had picked up plenty of rare plants along the way, planning to sell them for money later.

She couldn't afford to die here!

No wonder the other two hadn't even glanced at the stuff lying around on the roadside.

Lux felt taphorical tears stream down her face. I'm like a newbie who stumbled into a high-level match, completely out of sync with everyone around ...

"Really?" Garble looked regretful. "Plans to kill goblins solo like this are rare. I thought that if you stayed, I could hand off my quest items to you."

He took out a wooden stick from his bag and handed it to Lux.

She put it in her bag and assured him it was no problem.

And so, the group decided to part ways.

But it wasn't late enough yet.

Goblins were highly vigilant creatures.

If they went out with the bomb now, its impact would be greatly diminished.

They discussed it and decided to act later in the night.

This would not only give the goblins ti to lower their guard but also give the players a chance to rest and regain energy.

Ideally, they'd deliver the bomb deep into the goblin nest for maximum destruction.

Before leaving, Lux rembered sothing.

"Shouldn't you inform LootGoblin? I rember he's also in the outer area. If you don't coordinate, it could easily cause so mix-ups."

CowardlySurvivor rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "True, I almost forgot about him."

That guy had been complaining on the forums that the regular goblins' limited range made it hard to gather useful intel.

Was he trying to get soone to rescue him?

In the chaos of the explosion, they could even help him escape. As for whether he survived afterward—that wasn't their problem.

He shared the idea with Garble, who agreed.

"The bomb hasn't been fully tested yet; collateral damage is definitely a possibility. If we can save him, that'd be ideal."

Since they had to wait until late anyway, CowardlySurvivor volunteered. "I'll log off and find him on the forums! That guy's definitely there."

---

Inside the stone ruins, LootGoblin sat in a tiny three-square-ter room, sighing in frustration.

Thanks to Viktor's advice, he had managed to leave the small room.

But the regular goblins' roaming range was still very limited.

For instance, he could only move within the current building and the patrolling structures on the outer layer. He wasn't allowed into the inner areas, and the illusionary barriers outside prevented casual entry or exit.

The regular goblins themselves had no opinions about their restricted activities. They didn't care about their treatnt or the information they possessed, like cogs in a massive machine.

"This tiny area—how am I supposed to gather any useful intel?!" He couldn't help but complain.

The only silver lining was that the ruins themselves were unique.

After wandering inside for a day, he had earned more bonus experience points than exploring outside.

This made him even less inclined to risk dying.

If he died, all that experience would reset.

Grumble—

LootGoblin touched his protesting stomach and sighed again.

"Hungry again..."

The vegetation near the ruins was sparse.

After searching for half a day, he had only found a few mushrooms growing in the cracks of the outer stone walls.

To make matters worse, goblins only ate raw at.

Torches were only used for lighting or as weapons.

If he wanted to eat, he had to sneak back into his room and slowly roast mushrooms with Fireball. He couldn't cook too fast, or the sll would waft outside. The process was both pitiful and painstaking.

"Didn't they say there was progress on locating the nest? Why isn't anyone here yet?"

Out of mushrooms and restless from hunger, he couldn't sit still.

He decided to log off.

"I'll check their progress!"

He wasn't about to head out for food in the middle of the night—might as well log off and sleep.

When he logged off, he imdiately saw CowardlySurvivor's post looking for him on the forums.

The two quickly reconnected online.

---

LootGoblin was overjoyed. They eagerly discussed the etup details on the forums.

Although he couldn't leave on his own, after wandering all day, he had morized the patrol patterns in the outer area.

As long as the rescuers could take out a few goblins during a shift change, there would be a brief window for him to escape!

[LootGoblin]: There's a spot on the eastern edge, by a pit with purple vines. Patrol density is lowest there, and the only way up or down is a single vine

[LootGoblin]: et there and cut the vine before leaving—it's a guaranteed escape route!

[LootGoblin]: The shift change there is longer than in other areas, about 10 minutes, every hour

[LootGoblin]: How about we et there right now?

He rapidly typed out a series of ssages, already envisioning his glorious escape.

[CowardlySurvivor]: Uh, no rush. We're planning to act in the middle of the night

[LootGoblin]: ... Fair enough. Most goblins will be asleep by then—definitely the best ti to escape!

[LootGoblin]: This gives just enough ti to scout the area and see if I can snag so useful items!

[LootGoblin]: How many of you are coming? Got extra bag space? I can prep so items for you too!

[CowardlySurvivor]: Uh, haha, we won't need that

"Won't need it?"

Seeing CowardlySurvivor's reply, he felt sothing was off.

As a player, wasn't it second nature to loot everything in sight?

He cautiously typed.

[LootGoblin]: You're just here to rescue , right? No other plans?

After receiving CowardlySurvivor's affirmative response, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew, I thought they were up to sothing."

With so much unsaved bonus experience on him, there was no way he'd take unnecessary risks.

After confirming the etup ti, he couldn't resist making one more request.

[LootGoblin]: There's still a few hours before the action. Bring so food when you co

[Preferably roasted potatoes with salt—I'll PayPal you $50 afterward!]

[CowardlySurvivor]: LOL, no special orders

---

Outside the goblin nest, in a small clearing surrounded by grass, CowardlySurvivor opened his eyes and cheered.

"Done! I successfully contacted LootGoblin!"

Nearby, Lux, who was eating, turned her head curiously.

"What took you so long?"

"Finding soone takes ti, okay? Plus, I got a lot of..." CowardlySurvivor replied casually, then suddenly realized sothing was off.

He turned his head sharply, dumbfounded.

"Wait, why are you still here?!"

Lux glanced at him.

"You were offline for more than an hour. I've already completed my quest and co back."

CowardlySurvivor smacked his forehead in frustration.

"I forgot about the ti flow difference in the ga!"

He carefully scanned his surroundings—it looked the sa as when he left.

"Nothing happened while I was gone, right?"

"Not much, just that it's almost ti for action," Garble answered, casually tossing over a wide-bladed machete which was the new signature weapon of the Lucky Stars Team.

"Lux brought back so new weapons, including this machete from ProGar_Daddy and three coconut lon bombs from Viktor."

"Viktor says now is when the goblins are the least guarded against us. He hopes we can reduce the number of regular goblins."

CowardlySurvivor clicked his tongue. "Only regular goblins? That's such a lack of faith in the power of explosives!"

They had seen great goblins before. Aside from being slightly taller and burlier, they didn't seem much different from regular goblins.

"Just show them the results in action," Lux said indifferently.

She finished the last bite of her potato, dusted off her hands, and stood up. Pulling out a row of blue-violet potions from her bag, she asked, "Since we're confird to be dealing with illusions, I got more anti-illusion potions from Viktor. Anyone need so?"

", , !" CowardlySurvivor raised his hand enthusiastically. "I was just worried about running out of potions and not being able to find a good position!"

Lux handed him two bottles, casually asking, "What position?"

"The goblins' defensive weak points," CowardlySurvivor explained, picking up a stick from the ground and drawing a circle.

"Based on what I got from LootGoblin, there are a few goblin patrol blind spots near him that could work as temporary hiding spots once we sneak in."

"The bottom of the giant pit is extrely damp, and the parts closer to the ruins are even worse. It's not suitable for torches; the light is dim."

"He told the goblins are lazy—they'll only walk a quick round outside and won't thoroughly inspect the rooms at the bottom."

Garble let out a hiss after hearing this.

"That sounds promising! How damp are we talking?"

They had plenty of anti-illusion potions. Even if each lasted only ten minutes, it would be enough ti to find a suitable entry point.

"Very damp. Torches won't stay lit for long, but we can still light bombs."

CowardlySurvivor snapped his fingers, a small fla flickering at his fingertips.

"Especially since my fire is magical!"

This was currently the only advantage of fire magic—it lasted a bit longer than ordinary flas.

Once the fuse was lit, the already crumbling ruins would surely collapse instantly.

Feigning regret, he sighed. "The ga's art is beautiful, but we might be the only ones to ever see the ruins intact."

Lux stared at the flas flickering on his fingertips.

"I always knew fire magic was useless, but watching you waste mana like this has finally given a clear understanding of just how useless."

"Ahem, that's not the point." He awkwardly extinguished the fla and noticed the campfire on the ground. "Aren't you worried about being discovered, cooking potatoes out in the open like this?"

Lux picked up a tallic box near the fire, almost like sothing magical.

"It's a cloaking tool from Viktor. No one outside can see the firelight."

CowardlySurvivor's jaw dropped. "Whoa, Viktor has sothing this fancy?"

In a ga where players even had to build tables and chairs for quest hubs, he had almost believed he was playing so kind of caveman simulator.

"This tool has a limited duration and needs to be returned after use," Garble explained, glancing at the sky and using one hand to push himself up from the ground.

"It's about ti. Let's move out."

"No problem!" CowardlySurvivor also pushed himself up but paused halfway, suddenly rembering sothing.

"Oh right, do you guys have any extra roasted potatoes?"

"Already finished," Lux replied offhandedly. "We're going to die soon anyway. Dead people don't get hungry."

The newly returned Lux had reached a remarkable level of calmness.

In gas, death was inevitable. Might as well embrace it while their level was low and the cost of dying was small.

Besides, eating before dying just increased the cost of death.

Though to be fair, she had eaten the potatoes simply because she was bored waiting for everyone.

And the potatoes had been a quest reward—free, not paid for.

Seeing CowardlySurvivor's troubled expression, Garble furrowed his brow slightly.

"What do you need the potatoes for?"

"Oh, LootGoblin is picky with food and is starving. I promised to bring him sothing to eat when we et up."

After all, LootGoblin had provided them with such valuable intel. It wouldn't be right to show up empty-handed.

CowardlySurvivor glanced at the bushes.

"I'll see if I can find so edible berries along the way and pick a couple for him."

"That's it?" Lux waved dismissively.

"Don't worry. Viktor knew we'd et up with him and already gave what he needs."

The campfire extinguished, and the transparent barrier dissipated.

The sound of insects in the distance suddenly beca much clearer, adding an unusual serenity to the atmosphere.

---

At the edge of the giant pit near the ruins.

The frequency of goblin patrols visibly decreased.

A green-skinned goblin yawned, his breath condensing into mist in the cool sumr night. Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth and nose from behind.

"Mmph!"

The goblin had no ti to resist before being dragged into the bushes.

With patrol density reduced, the slight noise didn't attract the attention of any other goblins nearby.

Crack!

The goblin's neck snapped, his head drooping like a broken twig.

Lux covered her mouth, suppressing a gasp.

"He's… dead?"

Garble's movents had been so swift she hadn't even registered them.

The clean, decisive neck snap was terrifyingly efficient.

"Stop staring. Garble is a trained fighter," CowardlySurvivor said, wrapping vines around himself.

"Hurry up. We've got only five minutes to get down there!"

If they delayed any longer, they'd end up in the next goblin's patrol path.

Following Garble, he slid down the slope.

Lux took a deep breath and crouched low, slipping out of the bushes.

The infiltration went smoothly.

Using the patrol patterns LootGoblin had shared, they eliminated three goblins together and made it to the bottom of the ruins.

This was the torchless blind spot they'd been aiming for.

The three of them ducked into a random room.

As LootGoblin had described, the room was damp, with walls that felt soggy to the touch.

After ensuring no one was passing by, Garble whispered, "How long until he gets here?"

"Soon. He just told he's on his way, about ten minutes out," CowardlySurvivor replied, shaking his head to clear it. Logging in and out frequently made him dizzy.

Garble nodded. "Ten minutes is enough."

The circular ruins they had infiltrated were the most damaged part of the outer ruins.

A massive gap on the far right separated it from the rest of the ruins.

It was the perfect spot to plant explosives.