Chapter 103: Goblin Warlock’s Motives & First Elite Relic
"Perhaps this is my opportunity!"
"June 3rd. I decided to send the goblins under my command to investigate further. Unfortunately, the low temperatures rendered them unable to go far. Once they entered a certain range, they turned into blocks of ice."
"Thankfully, I noticed something. The temperature around that space began to rise! With each death, the temperature will slowly return to normal."
"June 6th. I’ve already understood the operating rules of that secret place. As long as people die in its surroundings, the freezing temperature will rise. The higher the temperature, the higher the range it envelops."
"June 14th. Many days and thousands of goblins later, the range of the place has increased. It now spans throughout the Goblin Mountains."
"I’ve finally managed to glimpse the identity of whatever caused the entire disturbance."
"It is a Relic!"
"..."
Several more entries followed these. They all repeated the same thing.
The Goblin Warlock kept ordering his subordinates to sacrifice themselves in an attempt to obtain the Relic.
Of course, the other creatures inside the mountains were not spared. They met the same fate as those goblins, being the first to be sacrificed.
Although there were some obstacles during this time, with some goblins refusing to sacrifice themselves, they ultimately had no chance of resisting given the Goblin Warlock’s power.
As he was going through the diary, Aurelius began to feel that everything made sense.
He finally understood why the Goblin Mountains were almost empty by the time he and Selene got to them.
More importantly, he started to guess the reason behind the goblins’ riot.
It wasn’t because they had become afraid of the Epic Relic’s aura like Selene initially thought.
Rather...
"June 30th. I’ve made some calculations and discovered that even if all the creatures within the Goblin Mountains are sacrificed, the aura of the Relic will still be more powerful than what I can withstand."
"Thankfully, its ’devouring’ range had long since surpassed the mountains themselves. By now, it covers the entire northern border."
"Today, I’ll order my remaining subordinates to rush out and wreak havoc!"
"The deaths of the goblins may not be enough. But the deaths of goblins, humans, and everything else should do the job!"
This was the last entry of the diary. The final words were all but dripping with bloodlust.
The reason behind the monsters’ riot was exactly as Aurelius had thought.
It was all the Goblin Warlock’s doing, all for the sake of weakening the Epic Relic.
Although he had anticipated this, Aurelius felt somewhat emotional.
He recalled the many deaths and the devastation he had witnessed in the northern border.
It had affected not only the adventurers and Awakeners who had willingly come here, but ordinary people as well.
Yet now, he had discovered that all of this suffering stemmed from the ambition of a single goblin.
A Rank 3 Goblin Warlock, no less.
It was true that Aurelius and Selene had struggled to defeat him.
But when one considered the Dawn Kingdom and the Nova Roma World as a whole, a mere Rank 3 monster was hardly noteworthy.
However, it had been able to cause so much suffering and destruction.
’If a Rank 3 monster is like this, then how much power do higher-ranked Awakeners wield?’
’I’ve heard that Rank 4 Awakeners undergo a qualitative change upon their advancement, leaping onto a completely different level.’
’If that’s the case, what about Rank 5, Rank 6, or even Rank 7 Awakeners?’
Aurelius shook his head.
The question he most wanted to ask was: what about the Gods of Nova Roma?
However, he wisely chose to keep those thoughts to himself.
He didn’t dwell on this matter any longer.
Closing the book, he set it aside before shifting his focus to the rest of the objects.
He gave them a quick examination.
With his experience, he soon realized that most of the weapons were either Relics or fragments of ones.
Unfortunately, most of them were Common Relics, mostly useful for Rank 1 and weak Rank 2 Awakeners.
There was only a single Elite Relic among them, which, surprisingly, was the first of its kind that Aurelius had ever gotten his hands on.
...
[Dryad’s Scepter (Elite): An Elite Relic forged by the elves of the Amazon Jungle. It has been blessed by their power, granting it authority over healing and life.]
[Effects: ]
[Rebirth: Once per day, the user can cast a Rank 3 Healing Spell on themselves or their allies.]
[Fruition: The user can ’feed’ the Scepter extraordinary materials, giving birth to extraordinary fruits that can enhance their Base Stats.]
[Pathfinder: The Dryad’s Scepter knows the best path toward achieving your dreams. Hold the scepter in your hands and imagine your goal. It might be able to guide you there.]
[Stats: ]
[+10 Intelligence, +15 Vitality, +50 Spirit]
[+2 Reputation]
[+20 Favorability with the Elf Race]
...
Forged by elves.
Three skills.
Various stat bonuses and other enhancements.
Although it only differed from Common Relics by a single rank, it was abundantly clear that an Elite Relic stood on a completely different level.
A Common Relic could barely offer meaningful help to a Rank 2 Awakener.
An Elite Relic, on the other hand, could help a Rank 2 Awakener become a powerhouse within their Rank.
’Although this Relic’s skills are solely auxiliary, they all seem quite impressive.’
’Especially Fruition. Base Stats are an Awakener’s foundation.’
’The Base Stats provided by my Sub-Classes are one of the major reasons why I can overpower opponents of the same Rank.’
Of course, Aurelius didn’t get lost in the excitement.
He would have to experiment with them before he could be certain about the extent of their potential.
Still, what he had seen had already left him quite satisfied.
It had also given him a rough understanding of the current level of the Sea God’s Trident.
’Between an Elite and a Rare Relic,’ Aurelius judged, feeling that although it had fewer abilities than the Dryad’s Scepter, its accompanying skills were far more powerful and possessed a higher potential.
Aurelius organized his thoughts.
After equipping the Elite Relic and confirming the Base Stat enhancement, he placed it into the System Inventory.
Then, he continued going through the spoils of the battle.