Wildness and Masks

Chapter 24 – Post-processing

"Die, goblin!"

Thrandic punched a fleeing goblin to death.

He didn't pay any attention to why these goblins were rushing towards him, knowing it meant certain death.

Nor did he care why these goblins were fleeing in such disarray.

"Foucault." A voice echoed from the dark cave.

Daylight cast upon Ogre.

There was no sign that he had just slaughtered in the cave, as there wasn't a trace of blood on his clothes.

"Ogre, how did you come out so quickly?" Foucault, standing guard at the entrance, asked with slight surprise.

"Here." Ogre tossed a cloth bundle in front of Foucault, and as it unraveled, two goblin heads rolled out.@@@@

These two goblin heads were definitely peculiar among goblins.

One was twice the size of a normal goblin's head, with tusks protruding everywhere.

The other had traces of magical patterns on its face, with a half-buried black nail in the center of its forehead.

These were the heads of the dead Great Goblin and the Goblin Shaman.

"You took care of them all?!"

Foucault's eyes widened in surprise. It wasn't shocking that Ogre had defeated the Great Goblin and the Goblin Shaman, but his efficiency was astonishing.

How long had it been? Not even ten minutes, and he had finished them off?

It took less time than traveling here. Was the combination of a tank and a mage really that easy to deal with?

"I'm a professional." Ogre unfastened the clasp of his patterned mask, removed it, and said.

"This time, luck was on our side. The women they captured are still alive." Ogre wiped the mask and placed it back in his bag.

His relaxed demeanor was as if he had just taken a stroll, not fought a battle.

Of course, Foucault didn't know the significance of Ogre's mask.

The Goblin Butcher was known not only among goblins but also among some captives Ogre had rescued, who spread his legend.

It was just that the time was too short, and his fame hadn't spread widely yet.

"Captives?" Foucault was momentarily stunned, then saw a dozen women with different hair colors dragging chains that hadn't been fully removed as they emerged from the cave. Two of them were unconscious and being supported.

Foucault then understood why Ogre hadn't used the smoke and fire tactic from the start.

Since it was to save people, he had nothing more to say.

'Let him do as he pleases.' Foucault's frustration at not being able to fight eased a bit.

He wasn't particularly fond of Ogre's all-encompassing style—he wasn't some slacker, after all.

"Unfortunately, there's no treasure in this cave." Ogre glanced around and then asked Foucault for a knife: "Captain, can I borrow a knife?"

Foucault looked at the survivors who had narrowly escaped death, then turned back to Ogre: "What do you need a knife for?"

"To chop some firewood and smoke them out. I think there are still some goblins that aren't completely dead." Ogre replied.

"Is that really necessary?" Foucault felt it was a bit excessive, but he still took a longsword from his Void Pocket and handed it to Ogre: "I don't have a knife, but this sword should do."

Ogre took the sword, weighed it in his hand, and nodded in satisfaction: "This should be good for chopping wood."

"What do you plan to do with these people?" Foucault didn't realize he was starting to rely on Ogre's opinion.

"Have Lange and Thrandic escort them to the village, along with the mission proof and the two goblin heads. I'll catch up later."

Ogre picked up the sword and casually began chopping branches from a nearby tree.

With the heads of the leaders, there was no need to collect those tusks. Of course, the rescued women could also serve as eyewitnesses.

"Never mind, I'll wait for you. It's not like we're in a rush." Seeing Ogre's attitude, Foucault decided not to press further.

He began to organize and comfort the rescued women, while also starting to ask questions.

After a few questions, Foucault had a rough understanding of the situation.

He then lifted his leg, braced himself, and prepared to enter the cave for a look.

But he had barely taken two steps when Ogre called out to him: "Captain Foucault, you should be prepared."

Ogre was a bit worried that this young master from the inner city wouldn't be able to handle the environment inside.

He hadn't brought them into the nest for a reason. Monster nests were usually chaotic, and after his slaughter, it was bound to be even more disgusting.

"I'm not that fragile." Foucault waved his hand without looking back, then cast a light spell on his staff and headed straight into the cave.

He wanted to overcome his aversion to the environment.

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He also wanted to add some challenge to himself. This mission had been too easy, making him feel a bit bored.

Ogre watched Foucault dive in with some interest—he wanted to see how Foucault would react when he came out.

"Fire, burn through the gaps!"

Foucault raised his wrist towards the woodpile and recited a simple magic incantation—Fireball.

Suddenly, a ball of flame shot from Foucault's raised palm.

Magic incantations are used to focus the mind, assist in channeling mana, and enhance the effect of manifesting magic. They are one of the non-essential means of casting magic.

For control-type mages, incantations are indispensable.

Although Foucault could cast silently, he wasn't in the mood for it now. Silent casting requires a certain level of concentration and mental state.

As the fireball hit the woodpile, the unknown powder Ogre had sprinkled earlier caused the fire to blaze up instantly.

"Could you do a wind spell too?" Ogre pointed inside the cave, thinking it wouldn't be hard to ask for one more favor.

Foucault rolled his eyes at Ogre but didn't argue, instead beginning a quick chant.

"Wind, rise up and meet the front!"

Low-level magic incantations are simple, as they're just for focusing the mind.

Incantations have pros and cons because you can often tell what spell a mage is casting from the words.

For example, "Wind spirit, gather around me"—this is typically a wind shield or wind armor.

Or "Wind, become a blade and sweep the front"—this is a typical wind blade spell.

If you add words like fierce or strong, the magic's power increases significantly.

Of course, to prevent this trait of incantations from being used against them, mages use several methods in battle.

The first: rapid chanting, where if you chant fast enough and stay focused, the opponent can't process the incantation's effect.

The second: silent casting or prepared casting, which avoids the awkwardness of reciting spells in a fight.

The third: word substitution or misleading, where clever mages insert fake words into incantations without affecting the spell's efficiency to mislead opponents.

Some mages can even chant one spell while casting another.

This involves replacing the meaning of words in the incantation with another, similar to self-hypnosis or language translation.

"Magic is really convenient." Ogre watched the wind rise and couldn't help but praise.

This was the power he had once longed for.

Soon, under the influence of the smoke, the last goblins hiding in the cave's dark corners couldn't help but flee through other exits.

Thrandic, who was waiting, greeted them with a flurry of punches, and the quick-footed goblins couldn't escape Ogre and Foucault's ranged attacks.

After about ten minutes of work, Ogre confirmed that there were no surviving goblins left inside.

"What's that?" Lange asked, looking at the bag in Ogre's hand—how did this guy have an endless supply of stuff?

"This is flour I found in the goblin nest, probably looted from a village." Ogre took out the remaining black powder and mixed it all into the flour.

Lange: "What's the use of flour..."

"What are you doing?" Foucault was also curious. Ogre's movements made him think they were about to leave.

"Blow up the entrance so it won't become a goblin gathering spot again." With the last of the breeze, Ogre opened the bag of mixed flour and powder and scattered it into the cave.

The wind carried the dust throughout the cave.

"Everyone, step back." Ogre warned.

Though puzzled, everyone complied.

Ogre then skillfully picked up a piece of flint.

Boom—!

As the flint sparked against the cave wall, a violent explosion occurred right before their eyes.

They finally understood what Ogre meant by stepping back.

"What... what happened!" Lange asked instinctively, watching the explosion.

"I'm not sure about the principle, just know it can explode like this. Hmm... let's say I read it in a book." Ogre replied casually.

He had indeed seen it in a half-book he found on the black market, supposedly printed by the Church of Truth.

Who knows why such useful knowledge hadn't spread.

"Though it can't destroy the cave, it can keep it clean for a long time." Ogre looked at the falling rocks.

The collapse of the main cave effectively prevented goblins from quickly repopulating it, compressing their living space.

"You really are..." Foucault looked at Ogre, unsure how to evaluate this boy about his age.

Steady, yet sometimes careless; careless, yet meticulous in his actions.

If he wasn't so interested in money, he'd be a perfect friend.

It's hard to imagine this guy is the same age as him.

"Goblins deserve to die!" Thrandic's opinion was simple.

"Alright, enough sentimentality. There's nothing more to see here. Let's go, we should turn in the mission; today's adventure has just begun..."