I Became a Magical Genius After Regression

Chapter 13

The next day.

The first thing Randel did was draw a map.

It was to find a place where goblins might stay.

‘It’s obvious where those gloomy creatures would set up a village.’

However, it had already been 27 years since Randel last visited the village.

It was enough time to forget the childhood days when he used to run around the village.

Fortunately, with the help of his eldest brother, the map was completed without much trouble.

“Why are you drawing a map?”

“So that new hunters or herb gatherers don’t get lost.”

“When you start working, you learn from the adults, don’t you?”

“Still, you never know. They might forget. I plan to distribute it to the villagers once it’s completed.”

“If that’s the case…”

His eldest brother was one of the best hunters in the village.

Thanks to him, he knew the geography of the area very well.

Under his brother’s guidance, the map was completed.

A small cliff, a stream running through the forest, a cave, the location of the open field village…

“Hmm.”

Randel pondered as he looked at the completed map.

He was thinking about where the goblins might have nested.

‘This place is too narrow, and this place has no water nearby… If it’s three days’ distance from the village, it must be here.’

There were many experts on monsters in the world. But when it came to goblins, there were few as knowledgeable as Randel.

He had studied and chased them for a considerable period.

As expected.

After a while, Randel pointed to a place.

‘It must be here.’

There were two candidates.

The open field and the cave.

Among them, considering the goblins’ habit of liking dark and secluded places, the cave was more likely.

Randel knew that cave too.

He had been there a few times as a child.

It wasn’t deep, but it was large enough to accommodate about 200 people.

The goblins, smaller in stature than humans, could live comfortably in this space.

‘Let’s check it out for ourselves first.’

Randell rolled up the map and put it in his pocket, then opened the wardrobe.

Inside was a hand axe he had made recently.

He had attached the axe head to a maple handle, known for its hardness. He wrapped the handle in oil-soaked leather to make it fit snugly in his hand.

‘I used to crack some heads with this back in the day.’

Randell chuckled and swung the hand axe through the air.

Whoosh.

The sound of the wind slicing was refreshingly crisp at his fingertips.

‘This should be enough preparation.’

Randell strapped the hand axe to his waist and slung a bag over his shoulder. Then he exited through a hole in the village wall and looked back.

“……”

The village that had once been reduced to ashes.

The village where his family, more precious than anything in the world, lived.

Now it was his turn to protect this place.

Rustle.

Randell melted into the forest as if becoming one with it.

* * *

A day and a half later.

Randell was lying prone among the bushes.

In front of him, a large cave entrance gaped open.

He had come to investigate whether the goblins had nested there, but there was no need to go inside.

“Kiek, kiek.”

Goblins were visible between the palisades in front of the cave.

The goblins were shoveling dirt outside. They were probably trying to build huts inside.

Randell frowned as he watched them.

‘They even built a palisade?’

Goblins usually build huts, but they don’t construct proper palisades like this.

This meant someone was directing the goblins, and it was undoubtedly a hobgoblin.

‘Let’s take a closer look first.’

Randel lay hidden in the bushes, watching the cave.

One hour, two hours…

How long had he waited, motionless like an animal stalking its prey?

“Kiit!”

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He saw the guards stiffen.

They looked as if they were afraid of something that would emerge from the cave.

Sure enough, a goblin appeared from the cave a moment later, strutting confidently.

It was slightly larger than a regular goblin, but otherwise similar.

However, its skin was red, as if drenched in blood.

Moreover, unlike the others who were barehanded, it held a staff in its hand.

Anyone unfamiliar with the scene would have flinched at the eerie atmosphere.

But Randel was different. He had seen too many of these blood goblins to be startled.

Not only had he seen them, but he had also killed plenty of them.

Besides…

‘It’s you, you b*stard…’

His nose wrinkled, and sparks flew from his eyes.

It was only natural. The enemy of his family was right in front of him.

In fact, it was the first time he had seen the creature in person.

All he had heard was that a blood goblin had attacked and was later exterminated.

He didn’t know what it looked like or what abilities it had.

But the moment he saw it, he knew.

This was the culprit who had killed his family.

The one who had twisted his life.

‘Hoo.’

If he were still the 13-year-old Randel, he would have charged in without hesitation.

But the current Randel, though outwardly the same, was inwardly a seasoned man in his forties.

Even though his heart burned with passion, his mind was as cold as ice.

Rationality.

He had been called a half-baked wizard, but a true wizard was originally such a being.

Moreover, Randel was not a wizard who had only lived safely within the wizard guild.

A battle-hardened wizard who had wandered the continent, facing all kinds of adversities and hardships head-on.

‘…….’

Randel waited until the sun had completely set.

In the meantime, the goblins were busily coming and going.

Hunting, scouting, gathering…….

‘Considering those who went hunting far away and those taking care of their young in the cave… there must be roughly 80 of them.’

After observing for more than half a day, Randel made a rough estimate.

Then he finally stood up.

Creak.

He heard the sound of bones, but Randel was already lost in other thoughts.

‘There are far more than I thought. I expected at most around 50…….’

But it wasn’t a big problem.

When the opponent is weaker than me but numerous. And when I am familiar with the terrain nearby.

There was a tactic often used in such situations.

‘Whittling them down, and starving them out.’

Eighty. It seemed like a lot, but even if he killed just ten a day, eight days would be enough.

Moreover, in a situation where the number of their comrades, who slept and ate together, was decreasing day by day, how long could they maintain their sanity?

‘Let’s see how they react then.’

Randel quietly melted into the darkness.

Like a ghost.

* * *

“Kiik, kiik.”

“Keek.”

An unpleasant sound came through the trees.

With a small height of 120 centimeters, green skin, and eyes slit vertically like a goat’s.

These creatures that had been roaming the nearby forest as if it were their own backyard were goblins.

Tap, tap.

Two goblins advanced, hitting the surrounding bushes with sticks in their hands.

They were scouting the area.

Their task was to check if any other monsters had entered their territory.

When traces of a strong monster like a troll are found, the entire village relocates, but if it’s a manageable one, they quickly track it down and eat it.

“Kiek?”

“Kii?”

The goblins, who had been patrolling well for a while, suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

It was because the scent of mana was wafting from somewhere.

Mana is important to humans, but it is also a very important element for monsters.

Monsters accumulate mana by eating humans or other monsters, and if that mana exceeds a certain level, they can gain special powers.

In the case of goblins, they can become hobgoblins or goblin shamans.

So, the scent of mana was an irresistible temptation for monsters.

“Kiek…”

“Krek!”

The goblins hesitated for a moment, recalling the hobgoblin’s order to only scout and not do anything else.

But soon, they looked at each other and grinned unpleasantly.

There were many other patrols besides the two of them.

They agreed to seize whatever was emitting the scent of mana before the others arrived.

The goblins walked for a while and arrived at a large tree.

It wasn’t coming from a specific place.

The scent of mana was widely spread near the tree.

“Sniff sniff.”

The goblins flared their nostrils and searched the surroundings.

They even dug the ground, thinking there might be herbs containing mana nearby.

And when they reached right under the tree.

Rustle.

“Kie?”

At the sound of a branch moving, one of the goblins looked up.

Snap.

At the same time, something that had kicked the branch fell towards the goblin like a shot.

It was a young human.

And that was the last thing the goblin saw.

“Gak!”

The hand axe struck the goblin’s neck squarely.

* * *

Squelch.

A refreshing sound echoed as if splitting firewood.

Soon, a sensation of splitting something hard traveled up the handle of the hand axe.

It was proof that the goblin’s cervical vertebra had been precisely severed.

‘No need to check.’

Randel, confident of the goblin’s death, pulled out the hand axe and turned his body sideways.

Splat.

Amidst the spray of green blood, the figure of another goblin appeared.

The creature was so startled that it froze in place, unable to move.

Randel spoke to the goblin.

“Not going to scream?”

“K-Kieek…?”

“Your voice is too small. Fire Arrow.”

Randel muttered as he extended his hand towards the goblin a little distance away.

Then, an arrow of fire appeared in the air.

Amazingly, the representative attack magic of the 2nd circle manifested without any casting.

Whoosh.

The Fire Arrow, which had been contracting in place, flew towards the goblin, burning the surrounding air.

Thud.

The goblin, unable to even think of dodging, was hit by the magic.

Fortunately, it survived. The Fire Arrow had lodged in the goblin’s thigh.

But whether that was a good thing, he didn’t know.

Crackle.

The arrow of fire pierced through the leather clothes and burned deeply inside the thigh.

“Kreeeeek!!”

The goblin screamed loudly in terrible pain.

The scream echoed through the forest, indicating the pain of burning flesh was immense.

“Good, your voice needs to be that loud for everyone to come here. Well done.”

Randel approached and swung his hand axe, severing the goblin’s neck.

Hot blood spurted out, and the headless body fell to the ground, convulsing.

“…….”

But Randel’s eyes showed no emotion as he watched the gruesome scene.

It would have been the same even if the opponent had been a human instead of a goblin.

He had lived too long a life to be swayed by the death of one or two people.

After all, he was a mediocre wizard who couldn’t even cast properly.

Moreover, he didn’t have the backing of a wizard guild, yet he was paid well as a wizard.

To the mercenaries, Randel must have looked like a walking treasure pouch.

Living among such mercenaries was like living in a pandemonium.

On top of that.

“It’s just the beginning.”

Rustle.

Randel muttered as he looked around.

The bushes ahead were shaking wildly.

“Kiieeek!”

Soon, eight goblins emerged from the bushes.

Randel gripped his hand axe firmly.

There was still a lot of blood and corpses to see today.