[Floor 7]
[Mission Type – Exploration]
[Goal – Investigate the unknown area!]
Unlike on the sixth floor, my comrades stared at the mission window expectantly.
"I suppose we're sightseeing again."
Shanny said with alerted gaze despite her humorous words.
I tried to walk through the northern path we went through on the sixth floor.
As expected, there was now a barrier preventing me from going further.
"We will be heading west now. Get into formation!"
I ordered my comrades.
Using the same formation with Shanny and Jonah leading the front, our party marched through the westward mountain path with careful gazes and steps.
I immediately poured my mist of mana and deployed the detection field around us.
My mana began searching for any hostiles hiding within the crevices of the slopes to our right.
We followed the western path for a good forty minutes.
Forty long minutes of battle-ready march.
We did not lose our guard for even a second, even though this was not a Quintal Trial.
We were not foolish enough to underestimate the tower's mission.
A slice of goblin's dagger across our neck or a puncture of goblin's arrow through our skull would be enough to kill us. No matter it happened during the Quintal Trial or not.
As if our perfect wariness warded off the enemies around us, we did not encounter any monsters during our long march.
While maintaining guard and keeping our visions to every side, we began to converse among ourselves.
"This path is longer than the sixth floor."
Trudy commented as we strode along the mountain path.
"We probably should've bring some water containers and perhaps food in case of a long journey like this."
Jonah said.
I nodded to him.
"Once we return, I'll ask Pauline to prepare rations and tell Gerrits to craft some travelling and camping equipment. As long as they store the supplies inside the storage, I could always open up a portal to take them anytime we're in the trial."
At the end of my sentence, we caught sight of another crossroad ahead.
We slowed our pace as we approached the crossroad, anticipating any ambush the enemies had set for us.
But once we arrived at the fork, only the sound of breezing wind and an oddity welcomed us.
The peculiarity in question was toward one of the paths heading north.
It did not turn eastward like the one in the previous crossroad.
This one extended straight into the northern range.
But that was not peculiar.
What was strange about this path was that it was completely buried in rocks just like the small valley that led to the northern ocean.
From where we were we could see where this buried path ended.
It trailed to a vast opening surrounded by the tall rocky hills. They resembled a crater from how the ridges were surrounding the opening.
And same as the path, the entire opening was also buried in great piles of rocks and boulders.
I could see from a gouged mountain far beyond us that the rocky debris came from there.
"What do you think this path was leading to?"
Darius asked, eyeing the buried road.
The entire region was completely covered in rocks.
It was impossible to tell what was lying underneath, except that whatever was under there must had been huge, the size of the first floor of the lobby at the very least.
I extended my hand toward the buried path and found myself stroking a transparent barrier.
"Whatever is at the end of this path, or used to be, can't be discovered right now. The trial won't let us tread beyond this point."
I told my party. I continued.
"Let's proceed west."
The others did not question about the buried path anymore and immediately began walking through the other way forward.
Of course, we did not encounter another barrier on the other path.
Still with great vigilance, we treaded on and on to the west.
Around ten-minute mark we began hearing the faint sound of water rushing.
I signaled my comrades to slow their pace once more and be at the ready for battle.
There was a sharp turn coming ahead of us.
My detection field still did not detect any enemies just beyond the turn.
But I could tell the shifting point could reveal us the area my mist could not reach.
We stopped just before the turn and peered our head to spy on what was ahead.
Just as expected from the sound of water rushing, there was a dam about three more turns ahead from where we stood.
The path had begun to slope downward, so the dam was in a lower elevation from where we were, causing us to stare down to it.
The dam was pitted between two steep cliffs, connected by a robust wooden bridge just in front of the water wall.
There was a spill gate at the bottom of the dam which flowed out gushes of water from upstream in the mountains.
The water streamed down in-between the steep cliffs, through the ravine, and flowed all the way into a tiny lake sitting by the flank of the grand valley to our left.
The intact dam and bridge were quite a sight since all the constructions we had seen in the trials so far had already been ruined.
If only the dozens of goblins striding along the bridge were not there, we would had immediately come out to the open and splendor the sight from even closer.
[Goblin Lv.9 x23]
I turned to my comrades to give my instructions.
"As usual, we'll have to take care of the monsters. Unfortunately, I can't use my magic freely since I would risk destroying the bridge."
"So how are we going to do this?"
Trudy asked.
"We'll have to make do with your weapons. Jonah, Shanny, you two lead the charge and break through the enemies till we cross the bridge. Trudy, handle any stragglers left behind by those two. Darius and I will support you three from the rear."
I made a second look toward Jonah.
"Don't use your exploding spears. We can't risk the bridge collapsing."
My comrades immediately nodded to my orders.
They did not need specific questions on how to do the instructions since we had practiced such scenario when we were levelling up Darius on the fourth floor.
We began stealthily marched through the mountain path toward the dam.
Thankfully we were going down toward the enemies, not up. So we could hide ourselves through the side of the path where the goblins could not see us from down the bridge.
As soon as we settled ourselves behind a huge rock just a stone-throw away from the bridge, we prepared to begin our assault.
23 goblins.
Eight were each armed with a crossbow. Fifteen with a machete. All were leather-armored.
Six goblins standing on our side of the bridge. Two with crossbows, four with the machetes.
Seven directly on the bridge. Three with crossbows, four with machetes.
Ten on the far side. Three with crossbows, seven with machetes.
I waved my hand and enchanted a palm-sized rock to hover to my side while Darius nocked an arrow to his bow.
We each took aim on the crossbow goblins, Darius the right, I was the left.
Shanny, Jonah, and Trudy gripped their weapons and readied their feet to spring forward anytime.
I flicked my wrist forward and caused the rock to shoot out speedily like one of my fireballs. At the same time, Darius released his pinch on the bow string and launched the arrow.
The rock struck the goblin on its skull and punched a new hole through.
Darius's arrow pierced another goblin lifeless.
With our assault initiations, my three other comrades leaped ahead with their weapons ready to claim the rest of the monsters.