Chapitre 87: Tree climbing

Jade has disappeared up into a tree and I'm left to incredulously stare at the map. We really posted them off big time, didn't we?

Both elves I have seen so far had high levels. The first was at level 80 and the one currently fighting the skull goblins is at level 73.

So elves truly are as the legends describe them?

<You've never met one? They are just as they are made out to be. Good looking beyond measure but stuck up, prideful, and completely crazy when it comes to their dignity.>

So they are not going to stop at anything before they have annihilated us? At least the diversion is a success.

With a crashing sound, a body falls from the treetops and hits the ground. Looks like Jade nabbed herself an elf. Wait, did she bite him in the...

My condolences brother elf, may your future children rest in peace.

The elf isn't dead yet and manages to stand up albeit clearly wounded. The sound from his fall has attracted a few skull goblins to rush over and engage him. I take another glance at the map and decide to let Jade handle this.

The number of elves we pissed off is not small and I would like to keep their attention on us as long as possible.

I'm fairly sure that they are all traveling through the treetops and if they have as many archers as legends say the skull goblins won't stand a chance. I managed to make one of them come down but that was due to both a surprise attack and there only being one. If the group noticed that I was the only one throwing javelins I would be transformed into a pincushion full of arrows without fail.

I open my status in the hope of having some skill that can help me out of this.

Status Guy Lv.15 Goblin instructor

Mp 10+34+0

Strength 5+34+11

Constitution 5+34+13

Speed 5+34+8

Magic ability 0+34+0

Skills:

universal humanoid language, universal monster language, dungeon map

Sword use lv. 1; enhanced stamina lv. 3; dismantling lv. 5; breathing technique lv. 3; trap making lv. 4; dagger use lv. 4; throwing lv. 4; slash lv. 1; cleaning lv. 1; instructing lv.2; camp construction lv.1; instructor's assessment lv.1; stealth lv.1; make-shift crafting lv.1; soul vision lv.1; enhanced stomach capacity lv.1

I'm pleasantly surprised by the five levels I gained from killing just one elf but my search for a skill that can force the elves off of the treetops is fruitless.

Damn, where is my main protagonist power? Why isn't there some skill that was there for years and suddenly becomes useful?!

Right, I'm just an ordinary guy named Guy, no way I would be the protagonist in any story.

Without a skill that's suited for the situation, I'll just have to do it the good old-fashioned way. I'll climb up there and make as many of them as possible fall. If I use the dungeon map to my advantage I should be able to do it.

I start to climb up a tree and find that doing so is harder than I thought. The trunk is too smooth for me to get a good grip and the branches are all further up. I won't make it like this!

I pull out my daggers and ram them into the tree trunk. My strength stat is at 50 so I have no problem lifting my own body weight even with just one arm. Using the daggers as handles I ascend the tree while leaving a trail of cuts behind me but I don't have the time to think about environmental damage right now.

Finally up in the treetops, I use the dungeon map to locate the closest elf and start to sneak over.

Sneaking over branches is absurdly hard. Every time I shift my weight and inch forward a little the wood below me groans as the branch bends. If it wasn't for the skull goblins raising hell as they fight on the ground I think I would already have been detected. Once I'm back I gotta spend some time increasing the level of my stealth skill.

Also, I want to learn magic! The elves can use it and even Jade used something that looked like magic. I want to be able to throw fireballs at my enemies!

Great, I really want to burn this swampy forest to the ground.

Zip it, I need to concentrate.

I carefully brush aside a branch and have a visual of the elf. He is crouching on a branch while firing arrows from his bow.

I cautiously sneak up behind him while making sure I don't touch the branch he's on. The battle noise may hide the wood's groaning but if the branch he's on suddenly bends he will surely notice.

Finally, I'm positioned on a branch behind him. I slowly bend my knees to prepare for a leap and when I feel like he's paying the least attention to me I jump.

The elf is in the middle of drawing back his bow after knocking in an arrow when he lets go of the arrow and tries to turn.

But it's too late! Before he has any chance to stop me I reach him and shove him off the branch. He wasn't expecting a push instead of an attack so he falls without giving me any trouble. The only issue, I too am falling.