God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World!

Chapter 226: The Castle in the forest

In an unknown location, two individuals were talking.

”The last assassination resulted in failure, and we lost two of our best men... and you’re saying the reason for this loss was because he had the help of the Adventure Guild?”

”Exactly. Now that he’s independent, it’s much easier to strike and take revenge.” The other nodded confidently.

”Are you sure about that? We all saw clips of his massacre during the Inter-Guild Display Event.”

”This time we won’t send a bunch of low-level adventurers.”

”So what do you suggest?”

”Experienced, powerful Hero-ranked mercenaries— not one, but two.” The figure smiled mischievously. ”He will pay for destroying our auction with his blood!”

Inside the forest, there was a large clearing filled with craters and shattered trees. Monster parts lay sprawled across the ground, some turning to ash while blood mist clung heavily in the air.

A red-haired figure wielding a greatsword stood at the center, chest rising and falling slowly.

Naturally, this person was none other than Gabriel. He was calmly observing the aftermath of his battle.

After entering the forest, he had encountered several monsters. Fearlessly, they had launched the first attack—but now, all of them were dead.

”It’s quite hard to stack extraction when you’re gaining and extracting at the same time,” he muttered with a frown.

His current Extraction Points stood at only 99. This was because while he gained EP from killing monsters, he was also actively extracting again, leaving his base EP stagnant.

Still, he wasn’t complaining. The haul from the mission was decent. His eyes glinted as he briefly summoned the summary tab of his system.

[Steel Longsword ×8 | Reinforced Kite Shield ×6 | Wolf Fang Dagger ×12 | Emberforged Battle Axe ×4 | Ranger’s Composite Bow ×7 | Iron Chainmail ×10 | Leather Brigandine ×5 | Hunter’s Cloak ×3 | Potion of Minor Healing ×15 | Stamina portion×8 | Smoke Bomb ×5 | Throwing Knives ×5 | Warhorn of Rally ×2 | Traveler’s Map Fragment ×1 | Low-Grade Mana Crystal ×12 | Elixir of Recovery ×4 | Corrosive Venom Bomb ×3 | Crimson Band (Ring) ×1 | Tactical Combat Knife ×6

| Flashbang ×4 ]

With this, he was confident he could arm his troupe and increase the overall defense of the camp. But deep down, Gabriel felt it was still not enough.

At that moment, he realized he didn’t know the exact number of troops he had, excluding the refugees.

Just to be on the safe side, he decided to hunt more.

But little did he know, the noise and scent of blood had caught the attention of one of the forest’s dwellers.

Deep within the woods, on a hill stood a crude stone castle. At its edge, a large hobgoblin in tribal attire observed a group of individuals with names hovering above their heads.

These were players— or ”otherworlders,” as the inhabitants of this world referred to them. The hobgoblin watched them with a calm, calculating gaze.

”This is the fifth time we’ve tried to invade this castle. I’ve already lost enough levels. At this point, I think we should retreat and abandon it,” said the first, dressed in beaten armor and carrying a half-broken sword.

”Dumbass. So you’ll throw this away just like that? Have you forgotten this is a unique quest that promises a special reward?” another snickered. ”Besides, the guild leader would be furious if we don’t complete it.”

The last of the group frowned. ”I think we should regroup and come back. What do you two think?”

”Yes, let’s do that... only our ChaosKnight guild knows about this quest. We can always return.”

A consensus was quickly reached, and they slowly logged out. After several failed attempts at conquering the castle, they had decided to call in reinforcements.

Some time later, after they had left the scene, Gabriel burst out from a cluster of trees. The first thing his eyes fell on was the castle looming proudly on the hills.

Instantly, his gaze sharpened as a thought struck him. ’This castle... why does it feel so familiar?

He didn’t find the presence of a castle in the middle of the forest strange. This world was like an open RPG, after all. But staring at the structure, he couldn’t shake the eerie sense of familiarity.

Suddenly, things clicked in his head, and he recalled where he had seen it before.

In his past life, there had been a quest titled Invader. According to its creator, it required players to invade the hobgoblin castle and claim a powerful treasure.

Details about the treasure had never been revealed, but Gabriel remembered it had caused quite the stir back then.

He stepped out fully from the treeline and began to approach the castle.

As he drew closer, a notification rang out:

[You have discovered: Hobgoblin Fortress]

[Warning: This area contains Elite Monsters.]

A faint grin tugged at his lips. ”So it really is this place.”

He remembered clearly how the Warmongers Guild in his past life had stumbled upon this exact location. They weren’t particularly strong, but luck had been on their side. They had secured the blueprint hidden within and sold it to the Holy Church for insane profits. That single event gave the Church an advantage that lasted for years.

But this time, it would be his to claim.

To reach the castle, Gabriel scaled the hill. After about five minutes, he arrived at the top.

From here, he had a clearer view of the stone structure. Broken palisades. A narrow ramp path. Two towers misaligned with the gate. The quest from his past life had called it a fortress, but to Gabriel, it looked closer to a lair.

He moved along the left flank, advancing forward without even bothering to be sneaky. Soon, he stumbled across two lazy Hobgoblins.

Quickly, using Burrow Shift to appear before them, his blade flashed twice in the air and the two bodies dropped lifelessly to the ground.

He moved along the left flank, advancing forward without even bothering to be sneaky. Soon, he stumbled across two lazy Hobgoblins.

Quickly, using Burrow Shift to appear before them, his blade flashed twice in the air and the two bodies dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Soon he arrived at the gate, locked by two giant chains. With one swing of his weapon, the chains were severed and the doors flung open, alerting the Hobgoblins patrolling the courtyard.

...

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