Soon, we arrived at the village. A cave started to come into view beyond the exhausted goblins crawling around. It looked like about three of them were out in front of the cave, and they seemed so peaceful that it warmed my heart.
Now it’s about to get chaotic.
“Alright. They haven’t noticed us yet. Give the signal and jump. We’ll ambush those goblins in front of the cave.”
“Ugh…!”
“Huuh, huuh!”
Oh Geunshik, Jang Yeomin, and Do Samcheol, all three warriors, were breathing heavily, gripping their weapons in excitement.
We began to pick up the pace, stepping quickly, eager to swiftly take out the goblins in front of the cave. If we could do that, things would get easier.
But then—
—Kuh-whoom!
“Craack!”
Suddenly, Jang Yeomin, who was walking in front, tripped over a tree root!
“Kerekk!”
“Kerraaaak!”
With that, we were discovered by the goblins!
This idiot really couldn’t stop screwing things up…!
“Damn it! There’s no choice! Let’s fight! Form up—”
“Uh, uaaaah!”
“Kyaaaaaa!”
But those bastards seemed to have taken some bad drugs because they suddenly charged in, screaming!
“Hey, hey! Wait! Stop! Form up!”
Even though I shouted, the excited warriors didn’t listen. Oh Geunshik and Do Samcheol charged forward wildly instead of forming ranks.
“Uaaaaah!”
“Die! Diiiie!”
The brave warriors dove in and fought against the goblins.
“Damn it! I said form up!”
I yelled in vain, but the situation spiraled out of my control.
Desperate, I rushed over to Oh Geunshik, who was swinging his weapon wildly.
—Swoosh!
“Kerekk!”
A poor goblin fell before I could even finish. I quickly scanned the area. Any goblin reinforcements? It looked like a few were coming from the cave, but nothing outside.
Where are my teammates?
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Haah!”
Do Samcheol and Jang Yeomin were each wildly swinging their weapons off in different directions.
“Oh Geunshik! Let’s join Jang Yeomin over there and help Do Samcheol! It’s dangerous to fight spread out! Form up!”
“Ugh, ugh! Got it!”
“Kerraaaak!”
A goblin lunged at my left with a stone spear.
With a malicious expression and a killing intent in its eyes.
I caught it right on time.
“Form!”
Executing the technique I succeeded with before, I raised my sword.
—Thwack!
The goblin’s spear flew up, and I slashed it down, finishing it off.
“Oh…!”
Another success! This technique has become completely mine. With two successes under my belt, my senses sharpened and my confidence soared. I could use it whenever I wanted now.
Feeling that high, I moved toward Jang Yeomin along with Oh Geunshik.
“Haaaaap!”
All alone, Jang Yeomin was running and rolling around, putting up a meaningless fight against multiple goblins.
And I told her to form up.
“Jang Yeomin! Come here!”
“Huuh, huuh! I’m still alive!”
No matter how well-armed a human male is, when three goblins with stone spears attack at once, there’s not much they can do.
We stabilized the situation by retrieving Jang Yeomin and taking down the goblins.
It was a bit precarious, but manageable. The intel about this being a small village was correct. They seemed to have minimal reinforcements, and since Do Samcheol was fighting over there, we’d likely win smoothly.
“Then let’s join up with Do Samcheol—”
—Whoosh!
Just as I was about to shout something.
—Kuh-whoom!
Suddenly, Do Samcheol fell to the ground.
Huh?
“Ugh!”
Do Samcheol rolled on the ground.
For a moment, it felt like time stopped.
Did Do Samcheol just… fly? Did Red Bull give him wings? Red Bull in the Martial Arts World, that’s bizarre.
“Kyaaaaa!”
Then an even weirder goblin appeared.
It was broader and had a head that was at least one size bigger than the others. Its body was adorned with bestial bones and armor, and it wielded a stone hammer.
“Boss…!”
It knocked Do Samcheol away!
“Ugh!”
Do Samcheol is trying to get up while spitting blood… We need to regroup and fight together fast! Being scared of a boss means certain doom!
As my anxiety surged, it ignited my fighting spirit.
“The chief! It’s the chief!”
“I haven’t heard about this, ugh!”
Panic ensued.
Oh Geunshik and Jang Yeomin, who were on either side, turned and fled!
What the hell?!
“Hey, you bastards! Where are you going?!”
Do I need to run as well?!
In that instant, I thought about it, but my mind was set to fight, so I was slower to escape than the others. And that meant I was in the most danger.
If I turned my back and ran now, I’d become the target!
—Pow!
“Ugh!”
The goblins surrounding the chief began stabbing Do Samcheol’s back with their spears. A terrible stench of blood. It was a clear death sentence.
“Grrk!”
—Boom!
At that moment, the chief ordered the remaining goblins to charge at me. Yes, he sent them to kill the fleeing Oh Geunshik and Jang Yeomin.
“Gru-urk!”
The chief huffed and stomped closer to me.
“Damn…!”
Is he challenging me to a duel right now?
Let’s see what happens!
“Kraaaah!”
The chief roared and charged at me. His speed was incredible. He must have the agility of a sprinter. And the fact that he’s barefoot and moving like that? Does he have internal energy?
If I had turned my back and run against such a monster, I would have been finished.
But—
I didn’t run.
I was going to fight and kill him.
As a hero, that’s what I would do!
“Huuh!”
Just as I learned. I rooted myself firmly to the ground, focusing my strength in my legs, aiming with precision at the goblin who was charging at me with its hammer raised.
—Pow.
Leaping forward, I thrust my sword.
With my superior reach compared to the hammer, and the chief’s foolish charge, the two converged, and my sword pierced his neck—
—Pow!
Or at least, that’s what should have happened!
At that moment, he jumped up, and my blade just grazed his bone armor before sliding off, cutting only a little bit of his forearm!
“Graah!”
“Huh!”
The chief swung his hammer as he landed. I barely raised my arm to block it, but—
—Thwack!
“Gah!”
I got hit!
Even with my armor on, there’s no way to fully block the impact from a hammer. It felt like my damage resistance took a serious hit! Overwhelming pain seared through my arm!
“Grah!”
But there was no time to groan in pain.
My arm?
Looks like it’s not broken!
It just really hurts!
If I hadn’t bought this armor, it might have actually broken, and that would have been deadly!
“I’m diving!”
Instantly, I threw myself to the ground and rolled. It was an ugly roll, but I barely dodged the chief’s follow-up strike. If the outcome is good, who cares if it’s ugly? It can even look heroic. Therefore, this wasn’t just a roll; it was a divine roll!
“Grrg!”
Seeing this, the goblin chief sneered.
How dare he!
“You little bastard…!”
“Grurk!”
A lesser creature is daring to mock me!
I quickly crouched down, sweeping my hand across the ground. At the same time, I threw sand into the chief’s face.
—Whap!
“Grrk?!”
The chief blocked his face with his arm.
Cowardice? That doesn’t exist in this world. Right now, I’m in a life-or-death battle with him. I can’t understand why I’m having to fight a monster in this godforsaken place, but if I don’t kill him, I’m dead. Talking about cowardice is a luxury.
“Uaaaaah!”
I swept my hands across the ground again and charged. The chief loosened his guard to retaliate, but—
“Eat this again, you bastard!”
—Whap!
Once again, I threw sand at his face!
“Grrk!”
This time the chief took the sand in his eyes and strained to open them as he lunged at me. But in his haste, he wildly swung his hammer, allowing me to evade his attack.
Thus—
In that evasive state, I raised my sword like lightning!
“Dieeeee!”
With all my might, I slashed diagonally!
“Grrk!”
The chief hastily raised his arm to block me. Its arm was covered in beast bones. The most primitive armor.
But those loosely attached bones had no chance against my sword.
—Swoosh!
My blade grazed past the bones and deeply cut his arm.
I felt my blade touch his bone.
“Keek!”
Blood splattered. The wounded chief wildly swung the stone hammer in his other hand. I took the gamble. It was better to take a blow to my arm than let that blind hammer shatter my skull.
As I swung my arm, fortunately, instead of hitting my forearm, I was able to cut the inside of his wrist. The hammer was neutralized.
“Uaaaaah!”
I let out a shout and tackled the chief.
In close-quarters, it’s grappling!
“Grrr!”
The chief fell backward, trying desperately to shake me off. Instead of punching him in the face, I slammed my armored forearm into him.
—Crack!
As expected, the chief went to bite down on my armor. It was almost instinctual, and I had planned for it.
—Swoosh.
I pulled out a dagger with my other hand.
“You’re finished!”
With that—
—Thwack!
I stabbed him just below his ribs!
“Grr?!”
The sharp dagger pierced into his flesh. The chief twitched as if struck by lightning, his eyes widening in shock.
I won’t show mercy!
“Die! Just die already!”
—Stab!
—Stab!
I repeatedly pulled out the dagger and stabbed him again. Initially, he twisted and shrieked, but after about five stabs, he seemed to lose strength and let go of my armor.
“Guah…!”
—Swoosh!
With a slicing motion, I wiped the blood off my blade. I lifted the blood-stained dagger high.
And then—
“It’s over!”
—Thwack!
I stabbed the dagger’s tip into his eye!
—Tremble…
A strong convulsion.
Then—
—Thud.
A certain death.
The goblin chief collapsed.
As I realized this—
“Ugh, uaaaaahhh!”
I howled like Luffy witnessing Ace’s death.
A powerful rush of victory filled my mind. And the explosive energy I had just exerted caused a strong release of tension. I poured all of it out in the form of a scream.
I killed him, I killed the goblin chief!
I defeated a boss mob that looked unmistakably strong!
I defeated a powerful demon leader from the Hundred and Eight Demon Regions!
If I had chosen to flee, I would have died! But I stood my ground, unleashing all my accumulated experience, overpowering and killing the chief!
“Kyaaah!”
After a while of roaring, I popped the lid on my canteen and gulped down water.
“Ahh!”
Drinking the water helped clear my mind a bit… This isn’t the time to dawdle. It’s not safe here. If there are goblin remnants left, it’ll be a big deal.
Just as I was trying to find cover and devise a plan to reunite with my teammates—
“Umm?”
Suddenly, a faint light began to seep out from the chief’s chest. It seemed as if something glowing was inside, shining through his skin.
“What is this…?”
My guard was up instantly.
At the same time, my curiosity surged.
What the heck is that…?
“…”
I swallowed hard, cautiously putting my hand on his chest. Could I feel warmth? There definitely seemed to be something there.
“Ah!”
No point in being shy. I promptly stabbed my dagger just above where his heart should be, cutting away the flesh to pull out whatever was inside.
“This is…!”
It was a small, green-glowing orb.
An orb.
An orb…?
“Inner Core?!”
No way, is this the Inner Core?!
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