"What should we do?" Bush was the first to speak after I explained the situation.

"The goblins don't know we're here yet. We have two options: ambush them or avoid them for as long as possible." Miroi suggested two interesting alternatives. According to his own words, he's from a village near the marquisate's capital. His father is an adventurer and has raised him to follow in his footsteps. Thanks to all the stories and experiences passed down, his judgment is solid.

"Killing them could prevent a future ambush if one of them happens to wander nearby. But at the same time, it could alert other groups. Goblins are never truly alone—there are always hundreds." Arisa also contributed to the plan. These three kids have a better understanding of this world—two of them raised by top-tier instructors and one with field experience. I, too, have a good sense for this kind of situation, but usually only when it involves my own well-being.

"What do you think, Maki?" All eyes turned to me.

"I'm not sure. If it were just me, I'd eliminate all the goblins as soon as possible and avoid future problems." If I were alone, I'd already be executing a plan to hit and run until every goblin camp nearby was destroyed.

"How about we vote?" We all agreed to Arisa's suggestion.

"Right hand means kill them, left hand means avoid them as long as possible." We voted. Three right hands, one left. The only one against it was Miroi.

"Honestly, I'm 50/50 on the decision. I just picked 'avoid' to give myself more time to think." He laughed, looking down at the floor.

"I've never fought monsters without my dad watching. I'm scared I'll die if I make a mistake." He sighed. His words made Bush and Arisa think.

"I've never fought a monster without a safety collar. I've never even been hurt thanks to that artifact." Bush clasped his hands over his stomach and stared silently at the wall in front of him.

"Me neither. It's always been with supervision and safety." Arisa looked at me after revealing that unexpected detail.

"I've got a bit of experience. Even if I was supervised, they never had to step in." The four of us avoided eye contact. Silence filled the small cave. Arisa stared at me, then shifted her gaze to the ceiling before looking back.

"I have a plan." They all turned to look at me. No one said a word.

"You all need real combat experience. Those rabbits will be a good starting point. The only real threat is a goblin ambush. That's why I'll take out the entire camp tonight. You three can watch me from the treetops." Arisa was the first to object. After a long argument, she reluctantly agreed to the operation—but only after I promised to run if things got too dangerous. Bush and Miroi were worried at first, but eventually understood there was no changing my mind.

A couple of hours passed. Everyone had a good meal and used the "bathroom"—a couple of small caves a few meters away that we have to crawl into.

"Get ready. We leave in ten minutes." Arisa, Miroi, and Bush had been talking. I'd been resting, napping until it was time to move.

"Follow me, I'll take the lead." Miroi was behind me, with Bush and Arisa covering the rear and sides. We had already coordinated hand signals to avoid unnecessary talking.

Luck was on our side. Since it was almost night, we hadn't encountered any monsters nearby. We avoided a group of three thanks to my pseudo-domain.

I raised my left hand with a closed fist. They stopped immediately at the signal. I pointed to some trees ahead and lifted my hand in an L-shape. Instantly, they moved forward slowly and climbed up into the treetops.

From that position, they had a good view of the goblin camp. They couldn't see fine details or small movements, but they had a solid vantage point over the entire scene.

I approached as stealthily as possible, hardening my heart to face whatever might come. My mindset was clear: it's either you or them—only one survives. Even if my mind trembled, my heart was filled with courage.

I was only a few meters from their huts. Thanks to my pseudo-domain, I'd avoided detection. Most of them were in the center, cooking rabbits, while a few others were scattered. I'd start with the five in the middle.

I began building concentrated spheres—five in total.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Using my lightning step, I rushed forward. They were within my domain. I hurled a sphere at each goblin. Four of them didn't even react—their chests were pierced cleanly. The last one managed to move a little and was hit in the left side of the chest. With his final breath, he let out a scream.

Shit! That bastard managed to warn the others. I was right—every other goblin began moving toward me. Two entered my line of sight, and two more closed in from behind. I moved to find a better position and pulled out my swords from my storage bracelet, preparing to fight.

…Wait. Seriously? This is going to be tough. Within my pseudo-domain, I sensed something different—a larger bipedal creature. A second later, I saw it clearly: a hobgoblin. I was face to face with a grade-two monster once again.

Arisa's Point of View:

"Impressive… He took down five goblins in a single blow." Miroi had his mouth open, staring at the scene.

"I'm more impressed by how quickly he built those spheres. They look… different." Bush kept watching the fallen goblins.

We were all stunned by that first strike. Maki had already told me about his concentrated spheres. They were definitely devastating. None of us could survive even one hit.

"That's not a normal goblin… right?" Miroi's words made me more nervous. We couldn't tell sizes clearly at this distance—only when it stood next to a regular goblin did we realize.

"It must be a hobgoblin. They're usually the leaders of goblin groups. What should we do?" Bush was ready to jump in at any moment. I nearly rushed in, but stopped myself—Maki would've been furious if we acted recklessly.

"Guys… while you were sleeping, Maki told me something. He can fight grade-two monsters. The problem is the goblins around him. Should we help?" My heart was torn—half wanted to run in and help, the other half trusted completely in his victory. They both looked at me, surprised, then started thinking.

"We can't intervene without a plan. If we rush in and get attacked, Maki will have even more on his plate. Should we sneak closer?" Bush's words made sense. If we get in the way, it'll only make things worse.

"So what now? Do we sneak in or wait a little longer?" Miroi looked at us, waiting for an answer.

With a heavy heart, I said it: "We wait, weapons ready. If things go well, Maki can win. If we see him trying to flee, we'll jump in and help against the goblins." They both nodded in agreement.

Maki already had his swords drawn. He was also creating spheres—six of them, surrounding him. All were launched toward nearby goblins, and he charged at the hobgoblin.

The monster wielded a weapon resembling an axe—wooden handle, metal head. Where did it even get that?

The first clash was fast—Maki deflected the axe with one blade and slashed the hobgoblin's thigh with the other. He created a sphere behind his back while dodging enemy strikes. When the hobgoblin swung wide and missed, it was Maki's turn—he fired the sphere at point-blank range. But the damn monster used a movement skill to dodge just in time. The good news? The sphere hit a goblin behind him and disintegrated it on the spot. Only six goblins remained—and one grade-two.

Maki used his movement skill again to appear next to a goblin already hit by a sphere. He decapitated it in one clean swing. He dashed to another trying to stand up, but had to dodge a rock—his swing missed and only severed its arm. At least it was incapacitated.

He created six more spheres—these looked weaker, probably the normal ones. He threw one at the goblin on the ground, leaving it unconscious or dead. The hobgoblin roared with rage and rushed at Maki using its movement skill. Be careful.

Maki's Point of View:

Only five goblins and this bastard left. I have a real chance to win this. Now, my Imra-infused cuts can pierce through its defenses. I could even win using just my swords, but I'm burning through mana recklessly—I've never seen my reserves drop this low.

The exchange is brutal. I've taken no hits so far, and I'm landing small cuts—slowly wearing down its strength and speed. Sensing four goblins approaching within 10 meters, I fired spheres at full power. Two were hit directly and sent flying. The other two dodged at the last second.

I kept stepping back while dueling the hobgoblin. I couldn't let myself get surrounded. I created another sphere quickly and launched it at the monster's feet—it jumped back. I used that moment to dash toward one of the dodging goblins. It tried to block, but in vain—I sliced off its arm and head with two quick strikes.

Its companion screamed and charged at me. I had to dodge—my previous position was hit by a massive axe strike. This bastard wouldn't let me finish off the small fry. Only four left. I can do this.

I rushed at the two remaining goblins. My mind was running at full speed, dodging both at once. One tried to slash me while the other lunged with claws.

I used a wide swing of its axe to position myself near the goblin. It tried to strike, but my fortified construct held. It couldn't pierce through. At that moment, I stabbed my sword into its chest and jumped back with my movement skill.

The last two were slowly getting up. The hobgoblin was getting angrier—his judgment clouded. His strikes were becoming more predictable. Time to try and finish this grade-two bastard.

I began crafting a spiked electric sphere. There was one way to catch him off guard. He stared at me, sensing the danger. Without hesitation, he charged in.

I dodged his strikes, waiting for a wide swing. When it came—I didn't move, letting him believe he had me.

I saw that stupid grin—he thought he had won. But he hadn't. I shifted slightly—his axe knocked one of my swords away and embedded itself in the ground. He tried to punch me, but my construct held—barely. I grabbed his arm and fired the sphere at point-blank.

I dashed away as soon as it hit. The sphere tore through his torso and struck a goblin behind him, leaving only one standing—frozen in shock at his leader's death. I rushed at him and plunged my last sword through his chest in one motion. Before leaving, I finished off the goblin on the ground.

My mana reserves were nearly gone. My head throbbed from overuse. As I picked up my sword, I realized what I'd just done.

I WON! I DEFEATED THEM ALL BY MYSELF! Joy surged through me—and I felt three people enter my domain. I turned toward them and gave them a thumbs-up.

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