Chapter 58: Experiment

Lacking elite individuals, goblins could perhaps rely on their numerical advantage to boost morale and launch charges at enemies.

But whenever they discovered the huge disparity in strength between enemy and ally, and encountered strong and decisive counterattacks, their combat effectiveness would plummet accordingly.

Right now, my exaggerated achievement of "four with one sword" had obviously scared the guts out of those vile and cowardly green-skinned mongrels.

I even saw a goblin dragging at the back of the group, arriving late, who after discovering the miserable fate of the four companions in front of it.

Its body that had been charging with bared fangs and claws suddenly stopped in place as if hitting the brakes, leaving two pathetic footprints on the soft meadow.

It suddenly turned around,

Even throwing the wooden club in its hand aside, shrieking in terror as it fled.

The memory of the goblin cave at the beginning of my crossing was still fresh.

I naturally couldn't let these cockroach-like, disgusting trash beasts escape.

I strode forward in pursuit, the iron-gray beheading longsword raised high at an angle. Once it fell, it would end the other party's short life.

Suddenly, as if remembering something.

My body paused, withdrawing the raised longsword to my side, sword tip pointing forward.

My arms bent, changing to a charging posture.

Like a machine executing a pre-set program, my originally fluid movements became stiff and awkward.

My right leg stepped forward.

"Forward Thrust!"

Cold light flashed, the resistance of sharp blade entering flesh transmitted through the sword hilt in my hand.

Without any suspense, the panicked fleeing goblin was pierced through the chest and abdomen by the sword tip.

The enemy had completely lost combat capability.

But I wasn't satisfied with this, my brows slightly furrowed.

No matter how talented I was, half a month's time had only gotten me this far.

And using such unskilled, stiff combat skill movements in high-intensity combat was undoubtedly suicidal.

Right now, I was just trying to prove my speculation.

The anticipated semi-transparent characters reading "Proficiency +1" didn't appear. My face couldn't help but show a contemplative expression.

I casually delivered the finishing blow, stabbing to death the goblin still convulsing and struggling on the ground.

My gaze looked to the side.

Two goblins were crouching low, hovering at the edge of the battlefield, seemingly wanting to sneak around from the side to attack the ordinary people in the rear of the caravan.

They just seemed too focused and hadn't noticed that I'd already finished my fight.

Without hesitation, and not concealing my movements at all, I quickly stepped forward.

Facing the two goblins turning around in panic, the beheading longsword instantly chopped down.

The sharp blade easily tore through flesh.

The goblin's thin body was split in half as a result.

And the other green-skinned rat I'd deliberately left alive, in its terror, also swung down the club in its hand at me.

Its morale had already hit rock bottom; the attack was purely a reaction driven by survival instinct.

That falling club was light and powerless, without any force.

But I appeared exceptionally focused, both eyes staring intently at that wooden stick with dirt and bloodstains on its surface.

My wrist pressed down, sword tip angled downward.

"Thud."

A dull sound rang out in the air.

The club feebly knocked against the sword body, and the resulting reactive force made the goblin's thin arm tremble violently.

"Block and Upward Slash!"

My hands gripping the sword hilt suddenly exerted force. At the next moment after blocking the opponent's attack.

I stepped forward, slashing upward.

Blood splattered.

Half a goblin head, spraying red and white viscous liquid, spun and rolled to the ground.

The attribute panel still showed no movement.

"Take it slowly then."

I sighed slightly in my heart.

First, through the way I'd obtained those last two points of proficiency in 【Whirlwind Slash】, it could be confirmed that:

At the combat skill level, I possessed an improvement speed far exceeding my predecessor's.

But as for the specific reasons, lacking experiments, I could only blindly speculate whether it was the convenience brought by the attribute panel, or because "actual combat" compared to daily training could greatly improve the efficiency of proficiency acquisition.

The reason I'd just used those two "suspected" combat skills I wasn't proficient with was also to test whether I could speed up their training progress through actual combat.

As for the result... naturally I'd seen it all.

"Perhaps the experimental quantity is too small, insufficient to reach a qualitative change?"

I thought inwardly.

But my gaze looked toward other directions of the battlefield, at those goblins retreating under the adventurers' counterattack.

......

The battle came suddenly and ended quickly.

Counting from when I'd slashed that sword of 【Whirlwind Slash】, in less than ten minutes, the grass by the caravan had returned to calm again.

Worth mentioning was that, as if some kind of unspoken rule among adventurers, those goblins—not a single one could escape their blades.

23 of them, dead every last one.

One had even fled to the edge of the nearby woods, about to disappear into the dense underbrush.

But was caught up to by a fast-running adventurer, who brought it back carrying its head.

The disgusting habits of these green-skinned rats were perhaps one reason.

But I felt it was more likely that the adventurers in the group were reluctant to part with its three silver and seven copper bounty.

Cleaning up the battlefield.

These goblins with nothing but rags and wooden clubs all over their bodies didn't have anything worth fighting over anyway.

Just like before, we cut off their left ears to take to the Guild to exchange for the bounty.

"Huff... huff..."

Jeff gasped heavily for breath, his long-handled spear supporting him on the ground, his simple linen clothes still stained with some goblin blood.

This plain and honest middle-aged man who didn't even talk back when a drunkard provoked him.

Facing the goblins attacking the caravan, he'd acted completely out of character, appearing exceptionally brave and fearless.

As if he'd become a different person, gritting his teeth and charging at the very front of the formation, even faster than me.

If it weren't for his somewhat crude combat skills, people would believe it if you said he was some barbarian.

Watching everyone preparing to clean up the battlefield, Jeff hesitated, then suddenly cleared his throat.

"Everyone, we plan to rest in Karanfor for two full days, but there's no Adventurer's Guild there, and adding the return journey time, carrying these 'spoils of war' might not be very convenient."

"If you don't mind, these goblins' bounties can be counted in the escort compensation. After we return to River Valley Town, I'll settle it for everyone."

Right now it was Flower Bloom Month, almost one of the hottest months of the year.

A few days' time was enough for those goblin ears to spoil and stink.

It was just that for their bounty, adventurers often didn't care.

Now that the caravan captain made this proposal, the guards present were naturally happy to save some effort and couldn't help cheering.

Inserting the short dagger I'd already taken in hand back to my waist, I looked at Jeff with some surprise.

Clearly when eating a meal at the tavern, he only ate the cheapest set meal, even his clothes were coarse cloth patched together.

Yet he could be so generous, spending close to two digits' worth of gold coins to provide subsidies for the accompanying adventurers.

You really deserve to make money.

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