Chapter 7: Four of Them

Bear Goblin, One of the goblin variants.

As evil and greedy as their scrawny, frail cousins, bear goblins possessed a genetically mutated, robust physique and swift agility.

Cold-blooded and ferocious, they had a degree of intelligence, with a rudimentary grasp of goblin tongue and Common.

Some assassin organizations in the western continent even specifically recruited young bear goblins, training them into professional killers.

Almost every bear goblin, upon reaching adulthood, had the potential to become the leader of a goblin tribe.

And with a bear goblin “boss,” the tribe’s boldness and destructiveness would multiply under their brutal rule and formidable strength.

But on the other hand, compared to the cockroach-like ubiquity of goblins across the continent, bear goblins were relatively rare.

After reaching adulthood, they often left their groups to fend for themselves, scattered sparsely among various goblin tribes.

Most of the time, with underlings to satisfy their greed for food and treasure, bear goblins didn’t even bother to act themselves, lounging in their lairs like dragons.

Unless they were overly greedy or extremely unlucky, low-tier adventurers rarely encountered them within their usual range.

But if they did come face-to-face with this, the most powerful of goblin-kind, the fate of adventurers without even a professional rank was obvious.

Roar—

A low, aggressive growl echoed through the spacious cave.

A towering figure, nearly seven feet tall, slowly rose, its coarse reddish-brown fur covering thick, bear-like muscles. Yellowish-brown eyes glinted dangerously in the firelight, and viscous, foul-smelling drool dripped from two tusks protruding from its lower jaw.

Most striking was the mace at its feet, nearly half a man’s height.

The slender handle made the blackened mace head stand out, the ground slightly sunken from its weight. The steel spikes studding the mace’s surface made it hard to imagine the gruesome result of a direct hit.

“Gagu, hold it off!!!”

After a moment of panic, the relatively experienced hunter Maji snapped back, shouting loudly at the half-beastman at the front.

Escape was impossible.

They were just over ten meters from the bear goblin. With its superhuman explosive power, it could close the gap in a blink.

Though the cave was fairly wide, it only allowed two to walk side by side—not nearly enough space to scatter and flee.

Turning to run and exposing their backs would likely result in all three being torn to shreds before reaching the entrance.

They had to strike first!

“Xia Nan, handle the goblins on the side!”

A single bear goblin was already a life-or-death struggle.

If they had to deal with those annoying green-skinned rats during the fight, their survival odds would drop even further.

So Maji had no choice but to trust the rookie who’d just shown his ability, hoping he could clear the goblins and give them an uninterrupted chance to focus fire on the bear goblin.

Maji’s tense shout snapped me back to reality.

Before I could fully react, I saw Gagu at the front, gripping his heavy double-handed axe, roaring as he charged at the bear goblin.

I sensed something was wrong.

Unlike the other two in the team, my predecessor was just an ordinary farmer who’d never even heard the term “bear goblin,” let alone understood its danger.

But their reactions alone were enough to show how dire the situation was.

In that moment, I had no time to think.

As soon as Maji spoke, I gripped my longsword tightly and rushed toward the four goblins on the cave’s side, steeling myself.

Honestly, I wasn’t confident.

Unlike last night’s chaotic skirmish with the ambush, where teammates provided cover and distraction, in this open cave, I had to face four goblins head-on.

Maybe it was a stroke of luck, or perhaps I had some talent for combat.

As I saw the four green-skinned rats scrambling to grab their weapons, a flash of inspiration hit me.

“Facing four head-on is too risky. I need to split the battlefield and strike hard to find a breakthrough!”

Without hesitation, the [Whirlwind Slash], honed to lv4 through years of my predecessor’s diligent practice, instinctively began to charge as I ran.

Buzz—

A flash of cold light!

The nearest goblin was cleanly sliced in half.

By then, the other three green-skinned beasts had grabbed their wooden clubs and charged at me in a line.

Fully immersed in the fight, I acted swiftly, kicking over a red-hot iron pot in front of me.

Boiling broth mixed with murky grease spilled out, its scalding heat forcing the goblins nearly upon me to halt, disrupting their once-orderly formation.

Plan achieved!

I lunged forward two steps, leveraging my height advantage. With a forceful thrust, my longsword’s sharp blade pierced the frail flesh of a goblin, stabbing into its abdomen.

A gust of wind came, and I dodged to the side, evading a club swung from another goblin.

Without pulling out the sword embedded in the creature’s flesh, I used it like a “skewer” and unleashed [Whirlwind Slash] again.

“Screech!”

The sharp longsword, fueled by my full strength, tore through the goblin’s defenseless body with devastating force.

Cutting horizontally through one goblin, accompanied by a spray of blinding blood, it sliced another companion in two.

Only then did the last green-skinned wretch manage to bypass the spilled pot and reach me.

Realizing it was alone, it showed the cowardice typical of low-tier monsters.

It dropped its club and turned to flee.

I chased it down in a few strides and killed it with two stabs.

“Huff… huff…”

I panted heavily.

The intense focus had drained most of my stamina in just twenty seconds, my coarse linen clothes soaked with sweat.

My longsword remained tightly gripped, but my right hand trembled uncontrollably, waves of aching pain radiating from my arm muscles.

That was the consequence of using [Whirlwind Slash] twice in quick succession.

At least I’d completed the task the team assigned me.

I thought to myself.

Turning and looking up, my gaze shifted to the other side of the battlefield.

“They should be…”

“Damn!”

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