Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: 14. I Just Can't Hold Back Anymore. (3)
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All this by herself?
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It wasn't for nothing that she was a member of the hero's party. As if determined to prove her skill, Silvia had already dealt with the two up front and was now tearing into the one about to lunge at me.
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Grrr-! Kraaah-!
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The hobgoblin let out a cry of agony—it must have hurt pretty bad. Thanks to Silvia dodging this way and that from its back, the beast looked seriously pissed off now.
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Kraaaah-! Krack-!
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The hobgoblin flailed its arms wildly, trying desperately to shake Silvia off. But because she kept targeting the same spot relentlessly, it finally managed to grab her.
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"Grrr! Kraaah!"
Kraaaah-!
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Bam-
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It hurled Silvia to the floor with all its might. The wooden planks shattered on impact, kicking up a cloud of dust from inside that blanketed everything in an instant.
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"Cough! Cough!"
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I was just staring in a daze when the dust got in my nose and made me sneeze. I didn't have the strength to get up right away, so with Nun Rachel's help, I retreated backward.
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I... I survived, at least for now.
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I caught my breath after dodging the crisis. I had no idea exactly what had happened, but it was clear Silvia had saved us.
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"Grrr..."
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As the dust slowly settled, Silvia crawled out on all fours. She wobbled a bit before baring her sharply grown fangs in a menacing display, growling low at the hobgoblin like she was ready to charge at any moment.
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Is that berserk mode?
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This was my first time seeing it in person, so I couldn't be sure, but my superficial knowledge told me that's what it was.
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From what I remembered, it was one of the traits wolfkin possessed. In moments of crisis, they could dramatically draw out power from deep within their bodies up to their absolute limits. In exchange for losing their reason temporarily, they acted on pure instinct to survive.
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That explained why she was crawling on all fours like a beast—I'd never seen it myself before, so I wasn't entirely certain.
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"Grrrk! Ptui!"
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Silvia circled the hobgoblin slowly, body tensed, spitting out a chunk of its flesh that was still in her mouth. She glared fiercely, poised to pounce at the slightest opening.
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Grk-
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Blood poured nonstop from the hobgoblin's shoulder where the flesh had been torn away. The dark red liquid had already soaked its entire arm. Realizing it couldn't use that arm anymore, it switched the axe to its other hand.
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Is that thing really a goblin?
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No matter how elite it was, its wits were on another level. It moved almost like a human. Regular goblins topped out at a child's intelligence, but this one had combat technique and stance that suggested at least an adult's level of intellect.
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And with that monstrous strength added on top, it was basically a walking murder machine.
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"Grrrr..."
Grrr-
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Neither of them made a reckless move. Honestly, both were in rough shape. Silvia had exhausted all her strength—staying upright was a miracle, let alone fighting. The hobgoblin's injuries were severe enough to hinder its movement too.
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All I could do was hope Silvia mustered a bit more strength to buy time or win.
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Kraaaah-!
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The hobgoblin struck first. It raised its axe high and swung down at Silvia, but she seemed to have read the trajectory perfectly and dodged back swiftly on her legs. Then she kicked off the wall behind her and shot forward like a bullet, slamming one foot into its gut.
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Gruk-?!
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The hobgoblin felt its organs twist inside from the blow. It figured Silvia had put everything into that charge and would send it flying back, but it braced with both legs and grabbed her foot embedded in its belly.
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And then...
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"Kuh?"
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Bam-
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Silvia got slammed spectacularly into the floor again, cratering the ground.
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Everything had been perfect... except her strength fell short. She'd already killed the two hobgoblins upfront, leaving her with barely any power left.
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"Kuh... guh."
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Squish-
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As she gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to stand, the hobgoblin pinned her down with its foot to keep her from moving. Soon she was stuck flat to the floor, immobile, and it began stomping her like it had been waiting for this.
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Thud- Crunch- Thump- Crunch-
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Haha... that doesn't sound good coming from a body.
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I'd trusted her as a supporting character, but taking on three at once was too much. Her body gave out first, and now she was getting brutally trampled.
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Even a hero's companion needs divine blessing to make it, huh...
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Without the hero's blessing, she was just a bit stronger than your average knight or mercenary right now.
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Still, holding out this long with that body was impressive. She could've passed out any second, so honestly, this was already amazing.
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The problem was...
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Now it's my turn...
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Grrr-
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Confirming Silvia wasn't moving anymore, the hobgoblin turned its gaze toward me. Looking around, there was no one left who could fight. The adventurers were all down or cowering in corners, paralyzed by fear.
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This is bad...
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No hope at all. I never imagined the story would derail like this before it even properly started.
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And now I don't even have the strength to run...
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Forcing my stiff neck to turn, I looked up at Nun Rachel. Her shoulders were hunched up tight from tension, and I could feel her hands trembling as they held me.
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Haa... fine, you at least survive.
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"Sleep."
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Nun Rachel channeled a faint trickle of divine power through her hands holding me, chanting the spell. She promptly collapsed limply to the side.
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Now she wouldn't stupidly step forward.
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Grrr- Gruk-
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The hobgoblin closed in right up to my face. It scanned me up and down before exhaling a blast of hot, foul-smelling breath.
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Just like a damn dog...
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Getting dragged to this weird world and jumped every day was bad enough, but now it looked like I was about to get done by something that wasn't even human.
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And why me of all people...
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I couldn't tell if it was just bad luck or if it was targeting me specifically. There were plenty of other men here besides me. There were more than enough to drag off, so why was it me?
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As I lamented—not quite lamenting—its demonic hand reached for me. Having endured limit after limit, my consciousness finally snapped, and my vision went black.
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@@@@@
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What the hell's going on?
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Isabel Perez, returning to the infirmary, couldn't hide her shock. Monster hides were plastered to the walls here and there, and people who had been fine just moments ago were now bleeding out and screaming for help.
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With no grasp on what had happened in the meantime, Isabel walked inside as if entranced. Suddenly, something caught her foot, making her stumble forward a bit.
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What... a goblin? No, hobgoblin?
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Seeing the filthy green lump made her mind race. Marcel's words about the still-missing hobgoblin flashed through her head.
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No way... here?
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She'd thought it had fled sensing the unfavorable odds. But mocking her assumption, the infirmary was already a total mess from the creatures, and the interior was worse than she'd imagined.
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How the hell did they get in?
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They'd thoroughly blocked entry into the village. They'd kept watch day and night, so no matter how she thought about it, it didn't make sense.
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Isabel scowled and knelt down for a closer look. Bite marks covered the hobgoblin's body in places.
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Bitten...? Wait.
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Silvia...!
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Isabel shot to her feet and scanned quickly. Before long, she spotted her twitching in a deep crater in the floor.
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Crazy...
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Isabel lifted Silvia from the sunken floor. She looked pretty battered—blood and chunks of flesh clung to her body all over.
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At least she's not dead.
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Despite the worry, she was snoring softly, looking utterly spent but sleeping soundly.
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Green globs of flesh stuck between her teeth suggested, as expected, she'd taken down those two by herself.
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"Fuck, what the hell happened here."
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Silvia seemed fine, so Isabel tossed her aside roughly and grabbed the nearest person she saw.
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She needed to know exactly what was going on, at least.
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"Hey. What happened here...?"
"Uwaaaah... save me... please..."
"So, what happened was..."
"Uwaaaah..."
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Ah... they're all out of it. The shock must've been huge—they couldn't even speak properly, just kept wailing for help.
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Fine... better ask Priest Isaiah then...
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At least he'd be okay. Leaving the sobbing people behind, Isabel hurried to find Priest Isaiah first.
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After sweeping the infirmary for a while, she stopped midway.
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Huh? Where'd the priest go?