29
Chapter 29
'That is a Goblin, not a Troll?'
The Goblin King's presence was extraordinary from the start.
Teal skin, a large hooked nose, and a thick, foul stench.
Looking at the features, it was definitely a Goblin, but the problem was its size.
It looked at least twice as big as us, well beyond a normal Goblin.
Plus, perhaps having decent intelligence, unlike the other naked Goblins, it was wearing an animal hide over its upper body.
Thanks to that, the guy's lower body was completely exposed.
'...Ugh, my eyes.'
Anyway, it didn't seem like only its size had increased.
When the Goblin King revealed itself, the surrounding Goblins went wild.
They squeaked and swarmed around it, as if they had seen an idol.
Encouraged by the enthusiastic support, it dropped whatever it was holding in its hand.
Thud.
What fell was the carcass of a large bear.
It seemed it had gone hunting itself.
Compared to the title of Goblin King, it was surprisingly a hardworking type.
"Kiek!"
At that moment, a Goblin couldn't stand its hunger and pounced on the bear carcass.
Whoosh—crunch.
It was smashed to a pulp without even a scream by the club swung by the Goblin King.
No, what it swung was closer to a log than a club.
"Keek! Keeek!"
Seeing that sight, the Goblins made a fuss and stepped back.
The Goblin King couldn't hold its temper and slammed the log onto the ground with a thud.
"Kuwaaak!"
A heavy roar.
With that single sound, the chaotic atmosphere completely subsided.
That overwhelming presence was definitely the Goblin King.
"Shouldn't we run away?"
Gailson, the foul-mouthed guy who was ready to fight at any moment, whispered with an anxious expression.
Honestly, for the name value of a Goblin King, the settlement was quite shabby.
The weapons they held were just roughly carved wooden spears or clubs, and there weren't many of them.
It felt like, wasn't this just about the level of a Goblin Chief?
But even so, it was not at a level we could handle.
The Goblin King, having put down the bear carcass, looked around.
The surrounding Goblins were lying quietly face down, as if they couldn't even breathe properly.
"Kuwaa."
As the Goblin King gestured, several Goblins started moving busily.
They began to dismantle the bear carcass with clumsy skills.
Seeing the blood pouring out naturally made me frown.
It was messy and clumsy handiwork, closer to butchering than proper slaughter.
"...All that fuss over one bear."
Nick the gambler murmured softly beside me.
Actually, I agreed too.
After a while, when the bear meat was reasonably chopped up, the Goblin King first grabbed a large chunk.
And it started throwing the remaining meat to the surrounding Goblins.
"Kiek!"
There were Goblins fighting over the thrown meat, but it was mostly quiet.
Perhaps because they were mindful of the King, they didn't seem to act out rashly.
'What, they have more order than I thought?'
The moment I thought that inwardly.
The Goblin King turned its head toward us.
My heart suddenly sank.
'No way.'
I instinctively curled my body up tightly.
Without making a single sound of breathing, I stayed as close to the ground as possible.
However.
The guy rested its gaze for a moment, then tossed a chunk of bear intestines to one corner.
Smelling the meat, a few small Goblins ran over and hastily tore into it.
I swallowed a sigh of relief.
It seemed we hadn't been caught yet.
After the Goblin King finished dismantling the bear, it grabbed the log again.
"Kuwaaaak!!"
Then, it let out a massive roar exactly toward us.
In an instant, the Goblin pack stirred.
"...Oh fuck, we're caught."
Gailson murmured lowly, his face stiffening.
"Kieek!!"
Screaming, the Goblins all started rushing in at once.
Zip- thud.
But the first strike was ours.
Nick's handmade bow was enough to pierce through one Goblin.
The Goblin running at the very front was hit in the head by an arrow and fell down.
The Goblins shrank back for a moment at the death of their kin.
But they soon glanced at the Goblin King and started rushing in again as if filled with malice.
Swish! Swoosh!
A few Goblins in the back threw Wooden Spears and stones.
"Get behind me!"
[Water Barrier]
Thump! Thud!
It was hard to pierce the barrier with that level of Power.
Most of the projectiles were blocked by the Water Barrier and fell powerlessly to the ground.
But the Goblins didn't just keep throwing.
Before long, a few of them rushed right up to the front of the barrier.
Just in time, Gailson popped out from the side.
"Hoo-yah!"
Swoosh!
Gailson let out a bizarre war cry and swung his Two-handed Axe with all his might from behind his head.
The Axe cleaved straight through the Goblin's upper body, lodging deep as if to split it in half.
He stepped on the split Goblin and pulled the Axe out.
Splash.
"You pathetic Goblin bastard-"
Swish!
"Gailson!"
Gailson turned his head at my call, and a Wooden Spear grazed his face by a hair's breadth.
Gailson's eyes widened at the dizzying sight, and he screamed.
"You son of a bitch!"
Enraged by the fact that he almost died, Gailson started rampaging like a total madman.
Well, he'll take care of himself.
Meanwhile, the lanky Geminic was clashing with the large Goblin we had initially mistaken for the Goblin King.
He lightly blocked the roughly swung Club with his Buckler, aiming for an opening to thrust his One-handed Sword with his long arms.
However, it wasn't an easy opponent, dodging this way and that while dealing with Geminic.
Swoosh! Smack!
But Geminic wasn't alone either.
A Water Bullet hit the left side of its lower back, which left it open to a stab from Geminic's blade.
After that, the guy's momentum dwindled. Geminic's victory became certain.
I turned my gaze back to the other fights.
Charlie caught his breath in short pants, measuring the distance with the tip of the spear tucked under his arm aimed at the Goblins.
The sweat dripping from his forehead rolled down his double chin.
On the other hand, Nick was calm.
From the side, he shot Arrows one by one, accurately hitting his targets.
It must not have been easy, as curses lingered on his face, but his hands remained completely steady.
I took a short breath.
Right, everyone here is a veteran in their own way.
They all knew how to handle the basics.
The battle itself seemed manageable.
But that wasn't the problem.
Even as they fought, everyone's minds were focused elsewhere.
The guy who was quietly looking down at us without doing a single thing.
The Goblin King.
It hadn't moved a single step.
It was just staring at us.
With huge, yellow-green eyes.
It was the look of a Beast, waiting for its prey to exhaust itself and collapse.
I swallowed hard without realizing it.
An ominous feeling slowly crept up my entire body.
Slash.
Geminic finally sliced off the large Goblin's head.
The Goblin's head rolled away, spewing blood. The other Goblins hesitated and stepped back.
The very moment the momentum completely shifted in our favor.
The guy started to move.
"Kuwaaaargh!"
An eardrum-shattering shriek echoed out.
Soon after, heavy footsteps shook the ground.
The Goblin King charged toward us, carrying its Log.
[Water Bullet]
I reflexively fired a Water Bullet.
But was it too slow for the guy?
Thump!
The Water Bullet was blocked by the massive Log, dealing no real damage.
Meanwhile, Nick released his taut bowstring.
Zip! Smack!
The Arrow pierced straight into its arm.
Tsk, it has to be at least that fast to work.
"Kuwaaargh!"
It didn't lodge deeply, but it must have been an unfamiliar pain.
As it screamed and shook its arm, a bit of blood splattered.
I glanced at Nick nocking another arrow beside me, and I gathered my Mana.
For me, Magic was not a difficult process.
Gathering Mana, and recalling a Spell as if inputting a command.
I didn't know how other Magicians did it, but to me, it was the most natural method.
If there was a downside, it would definitely be the Mana.
The only water left to use was the water inside the Canteen.
Thanks to the Staff's assistance, I had somehow managed to cover one barrier and a Water Bullet or two.
But now, even that was over.
The Battlefield was too chaotic, and there was no time to borrow water from another Mercenary.
In the end, I squeezed out my Mana and created a Water Bullet from scratch.
[Water Bullet]
Smack!
The Water Bullet hit the rushing guy's shin.
But perhaps due to the thick Leather, it just shook its leg once and continued its charge.
It lunged right in front of our noses in an instant.
The first one targeted was the chubby Charlie.
Swoosh! Crash!
With an ear-piercing sound of tearing air, the Log was smashed down with both hands like a storm.
Charlie barely escaped by rolling his body with surprising reflexes.
It was a speed that truly didn't match his size.
Zip! Thud!
An Arrow struck into its back.
At the stinging pain felt from its back, the Goblin King growled and turned its head.
At the end of its gaze, Nick and I were there.
"...Uh, eh?"
The Goblin King glared fiercely.
"Kuwaaaargh!!"
The moment our eyes met, it roared like a beast and charged.
"This son of a bitch is ignoring me?!"
Beside me, Gailson swung his Axe.
But it roughly swung the Log, not paying him any mind at all.
Swoosh— crash!
"Gah-"
Even though Gailson didn't get hit directly, he was knocked away as if bouncing off.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
It was clearly a movement targeting only us.
A dense pressure crushed down from all sides.
"Run!"
Nick shouted first, and I instinctively twisted my body.
The Log brushed past us.
It narrowly struck past my ear, and behind us, a Tree snapped and fell.
"Pant, pant."
Meanwhile, Nick stopped trying to pull out an Arrow.
The guy was too fast.
The Goblin King was charging madly through the Trees.
It was hard to believe how it could reach such speed with that size.
It didn't care about obstacles at all.
It just smashed through them as it advanced.
Otherwise, there was no way to win a battle of speed.
From behind, Gailson threw his Axe, but with a thud! sound, it hit the Animal Hide draped over its shoulder and bounced off.
The Goblin King continued its charge without the slightest reaction, as if it were nothing.
Its target was clear.
Nick, who had been constantly shooting annoying arrows.
Nick ran desperately, but he couldn't outrun the Goblin King.
Whoosh—!
In the end, as soon as it reached Nick, it swung the Log with all its might.
'We can't block that.'
Sensing that, just as I was about to close my eyes momentarily, something popped out of the Pouch and blocked Charlie's front.
Clang—!
A blue light flashed, barely deflecting the Goblin King's attack.
"Kuwaaaargh!"
Caught up in strong momentum, it was thrown sideways just like that.
At the surprising scene, I opened my eyes wide and checked the sight.
The thing that stopped the Log was clearly, 'Gerangi'.
Click.
Gerangi stood guarding Nick's front, deploying a blue barrier like mine.
Its size looked a little smaller than mine, but it was definitely a Water Barrier.
"Gerangi!"
I shouted reflexively. Is that guy copying my Magic?
But that wasn't what was important right now.
I grabbed Nick, who was frozen after barely surviving, and started fleeing again.
Charlie and Geminic were still fighting the remaining Goblins.
Only if we drew the Goblin King away could they finish clearing them out and join up.
Calculations ran quickly through my head.
"Nick, Canteen!"
"Ah, yes!"
Barely coming to his senses, Nick threw me the Canteen strapped to his waist.
As soon as I caught the Canteen, I turned my body first.
Without even looking back, I started running toward the mountain.
As if noticing my intention, Nick followed right behind me.
Perhaps the Goblin King had also come back to its senses, as heavy footsteps could be heard.
"This crazy- am I invisible to you!"
I heard Gailson's loud shout from behind.
The slope in the forest was steeper than expected, and with Mud underfoot, I kept slipping.
But the guy didn't pay any mind to things like that at all.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Every single footstep slammed the ground as it chased after me.
The moment I glanced over my shoulder, the guy's figure had chased right behind me.
"Scatter left and right!"
Nick shouted.
We wouldn't survive if we only ran in a straight line.
Nick veered left, and I ran to the right, circling a large Boulder.
The Goblin King paused for a moment.
Damn it, the guy decided to chase the sluggish me.
My heart pounded.
I was panting up to my chin.
But if I stopped now, I'd die.
[Water Barrier]
I drew out my remaining Mana.
Along with a clear vibration, a faint Water Barrier was formed.
I twisted my body in a direction to wedge it into the guy's line of sight.
Smack!
Splashes of water flew as the guy's Log touched the barrier, and in that split second.
I rolled out from behind the Boulder.
"Hah... Hah..."
I breathed heavily.
But the guy hadn't completely lost its direction.
Thump, thump, it was moving its steps toward me again.
At that moment,
Zip— thwack!
An Arrow flying in from somewhere grazed past the side of its crown.
It was Nick.
The guy turned its head again.
Its gaze shifted to Nick now.
I didn't miss the opening either.
I opened my Canteen and spilled water on the ground.
"If I hold out just a little longer..."
The others would come join us.
Then it would be worth a shot.
I poured water on the ground.
It wasn't particularly a lot. About the amount of two spread palms.
But fortunately, this was land with a lot of Mud.
[Condensation]
I placed my hands on the ground and used my remaining Mana as thinly as possible, forcefully squeezing it out.
Rather than gathering the water, it felt more like dragging it from the surroundings and pressing it to spread across the ground.
It was a usage closer to diffusion than Condensation.
The water quickly spread, soaking deep into the Mud.
The already moist earth quickly softened starting from that point.
I held my breath, looking at the ground.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Every single footstep slammed the ground, and the sound of the chase grew closer.
As if judging it was too late to go after Nick, the guy turned its direction back toward me.
The guy also seemed to find my sudden stop strange, slightly slowing its pace.
But it was already too late.
Trudge, trudge.
The moment the guy slowly approached me and stepped onto the Mud.
Squish! Plop!
In an instant, one foot was sucked into a deep quagmire.
Having put force forward with its weight bearing down in that state...
Tilt.
The guy's balance collapsed to one side.
The arm lifting the Log cleaved the empty air and stuck into the ground.
Crash-!
Along with a massive tremor, the giant figure collapsed.
"Nick!"
I shouted, and Nick, who had been waiting far away, reacted.
Zip— thwack!
The Arrow lodged deep below its neck, in a part without the Animal Hide.
And,
"You fucker, I told you not to ignore me."
Gailson, full of rage, appeared.
Covered in blood all over his body, his eyes flashed beyond his disheveled hair.
Like a demon, he pulled out his Axe with a distorted face.
"Kuwaaargh-"
Just as the Goblin King, covered in Mud all over its body, raised its upper body and was about to roar,
Swoosh-
The single edge of Gailson's Axe cleaved the wind, instantly swiping deep through the guy's neck.