Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Armored Hobgoblin Leader
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"A goblin was carrying a spellbook?"
Dillon's words were utterly shocking.
A goblin mage with a spellbook?
Typically, for monsters that used magic, it wasn't that they learned it separately. Most cases were innate abilities, like some kind of mutation from birth.
They had their own languages and kept some records, sure.
But those mutants rarely passed on their genes, so the knowledge of one generation's mutant usually vanished without reaching the next.
"Could the goblin have learned human language somehow?"
That was Jeon's first thought—maybe the goblin had picked up the human tongue.
"I'm not sure. After the goblin mage took out the mercenaries and vigilantes on the front lines... it was just retreat after retreat."
But Dillon shook his head, saying he didn't know that much.
Fair enough.
In a situation where dozens were getting swept away by a single goblin mage, there wouldn't have been time to notice details like that.
So Jeon asked another question.
"What happened after that?"
The goblin mage had wiped out everyone who could be called the village's fighting force.
Yet people still remained in the village.
He was curious whether someone had finally taken down the goblin mage, or if the villagers had found some desperate last-stand method.
"After the first battle, the goblins strangely never pushed deep into the village. But if anyone tried to leave, they'd pop out of nowhere like magic and kill them."
In other words, the villagers' isolation was deliberate on the goblins' part.
Why? What's the point?
Jeon couldn't fathom why the goblins would go out of their way to trap people inside.
Then it hit him—the rest of their group, minus the advance team, was waiting outside the village.
"Hold on. If they attack people trying to leave... what about those coming in from outside?"
"The ones wandering in one or two at a time, clueless like us, got trapped too. Seems they don't block incoming people."
"......Let's hurry back to where the others are waiting."
It looked like the goblins were intentionally gathering people in the village—they weren't stopping outsiders from entering. But the rest of their group was neither entering nor leaving; they were just holding position.
No telling if the goblins would attack them or leave them be. They needed to check ASAP.
"So all the other villagers are in the central square?"
"Y-yeah. We're out on patrol just in case..."
"Got it. If anything comes up or we need something, we'll head to the central square."
With the talk wrapped up, Jeon and the advance team retraced their steps at a brisk pace.
Now that they had a rough idea of what was going on, they broke into a full sprint toward the waiting group.
"Those goblin bastards!"
Just as they arrived, they saw the waiting group in a standoff with a pack of goblins.
"Damn it!"
No full-on clash yet, but it was one wrong move from erupting.
There were plenty of mercenaries hired to guard the caravan, but an equal number were just porters handling luggage, horses, and wagons. If combat broke out in earnest, casualties were likely.
And on top of that...
"Isn't that a hobgoblin?"
"The villagers said they'd never seen any hobgoblins before."
Among the goblins facing off against the caravan folk, Jeon spotted hobgoblins—far bulkier than standard goblins.
Not just one or two, either; at least ten of them.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kiek! Kieeek!"
Spotting the approaching advance team, the goblins let out shrieks and charged straight at the caravan.
"Damn it all!"
"Porters, grab the gear and fall back—it's dangerous!"
With one side charging first, the fight kicked off immediately.
By the time Jeon and his team arrived, it was already a chaotic melee.
The goblins outnumbered the mercenaries, so some had slipped past and were now lunging at the porters.
"I'll handle those!"
Jeon launched himself toward the porters.
Rrrumble!
In his hand was Elderlake, mana-infused into a long staff form.
Maintaining his momentum, he swung it at the nearest goblin charging into view, smashing its skull.
Crack!
"Kieeeek!?"
Elderlake looked like ordinary wood, but it was tough enough to withstand a knight's aura.
The struck goblin's head caved in, and it crumpled to the ground.
Good thing I pre-registered it.
Next, Jeon channeled mana into Elderlake, activating one of its registered spells.
Zap-crackle!
Mana surged, and lightning crackled from the staff's tip.
One of the three spells he'd registered—Chain Lightning—unleashed through Elderlake, chaining into the goblins targeting the porters.
Totally convenient.
He'd tested it a few times in practice since getting Elderlake.
But in real combat, its handiness was beyond words.
Just pour in mana, and it synced with him, intuitively selecting and casting one of the three stored spells.
"Kiek!"
Meanwhile, a hobgoblin resisted the Chain Lightning and barreled toward Jeon.
Normally, he'd have to cancel the ongoing spell and prep another.
But...
"Not today."
Jeon didn't need to. With his free hand—not holding Elderlake—he cast a spell.
"Kiiiiieeeek!"
Boom!
Engulfed in Jeon's fire magic, the hobgoblin shrieked and fell.
That cleared the goblins going for the porters.
Confirming it, Jeon hurtled into the main fray.
No goblin mage showing up?
His main concern was whether the goblin mage was there.
Fortunately, no goblins bigger than hobgoblins in sight.
That left nine hobgoblins as the problem.
Regular goblins were manageable for the mercenaries despite numbers, but hobgoblins were another story.
"Everyone, avoid fighting the hobgoblins if you can! I'll take them!"
Jeon focused on the hobgoblins.
"Kieeek!"
"Kiek! Kiek! Kieeek!"
Sensing Jeon was no ordinary foe, the hobgoblins chattered among themselves and swarmed him en masse.
"Good. Saves me time."
He'd planned to prioritize them anyway.
This worked fine for him.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kiek! Kiek!"
Two nearby hobgoblins charged first, swinging sword and axe with full force.
But...
"Compression."
Crunch!
Their arms holding the weapons crumbled to dust and tore away.
"Kieeeek!"
Clutching their mangled shoulders, they rolled on the ground in agony.
But five more hobgoblins rushed in behind them.
Zap-crackle!
Spotting them, Jeon fed mana to Elderlake for Chain Lightning.
A spell specialized for hitting multiples—it couldn't drop hobgoblins outright, but it stalled them plenty.
In that window, Jeon circulated his mana cultivation method and fired off Rune Magic.
"Compression."
Squish!
This time targeting heads.
The five hobgoblins collapsed headless, without even a scream.
"Kiek!? Kiiiieeeek!?"
The rest hesitated and fell back, overawed by the power gap.
"Kiek, kieeek, kiek! Kiiiieeeek!"
"Ki, kiek!"
The biggest hobgoblin barked orders at the others.
One nodded and bolted rearward.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kiek! Kiek! Kiek!"
"Kiiiieeeek!"
The rest shrieked and scattered in all directions.
'I'll buy time—run and report the wildcard.'
Jeon heard it clear as day, thanks to his Korean Patch ability translating even monster speech.
"Wh-what? Why are they doing this?"
"Are they... running?"
Those who couldn't understand were stunned by the sudden rout after such fierce fighting, inwardly relieved.
I'd love to chase them down.
Their goal was obvious: report the unexpectedly strong foe to the goblin mage.
But too many fleeing, and...
"First goblin I've seen wearing full armor."
The massive hobgoblin planted itself in Jeon's path.
Head to toe in plate, no less.
Though mismatched pieces.
Probably looted from fallen mercenaries and slapped together.
Gear from mercs killed by the goblin mage, now on hobgoblins.
But they said no hobgoblins back then.
When did hobgoblins show up and gear up like this?
And that wasn't the only oddity.
Mana aura emanated from the hobgoblin's armor.
Looted merc gear, yet all humming with mana?
The goblin mage's doing?
Sudden hobgoblin surge, mana-infused gear on the big one...
If one goblin mage pulled all that off, it was way beyond mere mutation.
What the hell is in that spellbook?
His curiosity about the spellbook the goblin mage supposedly carried skyrocketed.
"Kieeeek!"
But first, deal with the fully armed hobgoblin charging him.
"Compression."
As it blocked and lunged, Jeon—mana recovered—unleashed Rune Magic.
Crunch!
He'd aimed for the head, specifically the helmet.
But...
"Kiek!"
Not just big—it sensed the spell, ditched the helmet, rolled aside, and hurled a handaxe at Jeon.
Sharp instincts.
Figuring out Compression's mechanic in seconds, dodging, then throwing to pin him down.
Combat sense hard to credit to a goblin.
First a genius goblin mage, now a hobgoblin with killer instincts.
Each rare on its own; together, screams artificial.
Someone's meddling.
High chance it was orchestrated.
Anyway.
The hobgoblin's instincts were sharp, but nowhere near grasping Jeon's full capabilities.
Clang!
The thrown axe was effortlessly blocked by Silver from Jeon's pocket.
"Kieeeek!"
Seizing the moment, the hobgoblin body-slammed toward Jeon.
No helmet guarding its head this time.
"......Compression."
Squish!
Its head imploded; momentum carried the corpse tumbling across the dirt.
"O-ohhh..."
"We heard you were a mage, but... incredible."
The swift takedown of the hulking hobgoblin drew awed reactions.
But knowing it wasn't over, Jeon checked the caravan's status instead.
"A lot got away, huh."
"Yeah."
"Any injuries on our side?"
"No, thankfully... you got here fast, so minimal damage."
Quick response meant no deaths.
Some light wounds from the skirmish, but nothing impairing movement.
Jeon nodded in relief.
Bolton sidled up. "So... what now?"
"Hm?"
"We might be able to slip out like this."
True, per Bolton—if they moved now, they might evade the besieging goblins.
But Jeon had no intention of bailing.
"Even if we hustle out now, no guarantee we escape clean."
"Fair."
"And... leaving them behind doesn't sit right."
"Thought as much."
Bolton nodded in agreement.
He had ties to Queta village and wanted to help, but this caravan was for Jeon's White Tower trip, so he deferred to him.
"Head to the central square and link up with the villagers, then?"
"Yeah."
The caravan moved out toward the square.
En route, Jeon glanced back at the goblins' escape direction now and then.
...Will the goblin mage come out next time?
Never seen it personally yet.
But its feats with that spellbook were hard to swallow.
If it shows, I can confirm.
The spellbook's secrets.
And whether such a goblin mage arose naturally—improbably—or by design.
Facing it would answer everything.