Striker Squad's Triumph
“Hm?”
Knight Corman sensed something was off.
The first subjugation wave was supposed to feature 50 goblins.
Hunting 50 goblins with 500 men was like taking candy from a baby.
But here, there were easily twice as many as expected.
‘At least the first wave is manageable. No fancy tactics needed—just a warmup with double the numbers.’
Arthur knew exactly how the annihilation subjugation squads operated.
The first wave ran the same way regardless of the Dungeon Master's commands.
Double the monsters.
Arthur gripped his spear shaft tightly.
The knights fell back.
They never participated in combat anyway.
They were just guides, showing the way and answering questions from the apprentice lords.
Then Arthur spoke.
“That's an order.”
“Yes, sir!”
The soldiers responded in unison.
“Don't fall more than 5 meters behind me. Ever. Trust me and follow!”
“Pardon? Uh, yes, sir!”
“Understood. We won't fall more than 5 meters... Huh?!”
Arthur kicked off the ground and charged first.
The soldiers recalled his words from moments ago.
Stay within 5 meters.
But Arthur's speed was insane.
Shocking, even.
“Run!”
“Protect the squad leader!”
The squad members gritted their teeth and chased after him.
A few other apprentice lords followed suit with their soldiers.
Goblins were no match for trained soldiers and lords anyway.
And they had the numbers.
As Arthur sprinted forward, he tilted his head to dodge a poison needle spat by the lead goblin.
Then he hurled his spear with all his might.
Kwajik!
Kuwek!
‘Huff, huff... he's really fast.’
‘Our squad leader really is on another level...!’
Most apprentice lords had combat prowess on par with their soldiers.
But Arthur was leagues ahead.
They couldn't keep up with his pace.
Already 5 meters ahead.
So they gritted their teeth harder and pushed on.
Arthur leaped high toward the goblins charging at them.
Kwajik!
A goblin's face caved in under his knee.
The stats he'd gained from monster hunts had made him tougher.
Crack!
He swiftly snapped another one's neck.
Snatching up the next goblin's dagger, he began stabbing the ones nearby.
Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk! Puk!
Pwak!
Pwak!
Arthur swept through the surrounding goblins like a whirlwind.
The soldiers finally caught up, their faces stunned.
“Incredible...”
“I had no idea he was this strong...”
Their squad leader was strong—overwhelmingly so.
Trust me and follow!
That command hit home a hundred times over.
Arthur plunged into the goblin horde.
His soldiers had no choice but to follow, diving in after him.
He carved a path, and they poured through, cutting down the surrounding packs.
‘Goblins are weak to begin with. Dive in deep and massacre as many as possible.’
Pujik!
Kwajik!
Whoosh!
A goblin swung a stone axe.
Arthur blocked with his arm.
The impact jarred through, but he ignored it.
He seized the goblin's throat and twisted it like a chicken's neck.
Crunch!
That's when he spotted a goblin thrusting a spear at a soldier's back.
Arthur hurled the stone axe.
Whoosh!
Kwajik!
The goblin crumpled, axe embedded in its face.
“Th-thank you...”
“Shut up and focus on the hunt!”
Arthur glanced at the number floating in the upper left.
The count of monsters killed by him and his soldiers.
Currently 22.
Pujik!
23.
Kwajik!
24.
And beside it, their contribution rate.
Currently 11%.
Arthur wasn't just charging ahead blindly.
He kept watching the soldiers trailing behind.
Whenever one was in danger, he flung nearby daggers or axes to cover them.
‘Incredible...’
‘Handling the most goblins alone while protecting us too...’
Did he have eyes in the back of his head?
Beyond his strength, he showed genius-level combat sense.
Whoosh!
Kwajik!
Kwak!
Pujik!
Pressing forward, Arthur saw the count hit 44.
Overwhelming.
Beyond that.
It had to be.
Contribution now at 15%!
And it rocketed toward 50.
The goblin numbers dwindled fast.
Then the 50th!
2nd Company, 5th Squad has achieved an overwhelming hunt count!
5th Squad has been designated as the ‘Striker Squad’.
All stats for the 5th Squad rise by 15%.
Arthur had anticipated this alert.
He needed the strongest striker squad to unleash maximum power.
And an extra notification just for him!
Per regulations, Arthur—who achieved the record first—receives 1 Instructor Summon Ticket. This can be used to summon for exactly 15 minutes.
A smirk tugged at Arthur's lips.
‘I'll use everything I know.’
He'd known this from the start.
The annihilation squads hid all sorts of systems amid the danger.
Arthur let out a hollow chuckle.
‘My instructor is the top-tier swordmage, Orwen.’
Orwen's immense power!
Now he had the right to borrow it.
Just 15 minutes, but nothing to scoff at.
“Whoa, I feel power surging!”
“Ooooh! We're the striker squad now!”
The soldiers gazed at Arthur's back as he battled the goblins.
Their squad leader had racked up the most kills by far.
The area was clearing up.
Chiiik!
The juvenile Uroboros Devouring Snake sucked blood from the corpses, returned to bracelet form, and healed Arthur's wounds.
Invisible to others.
“S-Squad leader, you're amazing.”
“Thank you for saving my life.”
Arthur gave a slight nod, no more.
He seemed indifferent, but they couldn't forget how he'd protected them amid the goblin swarm.
“A-Arthur... what are you?”
Lauden, the apprentice, stared in shock.
He saw all the apprentice lords wearing stunned expressions.
“Didn't anyone notice?”
Arthur scanned them.
Time to make them aware of the situation.
“The subjugation squad will advance in the exact opposite direction from what the instructors taught.”
“What?!”
“Huh?!”
They recoiled in surprise.
Louis furrowed his brow.
Casualties were already mounting.
Three apprentice lords dead.
‘100 goblins. It was supposed to be 50—what the hell? Something's seriously wrong.’
Louis was sharp.
The blood-red sky, twice as many goblins as briefed.
A bad feeling gnawed at him.
Then he spotted a bird flying overhead.
“Scout bird? But scouts are supposed to be hawks, eagles, or owls...”
He frowned.
Bad intel?
But the bird dove straight toward him.
“A falcon?”
It was a falcon—renowned for speed after hawks.
Louis didn't think it was spying on them.
Then a voice emanated from the falcon's beak.
-Louis, it's Arthur.
“...Arthur? How'd you get a scout bird?”
Louis blinked in shock.
No territories yet—no gold for scouts.
-No time to explain. Soon, hawks or owls will show up—not falcons. Kill them on sight. They're from the enemy Dungeon Master. Also, they've probably noticed we're not heading the expected way.
Louis nodded.
‘That Arthur guy...’
Damn good.
Scary if he turned enemy, whatever he was hiding.
But worth hearing out.
-Next destination?
“Nailr River.”
-Got it. Nailr River. We were briefed monsters are in the thickets beyond it. But they're ambushing, probably in the river.
“...How can you be sure?”
-Heard Nailr River has lots of gillweed nearby. The Dungeon Master won't follow the script. They'll twist what we were fed.
“How do you know?”
-No harm in believing me. If you spot ambushers in the river, drop poison petals there. They'll float up.
Louis nodded.
Easy enough to check.
But something else mattered more.
“Why help me?”
-Don't flatter yourself. Not for you—for me. I need your forces too.
Arthur disliked Louis.
That fake mask creeped him out.
But Louis was an exceptional lord, fact.
That's why the falcon scout.
“Fine, I'll try it.”
Louis wasn't dumb enough to risk pride on a hunch.
-Good luck.
The falcon soared to a nearby tree.
Arthur's falcon would guide Louis's squad safely.
Lauden and the apprentice lords exchanged glances.
They set the forest ablaze.
Arthur had warned of traps and hidden monsters inside.
The flames spread, devouring the woods in moments.
The 590 troops encircled the forest.
First line: shield and spear bearers.
Second: swordsmen.
Third: archers.
Kee-hek!
Kuwaaak!
Kyahaak!
“Gah!”
“It's real!”
Unbelievable.
Contrary to the instructors' briefing.
No monsters in the forest, they'd said.
But Arthur was right.
‘Forest is great if empty, deadly if ambushed. Blind faith in instructors is a backstab. But they wouldn't lead us to death on purpose. Like Arthur said, this squad's going a whole different way.’
Lauden pieced it together fast. The others nodded agreement.
Inside lurked 140cm dog-headed chameleons.
Dog-head chameleons had immense grip strength, perfect camouflage shifting colors with surroundings.
Smart enough for tricks too.
Passing carelessly would've cost over 100 lives!
“Fire!”
Pushushushuk!
Pushushuk!
Arrows rained.
Chameleons bursting from flames collapsed in heaps.
Those fleeing for water slammed into shields.
Thud!
Thud!
Pujik!
Pujik!
Spearmen behind thrust through shield gaps.
Any squeezing past were swiftly handled by the rear lines.