Solo Raid

The Goblin Lord's axe boasted the same ridiculous reach as a greatsword. Compared to my main weapon, it was at least twice as long. The advantage of reach in close combat was obvious.

With the Goblin Lord's overwhelming mass and even greater muscle power, not only defense but even clashing blades would be impossible. And to top it off, three crossbow goblins were aiming at me. The conditions were shit.

In this situation, there was only one move to make.

"Hup!"

I dove in deeper. Into the axe's blind spot, into the Goblin Lord's embrace. I exploded forward in an instant, closing the distance. Unlike a greatsword, the axe's striking surface was narrow, so up close like this, it was useless.

But hesitating to get that close to a massive musclebound freak like that was unavoidable.

Pfht! The crossbow fired. I immediately raised my shield to cover my left shoulder.

Ting. The powerfully shot bolt ricocheted off the shield. It was half a gamble, but my prediction was spot on. Just moments ago, the Goblin Lord's huge body had blocked most of me from view. That was probably the only shot the crossbow goblin had.

But there were still two more crossbow goblins left. And right in front of me, the Goblin Lord had raised its free hand.

"Graaaah-!!"

A deafening roar shook my ears as it swung its pot-lid-sized fist. I ducked my head sharply to evade. My strength stat couldn't overpower the Goblin Lord in its second phase, but my agility-derived reaction speed and explosiveness were different. Superior speed meant first strike always. Even in this one-against-many scenario.

While the goblins took one turn, I could take two.

Ting. Right after dodging the Goblin Lord's hand, I blocked the second shot—aimed at my opening—with my shield. The problem was the third one's shot.

I hadn't anticipated three crossbow goblins spawning right at the start of phase two. Hoping the timing wouldn't be too late, I spun my body around the leg I'd slashed during its Brandish, using the Goblin Lord as cover. No arrow came.

It worked—using the Goblin Lord as a shield. These guys would never friendly-fire no matter what. That's why I could delay their shots by even a beat like this.

"Gra-!"

The instant the crossbow goblin missed its timing, the Goblin Lord raised its axe overhead. This was bad. I'd forced myself to dodge the arrow and missed the beat to counter the axe.

Fuck, can't dodge this. And I couldn't block it either.

Kang! The massive bone axe glanced off the side of my raised shield with a screech. Somehow, I'd deflected it. The shield looked a bit chipped. Even deflected, my arm was numb.

But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now it was my turn again. The Goblin Lord's explosiveness couldn't exploit this brief gap.

Or so I thought—then its shoulder barreled toward me. I hastily raised my shield.

Bam! The shield, pushed back by sheer force, smacked my face, and the Goblin Lord's bull-like charge lifted my body into the air. Fuck, a tackle from that close with its size? No shame at all.

My reaction speed was fine, but the move was so bizarre ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I couldn't counter it.

Whoosh! Having launched me airborne, the Goblin Lord drew back its bone axe wide. Same stance as the horizontal sweep I'd eaten before. The Goblin Lord's strongest blow—couldn't take that hit.

It planned to smash me like a baseball as I fell. If that connected, shield or no, it'd cleave me in half at the waist. Had to dodge somehow, but midair evasion was impossible. Damn it, total checkmate. Just like the tackle.

Reaction speed was there, but no counter. Wait—no, there was one.

"Tsk...!"

Midair, I gripped my sword tight and pulled my shoulder back. My legs braced as if stepping on solid ground. Swordsmanship skills triggered proper forms automatically. Meaning, shit like this was possible.

Pfuk! A faint glow lit the blade, and my body shot forward on its own, thrusting. Sword Charge, a one-handed sword dash skill. The midair lunge judgment altered my trajectory before I fell.

The extended thrust buried into the Goblin Lord's nape.

Thanks to spamming the skill dozens of times to raise proficiency, I nailed the form even airborne. It wasn't just stats or levels. All that training saved me in this critical moment.

"Gotcha, you fucker!"

A thrill like nothing I'd felt before—I grinned and yelled without thinking. Euphoria surged through my veins. I gripped the sword in the Goblin Lord's nape and clambered onto its shoulder again.

At that moment, spotting me pop up on its shoulder, a crossbow goblin loosed an arrow.

"Kuh."

It nailed my shoulder dead-on, but my high durability prevented penetration. Just embedded halfway. Still hurt like hell. Hurt, but weirdly didn't. I knew why. Real adrenaline rush. They say when blood rushes to your head, you don't feel pain. Guess it's true.

The interface popped up out of context. Before pondering it, I raised my sword.

"Dieeee!!"

Clinging to its neck, I plunged the raised blade down. Felt like it sank in easier than before. Adrenaline again? Whatever. One thing was certain.

I'd won this fight.

* * *

Lost in the zone, I stabbed away at the Goblin Lord's back. Forgot about the dagger I'd prepped for times like this—brutally hacked with the longsword instead.

"Graaaaah-!!"

"Raaaaah!!"

The Goblin Lord thrashed in agony, trying to shake me off, but I roared back and kept stabbing. The three crossbow goblins fired whenever they had a shot at me on its back, but it was pointless.

Puk! A few arrows stuck in me. Two or three? Lost count midway. None hit vitals ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anyway. Challengers don't take lethal damage until HP hits zero. Hurt like a bitch, but wouldn't kill me.

Bleeding would take an hour to drain a Lv.39 HP bar. As I kept thrusting, the Goblin Lord tried peeling me off the same way—charging at the wall backward. I released its neck, used its back as a springboard, and leaped toward the wall at the last second.

Then kicked off the wall again, assuming Sword Charge stance midair.

Puk! Dashed into the Goblin Lord's back as it barreled toward the wall—our forces drove the blade deep.

"Graaaak!"

The boss's weakened scream, red critical effect spraying. Critical hit. The blade lodged deep in its back muscles, stuck fast. Didn't matter. Opened inventory.

Over the past half-year, I'd claimed every treasure chest in the first-floor labyrinth without exception. Weapons piled up endlessly.

Ditched the sword stuck in the boss's back, drew a new one. Left the half-crippled boss and charged the crossbow goblins.

"You've been pissing me off for a while, fucker."

Kwajik! Crushed the goblin that kept sniping. Quickly stabbed the remaining two.

Meanwhile, the staggering Goblin Lord regained its stance. Gripped its bone axe tight, assumed its deadly horizontal sweep pose. I unstrapped the now-useless shield from my arm and gripped my sword.

Thud! Thud! Thud! It charged with all its might, axe raised. But no intimidation left. That first leg strike must've worn it down. Plus all the bleeding stabs.

I ran at the awkwardly lurching beast swinging for a horizontal sweep. My agility was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plenty. Confident I could dodge even its finisher head-on.

Whoosh! Dodged the wind-cutting axe, then struck straight at its neck from the front.

Puk! Red critical effect again. The boss froze upright. Then slowly, like any other monster, dissolved into light.

"What."

Why so many rewards?