Chapter 7: Four
Bear Goblins,
a variant of the Goblin.
Equally evil and greedy, but compared to their smaller, weaker cousins, Bear Goblins possess a physique and agility that seems almost genetically mutated.
They are cold-blooded and savage, possessing a certain level of intelligence, roughly understanding Goblin and Common speech.
Some assassin organizations located in the western part of the continent even specifically recruit young Bear Goblins, training them into professional killers.
Almost every Bear Goblin, upon reaching adulthood, possesses the ability to become the leader of a Goblin tribe.
And Goblins who have acquired a Bear Goblin "boss" will see their courage and dangerousness multiply exponentially due to the leader's brutal rule and formidable strength.
But on the other hand, compared to the sheer numbers of Goblins, which are as widespread as cockroaches across the continent, Bear Goblins are not numerous.
Having left their groups to live independently after adulthood, they are merely scattered sporadically among Goblin tribes of varying sizes.
Often, with subordinates to satisfy their greed for food and treasure, Bear Goblins are even too lazy to act personally, simply nest ing up in their lairs like dragons.
If not for excessive greed, or simply bad luck, it's generally difficult for bottom-level adventurers to encounter them within their usual range of activity.
However, by the same token, once these adventurers, who haven't even gained a professional level yet, face the strongest individuals of this Goblinoid species head-on, their fate is self-evident.
Roar——
A low, aggressive roar echoed through the spacious cave.
A burly figure nearly seven feet tall slowly stood up. Beneath the coarse, reddish-brown fur were knotted muscles as thick as a brown bear's. Its tawny eyes revealed a dangerous glint in the firelight, and viscous, foul-smelling saliva slowly dripped from the two tusks protruding from its lower jaw.
The most striking feature, however, was the nearly half-human-sized spiked club at its feet.
The slender grip made the dark club head particularly conspicuous. The ground, slightly indented from its weight, and the dense steel spikes covering the club's surface made it hard to imagine the horrific outcome if such a blow were to land squarely on someone.
"Gagu, hold it off!!!"
After a moment of panic, Hunter Maji, who was still relatively experienced in combat, finally reacted and shouted loudly at the Half-orc at the very front of the team.
Running away was absolutely impossible.
They were currently only a dozen meters away from the Bear Goblin, and with its explosive power far exceeding that of an ordinary person, it could cover the distance in the blink of an eye.
And while the cave was relatively wide, it was only enough for two people to walk side-by-side, far from spacious enough to scatter and flee.
Turning around and fleeing rashly, leaving their backs exposed to the enemy, they would likely be torn to shreds by the Bear Goblin before they even reached the cave entrance.
They had to take the initiative to attack!
"Xia Nan, you handle those Goblins on the side!"
A single Bear Goblin already required them to fight to the death.
If they also had to deal with those annoying green-skinned rats during the fight, their survival rate would likely drop by another ten percent.
Therefore, Maji could only choose to trust the rookie in the team who had just demonstrated his ability, believing that he could buy them space to focus their fire on the Bear Goblin without interference.
Maji's tense roar brought Xia Nan back to his senses instantly.
Before he even had time to react, he watched with his own eyes as Gagu, at the front of the team, gripped his heavy two-handed axe and charged towards the Bear Goblin with a furious roar.
Xia Nan realized something was wrong.
Unlike the other two in the team, his previous self was just an ordinary farmer who had never even heard the name "Bear Goblin," so he naturally wouldn't know its level of danger.
But just judging by Maji's and his companion's reactions was enough to prove the urgency of the current situation.
At this moment, he had no time to think further.
As soon as the Hunter finished speaking, he gripped his longsword tightly and rushed towards the four Goblins on the side of the cave with a determined stride.
To be honest, Xia Nan felt a bit uncertain.
Unlike the chaotic fight during the surprise attack last night, without teammates to restrain and cover him, in the open cave environment, he needed to face the frontal assault of four Goblins simultaneously.
Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps he had some talent for combat.
Looking at the four green-skinned rats ahead who were frantically picking up their weapons, a flash of inspiration went through his mind.
"A frontal one-on-four is too dangerous. I must divide the battlefield and attack fiercely to find a breakthrough!"
Without any hesitation, the Spinning Slash, which had been trained to Lv4 through years of diligent practice by his previous self, almost instinctively charged up while he was running.
Buzz——
A cold light flashed!
The Goblin closest to Xia Nan was cleanly cut in half horizontally.
By this time, the other three green-skinned beasts had also gripped the wooden clubs in their hands and charged forward side-by-side.
Xia Nan, whose entire focus was already immersed in the battle, was quick-witted and kicked over the iron pot in front of him, whose bottom was glowing red from the fire.
Boiling liquid mixed with murky grease poured out. The scorching temperature made the Goblins who were almost upon him stop instinctively, and their somewhat neat formation was also split as a result.
The plan was achieved!
Xia Nan quickly took two steps forward, leveraging his height and size advantage, and thrust his single-handed sword forward forcefully. The sharp blade instantly pierced through the Goblin's fragile skin and flesh, entering its abdominal cavity.
A strong gust of wind came, and he sidestepped, dodging a swing from another Goblin attacking from the side.
At the same time, he didn't pull out the blade that had penetrated the monster's flesh. In a posture similar to a "meat skewer," he activated Spinning Slash again.
"Rip!"
The sharp longsword, gathering the strength of his entire body, tore through the Goblin's defenseless and weak body with devastating force.
Cutting out horizontally from inside one Goblin, accompanied by spurting, bright red blood, it sliced its other companion into upper and lower halves.
Only then did the last green-skinned bastard finally manage to Around around the overturned iron pot and reach Xia Nan.
Immediately, upon realizing he was the only one left on the field, the opponent displayed the cowardice characteristic of a low-level monster.
He threw away the wooden club and turned to run.
He was quickly caught up to and stabbed to death with two strikes.
"Hoo... hoo..."
Xia Nan gasped for breath.
High concentration, just twenty seconds since the start of the battle, had almost depleted half of his stamina, and even his coarse linen clothes were soaked with sweat.
The single-handed sword was still gripped tightly in his palm, but his right hand trembled uncontrollably, and an unspeakable soreness came in waves from his arm muscles.
Those were the side effects of using Spinning Slash twice in a short period.
At least he had completed the task assigned to him by the team.
Xia Nan thought to himself.
At the same time, he turned and looked up, his gaze directed towards the other side of the battlefield.
"They should also be..."
"Damn it!"