I need to stay on the move, kiting them around, occasionally turning to spear one before darting off again. My breaths come in ragged gasps, and I can feel my strength waning. If this keeps up, I won’t last much longer. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Suddenly, a blood-curdling shout echoes through the battlefield. My heart skips a beat as I turn my head to see the source of the noise. The trees part violently, uprooted as a towering hulk of a figure rushes onto the scene.
The creature is massive, easily three times the size of the hobgoblins, with thick, gray-green skin covered in warts and scars. Its eyes burn with a primal fury, and tusks jut out from its lower jaw, adding to its menacing appearance. It wields a giant hammer, crudely fashioned from a tree trunk and reinforced with jagged metal.
Every step it takes shakes the ground, sending tremors through the forest.
What the fuck is that monster?
The goblins and hobgoblins cheer, their morale visibly bolstered by the arrival of this monstrosity. “Boss! Boss! Boss!” they chant, their voices rising in a chorus of twisted joy.
Gobbo, you cunning little fucker. You said that the three hobgoblins were the bosses!
It swings its massive hammer, smashing through the forest and crushing anything obstructing its path. It bellows again, a sound that reverberates through my bones, and my stomach churns with a mix of fear and dread.
Although the situation has turned for the worse, there’s at least some semblance of positives, because due to this creature’s appearance both goblins and hobgoblins stopped their onslaught, allowing the two of us to team up.
“Why is there a random raid boss in the beginner area?!” I whimper dejectedly.
My companion looks at me as if I’m a certified mental asylum escapee, “did you hit your head? What nonsense are you spouting? Raid boss? Beginner area?”
“Ah, I said that out loud accidentally. Let’s focus on our quickly encroaching deaths instead, shall we? What is this monster?”
“A war troll, which is an evolved version of the mountain troll, which means that it’s between level 20 and 30. They boast extremely high Vitality and Strength, and their racial specialty is [Rapid Regeneration].
I honestly have almost zero chances of victory in my current exhausted state and lack of proper gear, so we have to look for an escape route right this instant, however despite its mass the troll is faster than you for sure…”
Indeed, my samurai doesn’t even have a sword in her hand. The situation went from dire to outright fatal.
Utilizing the brief respite granted to us I check my status and I’m very happy to see that I’ve reached Primordial Level 4. I don’t have time to inspect things any further, so I swiftly put three Unused Attribute Points into Vitality and two into Strength.
If I can’t outrun my problems, then I can only grit my teeth and fight until the very last moment. I’ve chosen Strength over Agility because it took too much effort to defeat even the simple, weak goblins. Speed alone won’t help me win my fights- in this scenario or future ones- if I can’t deal proper damage.
I glance around us and I fail to see a clear path leading us to safety. In front of us is the goblin swarm, to our right side is the hobgoblin duo, behind us is the war troll, and to our left is their encampment which is surrounded by palisades and a mountain.
In the next moment I hear Ayame whispering into my ear; “Quinlan, follow my lead!” While my inexperienced ass was gawking around panicked, my battle-hardened partner seems to have thought of something.
“[Flash Step]!” She disappears from my side and I the next thing I see is her being in mid-air next to the spear wielding hobgoblin, who was still busy cheering happily due to the arrival of the troll.
With a swift motion, Ayame decapitates the hobgoblin while still in the air. Before she even lands, she lets go of her axe, kicks the spear out of his hand, then spins around and kicks it with her other foot, sending it flying towards me. I quickly react by snatching it out of the air and rushing at the other hobgoblin, who is now greatly startled.
Ayame, still in mid-air and upside down due to her spinning kick move with her head being inches from the ground, grabs the axe just before it hits the forest floor and swings it with perfect precision. The sword-wielding hobgoblin gets both his feet chopped off in a single fluid motion of hers.
She lets go of the axe once more, landing gracefully in a somersault, her movements a blend of lethal elegance and acrobatic genius.
I activate [Lesser Evasion] as the 10-minute active time had passed and then [Power Strike], feeling the surge of energy course through me. With newfound vigor, I charge at the hobgoblin, impaling him on my new spear with a forceful thrust. The creature’s eyes widen in shock before it collapses, lifelessly to the ground.
“Holy fuck, Ayame, that was the most badass thing I’ve seen in my entire life!” I shout at her energetically, my previous exhausted state being nowhere to be seen due to my sudden adrenaline rush. How can I not be revitalized after seeing someone do so many wild moves while being mid-air?
She could easily put Olympic gold medalist acrobats to shame with her eyes closed and hands tied behind her back.
Ayame bends down and picks up the hobgoblin’s sword to exchange it for her axe.
She giggles, which after what she’d just done no longer sounds as cute and innocent as it once did. “Hehehe… Thanks. Being short and slender has its advantages. Let’s focus on the front for now.”
I nod and we both dash towards the twenty or so goblins with sinister grins adorning our features.
The war troll roars again, raising its massive hammer. The primitive signal was enough to wake the goblins from their stunned stupor as they screeched aggressively before charging at us.
I grip my new spear tightly, marveling at the craftsmanship. Unlike my old iron spear, this one is well-crafted from steel, with a smoother feel to the touch. The handle even has padded areas for better handling, providing a comfortable grip. I meet the oncoming wave of goblins head-on, eager to test my new weapon.