Chapter 108 - 107: Goblin Ruins

Chapter 108: Chapter 107: Goblin Ruins

Golden shafts of light pierced through the dense canopy, casting shifting patches of light on the leaf-strewn woodland floor.

The air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of earth and flora. Clear birdsong echoed through the trees, making the forest, so gloomy just yesterday, teem with life once more.

Hesia faced the warm morning light, squinting his eyes in comfort.

Despite being in the perilous wilds, he had, surprisingly, slept soundly.

This was all thanks to Captain Hulk’s sensible planning. ’Having Belte rest on a separate schedule from the others was a truly clever decision.’

On a sturdy fir tree not far away, Laila knelt on one knee among the branches.

A faint light flickered in her eyes as she used the Eagle Eye Technique to observe the scene ahead.

A few minutes later, a slight dizziness washed over her. She shook her head, her face turning a little pale.

The Magic had clearly taken a heavy toll on her.

Fortunately, she had gathered all the necessary intelligence.

Although the branch was only a few meters high, she didn’t leap down as she had before.

Instead, she carefully slid down the tree’s trunk.

"Captain, the location matches the one on the commission. Those goblins are in the ruins up ahead."

"Through my magical sight, the ruins seem to have two levels. I can see 22 goblins, but I’m not sure if there are more hidden in blind spots or underground."

"As far as I can tell, they’re all common goblins. I haven’t spotted any other goblin subspecies."

"Do the ruins have a clear entrance?"

"Yes. It’s surrounded by dilapidated but still mostly intact stone walls. I doubt it will be easy to sneak in unnoticed."

"Are there goblins at the entrance?"

"Two. They’re dozing off."

Upon hearing this, a look of understanding flashed in Hulk’s eyes. "Then there must be a high-ranking goblin subspecies inside."

"Goblins are a Race where might makes right. An ordinary goblin would never think to stand guard on its own. Unless... a leader forced it to."

"But the presence of a leader can actually be a good thing. We can use it to our advantage."

"In a moment, we’ll circle around to the entrance. Zoya, you stay in Stealth and set up an ambush flanking the entrance. Belte, you’ll charge straight in. Kill one, but just cripple the other. Let it run back and raise the alarm."

"No problem, Captain!" Belte licked his lips, excitedly gripping his Broadsword. Charging head-on at weaker targets was what he lived for.

"When more goblins come out, feign a retreat. They’re sure to give chase. If there are fewer than ten, Zoya, you’ll break from Stealth and team up with Belte to take them out quickly. Again, let one or two escape to sound the alarm."

"The rest will most likely swarm out after that. If more than twenty of them come out at once, we all attack together and finish them off. This ensures we don’t leave too many stragglers inside the ruins."

"With our strength, we could just charge in and slaughter all these Green-skinned Dwarves, but this is the safest approach. The core of the plan is to hide our true numbers and bait them into chasing us in waves."

"Understood, Captain."

"No problem."

With the plan decided, the group moved out at once.

They first found a secluded hollow, where they securely tied the two Land Birds to a tree. They fed them some special fodder to keep them calm, ensuring they wouldn’t make any noise or bolt at a critical moment.

Once that was done, the party silently made their way through the woods, guided by Laila.

The thick layer of decaying leaves and damp soil underfoot effectively muffled their footsteps.

Soon, the silhouette of a crumbling ruin emerged from between the trees.

Hulk raised his arm. The party immediately halted, each member finding cover.

Zoya’s figure seemed to melt into the surrounding shadows, disappearing into the bushes on the flank without a sound.

Belte crouched down, hiding behind a massive fir tree.

Hulk, Hesia, and Laila took cover a little farther back.

Once Hulk confirmed everyone was in position, he gave a slight nod in Belte’s direction.

The signal was given.

[Charge]!

Belte’s feet dug into the ground as he shot forward, barreling toward the ruin’s entrance like a raging bull.

The two Green-skinned Dwarves had no time to react, let alone sound an alarm.

One had just dazedly raised its rusty dagger when Belte’s Broadsword came whistling down.

"SQUELCH! CRACK!"

The muffled thud of a blade slicing through flesh and the crack of shattering bone rang out almost simultaneously.

The goblin’s head burst like a split melon, splattering red and white matter everywhere.

"Graw!??"

The other goblin, splattered in the face with its companion’s warm fluids, let out a twisted shriek of terror.

But Belte gave it no chance to react. He turned his weapon and viciously smashed the flat of the broadsword into the goblin’s knee.

"CRACK!"

"GRAAAGH—!"

Along with the sharp snap of bone, the goblin clutched its mangled leg and let out a squeal like a stuck pig, scrambling back into the darkness of the ruins.

"Hahaha! Go on, call all your little green relatives out for a party!"

Belte shouted the taunt, then turned and sprinted back the way he came without a second glance.

"Grak-grak-grak!"

Angry, chaotic roars erupted from within the ruins, as if someone had kicked a hornet’s nest.

Soon, seven or eight goblins brandishing clubs and rocks swarmed out of the entrance, furiously chasing after Belte.

The moment they cleared the ruins and were exposed in the woodland clearing—

A black shadow shot out from the flanking bushes like a lightning bolt!

Zoya had made her move.

Her dagger drew a deadly arc, landing precisely on the throat of the last goblin in the line.

The goblin didn’t even have time to grunt before it fell to its knees, clutching its gushing throat.

Almost simultaneously, Belte, who had been feigning his retreat, spun around. A single horizontal sweep of his broadsword sliced through the two frontmost goblins, sending their bodies flying.

Belte’s Broadsword movements were wide and powerful. For these quickly-matured creatures, a mere graze from his blade was enough to snap tendons and shatter their fragile bones.

Zoya, meanwhile, moved like a phantom. Her dagger always seemed to appear from the most improbable angles to precisely slit a throat or pierce a heart. Every strike was fatal, with no wasted motion.

In less than a minute, the two of them had slaughtered the first wave of goblins.

As planned, Zoya deliberately let the last, terrified goblin escape.

The survivor let out a shriek a hundred times more piercing than before as it scrambled back into the ruins.

"GRAAAAGH!!!"

That mournful howl was clearly more effective than any alarm.

This time, the ruins fell silent for a moment.

Then, an even more savage Roar erupted!

A huge mob of green figures poured out from the darkness, more than twenty of them, and among them was a giant goblin nearly two meters tall. Its muscles were knotted and bulging, and it wielded a massive Bone Staff.

The giant goblin charged out of the ruins. Its yellow eyes, pupils little more than black dots, swept over Belte and it was immediately enraged by the goblin blood covering him.

But soon, its gaze was drawn to another figure—a graceful, black-clad silhouette.