Chapter 27: Is My Mic Blasting?

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Is My Mic Blasting?

Hesia’s consciousness struggled free from the darkness, the intense vertigo slowly subsiding.

He opened his eyes to the sight of Baron Uer and the Guards putting up a desperate resistance, their movements like something out of a slow-motion film.

Under the effects of the [Slowdown Skill], every swing and thrust of their swords became more difficult.

The goblins were a tireless tide, surging forward in waves to tear at their crumbling defensive line!

’Damn it...’ Hesia’s heart sank. ’We were so close...’

’If only I hadn’t been hit by that damned Slowdown Skill... or if I just had a little more Magic Power...’

His gaze swept subconsciously across the battlefield, searching for a turning point.

Suddenly! His eyes locked onto a brown figure weaving nimbly between the slowed humans and the goblins—Bruce!

He hadn’t been hit by the [Slowdown Skill].

His four legs were still nimbly leaping and dodging, and every so often he would sneak in a bite on a goblin’s ankle, creating opportunities for the Guards.

’If it’s Bruce...!’

Hesia’s gaze locked onto Bruce.

As if sensing something, Bruce whipped his head around, his canine eyes meeting Hesia’s gaze perfectly.

Hesia couldn’t speak, but he gestured toward his target.

The target—the spire of the Bell Tower!

Bruce understood the hope in Hesia’s eyes.

Their bond needed no words!

He stopped toying with the surrounding goblins. His body tensed like a bow, and he shot off like an arrow released from its string!

His speed was astonishing! Using all four paws, he scrambled up the rough, craggy slope of the Earth Spike as if running on flat ground.

’Oh no!’

A memory from his past life struck Hesia like a bolt of lightning—a memory about sound!

He immediately began gesturing frantically at Baron Uer and the Guards, signaling for them to cover their ears.

Although Baron Uer didn’t understand why, he saw Hesia’s almost ferocious expression and the hand pointing toward Bruce, and he instantly understood.

He immediately copied the action, covering his own ears.

The Guards, who already trusted Hesia, all clamped their hands tightly over their ears.

Under the moonlight, a heart-stopping distance separated the strange mud doll swaying in the wind from the tip of the Earth Spike...

Using his momentum, Bruce leaped from the tip of the Earth Spike!

He tore through the silent night sky!

With pinpoint accuracy, his jaws clamped down on the mud doll’s head.

His sharp canine teeth instantly pierced the coarse, unfired clay.

Then, he violently shook his head!

"CRACKLE!"

The mud doll’s head shattered at the sound, turning to dust!

The long, black hair covering the doll’s head, now without purchase, drifted down in the night wind.

The instant the mud doll shattered!

VMMMM—!

VMMMM—!!

VMMMM—!!!

A deafening roar instantly swept across all of Print Town!

Even though Hesia had his ears covered, a sharp ringing still sent a stab of pain through them.

The absolute dead silence instantly switched to a deafening cacophony!

Only one absurd thought remained in Hesia’s mind:

’This... this is fucking...’

’This is just like that one dumbass from my past life who could never get his mic settings right when we gamed!’

’Every time we played, his end was either completely silent or he’d suddenly blast you with a deafening greeting:

"HELLO?! HELLO?! CAN YOU HEAR ME?! IS MY MIC PEAKING?!!"

And now, the entirety of Print Town was experiencing the ultimate version of that "peaking mic"!

For the goblins, whose hearing was far superior to humans, this sudden change in sound pressure was a complete catastrophe!

"GWOOOH—!!!"

"GAAAAAAGH—!!!"

Shrill, distorted screams instantly pierced the heavens.

All the goblins in the square could be seen clutching their ears in agony.

They writhed and convulsed madly on the ground.

The intense pain overwhelmed the Frenzy Spell cast by the Shaman.

Bruce landed lightly on the stone ledge of the Bell Tower’s arched window. He shook his head, which was ringing slightly, and looked down at the mass of goblins writhing like boiling water in the square. ’Good thing I was far away!’ he thought.

A moment later, Baron Uer and the Guards lowered their hands from their ears.

The sounds of the world returned. Though their ears were still ringing, they could at least communicate with each other again.

"Now’s our chance! Kill the ones around us!" Baron Uer gave the command he had been holding back for so long.

The Guards’ spirits soared!

They took advantage of the goblins still being lost in immense pain and fought to clear out the ones nearest to them.

...

"Captain Cardan! We can hear again!"

A young Guard shouted excitedly from the entrance of a cellar.

The captain of the guards, Kadan, a burly, middle-aged man, nodded.

When the chaos of the goblin invasion and the dead silence had descended simultaneously, it was he who, relying on his battlefield intuition and courage, had quickly gathered the surviving Guards and townspeople.

They had split into two groups, hiding in two adjacent, sturdy cellars.

Inside the cellars, the foul air, darkness, and silent terror gnawed at everyone’s nerves like venomous snakes.

But Kadan had remained calm throughout.

Just a short while ago, he had keenly noticed the number of goblins besieging the cellars decreasing and immediately realized—the Lord had fought his way in with his men!

Now, hearing the deafening roar and the goblins’ miserable howls from outside, Kadan knew the time for a counter-attack had come!

"Open the cellar doors!" Kadan’s voice was steady and powerful. "Lads! Grab your weapons! The Lord is in the square! Charge out with me! Drive these green-skinned bastards out of Print!"

"KILL!!!"

Their long-suppressed fear instantly erupted into a towering inferno of rage! The surviving Guards and able-bodied townspeople roared, grabbing any weapon they could find—Longswords, spears, pitchforks, even kitchen knives and wooden clubs!

Kadan took the lead, guiding the tide of vengeance straight toward the Bell Tower square, where the goblins were thickest.

He immediately spotted Baron Uer, Hesia, and the others in the center of the square, surrounded by goblins and fighting a bloody battle!

He also saw the purplish-red figure in the shadow of the Bell Tower—the Goblin Shaman!

"You go support the Lord!" Kadan’s voice boomed like thunder. "That purple-skinned bastard—is mine!"

Before his voice had even faded!

Kadan’s leg muscles instantly tensed!

[Charge]!

His figure transformed into a swift arrow released from a bow. Unable to take a direct path to the Shaman, he used a common goblin blocking his way as a stepping stone!

"ROAR—!!!"

A lion-like [Roar] erupted from Kadan’s mouth!

The invisible soundwave smashed into the eardrums of the surrounding goblins like a heavy hammer!

The goblins, who had just recovered from the "peaking mic" agony, were instantly thrown into a dazed state, staggering about as if drunk.

Without a second glance, Kadan kicked the dazed goblin in front of him out of the way.

He had only one target—the Goblin Shaman!

"DIE!!!"

The Fine Steel Longsword in Kadan’s hand shrieked as it tore through the air, chopping down at the panicked Shaman’s head!

The Goblin Shaman was scared out of its wits! It subconsciously raised the Bone Staff in its hands, trying to parry!

"CRACK!"

With a crisp snap, the Bone Staff broke in two!

The momentum of Kadan’s sword was blocked, pausing for a fraction of a second!

The Goblin Shaman used the force of the blow to roll backward pathetically, like a startled rabbit!

"Gak-lo-puk!" (Stop him!)

The surrounding goblins, having just recovered from their daze, shrieked and lunged at Kadan.

Kadan swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting down two of them, but more goblins swarmed forward, temporarily blocking his pursuit!

Meanwhile, Hesia’s eyes had been locked on the battle. While evading the lesser mobs, he had been stealthily moving toward the Shaman.

He had recovered almost half of his Magic Power during the brief respite.

He saw the Goblin Shaman fall pathetically to the ground and try to scramble up to escape!

’I’ve been waiting all night for this moment!’

He raised his hand!

[Earth Spike Technique]!

PSHHHK!

A sharp Earth Spike erupted from the ground beneath the Goblin Shaman!

It instantly pierced through its hunched body.

The Goblin Shaman’s body went rigid!

The two points of eerie green light that were its eyes stared fixedly in Hesia’s direction, filled with venomous hatred and disbelief!

Then, the light quickly dimmed.

Its head lolled to the side, and it fell completely silent.

[Earth Spike Skill Proficiency +3, (8/10)]

In the square, the goblins, now without the Shaman’s command or the buff from its Frenzy Spell, finally broke completely under the pincer attack from Kadan’s and Baron Uer’s forces.

They screamed and fled in all directions like headless chickens.

The night sky over Print Town was filled with an overlapping cacophony of battle cries and wails of agony.