Chapter 176: Ambushing The Ambush

Red didn’t really know what to feel about that Kobold Challenger. The chief said it was easier to fight than the Kobold Elder. He imagined the same big kobold but with a shield and a sword.

The Chief might be right that the Kobold Elder might be more annoying to fight against. Especially if the opponent was good with the shield. It would be harder to kill the one with a shield than the one who wielded dual axes or dual swords.

Of course, that was just a theory in his head. He found it annoying to fight someone with a set of equipment. The Elite Kobold Fighter was that annoying example. He needed to coat his sword or arrow with mana if he really wanted to land a meaningful attack.

"They are moving! I will get into my position to get their archers!"

Red jumped off the house, and then he used Burst Leap to jump over the wall. A notification appeared before his eyes while he was midair.

[Burst Leap has reached level 2!]

"It’s about time..." He muttered while landing on the other side of the wall. He didn’t use the skill that often, but he had used it quite a few times already. It was about time to reach the next level.

Red got rid of the notification and focused on his task. He climbed up the third branch of the tree, moving flawlessly. That was when he saw a movement, and he immediately climbed higher. He climbed two more branches higher and stayed still.

His back leaned against the trunk, looking down while his ears perked up. What he saw was a shadowy movement, a glimpse. He might be seeing things wrong, but the rustling noises were getting clearer. There was movement, but he couldn’t see it yet.

’Yeah, it makes sense for the Kobold Scouts to find another way to attack the village. They will not join the main army.’

The Kobold Scouts would be like him, joining the fight from a different angle. ’This will be our battle. I hope the trap could delay them a little bit longer while I am taking care of the Kobold Scout.’

The rustling noises got closer, and Red pulled out an arrow from the quiver. He looked around, trying to find his first target. Soon he found them, seven Kobold Scouts moving closely together. He didn’t immediately shoot them as he kept looking for more. There should be more than just seven Kobold Scouts.

The seven Kobold Scouts were moving through the second branch, three branches lower than him; they went past him, and he allowed them. Not long after, another group showed up.

Red didn’t attack them either, letting them pass. The second group was bigger; he saw twelve of them, but there might be more than twelve. He followed them and had a guess at what they were trying to do. The Kobold Scouts wanted to sneak into the village from the other side of the village.

Once the two sides clashed, the goblin would focus on the side that was attacked by the main army of kobolds. He was about to follow them until he heard more movement. Another group was approaching.

He stayed still and looked around. He found them, a group of twelve Kobold Scouts. At least twelve of them were in his sight. There might be more around him. The latest group didn’t follow the initial group; they stayed where he was. More and more Kobold Scouts gathered, and he counted them.

’At least twenty-six Kobold Scouts...’

The twenty-six Kobold Scouts were divided into four groups. Two groups had seven kobolds, and two groups had six kobolds. He got a clear picture of what the Kobold Scouts were doing. They were trying to attack the village from all directions. These Kobold Scouts would launch a sneak attack from behind and from both sides.

Red realized the situation was more dire than he thought. The trap might work well to delay the main army, but the surprise attack would mess things up. He realized that he must make his move now, getting rid of the Kobold Scouts as fast as he could.

He slung the bow back on his back and put the arrow back into the quiver. Then he moved away; he moved deeper into the jungle, but not too deep. He quickly took out his blessing food and devoured it all. He didn’t have time to enjoy his food in an emergency situation.

Red got away from his position because Darla’s food was just too aromatic. He didn’t know how good the Kobold Scout’s sense of smell was, but it was safer to get away from them. The plan was to eat the food before firing the fireball. He would wait while eating until the kobolds fell into the first trap. When they were distracted by the trap, Red would launch the fireball at the Elite Kobold Archer.

That was the initial plan, but he needed a new plan with the Kobold Scout variable. He finished the seven dishes, pumping up his stats. Then he quickly returned to his original position with a sword in his hand. He needed to kill them as quickly as possible, and it was faster with his sword.

Red slowly and soundlessly climbed down to the third branch, right above a group of seven Kobold Scouts. He pulled a spear from his back, then he threw the spear at one of the kobolds.

The spear pierced through the head down to the throat. The first Kobold Scout fell; six left. He immediately jumped off to the second branch, landing right in the middle of the remaining six Kobold Scouts. His sword was already coated with mana, and he swung the sword three hundred and sixty degrees.

His sword effortlessly sliced the Kobold Scouts’ bodies in two. Their upper bodies slid down, falling off the tree before their lower bodies followed. They died without making noises.

Red turned toward the closest group, a group of six Kobold Scouts. His gaze met with the six pairs of eyes.

The Kobold Scouts realized they were under attack, but they were frozen in shock. They clearly didn’t expect to be attacked out of nowhere. It was their duty to ambush the goblin, yet they got ambushed.

Red took advantage of the surprise, using Burst Leap to reach the next group. He quickly arrived in front of the next group. Then he swung his sword before he landed. Three heads flew off as blood spurted out from their headless bodies.

The three headless bodies took three steps forward and fell. Those three landed with a loud thud, and that alarmed the remaining two groups that were eight to ten trees away.

Red landed in the middle of the remaining three Kobold Scouts. It was an ideal landing, but the slippery surface caused him to slide over. Instead of stopping, he bumped toward the Kobold Scout in front of him.

With momentum from the Burst Leap, he pushed the kobold, and it was strong enough to push the Kobold Scout down. That Kobold Scout fell on his back, and his head hit the protruding root and never got back up again.

That Kobold Scout helped him, stopping him from falling. But he was still losing his balance. He quickly stabbed his sword down into the branch, gripping it tightly to regain his balance.

The two remaining Kobold Scouts reacted almost at the same time. They pulled the short swords from their waist, stabbing their swords toward his head.

Red ducked and kicked the Kobold Scout to his right. That kick was strong enough for the Kobold Scout to flip over. His left hand remained on the sword as his right pulled the spear from his back. He then lunged toward the remaining kobold, the spear piercing the kobold’s neck.

Despite having a spear in his neck, the kobold tried to brandish its sword in his hand. Red quickly swung the spear, throwing the kobold off the branch.

Thanks to his quick action, he stabbed the sword into the branch to use it as a handle. He regained his footing and stood up, pulling the sword. He then swung at the last Kobold Scout that tried to get up. His sword sliced through the Kobold Scout’s neck, then he followed with a kick, kicking the body down.

Red quickly looked up as the remaining two groups were closing in. He saw the group of seven kobolds, but he didn’t see the second group of six kobolds. There were two possibilities. They left to get more reinforcement, or they moved away to surround him.

He guessed it was the latter, meaning they would come at him from his blind angle. He was alone, and they were thirteen. So they thought they didn’t need more kobolds just to kill one hobgoblin.

Red tossed his sword to his left hand as he pulled a spear. He coated the spear with his mana, not that much, just twenty, because all he needed was to cover the tip of the spear. He threw the spear, and it pierced the first kobold, then hit the second kobold behind. Both kobolds fell off the tree with a hole in their head.