Chapter 179: Ceaseless Battle (8)

Red thought the third shot would land on the chest. He didn’t know if the armor was tough enough to block his mana-coated arrow. He wished the mana-coated arrow was strong enough to pierce the armor.

He would find the answer soon, and he would decide whether he should continue the fight or not. If his mana-coated arrow was deflected, then there was no need for him to think twice and abandon the fight right away. He never considered fighting up close despite the crazy thrill of fighting up close.

He would be forced to use Infernal Berserk to fight the Kobold Challenger. That would be a waste when he could avoid it. This was not their last battle, and he would rather keep his Infernal Berserk for an emergency.

The arrow split through the air, shooting toward the Kobold Challenger’s chest. Red thought the arrow would. There was no way for the Kobold Challenger to avoid it with that speed. Yet he learned a lesson not to be overconfident. The Kobold Challenger ducked while tilting its head to the side.

The arrow went past the Kobold Challenger. It rose, kicking the ground as it launched upward. It was not Burst Leap, but it leaped quite far without a skill.

Red thought the arrow would hit. He made a mistake by not preparing the next shot. There was no arrow in his bow as he turned around and ran. He didn’t go to the village, but to the opposite direction. His plan was to lose the Kobold Challenger’s pursuit and attack the kobolds from behind.

He slung the bow to his back and carried his sword. Then he started to make his run, climbing up to the higher branch. He kept running without looking back, but he heard a loud thump, which was followed by an angry scream.

Red pictured an image of the Kobold Challenger smashing the tree with the axe. He made his run to the backline kobold army. He was standing in the highest branch, at the edge of the branch to assess the situation.

The Fireball delayed their marching slightly, but that was just a minor delay as the kobolds reached the wall. The first thing he looked at was the Elite Kobold Archers, trying to find if there was any survivor from his fireball. It was without a doubt the most powerful Fireball he had ever cast, but that didn’t mean it could kill forty Elite Kobold Archers at once.

He wanted to confirm there would be no archers. That way the Chief and the Goblin Champion could fight freely. He grinned ear to ear when he didn’t see a single Elite Kobold Archer. If the Kobold Challenger reminded the archers. There was a chance a few of them would survive.

Thinking about the Kobold Challenger, Red looked to the right side of the jungle where he had confronted the Kobold Challenger earlier. He saw the Kobold Challenger coming out from the jungle while holding the two axes. It ran toward the village while shouting something in the kobold language.

Red honestly was surprised that a simple action of attacking the Kobold Challenger would enrage it. He didn’t know if it was a good thing or not. It was certainly a good thing for him. With the Kobold Challenger left on the backline, that would give him more freedom with his action.

He watched the Kobold Challenger leap over the two pits with a single jump. It rushed to the piles of debris and jumped over them. It was inside the village so quickly, but that might be a good thing because the Elite Kobold Fighters were left behind. He could see the Elite Kobold Fighters were hurrying, but they were still too late.

The Chief and the three Goblin Champions sprang into action, ganging up on the Kobold Challenger. The Kobold Challenger was caught off guard, not expecting to face four Goblin Champions at once.

Once the Kobold Challenger was inside the village, Red also made his move. He jumped off the tree and ran closer to the kobold’s backline.

He tried to use his Fireball, maybe one last shot before the Elite Kobold Fighters entered the village. Unfortunately, the Fireball was still on cooldown. The short confrontation with the Kobold Challenger made him forget to count the cooldown.

Red kept running until he was in range. He got down on one knee, putting the sword to his right as he pulled the bow from his back. This time he only drew twenty mana from his core, just to coat the arrow head and down a little bit.

His target was not the trapped normal kobold inside the pit, but the Elite Kobold Fighters who tried to reach the village. The first shot was a head shot, and so was the second shot.

There was a two-second delay between each shot, and all shots hit the head. By the seventh shot, he heard a notification.

[Bow Mastery has reached level 9!]

That notification delayed his next shot by one second. Only after killing the tenth Elite Kobold Fighter did he gain their attention. Six Elite Kobold Fighters turned around and decided to take care of him. All six of them used the Burst Leap to jump over the two pits.

Red quickly aimed up at the sky, and he fired with confidence. The arrow whistled through the air and hit one of the Elite Kobold Fighters. It was a moving target, and the fact that they were up in the air made it harder for him to aim. That was why he didn’t target the head but the body instead.

The arrow pierced the black armor and pierced the flesh. That hit killed the Elite Kobold Fighter’s momentum, and it fell into the pit. The screams of normal kobolds could be heard from the pit.

Red’s second arrow was ready in his bow, and the moment they landed, he released the arrow. This time he aimed for the head and didn’t miss. The Elite Kobold Fighter was pushed backward by the arrow and fell to the pit.

He managed to fire the third arrow and killed the third Elite Kobold Fighter. By this time, the three remaining Elite Kobold Fighters were just seven paces away from him. That was when he made a crazy decision, putting the bow to the side and grabbing the sword. If it was the old Red, he would run into the jungle, bringing the battle into the advantageous terrain, but not this time.

Red looked up and used Appraisal on three elite kobolds. He was being hopeful, thinking he might be able to see their levels now.

[Elite Kobold Fighter - Level: ??]

[Elite Kobold Fighter - Level: ??]

[Elite Kobold Fighter - Level: ??]

’Still too early, huh!?’

He carried the sword and charged toward the three Elite Kobold Fighters. With his blessing, he found out that he was actually faster than the Elite Kobold Fighters. Not just by a little, but by far, despite being lower level than the elite kobolds.

The three elite kobolds raised their sword as he was closing in so quickly. By the time they swung their sword, Red did something crazier. He slid down on the ground as he saw the sword coming toward his face.

Red passed through between the Elite Kobold Fighter’s legs, and he grabbed its right ankle, bringing it down to one knee. At the same time, that stopped his momentum. He got back on his feet and thrust his sword upward, right at the gap between its helmet and armor.

He didn’t get the chance to coat his arrow with mana. That was why he aimed for that small gap. His sword pierced the Elite Kobold Fighter’s nape, going through to the throat. Then he swung to the right, tearing the neck apart while aiming at the Elite Kobold Fighter to his right.

However, the Elite Kobold Fighter to his right managed to react in time, putting its sword forward to block his sword. The sound of the clash resounded. The elite kobold to the left was already in motion to swing its sword toward him.

Red was prepared for it. The moment his sword blocked, he was already on his next move. He lowered his body, then used Burst Leap. He launched himself into the air, going past the two Elite Kobold Fighters, getting to a safe distance from them.

While in the air, he pulled a spear from his back, and the moment he landed, he switched the spear and the sword in his hand. He drew fifty mana to coat the spear.

The spear was quickly coated by his mana, and then he turned around. The two Elite Kobold Fighters were already charging at him. They let out a roar, but then he threw the spear.

The spear was twice as fast as his arrow, and it pierced the Elite Kobold Fighter in the right. Killing it instantly, he tossed his sword back to his dominant hand. It was now one-on-one, and he planned to finish the fight with his sword.