Chapter 7: Four of Them

Bugbear.

A variant of the goblin species.

Equally evil and greedy, but compared to their thin and frail cousins, bugbears possess a physique as strong as a genetic mutation and agile movements.

They are cold-blooded and savage, possessing a certain level of intelligence and a rudimentary grasp of Goblin and Common.

Some assassin organizations in the west of the continent even specialize in recruiting young bugbears, training them into professional killers.

Almost every bugbear, upon reaching adulthood, has the potential to become the leader of a goblin tribe.

And for goblins who have acquired a bugbear "boss," their audacity and danger levels increase exponentially due to the leader's brutal rule and immense strength.

On the other hand, compared to the vast numbers of goblins that cover the continent like cockroaches, bugbears are not numerous.

After reaching adulthood and leaving their groups to fend for themselves, they are only sparsely distributed among goblin tribes of various sizes.

Often, with underlings responsible for satisfying their greed for food and treasure, a bugbear is too lazy to even take action personally, preferring to nest in its lair like a dragon.

If not for excessive greed or truly terrible luck, it is basically difficult for low-level adventurers to encounter one within their typical range of activity.

However, once they do collide head-on with the most powerful individual among these goblinoids, the fate of these adventurers—who haven't even attained a professional class level—is self-evident.

*Roar—*

A low, aggressive roar echoed through the spacious cave.

A hulking figure nearly seven feet tall stood up slowly. Beneath its coarse, reddish-brown fur were thick, knotted muscles like those of a brown bear. Its yellowish-brown eyes revealed a dangerous glint in the firelight, and thick, foul-smelling saliva dripped slowly from the two fangs protruding from its lower jaw.

Most eye-catching of all was the mace resting by its feet, nearly half a person's height.

The slender handle made the pitch-black head of the mace stand out, and the soil, slightly sunken from its weight, combined with the dense iron spikes on its surface, made it hard to imagine the horrific result if such a hammer were to land squarely on a body.

"Gagu, hold it off!!!"

After a moment of panic, the hunter Maji, who had fairly rich combat experience, finally reacted and shouted at the half-orc at the front of the party.

Running away was absolutely impossible.

They were currently less than ten meters from the bugbear, and with the creature's explosive power, which far exceeded that of a normal person, it could close the distance in the blink of an eye.

Although the cave was relatively wide, it was only enough for two people to walk side-by-side; it was far from being spacious enough to scatter and flee.

To turn and run rashly, leaving their backs exposed, would likely result in the three of them being torn to shreds by the bugbear before they could even reach the cave entrance.

They had to take the initiative!

"Xianan, you handle those goblins on the side!"

A single bugbear was already enough to force them into a life-or-death struggle.

If they had to deal with those annoying green-skinned rats during the fight, their survival rate would likely drop by another ten percent.

Therefore, Maji could only choose to trust this rookie, who had just demonstrated his abilities, believing he could buy them the space to focus their fire on the bugbear without interference.

Maji's tense roar brought Xianan back to his senses instantly.

Before he could even react, he watched as Gagu, at the front of the party, gripped his heavy two-handed axe and charged at the bugbear with a wild roar.

Xianan realized something was wrong.

Unlike the other two in the party, his predecessor had been an ordinary farmer and hadn't even heard the name "bugbear," so he naturally didn't know the extent of its danger.

But just from the reactions of Maji and the others, it was enough to prove the urgency of the situation.

At this moment, he had no time to overthink.

As soon as the hunter finished speaking, he gripped his longsword and, bracing himself, rushed toward the four goblins on the side of the cave.

To be honest, Xianan felt a bit unsure.

Unlike the chaotic battle against the ambush last night, without the distraction and cover of his teammates, he had to face the frontal assault of four goblins in the open cave environment.

Perhaps it was a stroke of luck, or perhaps he had some talent for combat.

Looking at the four green-skinned rats ahead, who were scrambling to pick up their weapons, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

"Facing four head-on is too dangerous; I must split the battlefield and attack with full force to find a breakthrough!"

Without the slightest hesitation, [Spinning Slash], which his predecessor had practiced diligently to Lv4 over many years, was charged almost instinctively while he was running.

*Hum—*

A flash of cold light exploded!

The goblin closest to Xianan was cleanly and neatly cut in half horizontally.

By this time, the other three green-skinned beasts had already rushed over side-by-side, clutching their wooden clubs.

Xianan, having immersed his entire focus into the battle, was quick-witted and kicked over the iron pot in front of him, the bottom of which had been scorched red.

Boiling juices mixed with murky grease poured out, and the scalding temperature caused the goblins, who had almost reached him, to stop subconsciously, their previously orderly formation broken.

Plan achieved!

Xianan lunged forward two steps, utilizing his height and build, and thrust his one-handed sword forward with force. The sharp blade instantly pierced the goblin's fragile skin and flesh, stabbing into its abdomen.

A gust of wind struck; he dodged to the side, evading a swing from another goblin.

At the same time, he didn't pull out the blade that had pierced the monster's flesh, but instead, in a "meat skewer" fashion, launched [Spinning Slash] once again.

*Shing!*

The sharp longsword, gathering the strength of his entire body, tore through the goblin's frail, defenseless body with unstoppable force.

Cutting horizontally out of the first goblin's body, accompanied by a spray of blinding blood, it sliced its companion into two pieces.

Only then did the last green-skinned mongrel manage to bypass the overturned iron pot and reach Xianan.

Immediately, finding itself the only one left on the field, it displayed the cowardice typical of a low-level monster.

It threw down its wooden club and turned to run.

It was chased down in long strides and stabbed to death with two sword strikes.

"Hoo... hoo..."

Xianan panted heavily.

With his focus so high, the twenty seconds since the battle began had consumed most of his stamina, and even his coarse linen clothes were soaked with sweat.

He still gripped the one-handed sword tightly, but his right hand couldn't stop trembling, and an indescribable soreness radiated from his arm muscles.

That was the side effect of using [Spinning Slash] twice in a short period.

At least he had completed the task the team had given him.

Xianan thought to himself.

He turned his head and looked toward the other side of the battlefield.

"The two of them should also..."

"Fuck!"