"Eighteen of them!"
"Everyone, be careful!"
Gauss quickly counted the numbers.
Though it was unclear what had gone wrong with the mission intel, now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
The group had to first deal with the enemies in front of them.
Eighteen goblins, even if the four farmers could each help hold off one.
The remaining fourteen, each person still had to face at least three at the same time.
It may not sound like much, but when a group of these snarling creatures surrounded them, their brownish-yellow lips and teeth snarling in unison, the wild ferocity of it was utterly chilling.
The threat posed by one goblin compared to a group was incomparable.
"Wah-hoo!!!!"
The dark forest echoed with the roars of beasts, sending goosebumps all over Gauss's skin.
In a flash, the battle began!
The goblins swarmed toward them, dividing the battlefield into sections.
One goblin charged head-on with a long spear, its cloudy eyes filled with greed, yellow-brown teeth drooling sticky saliva down its thick lips.
It rushed forward, putting strength into its arm, a stone spear entwined with vines stabbing upward at Gauss's jaw.
At this desperate moment, his level 7 Intelligence kicked in again!
In that moment, it seemed his perception of the world slowed down. More precisely, his thoughts accelerated!
Not only focusing on the enemy in front, he also noticed out of the corner of his eye another goblin stealthily creeping up from behind, clutching a small blade.
There was another goblin at his side eyeing him.
In no time, he was nearly surrounded by the green-skinned brats.
In his Thought Acceleration state, Gauss had time to analyze the current situation.
Facing the surrounding threat.
He pushed off hard with his foot, using the soil's rebound to dodge toward an open side.
The spear and dagger sliced through the air.
Just barely dodging the treacherous attack, sweat began to gather on Gauss's back.
Though exceptional in Intelligence, the rest of his physical attributes were at the level of a normal, healthy adult male.
Even if his thoughts reacted swiftly, his body lagged behind the accelerated thoughts, making him adapt to the disconnect.
Moreover, the goblins were too close.
The three goblins briefly lost their target, then lunged again with gnashing teeth.
He wanted to seize the moment to eliminate one with all his might, just like he had instantly killed that goblin scout earlier.
But the reality was, he first had to maneuver around.
Never mind that these goblins might not be large, but they were muscular, agile, and not lacking in strength.
Despite not wanting to admit it, he was indeed somewhat daunted.
The threat from three goblins head-on was incomparable to the first ambushed goblin.
"Ah!!"
A cry of anguish rang out not far away.
While continuously dodging and using the Small Round Shield to fend off attacks, Gauss glanced toward the sound.
The first casualty of the battle had appeared.
One of the villagers leading the way was kneeling on the ground, a spear piercing his abdomen.
Blood was gushing profusely from the wound, soon forming a puddle beneath him.
A goblin pounced, relentlessly stabbing the wound with a dagger like a butcher performing dismemberment or a demon in a slaughter ritual, an inexpressible excitement on its face.
"Ah!!!"
The villager howled in agony, the severe pain from the attack putting his mind into a despairing state.
The torch in his hand fell into the pool of blood yet kept burning stubbornly.
Flesh flew and flames soared, casting sinister shadows of long-eared bodies like malevolent spirits.
This bloody scene left Gauss parched, eyes twitching, never having been so close to the shadow of death, the goblins as demonic as ever making his skin crawl.
Gauss's heartbeat raced furiously, his body hot, a mix of unease, excitement, and tension surging through his veins.
No, I can't be scared, I'll really die!
He gritted his teeth, his previously frantic feelings now oddly calmed by the bloody scene that struck his core.
Put simply, the immense threat of death forced him to discard fear and make a desperate stand.
"You scum! Die for me!"
In the darkness, the distinct twang of a bowstring sounded.
A pitch-black arrow spun through the air, emitting a booming sound as it tore through the atmosphere.
"Screech!"
After a brief, sharp sound, there was the dull thud of a blade piercing flesh.
It was Haylir, not far off, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, executing a precise shot that firmly pinned the goblin still engaged in a finishing move to the spot.
At this moment, her chest heaved, clearly indicating her unrest.
It wasn't the combat prowess of the goblins that was so overwhelming, but the raw, bloody spectacle delivering a direct shock.
"Watch out!"
Gauss, who had been keeping an eye on his teammates, saw another goblin silently approaching Haylir as she released an arrow. Haylir was still catching her breath, her attention captured by the earlier bloody scene.
He quickly activated Mage's Hand.
An invisible spectral hand rapidly formed in the air beside Haylir.
It fiercely slapped the goblin's right wrist, which held a knife.
The short blade, which was poised to slash down her pale neck from behind, was deflected by the force of about ten pounds of this invisible power.
"Bang!!"
The short blade struck the metal light armor on Haylir's back, producing a sharp metallic collision sound.
Haylir stumbled from the blow; though her armor deflected the blade, the reverberating force required her own effort to manage.
"Cough, cough—"
She stumbled forward a few steps, a dull groan escaping her throat.
Fortunately, she regained her composure after briefly losing focus.
Grabbing the dagger near her boot, she viciously slashed at the wobbling goblin, who was also thrown off balance by the deflecting force.
The dagger sliced directly along the goblin's chest cavity, cutting down to its belly.
"Splatter, splatter, splatter."
As its intestines spilled out, the goblin toppled backward, unwilling.
"Thanks!"
Haylir, feeling a lingering fear, gratefully looked toward Gauss in the distance.
If Gauss hadn't lent a hand in that critical moment, she would be the one collapsed on the ground.
Yet, it seemed Gauss's identity as a Mage fueled some kind of deeply ingrained instinct within the green-skinned creatures, causing even more of them to lunge at him.
At least six or seven goblins simultaneously ferociously lunged at him.
As more and more goblins surrounded Gauss, Haylir quickly drew an arrow from her quiver, nocking it on the bowstring.
"Let me help you!"
With the activation of the skill Precise Aim, a surge of power gathered in her arm.
The fully drawn bowstring accumulated a fearsome force, launching the arrow.
"Swoosh!"
A goblin next to Gauss instantly had a bloody hole shot through its chest, teetering on the spot, already struggling to breathe in more than out.
Seeing this scene, Gauss, while dodging, simultaneously thrust his spear with precision.
"Pierce!"
The spearhead pierced through the goblin's wound, blood gushing out!
Gauss retreated after a successful strike, finishing off the goblin.
"Goblin killed *1"
"Total monsters killed: 3"
He glanced at Haylir, and she looked back at him.
Both understood each other's intent.
The battlefield had been divided into several sections.
Mia and Bell, along with three villagers, fought separately.
They must join forces to deal with these goblins, only then could they move on to assist others.
"No need to use the skills frequently!"
Gauss shouted in reminder.
He knew that every time Haylir activated a skill, it consumed a large amount of stamina.
After calming down, Gauss realized his advantage.
As a human, even with just an average of 5 in body, stamina, strength, and explosive power, he surpassed goblins.
Ordinary humans found it hard to deal with more than two goblins at once, mainly because they couldn't fend off attacks from multiple directions. Under frequent attacks, they naturally couldn't react fast enough and were swiftly overwhelmed by the goblins.
But having 7 points of Intelligence seemed to grant him quicker thinking ability in battle.
Coupled with the proficient activation of Mage's Hand.
He could contend with multiple goblins, continuously engaging them.