This goblin radiated authority.
Even without moving, I could feel it. A faint pressure pressed against my senses, subtle but unmistakable. Mana clung to its body, not wild or overflowing, but controlled, contained, like it knew exactly how much power it had and how to use it.
That one is different.
It was definitely a difficult enemy.
I stayed still in the tree, watching.
Looking around the camp more carefully, I noticed the goblins weren't just resting or eating. They were preparing. Monster meat was skewered over a bonfire, fat dripping and hissing as it hit the flames. The smell was heavy, burnt flesh mixed with rot and filth.
The ground was disturbed. Lines scratched into the dirt. Bones arranged in rough circles. Crude markings that didn't look random.
A ritual…
"I need to form a team to finish this quest," I whispered to myself. "I can't do this alone."
That was the correct decision. The smart one.
I began planning my retreat immediately. Which tree to climb down from. Which direction to circle. How fast I could reach the forest path back to the guild.
Then…
A cry cut through the air.
A woman's scream.
My body stiffened before my mind caught up.
"…No."
"Oh no. Please don't tell me…"
I shifted position quickly, climbing down and moving to another tree for a better angle. Bark scraped my palms as I moved, sap sticking to my fingers, but I didn't stop.
And then I saw them.
Two women.
Their clothes were torn, stained dark with dried blood and dirt. Their arms were bound. Their heads hung low, hair messy and matted. Even from here, I could see how weak they were, barely standing.
Adventurers.
Nearby, several bodies lay scattered on the ground.
Men.
Motionless.
No movement. No breathing.
Four-person party, I calculated automatically. The men were killed. The women were spared.
That alone told me what was happening.
They were offerings.
Probably for the goblin warrior.
"…Shit."
My throat felt dry.
"I don't have time to return to the Adventurers' Guild."
If I left now, they would be dead by the time help arrived.
If I acted now…
I might die here.
There were too many goblins. Too many unknowns. And that goblin warrior
I can feel how strong it is.
My heart started pounding harder, each beat echoing in my ears. My mind screamed at me to run, to survive, to be rational.
Then one of the women was dragged forward.
Closer to the goblin warrior.
She struggled weakly, her legs barely holding her weight.
"…Here we go, Mr. Hero."
I inwardly cursed myself.
I didn't want to be a hero.
I just didn't want to look away.
No more time.
I raised both hands and cast Mist.
Not slowly. Not carefully.
I poured mana into it.
Fog exploded outward, rolling low and fast, swallowing the camp in seconds. Visibility dropped sharply. Shapes vanished. Sounds became distorted.
Within moments, you couldn't see more than a few meters ahead.
Good.
Better than good.
I can sense them all.
Every goblin. Every movement. Every disturbance in the mist felt like ripples against my skin.
First priority the women.
I locked their positions into my mind.
Don't miss. Don't panic. Don't hit them.
I lifted my right hand and fired Crystal Needles in rapid succession.
I targeted the smaller goblins first.
One. Two. Three.
Screams erupted from the fog. High-pitched, panicked.
My left hand kept feeding mana into the mist, maintaining its thickness even as my right arm burned from repeated casting.
My breathing grew heavier.
Too fast. Slow down. But don't stop.
I couldn't stop.
I shouted into the mist.
"You two! Duck! Slowly crouch to the left side of the camp!"
My voice echoed strangely, swallowed by fog.
I chose the left side deliberately.
I already cleared that area.
Fortunately, goblins couldn't understand human language.
Things never go cleanly in combat.
The Hobgoblins reacted.
Their mana surged violently as they charged blindly through the mist, roaring, swinging their massive clubs in wide arcs.
Straight toward the women.
"No!"
I adjusted my aim instantly.
I couldn't kill them in one hit.
But I can stop them.
I targeted their legs.
Crystal Needles slammed into thick muscle.
One Hobgoblin stumbled and crashed face-first into the dirt.
"Thud!"
The other roared even louder and slammed its club downward
But hit nothing but air.
The women followed my instructions.
They crawled. Slow. Shaking. But moving.
Good.
I shouted again.
"If you can move, head for the river! I'll follow!"
I couldn't leave yet.
If I stopped casting now, the mist would thin within minutes. And in their current state, the goblins would catch them easily.
"Go! Don't look back! Follow the stream toward the town!"
One Hobgoblin went berserk.
It swung wildly, smashing into other goblins, crushing one under its club in blind rage.
I stopped firing.
Conserve mana.
The mist held.
Barely.
Every so often, I fired a Crystal Needle just enough to kill any goblin that wandered too close or to enrage the Hobgoblins further.
One Hobgoblin tried to stand.
The other spun in circles, roaring, unable to tell where anything was.
Then..
I noticed something wrong.
The goblin warrior hadn't moved.
It stood still.
Listening.
Sensing.
It's looking for me.
I fired several needles, deliberately drawing attention, luring the Hobgoblins toward each other.
Good. Keep them confused.
After several long minutes, the Hobgoblins slowed.
Their movements became sloppy. Heavy breathing replaced rage.
By then, every smaller goblin was dead.
Only three enemies remained.
One Hobgoblin barely standing.
One Hobgoblin breathing hard.
And one goblin warrior untouched.
Finish the weak ones first.
I fired rapidly at the Hobgoblins' heads.
Clean hits.
"Thud."
They collapsed.
Silence followed.
Then…
The goblin warrior turned its head.
Directly toward me.
"Only you left."
I still had mana. Not much, but enough.
The mist still lingered.
I aimed for its head.
The goblin wore a helmet and pieced armor. Old. Dented. But solid.
I cast Crystal Needles.
"Clang!"
It parried.
A heavy aura surged outward, locking onto me like a grip around my chest.
"Oh shit…"
It was waiting.
This thing wasn't just strong.
It was experienced.
It roared.
Its aura turned red.
Then it charged.
Too fast.
Like a carriage at full speed.
I fired instinctively. Needles flew.
All of them were dodged or deflected.
"…I'm dead."
The goblin swung.
The tree exploded.
Half the trunk was severed.
(Damn it!)
I fired again while falling, forcing it to defend instead of striking again.
Then it roared.
Aura burst outward.
Ignoring my attacks, it swung again.
Needles pierced flesh. Armor dented. Helmet held.
The tree collapsed.
So did I.
"No - no -no!"
The blade came down.
I barely formed a Crystal Shield.
"BOOM!"
I was thrown across the ground. My shield shattered.
I lived.
"Fuck!"
I fired with both hands.
The goblin ignored defense and charged straight through the needles, blood spraying.
"You really want me dead…"
My mana was almost gone.
No shield.
No room to run.
One chance.
I slammed my hand into the ground and poured everything into a single spell.
The goblin closed in
A Crystal Spear erupted upward.
It pierced straight through armor.
Through flesh.
Through momentum.
The goblin collapsed.
So did I.
The camp was silent.
"…Let me rest first."