Mastery Is Earned

The next day.

At the first hint of dawn, the mercenary band packed their gear and supplies and left the camp. Visibility in Blackpine Forest was scarcely any better in the early morning than it had been at night. A thin mist blanketed the entire forest. Combined with the dense underbrush and towering trees, it made finding the way all but impossible for an ordinary person. That made Raymond even more grateful he had not chosen to head back alone the day before.

Tom, walking at the front, stopped every so often. Occasionally, he crouched to inspect the footprints the fleeing goblins had left in the mud the previous night, along with trampled blades of grass. He made his way through the forest with practiced ease.

The group traveled through the woods for three or four hours before finally stopping at a small earthen hill. By then, the mist among the trees had dispersed. Looking up, they could see the towering Blackstone Mountains stretching into the distance.

“The mist over the Blackstone Mountains seems much thinner than it used to be,” Carter murmured to himself as he gazed at the distant peaks.

“Come on, Captain. Never mind that—look ahead!” Tom interrupted, pointing forward.

Raymond looked in the direction he was pointing. It appeared to be an entirely ordinary little hill, its slopes covered in a dense web of vines. There was only one place where the vines grew sparse, and the ground nearby showed clear signs that many creatures had passed through. The stench of dung, urine, and rotting flesh hung in the air.

“What do you say? Go straight in?” Guy asked eagerly. He tightened his grip on his battle-axe, excitement plain on his face. He was clearly ready for a fight.

Seeing Carter still hesitate, Tom urged him on. “Caves like this usually don't have a second exit, Captain.”

“All right. Here's the plan.” Carter finally made up his mind and turned to Guy. “You take the lead. I'll stay right behind you, and the rookie goes in the middle.” Then he looked at Tom. “You bring up the rear. Everyone be careful, understood?”

With the decision made, the four of them entered the cave in the assigned order. The entrance was large enough that even though Raymond stood 1.85 meters tall, he did not need to stoop. The passage inside was long, narrow, and dark. They walked for quite some time before it gradually widened near the far end.

Guy eagerly ran a hand over his weapon and hurried out of the passage.

“Ah!” The moment he stepped out, a sharp cry of alarm rang out.

“That fool!” Carter cursed under his breath and hurried after him.

“Roar!”

An angry roar came from deep within the cave. It did not sound human. Raymond tensed and gripped his weapon more tightly. The mercenary behind him occasionally shoved him along, so he quickened his pace as well.

The passage opened abruptly into an enormous cavern. The cavern ceiling was not completely sealed. A long, narrow fissure ran through the rock overhead. Gray-white daylight filtered through the fissure, barely illuminating most of the cavern.

Only the areas near the rock walls and the corners farther within remained shrouded in deep shadow. Gnawed animal bones lay everywhere, and a nauseating stench filled the cavern.

A massively built Greater Goblin charged toward them, brandishing an iron-bound wooden club. It stood more than two meters tall. Its shoulders were broad, its limbs thick, and its entire body covered in coarse, dense hair. It looked massive and ferocious.

“Greater Goblin!” Carter's voice trembled.

Ordinary goblins were not especially strong. An average farmer with a farm tool could just barely hold one off. But even mercenaries like them could not afford to let their guard down for an instant against a throwback Greater Goblin.

“Rookie, hold the right side! Don't let the other goblins get near us. The three of us will take this one together!”

With a shout, Carter and the other two mercenaries moved to surround the Greater Goblin.

Raymond did not charge in recklessly. He moved sideways while rapidly surveying the cavern. Beside the rock wall behind the Greater Goblin, several goblin younglings clustered around a gaunt goblin. The gaunt goblin watched Carter and the others with a cold expression, muttering strange sounds under its breath. Six more goblins huddled hesitantly between the cavern's right wall and a pile of bones.

The gaunt goblin released a shrill screech. As though given an order, the six hesitant goblins raised their weapons. Rather than charge straight at Raymond, however, they spread out along the edge of the cavern. They clearly intended to circle behind Carter and the others. If they got through, the three men surrounding the Greater Goblin would inevitably be attacked from both sides.

The goblins themselves might not amount to much. But even a momentary distraction could allow the Greater Goblin's iron-bound club to claim someone's life. He had to stop every last one of them!

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Raymond quickly moved across their path, placing himself between the goblins and Carter's group. The rock wall was close on one side, while the other was heaped with the gnawed bones of animals. Only a narrow gap remained between them. The pile of bones was difficult to climb over, but not entirely impassable. Whether the goblins came through the gap or climbed over the bones, they could not get around Raymond.

The gaunt goblin appeared to realize this as well. It extended its withered left arm and pointed at Raymond, releasing a rapid string of piercing cries. The six goblins, hesitant until now, immediately grew restless.

The goblin at the front leveled its wooden spear and lunged at Raymond's abdomen with a strange cry. Raymond did not meet it head-on. He turned aside from the spearpoint and knocked the wooden spear away with his sword. With his opponent exposed, he stepped forward and drove his one-handed sword straight into the goblin's throat. Blood gushed out along the blade.

Before Raymond could pull his sword free, a second goblin swung a wooden club at him. He twisted aside in haste, and the club came down hard, grazing his right shoulder. Though the blow did not strike him directly, its force still left his right arm numb.

Fighting through the pain, he kicked the goblin in the knee. It dropped to its knees with a scream. Raymond ripped his sword free and thrust it upward beneath the goblin's jaw, piercing its throat.

The two goblins fell one after the other, their bodies nearly blocking the already narrow path. The remaining four visibly hesitated. But then the gaunt goblin released another piercing screech. Two of the goblins clambered over their companions' corpses and lunged at Raymond from the left and right.

Raymond did not retreat. Carter and the others were fighting directly behind him. If he moved aside, the goblins would charge straight at the mercenaries battling the Greater Goblin.

The goblin on his left slashed Raymond's left arm with its stone knife, leaving a burning wound. Rather than counterattack immediately, Raymond pressed close to the rock wall and shifted position, leaving the goblin on the right blocked behind its companion. Only then did he understand. When facing multiple enemies, the most important thing was not to kill one of them as quickly as possible. It was to keep every enemy in front of him at all times.

[Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1]

Raymond had no time to pay attention to the system notification. He took half a step forward, knocked the stone knife aside, and carried the motion into a thrust that drove his sword into the third goblin's chest. The fourth goblin, close behind it, tried to crawl past the corpse. Raymond immediately withdrew his sword and stamped on the wrist of its weapon hand. Then he gripped the hilt with both hands and drove the blade into the back of its neck.

After killing four goblins in quick succession, Raymond's breathing had become noticeably labored. The repeated impacts had also left his right hand trembling slightly beyond his control. The last two goblins looked at the bodies strewn across the ground, then at Raymond, their eyes full of fear. They did not continue the attack. One tried to force its way through the gap head-on, while the other stepped onto the pile of bones and attempted to climb over it.

Raymond would not let them succeed. Clenching his teeth, he stepped between the corpses and intercepted one of the goblins. The wooden spear collided with his blade. His right hand was already sore and numb, and he nearly lost his grip on his weapon. He had no choice but to slam his left shoulder into the goblin, pinning it hard against the rock wall. Before it could raise its spear again, Raymond's blade had already pierced its chest.

The final goblin had crossed the bone pile and landed behind and to Raymond's side. It raised its weapon and lunged at him. Hearing movement behind him, Raymond used the motion of pulling his sword free to turn and slash horizontally. The blade slashed open the side of the goblin's neck. Blood gushed out, and it toppled to the ground.

Only after the final goblin fell did Raymond stop. Leaning on his one-handed sword, he gasped for breath. His left arm had been cut by the stone knife, his right shoulder throbbed unbearably from the glancing blow of the club, and his sword hand continued to tremble slightly. All six ordinary goblins lay dead.

Raymond took a moment to steady his breathing, then immediately turned toward Carter and the others. The Greater Goblin swung its iron-bound club in powerful arcs. The three mercenaries circled it, darting in to attack one after another before swiftly retreating. Numerous wounds already covered its body. Its defeat seemed only a matter of time.

Raymond turned his gaze to the gaunt goblin. Sensing the killing intent in his eyes, the gaunt goblin released another piercing cry.

“Roar!”

The Greater Goblin, still under attack by Carter and the others, abruptly flew into a frenzy. Ignoring its wounds, it desperately tried to break out of their encirclement. Although they did not know why the Greater Goblin obeyed the gaunt one so readily, Carter and the others had no intention of letting it have its way. To prevent it from rushing to the gaunt goblin's aid, the three mercenaries tightened their formation and blocked the space between the two creatures. They not only drew their encirclement tighter but also took advantage of the Greater Goblin's distraction to inflict several more wounds.

Raymond marveled at the Greater Goblin's reaction. He had never expected even a Greater Goblin to follow the gaunt goblin's commands. It seemed this frail-looking creature was the true ruler of the entire nest. With that thought, Raymond immediately charged at the gaunt goblin, weapon in hand.

The closer he drew, the more astonished he became. The gaunt goblin was shorter and thinner than the others. It even wore a coat made from the hide of some unknown animal. Its emaciated, shriveled face was covered in black scales, while its eyes were amber with vertical pupils. It resembled a venomous snake flicking its tongue and looked exceptionally ugly.

Although its appearance was certainly unusual, Raymond's movements did not slow in the slightest. He stepped forward, twisted at the waist, and brought his sword down in one smooth motion. But the gaunt goblin shoved one of the younglings in front of itself and retreated several steps.

“Meee...”

The goblin youngling let out a weak whimper. Unable to stop his swing in time, Raymond's sword cut into the youngling. The sudden turn of events left him momentarily dazed. Though he was in the middle of a battle, seeing a young creature die by his sword still stirred a pang of pity. His blade remained lodged in its body, and he even forgot to pull it free.

Seizing the instant Raymond froze, the gaunt goblin's hide coat billowed without any wind. A strange odor arose as it suddenly opened its mouth. A searing red light flashed within.

Raymond jolted back to awareness. He released the sword, lunged forward, and slammed his left fist into the gaunt goblin's cheek before using the momentum to dive in the opposite direction. The blow forced the gaunt goblin's head toward the center of the cavern, and explosive flames roared from its mouth.

The flames that had been aimed at Raymond veered aside, sweeping diagonally across the middle of the cavern. Carter and the others, still skirmishing with the Greater Goblin, were caught completely off guard. The flames engulfed all three mercenaries along with the giant monster.

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