Chapter 41

Near the Woodford River in the eastern forest, we found a group of goblins.

Even if we were to bypass them, we would have to pass upwind, and since we would be noticed by the enemy, we decided to launch a surprise attack. We also joined in the attack, and each of us began to prepare.

I took off the backpack I was carrying on my back, held the round shield in my left hand, and checked the position of my sword.

Mel drew her short sword and showed her readiness. Dan held the bow he had slung over his shoulder in his left hand and took an arrow from the quiver at his waist.

Sharon stood behind me, not doing anything in particular. However, fear was visible in her eyes, and her hands were trembling slightly.

"Sharon, if you're scared, you don't have to use magic. But don't stray from me."

Sharon shook her head at my words,

"N-no, I'm fine. But... thank you..."

"Understood. But be sure not to hit Hector or Guy by mistake. And don't use too much magic power."

Sharon nodded slightly and clenched her teeth to stop her hands from trembling.

(Being just eight years old, she doesn't have to push herself so hard... Seeing how hard Sharon is trying, I can't afford to show a wretched face... I can't let fear overwhelm me. They're just goblins...)

Sharon's determined appearance gradually restored my calm. Guy, who had gone to scout, returned.

"There are twenty-one goblins. There don't seem to be any special individuals. What should we do?"

Hector made an immediate decision in response to Guy's question.

"Hector and Guy will use longbows to launch a surprise attack. Rob will use a crossbow. Will, you will guard Zack and the others. Be careful, as some might slip through."

Guy and the others nodded, and Hector turned to us,

"Zack, I would like you to join me in the surprise attack. Can Sharon come too?"

When Sharon and I nodded,

"Then, on my signal, please cast your magic. Dan and Mel, only attack the enemies that come close. They might panic and come this way."

After confirming that Dan and Mel had nodded, Hector crouched low and quietly parted the grass to move forward.

Sharon and I followed, with Dan and Mel behind us, and Will bringing up the rear.

After about two minutes, small figures that looked like goblins appeared on the riverbank of the Woodford River.

As we slowly approached, their forms gradually became clearer.

They were just as I had heard from my grandfather—short with green skin and small horns on their foreheads. I was excited, forgetting the tension of the battle, as I saw my first monster in the fantasy world.

(This is the first monster I've seen. It feels cliché that goblins are the first, but they really do exist. I was moved when I saw the elf Ridi, but the surprise was more about how beautiful she was. This time, it's a real monster. I'm getting goosebumps...)

When we were about thirty meters away, one of the goblins noticed us. It pointed at us and started to screech.

At that signal, Hector's "Attack!" echoed.

Arrows were released from the longbows of Hector, Guy, and Rob. Three arrows pierced the chests of three goblins, and the goblins fell into a panic.

I targeted one goblin and began to cast the "Swallow's Wing Blade" spell.

"O god of the winds, ruler of countless breezes, grant me the blade of a swallow that dances in the sky. I offer you the power of my life. Dance! Swallow's Wing Blade!"

A transparent blade of a swallow flew from my right hand.

The swallow sped towards the goblin about twenty meters away. The goblin, apparently noticing my magic, raised its club to knock the swallow down.

The moment the goblin swung its club, the swallow slightly changed its trajectory, dodged it, and pierced the goblin's throat.

The goblin, unable to even scream, had its carotid artery severed, and it fell, spraying bright red blood like a fountain.

Next to me, Sharon, who had also cast the "Swallow's Wing Blade" spell, slashed the right side of a goblin's neck. The goblin, frantically trying to hold its neck, had blood dripping through the gaps in its fingers. The magic swallow, without losing momentum, headed for the next goblin.

It then pierced the goblin's ear and disappeared.

Immediately after, the two goblins spewed blood and fell.

(Well done! By slicing with the wings, you can attack multiple targets. I can't afford to fall behind...)

Meanwhile, Hector's arrows continued to pierce the goblins. Dan had also joined the attack and was dealing damage to the goblins.

Still, more than ten goblins remained unharmed, and they had recovered from their initial panic, screaming wildly as they charged towards us.

"Meet them with your swords! Will! Take care of Zack and the others!"

At his words, I drew my sword from my waist and stood in front of Sharon.

"Mel! To my right! Dan! Drop your bow and come to my left! Sharon, don't leave from behind me! Will! Make sure they don't get behind us!"

I gave instructions to Mel, Dan, and the guard Will.

Hector and the others drew their swords and spread out to form a shield in front of us.

The goblins charged like a landslide, but Hector and Guy's swords glinted, and several goblins were cut down.

Rob, the hunter, seemed to be unskilled with a sword, as he was desperately fending off attacks from two goblins on either side. However, one of the goblins' clubs struck his calf, and he fell to the ground.

"Will! Cover Rob!"

Will received my instructions but was caught between Hector's and my orders, hesitating.

At that moment, the goblins, thinking Rob was an easy target, began to gather around him. I gave Will a strong command again.

"Will! Go! Rob is in danger!"

At my shout, he decided to move forward.

At that moment, I was quite excited by my second real battle.

Unlike the primal fear I felt when attacked by wild dogs, I felt no fear as the goblins charged blindly, seeing them only as targets. Adrenaline coursed through my body, and I felt a sense of joy in defeating the enemy.

"Mel, Dan. Let's take out the ones that break through!"

I said this and raised my sword, but Mel and Dan's movements were stiff.

Upon closer inspection, their swords were trembling.

(I was the only one getting carried away. Sending Will forward might have been a mistake. Ridi told me not to get too cocky...)

I tried to sound as calm as possible to the two who were tense,

"Compared to the wooden swords of Grandpa and Walt, those clubs are nothing. Remember your training."

Their trembling seemed to stop slightly at my words. Without confirming this, three goblins ran up to us.

Even though they were short, the goblins were taller than me, and their sturdy bodies gave off a strong sense of pressure.

The goblin in front of me, judging us to be easy prey, raised its club with a hideous grin. However, its slow, clumsy movements allowed me to regain my composure.

"Full of openings!"

I shouted so that Mel and Dan could hear, raised my arm, and aimed for the goblin's solar plexus, which was wide open. I thrust my sword into its soft belly as if ramming into it.

The sensation of the sword piercing the goblin's thick skin, the squish of cutting through soft organs, and the hard thud of hitting bone remained in my hand.

My sword was deeply embedded in the goblin's plump belly, leaving such sensations. The goblin, with a look of disbelief, slowly fell backward.

I felt nauseous from the disgusting sensation but saw that Mel and Dan were still in a life-and-death struggle, so I forced myself to push it out of my mind.

Looking to my right, I saw that Mel had returned to her usual movements and cleanly severed a goblin's dominant arm. Immediately after, she stabbed the goblin's back with her sword, held in reverse, and finished it off.

(Mel is doing well. Dan looks more dangerous...)

On my left, Dan was skillfully using his dagger to toy with the goblin. The goblin had multiple small wounds, but a dagger couldn't deal a fatal blow.

I confirmed there were no new enemies around and moved to support Dan.

The goblin, frustrated with Dan, didn't notice me approaching from behind.

I slashed the goblin's back diagonally from behind.

The goblin, spewing blood from its back, turned to me with a look of anger, but Dan didn't miss the opportunity. He stabbed the goblin's side with his dagger, and the goblin, now fatally wounded, fell to the ground with a thud.

I looked around and shouted, "Dan, Mel, Sharon! Are you okay? Don't let your guard down!"

However, the battle was already over, and I noticed Hector, a little distance away, aiming his bow at us.

"Well done, Zack. Are you hurt?"

It seemed that Hector had been watching over us in the final moments.

(He gave us a chance to fight in a real battle? Still, the smell of blood is intense. This is what battle is...)

Seeing Hector's smile, I finally regained my composure.

Around us, more than ten goblins lay dead, their blood and entrails spilled out.

As the excitement subsided, the iron-like smell of blood and the stench of feces and urine from the entrails hit my nose, making me feel nauseous.

I suppressed my nausea and remembered Rob, who had been injured.

"Is Rob okay? He seemed to be hurt."

Rob was squatting, holding his right leg, sweating profusely, and still trying to endure the pain.

I confirmed that I had enough magic power left,

"I'll cast a healing spell. Show me where you're hurt."

His right calf was swollen. It didn't seem to be broken, but it was a severe bruise.

"O great god of the forest, creator of the trees, by the power of the spirits that nurture life, heal his wounds. I offer you the power of my life. Healing power."

Rob's swelling gradually subsided, and his expression became calm.

"Is it better now? Does it still hurt?"

He shook his head at my words,

"Zackarias, you really are as amazing as they say. I'm truly grateful."

He bowed repeatedly, but I stopped him with my hand, "Hector, are there any other injuries?" I asked, but he smiled and shook his head, "Just Rob."

I felt the tension snap, and I almost collapsed on the spot.

Looking behind me, I saw that Mel and the others were sitting on the ground, their tension clearly broken. They were staring blankly at the goblin corpses they had killed.

I went to each of them and offered words of encouragement.

"Mel, that one strike to sever the arm was just like Grandpa. You did well."

Mel's face lit up with a happy expression at my words.

Next, I went to Dan,

"Using a dagger to fight an enemy is not easy. And you hit with your arrows too."

Dan nodded with a shy smile.

Finally, I sat in front of Sharon, who was the most dazed,

"That magic was amazing. I only managed to take down one with one spell, but you took down two with one spell."

Sharon didn't react much to my words. Instead, she suddenly seemed to come to her senses and started trembling.

I took her hand with my left hand, which wasn't stained with goblin blood,

"Were you scared at the end? I understand. Even with Grandpa's training, I was scared too... There are no more goblins, so you can relax now."

Sharon had tears in her eyes but seemed to calm down when she noticed my hand.

After confirming that the three were calm, I asked Hector, "I want to wash off this goblin blood... Can we go to the shallow part of the river to clean up?"

"Understood. Guy! Rob! Please guard Zack and the others."

We headed to the riverbank where the goblins had been, and there I wiped the goblin blood off my hands and body with a handkerchief.

Mel, who had severed an arm, was the most splattered with blood, and even her face had spots of blood.

I also had blood on my right hand and chest, which was hard to wash off.

After washing off as much as I could, I noticed the smell still lingered,

"Let's take a bath when we get back. The smell won't come off without hot water."

I washed the blood off my sword and wiped it with a cloth, and the sensation of stabbing the goblin came back to me. I stared at my hand,

(This is the first time I've killed a humanoid monster with my own hands... I don't feel any guilt or aversion. However, I don't like the complex sensation of piercing the skin, cutting through flesh, and breaking bones... Will I ever have to kill a human with my own hands...?)

As I stared at my hand, Sharon, who had been behind me, spoke with concern.

She hadn't been splattered with blood but had followed me.

"Did you hurt your hand? Are you okay?"

She peered at my face, worried.

I laughed and said, "I'm fine. I'm not hurt," showing her my palm, "Thank you for worrying," and patted her head.

She blushed and whispered, "I'm glad."

After wiping the blood off our swords, we returned to the site of the battle.

The goblin corpses were gathered in one place, and Will was collecting the magic crystals.

Hector taught the other three how to collect the magic crystals, and they helped. It took a few tries, but they eventually managed to extract the crystals successfully.

Each of them took the magic crystal from the goblin they had killed as a memento and showed it to each other, smiling.

In front of the pile of goblin corpses, I thought about Mel and the others.

(Sharon included, all three are adapting to this situation. Without the common sense of a Japanese person, they might be able to adapt more easily. It's impressive that they can laugh in front of bloodied monster corpses. I might be the least adapted among them...)

Considering that other monsters might be attracted by the smell of blood, we immediately set off for the village after collecting the magic crystals.

On the way, the hunter Rob spotted a magnificent stag.

The stag was about a hundred meters away, and he carefully approached, hiding his large body well. I watched him closely,

(He's a skilled hunter. He hasn't been noticed by the wary deer. His stealth and perception skills must be quite high...)

When he was about thirty meters away, the deer seemed to sense danger and started looking around.

(About thirty meters. It's not a sure hit, but I can hit it... Where's Rob?)

While I was focused on the deer, Rob had hidden in the grass, leaving no trace. I had completely lost sight of him. The stag also seemed confused by the sudden disappearance.

(Stealth skills are quite troublesome. If a wild deer can't detect Rob's large body, a novice like me would be completely ambushed. I should try to improve my perception and stealth skills...)

The stag, judging it to be a false alarm, started eating grass again.

Just as the stag's neck entered the grass, Rob stood up and released an arrow.

The stag, seeing Rob stand up, let out a whistle-like cry and tried to jump away.

However, Rob had released the arrow a split second earlier, and it hit the stag's hind leg.

The stag, dragging its wounded leg, tried to