Chapter 9

When he first entered the forest alone, he was so wary of the Goblin Lord that his pace became significantly slower.

However, now with the Hunter skill "Detection," he can quickly sense the breathing of enemies, and with the Assassin skill "Stealth," his presence is much harder to detect.

(Maybe I don’t even need a party.)

Usually, the more skill points you have, the higher the class you choose, and you end up running out of skill points.

Therefore, you mostly just develop your main class, taking a few auxiliary skills from other classes.

That’s why you form a party to divide the roles. However, in Foncie’s case, he had plenty of skill points to spare.

There was no need to increase the number of people for combat power or to specifically invite scouts or those with healing skills.

(Although, none of them are as good as the main class.)

No matter how many skills he had, he was still only a Level 2 Villager.

He had little magic power and could hardly use magic or healing skills, and it was only after taking the skills of a Swordsman, Sword Saint, and Warrior that he could finally hold his own.

However, there was still plenty of room for growth.

Foncie walked briskly and, upon spotting a goblin, approached from behind and finished it off with a single strike.

Ambushing such a low-level opponent had become routine.

After cutting down many more enemies, he had ventured quite deep. All he saw were still goblins.

(Did I really come here to investigate?)

It was unlikely that the goblins had suddenly reproduced after he had killed so many.

As he wandered around, not seeing a decrease in their numbers, Foncie noticed something.

(Huh? I thought I had already killed the goblins around here.)

Despite moving through the same area, there were goblins again. With his Detection skill, it was unlikely he had missed them.

So, it must be that...

(They were hiding somewhere?)

Foncie observed the goblins from the shadows of the trees.

Probably no one ever observed goblins like this. If you didn’t take them out quickly in a group, you’d be left behind.

As he watched, the goblins picked berries here and there, nibbled on mushrooms, and did other aimless things.

Goblins have little intelligence. Just as he was starting to think it was a waste of time, a goblin yawned and headed towards a rock face.

It fiddled with some plants growing on the wall and disappeared behind them.

(What!? Where did it go?)

Surprised, Foncie approached the spot and carefully parted the plants with his sword. He found a fissure that continued deeper.

It seemed to be a goblin nest.

(They must have been replenishing from there. No wonder I couldn’t find them. The Goblin Lord must have been hiding here all along.)

If this was the main goblin nest, the Goblin Lord and many goblins should be there.

However, he couldn’t afford to be intimidated by that.

Foncie gathered his courage and entered the fissure.

It wasn’t getting darker as he went deeper, so it seemed to be a cave with light coming from above.

As the sun was setting, it was dim inside, and he couldn’t help but feel anxious that an enemy might attack from somewhere.

Using his Detection skill to the fullest, he sensed two presences ahead.

Approaching quietly, he saw two larger creatures, Hobgoblins, moving around cautiously.

They seemed to be on guard, but they were not fully engaged, leaving many openings.

If he made a loud noise, the distant goblins would call for reinforcements, ruining his ambush.

Foncie took out a dagger and, timing his move, lunged at the two Hobgoblins as they faced different directions, grabbing one from behind.

He clamped a hand over the mouth and slit the throat with the other. The Hobgoblin, which had once given him so much trouble, bled out and fell.

Without a moment to spare, Foncie moved to the other Hobgoblin, striking with his sword before the first one hit the ground.

The blade cleanly severed the head.

The two Hobgoblins fell with a thud, but the other goblins were too far away to hear.

The nearby goblins were completely unalert, lying down or eating something.

(There are more of them, but there are obstacles. I can do this.)

Foncie quickly planned his route, moving through the plants and leaping over rocks. Spotting a goblin below, he dove down and snapped its neck from behind.

He immediately cut down another goblin that was sleeping nearby.

He continued to take out the goblins one by one. By the time he had killed over a hundred goblins and Hobgoblins, there were almost none left nearby.

However, when he reached the deepest part, the scene became chaotic.

Peering from the shadows, he saw many green goblins.

About twenty goblins had gathered, and leading them was the great enemy he had seen before, the Goblin Lord, brandishing a large club proudly.

(It’s impossible to lure them one by one. I have to take them all down at once.)

If he took them on one by one, they would all attack him at once, and he wouldn’t stand a chance.

It was better to take as many down as possible while they were in disarray.

Foncie raised his hand and used a fire spell to launch fireballs into the air.

They soared up and then descended, exploding on the ground and blasting the goblins away.

The sudden attack caused the goblins to panic and scatter, searching for the attacker.

The explosion also hit the Goblin Lord, who was enraged and shouting at the goblins, further adding to the chaos.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Foncie used the Assassin skill "Stealth" to become harder to detect, consuming magic power.

He drew his sword and charged into the disoriented group of enemies, his blade slicing through the goblins, staining them with blood.

He then focused on the Goblin Lord, leaping and attacking with a single strike.

Clang!

A high-pitched sound as the sword and club clashed. The Goblin Lord was fully aware of his presence.

(...Damn! He’s calmer than I thought!)

Foncie quickly backed off and took out a repeating crossbow from his belt, operating the lever with one hand to target the panicked goblins.

The crossbow was small and had little power, but it could compensate by targeting vital points.

The arrows accurately pierced the eyes, embedding deep. As the goblins died, he pulled the lever several more times.

Half of the shots missed, but the rest hit their targets.

By the time he put the crossbow away, the Goblin Lord was preparing to use a fire spell.

Foncie quickly moved, but the target was well-aimed, and he couldn’t avoid it.

The fireball was launched.

Foncie grabbed a goblin and threw it with all his might.

"Take this!"

The fire hit the goblin before reaching him, exploding and scattering light.

During this, Foncie was already running to the next goblin. The Goblin Lord was preparing a second attack.

When the fire was launched again, Foncie grabbed another fleeing goblin and threw it at the fireball.

The delay caused the explosion to occur nearby, and Foncie was thrown back, rolling but quickly standing up.

The Goblin Lord, holding his club, glared at Foncie.

The flames crackled, and the goblins were already fleeing in terror.

Thus, it was now a one-on-one battle with the Goblin Lord.

"Alright, I’ll settle the score from last time!"

Foncie readied his sword and took a deep breath.