Chapter 89: Overwhelming Force

I looked at the goblin cave not far ahead with a strange expression.

This journey of most of a day, plus last night's topic that ended abruptly.

No matter how silent the barbarian was, saying nothing.

I could barely guess his purpose in bringing me here:

Combat skill selection was definitely not easy. Forgan probably wanted to inspect and observe my actual combat power and fighting style through actual combat.

I had no way of knowing why he could precisely locate this goblin nest hidden deep in the dense forest.

But I had to say, the opponent the barbarian picked for me was just within my response range.

As long as no elite individuals like "bear goblins" existed.

Goblins' own weak combat power meant the battle itself wouldn't be too difficult; while an entire nest's numerical advantage added much challenge.

Without words, the barbarian expressed his thoughts through actions.

As his presence increasingly lowered, originally rapid advancing footsteps also gradually slowed.

By the time we neared the goblin nest, he'd already unknowingly stood behind me.

Instinctively, I turned my head, glancing toward where he was.

Different from Wood I'd encountered before, who borrowed the rogue profession's superior techniques, using shadows and various exquisite small tricks layered together to lower presence.

The barbarian Forgan at this moment, clearly in my line of sight without any concealing movements, just silently standing in place.

That burly, robust body seemed to merge with surrounding trees, trunks and shrubs.

The feeling he gave me was like a winter wolf buried deep in snow, patiently waiting for prey.

That was a wild, primitive hunting instinct.

Comparing the two—the former led by agility and experience, using "technique" to conceal "existence" itself;

While the latter fully brought out perception and instinct, making "nature" and "existence" merge as one.

I had no intention of comparing their levels, but the fact was even though I clearly and definitely knew the barbarian's specific location, my brain and body sent various signals, instinctively wanting me to ignore his existence.

As if appearing behind me was just an extremely common tree, an extremely ordinary clump of grass.

Fiercely shaking my head.

No longer paying attention to the concealed barbarian Forgan.

I drew the beheading longsword, diagonally holding it across my body.

With cautious and careful posture, I quietly walked into the cave.

My first reaction was "narrow."

Jagged rock teeth crowded and pressed from both sides, the sword body reflected iron-gray color under sunlight at the cave entrance.

Lack of consideration.

Narrow terrain's restriction made the two-handed longsword hard to bring out its original power. Just ordinary sword swings felt constrained, unable to fight freely.

Should have switched to single-handed sword style 【Qingsong】.

Considering right now I was only in the passage leading to the cave depths, hadn't truly entered the core area where monsters lived and dwelt.

"Still room for error."

I slightly turned my body aside, the beheading longsword quietly sheathing.

The light wooden sword tightly gripped in hand, still maintaining parrying and guarding posture.

Inwardly, unexpectedly tense.

Not normal.

Actually according to reason, goblins dead under my sword were already quite a few. My own equipment was even more excellent, with magical accessories for protection—shouldn't reach this degree.

But right now, as I gradually went deeper, the environment slowly becoming dim and cramped, occasionally scattered white bones underfoot, my heartbeat also accelerated accordingly.

Definitely not claustrophobia—after all, in that cave with the giant serpent's corpse before, I'd never had such oppressive feelings.

I myself found it strange.

Maintaining high vigilance toward surrounding things, I allocated part of my attention, going deep into my mind, analyzing its root cause.

And what immediately appeared before me was two months ago when I'd just crossed to this world, the terrible experience in a goblin cave with hunter Maji and beastman Gagu.

Bloody mutilated corpses, iron pots boiling with churning grease, drooling thin goblins, even that bear goblin that almost cost me my life...

For a modern person from civilized society, the highly impactful images, although a long time had passed, still coiled like inner demons in the depths of my heart.

"Huff..."

Deep breath, wanting to calm emotions like before, make the accelerated pumping heartbeat ease down.

But the sticky stench surging into my nostrils with my breath couldn't help making me furrow my brow, feeling even more disgusted inwardly.

Finally, at the end of the dim, long passage, a faint light transmitted.

I could vaguely hear the "crack pop" sound of flames burning wood, and goblins' excited shrieks.

Heart violently beating, spirit tense from high concentration made me even able to hear the surging sound of blood flowing in my body.

Carrying strong purposefulness, as if to confirm something.

My gaze first looked toward the only light source in the cave—that bonfire.

No scalding red iron pot that made me nauseous, nor any limbs suspected of belonging to intelligent creatures.

Orange-red flames roasted a small deer-type beast.

Immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Gaze examining the environment in the cave's depths.

Moist moss growing and spreading from rock wall crevices, under firelight's reflection dyeing sickly thick green; the air carried a sweet, greasy smell of rotten meat fermenting mixed with rich bloody scent.

"Hiss gah!"

Goblins' sharp, piercing calls echoed between stone walls.

Covered with pustules, crude green skin under gaunt ribs, withered bodies where you could almost see organs squirming, dirty rags emitting stench, half-raw meat chunks being chewed with blood and residue between jagged rotten teeth...

Sitting around the bonfire were a full fifteen adult green-skinned mongrels!

Very hard to describe my feelings at this moment with words.

Like a procrastination patient with extremely severe symptoms.

Before entering the cave and personally seeing these goblins, the disgusting encounter from when I'd first crossed made me instinctively resist every step I took inside.

But when the "deadline" truly arrived, under external factors' oppression, with no possibility of further delay.

Facing these fifteen thin monsters before me.

In an instant, all previous inner resistance transformed into intense disgust toward goblins as creatures, and...

Killing intent.

"Hiss gah! Hiss gah!"

The first to notice my figure was a green-skin sitting in the corner.

It suddenly jumped up, its excited and sharp voice instantly reverberating in the cave.

Heads turned in unison, fifteen pairs of turbid, fierce blood-red eyes reflected the fully armed figure at the entrance.

From bodily instinct, combined with otherworldly soul's catalysis and drive.

That combat talent suppressed for years by blazing sun and field ridges, by pale screens, manifested at this moment.

The wooden sword 【Qingsong】 had already been put away at some unknown time. The beheading longsword radiating iron-gray cold light was tightly gripped in my palm.

—The cave space after the passage was open, enough to bring out the two-handed sword's power. The battlefield situation of one against many also made me instinctively choose a long-reach weapon with broader attack range that could harvest large numbers of enemies' lives at once.

Without retreating.

Facing the green-skinned rats in my line of sight that seemed to treat me as delivered lunch, waving clubs, shrieking with laughter as they surged toward me like a tide.

My pitch-black eyes didn't have a trace of cowardice.

All previous negative emotions in my heart had already transformed into boiling, surging battle intent.

Legs striding in succession, I directly met them head-on.

Against these cowardly green-skinned mongrels, you couldn't show even a bit of fear.

In front of their kind, chop off heads, crush eyeballs, let organs cover the ground.

These beasts would know your prowess and stop laughing.

Step forward!

Thick leather boots crushed moss, viscous juice seeping and splattering.

Gather force!

Muscles under armor lining engorged and swelled, vigorous force gathering and condensing from bottom to top.

【Whirlwind Slash】!

Whoosh—

Dragging iron-gray cold light, flesh and bone together, the beheading longsword traced a perfect arc through the air.

The "tide's" forefront, five goblins squeezed together, gone in a flash.

Amid spurting blood came the patter of organs falling and the dull sound of corpses hitting the ground.

Like golden wheat stalks under autumn scythes in my previous body's memories, crushed by sword light, leaving only fragments.

The originally crowded battlefield instantly emptied.

If it were a normal encounter, just my one sword strike would be enough to make these cowardly low-tier monsters shriek and flee.

But right now after all I was alone, still in the green-skinned rats' familiar nest.

Combat power therefore retained.

"Gah!"

A goblin slightly larger than the rest shrieked sharply and followed closely, its withered arm raised high, the dark brown stick revealing dirty color under firelight's reflection.

The next second, the sound came to an abrupt halt.

The sword tip glinting with sharp cold light pierced through its throat, spraying foul, dirty blood.

Arm exerting force, the blade cut through sticky, moist air, splitting pustules on green skin.

Just like that, skewering its corpse, along with another goblin running past nearby, cutting both to pieces.

"Seven."

I calculated inwardly.

In my ears rang chaotic, hasty footsteps.

Some sinister, dirty mongrel, taking advantage of my inattention, quietly circled to my side-rear.

Crouching low, crude stick tilting upward smashing toward my soft abdomen.

"Bang!"

The stick landed heavily on the smooth arm shield surface, as if all force was absorbed and devoured like a black hole by the serpent scales.

Couldn't even leave the most imperceptible white mark.

From another world, a fantasy creation with toughness far exceeding ordinary metal and stone—how could this broken thing not even counting as a proper weapon breach its defense?

Relying on size advantage, I held the shield in my left hand, fiercely pressing down toward the goblin at my side, pinning it under the shield face.

Then forcefully cutting.

Sizzle—

The sharp shield edge split flesh and blood, a resistance transmitting from my arm.

Half the goblin's neck was empty, blood spraying from its windpipe.

"Eighth."

These many days recuperating in River Valley Town, my day and night arduous training wasn't in vain.

Excellent talent, plus the arm shield's characteristic of relying more on on-the-spot reaction compared to other shield-type equipment.

Made me gradually master this type of equipment's usage techniques.

And complete the first actual combat verification in battle with goblins.

"Whoosh!"

The high number of fifteen—even having gone through more than half, still troublesome.

Rain-like scattered footsteps mixed with noise from sticks scraping the ground.

Just having ended another one's life, the other green-skinned mongrels had already taken advantage of the opportunity to approach and surround me.

My physical fitness after attribute point enhancement made me react extremely fast.

Turning my body aside, with agility that could be called nimble, I dodged two stick strikes.

Then smoothly using my torso as axis, spinning like a top to drive my body's center of gravity, the beheading longsword scattering waning moon-like gray radiance around my body.

Severed tongues mixed with pale shattered bones, wrapped in blood and splashed up.

Two more goblins became corpses.

"Ten."

Not many left. Thinking to finish them all in one go, I—

The ground moss like toad skin, feet moving while staining mucus.

Couldn't help slipping, body's center of gravity swaying, torso leaning back.

A flash of combat inspiration in my mind.

"Bang!"

The pitch-black arm shield violently collided with the rock wall, scattering countless stone powder while my left arm borrowed the reactive force, suddenly pushing!

The already unstable center of gravity instantly collapsed.

My originally backward-sliding body instead flew and fell toward the side-rear.

Bang—

Three clubs that should have simultaneously fallen on me due to being unable to dodge while sliding backward.

Under my operation, only one rubbed against the plate armor on my chest, producing sharp ringing.

Foul breath blowing past the back of my neck, my back feeling the cold, moist sensation of the cave floor.

No time to completely stand up—a nearby goblin was already advancing rapidly on short legs.

I only had time to sit up, throwing the beheading longsword in my hand like a javelin at the enemy.

"Sizzle!"

The iron-gray sword body instantly pierced through the goblin's hunched, thin body, flying away under momentum.

Palm supporting to stand, the light wooden sword simultaneously unsheathing.

Step, gather force!

【Whirlwind Slash】!

Already practiced to max level—even if non-dominant hand with slightly less force, still contained destructive power that could easily tear through enemies' bodies.

Dense, short sword whistling suddenly burst forth, dark sharp light tearing sticky moisture. Two charging green-skinned rats were cut in half at the waist into four pieces.

"Thirteen."

At this time, less than twenty seconds since battle began.

Only two low-intelligence low-tier monsters remained on the field. The shrieking laughter in their mouths hadn't even had time to stop before all their companions were already dead.

For a moment, even fear was forgotten. Just holding clubs, standing dazed in place.

Without mercy, I strode forward.

Not triggering affix effects, but with sharpness at ordinary metal weapon level, the wooden sword 【Qingsong】.

One poke, one chop.

Sent the last two goblins to the abyss hell.

"Drip."

Carrying body temperature, viscous blood dripped from the arm shield's edge, staining the moss underfoot red;

Chain mail links clinking, the plate armor's chest surface showed slight scratches;

Somewhere on the ground, severed limbs spasmed and twitched, fingers bent even still gripping weapons, splashing ripples in the blood pool.

Mixed with rotten meat stench, the bloody smell in the air nearly condensed into substance.

The cave originally filled with goblins' sharp shrieks left only deathly silence.