Chapter 11
#11. Solo Raid
The Goblin Lord's axe boasts a ridiculous reach, just like a greatsword.
Compared to my main weapon, the difference is at least twofold. The advantage reach gives in close combat is obvious.
On top of that, with the Goblin Lord's overwhelming size and even greater strength, I wouldn't be able to defend, let alone match the Goblin Lord in a straight fight.
To make matters worse, three crossbowmen are aiming at me. The odds are terrible.
There's only one move to make in this situation.
“Hup!”
I plunge deeper, inside the axe's reach and into the Goblin Lord's arms.
I burst forward and closed the distance in an instant. Unlike a greatsword, an axe has a narrow striking area, so getting this close makes it useless.
Still, it's hard not to hesitate when closing in on that monstrous mass of muscle.
-Thwip!
I heard the crossbow fire. I immediately raised my shield to cover my left shoulder.
-Ting.
The forcefully fired bolt was deflected by my shield and bounced away. It was a half-gamble, but it looks like my read was right.
Just a moment ago, the Goblin Lord's huge body had covered most of mine. From the crossbowmen's line of sight, this must have been the only targetable spot.
But there were still two crossbowmen left. And in front of me, the Goblin Lord had raised the hand that wasn't holding the axe.
“Graaah-!!”
With a deafening roar, that pot-lid-sized hand swung at me. I ducked hard to dodge it.
My Strength stat isn't enough to overpower the Goblin Lord in phase 2, but the reaction speed and burst from my Agility stat are a different story.
Having the advantage in speed means always having the first move. That's true even in a one-against-many situation like this.
While the goblins spend one turn, I can spend two.
-Ting.
Right after slipping past the Goblin Lord's hand, I blocked the second shot, fired as if aiming for the opening, with my shield.
The problem was the third and final shot. I hadn't accounted for three crossbowmen popping out the instant phase 2 began.
Hoping I wasn't too late, I hooked my leg around the side that [Brandish] had cut open and spun my body around once.
The arrow never came. Turning my body and using the Goblin Lord as cover had worked.
No matter what they do, they never cause friendly fire. That's why it was possible to delay the shot by a beat like this.
“Graah-!”
The moment the crossbowman missed the timing, the Goblin Lord raised the axe overhead.
This is bad. By forcing myself to dodge the arrow, I'd lost the beat needed to respond to the axe attack.
Fuck, I can't dodge this. And I can't block it either.
-Kang!
The massive bone axe scraped along the side of the shield I raised, making a loud screech.
I managed to deflect it somehow. The shield looks like it got shaved down a bit. And even though I deflected it, my arm is numb.
But now it's my turn again. With the Goblin Lord's reflexes, it can't exploit this tiny opening to attack.
The moment I thought that, the Goblin Lord's shoulder slammed into my face. I hurriedly raised my shield.
-BANG!
The shield was overpowered and slammed into my face, and the Goblin Lord drove up at my lower body like a bull, lifting me off the ground.
Fuck, a close-range tackle with a body that huge? Does that thing have no shame at all?
My reaction speed was enough, but the move was so absurd I couldn't figure out how to deal with it.
-Whoosh!
The Goblin Lord, having launched me into the air, drew back his bone axe in a huge arc. The same stance as the horizontal slash I'd been hit with before.
It's the Goblin Lord's strongest strike, one I absolutely can't take. Looks like it means to swing the axe at me like a baseball bat, timed to when I fall.
If that hits, shield or no shield, my body will be cut in two at the waist.
I have to dodge somehow, but it's impossible to evade in midair. Damn it, this is a total no-win situation.
Just like the tackle before. Enough reaction speed, but no way to deal with it.
No, wait. Come to think of it, there was one.
“Hsssh……!”
Still gripping the sword tightly in midair, I pulled my shoulder back. I planted my feet on ground that didn't even exist.
Swordsmanship skills move my body of their own accord when I take the proper stance. In other words, something like this is possible too.
-Fshk!
The moment a faint light rose from the sword, my body shot forward on its own and took a thrusting stance.
Sword Charge, a rushing skill in the one-handed sword line.
The charge effect activated in midair, changing my trajectory before I fell. The extended thrust sank into the Goblin Lord's nape.
Thanks to using the skill dozens of times to raise its proficiency, I could take the stance accurately even in midair.
It's not just numbers like stats or levels. All the effort I've put in so far saved me at this crucial moment.
“Caught you, bastard!”
The thrill was like nothing I'd ever felt before in my life, and I laughed as I shouted without thinking.
A rush of exhilaration coursed through my veins, and I grabbed the sword embedded in the Goblin Lord's nape and climbed back up onto the Goblin Lord's shoulder once more.
At that moment, a crossbowman didn't miss the sight of me popping up over the Goblin Lord's shoulder and fired an arrow.
“Khk.”
The arrow pierced my shoulder squarely, but my high durability kept it from going through. It only lodged partway in.
It hurts like hell. It hurts, but strangely, I can't really feel it. I think I know why.
This must be real adrenaline. They say when blood rushes to your head, you don't even notice the pain. So that's true after all.
[Passive Skill: Battle Awakening Lv. 1 has been acquired.]
An interface popped up before my eyes out of nowhere. Before I could think about what it meant, I raised my sword.
“Dieeeee!!”
After latching onto the Goblin Lord's neck, I drove the raised sword in.
For some reason, the blade seems to sink in easier than before. Maybe that's because of adrenaline too. Whatever.
There's only one thing I can say for certain.
I'm going to win this fight.
**
I went into a frenzy and kept stabbing at the Goblin Lord's back.
I even forgot about the dagger I'd set aside for times like this and hacked away mindlessly with the longsword.
“GRAAAAH-!!”
“Aaaaaah!!”
The Goblin Lord thrashed in pain, trying to shake me off, but I shouted back and kept stabbing the blade in.
The three crossbowmen fired arrows whenever I came into view clinging to the Goblin Lord's back, but it was useless.
-Thunk!
A few arrows lodged in my body. Two? Three? I stopped counting halfway through, so I don't know. None of them hit anything vital anyway.
Until HP hits zero, the challenger won't suffer a fatal wound. It hurts like hell, but this won't kill me.
HP : 411/510
To wear down a level 39 HP bar with bleeding damage, it'd take another hour at least.
With my stabbing continuing, the Goblin Lord tried to shake me off the same way as before, charging backward toward the wall.
I let go of the Goblin Lord's neck and jumped toward the wall at the last possible moment, using the Goblin Lord's back as a foothold.
Then I kicked off the wall again and leapt, taking the stance for [Sword Charge] in midair.
-Thuk!
I charged toward the Goblin Lord's back as the Goblin Lord rushed toward the wall, and our combined force drove the blade in very deep.
“Graaagh!”
The boss's scream sounded a little weaker, and a red effect burst up. It was a critical hit.
The blade buried deep in the Goblin Lord's back is held fast by muscle and won't come out. But it doesn't matter. I open the inventory.
[+7 Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword]
[+7 Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword]
[+7 Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword]
[+6 Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword]
[+6 Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword]
[+5 Kingdom Knight's Straight Sword]
Over the past half year, I claimed every single treasure chest in the Level 1 labyrinth area without leaving one behind. Thanks to that, I have more weapons than I can count.
I threw away the sword stuck in the boss's back and pulled out a new one. Leaving the half-disabled boss behind, I charged toward the crossbowmen.
“You've been pissing me off since earlier, fucker.”
-Crunch!
I took out the goblin that had been pestering me with arrows. Soon after, I quickly finished off the remaining two as well, one after another.
In the meantime, the staggering Goblin Lord had regained its footing. It gripped the bone axe tightly and took the stance for its ultimate horizontal slash.
I took the no-longer-needed shield off my arm and gripped my sword.
-Thud! Thud! Thud!
The Goblin Lord charged at me with the axe raised, throwing everything into it. But there was no longer the same overwhelming pressure as before.
The leg that had taken my first strike must be getting shaky by now. Probably because it had been stabbed so much and lost so much blood.
I ran toward the Goblin Lord as it came at me to unleash the horizontal slash.
My Agility stat is more than enough. Whether it's an ultimate horizontal slash or whatever, I'm confident I can dodge it head-on.
-Whoosh!
I dodged the axe as it sliced through the air, and this time struck straight at the Goblin Lord's neck.
-Thunk!
The red effect burst again. Critical hit. The boss froze in place.
And slowly, like the other monsters, the Goblin Lord dispersed into light.
[Congratulations. You have become the first to clear the 1st Floor of the Tower of Trials.]
And so, at last, my efforts finally bore fruit in the form of a stage clear.
[Clear Reward: You have obtained 'EXP' and 'Gold'.]
[You can activate the transfer gate to the 2nd Floor of the Tower of Trials.]
[First Clear Reward: You have obtained 'Graksar's Bone Axe'.]
[Highest Contribution Reward: You have obtained 'Goblin Bone Necklace' and 'EXP'.]
[Last Hit Reward: You have obtained 'Passive Skill - Indomitable'.]
“What the hell.”
But why are there so many rewards?