Shinnoda hid in the darkened bushes.
As the goblins riding wolves approached, he dashed out like lightning and swung his spear.
“Kerrrlek.”
“Kerrrlek!”
Since time would give them away to the wolves’ keen sense of smell, Shinnoda ambushed them the moment he saw them.
The goblin cavalry was roughly C-rank, so they fell like leaves before the wind to Shinnoda’s spear.
With every swing of his spear, heads flew off.
Fountains of blood spurted and gore splattered everywhere.
Shinnoda shook the blood off his spear.
“Damn. Not pulling enough aggro as I thought.”
He had positioned the Moru Team on the plain and the Hammer Team further back in the woods. His plan was to lure the goblins from their village onto the plain where his allies waited, but the problem was they weren’t coming out.
Only scout teams came after him at first. After wiping them out a couple of times, a small cavalry unit followed.
“This forest’s acting weird too.”
Shinnoda had destroyed some invisible object he’d investigated earlier. It turned out to be a bear’s skull covered in alien runes – definitely magical.
From that moment, the forest turned dark. It felt like viewing it through a black-and-white film. The oppressive sense of isolation was an added bonus.
Phew-oo-oo.
A horn blew in the distance. Hundreds of goblins were coming, along with their king, the Hop Goblin.
“Finally, they’re here.”
With excitement in his voice, Shinnoda spoke. If he defeated the goblins, it would not only help Park Hayeon and Isiah grow, but also grant two special rewards.
Judging by the goblin army’s advance, they were clearly targeting Shinnoda. He headed towards the plain where his friends waited, with the goblins in pursuit. However, with lower Agility stats and being a regiment, they couldn’t keep up and could only track him with their wolves.
Sooner than expected, Shinnoda reached the plain.
Seeing him burst from the woods, the Moru Team realized the battle was imminent.
“Looks like it’s about to start.”
“Goblins? I’m not scared of them at all.”
Even though the students knew the goblins were mostly D-rank low tier, the overwhelming numbers were still frightening.
“Stop panicking! Look at their equipment! We have full armor, while they barely have clubs and swords!”
Park Hayeon shouted loudly to maintain morale. The fearful atmosphere lessened. Indeed, the equipment gap between goblins and humans was like that between the Stone Age and Iron Age. Barely 5% of the goblins carried proper weapons.
Shinnoda slipped into the woods behind the Moru Team where the Hammer Team was hiding.
“Everything’s going as planned!”
“So you were right after all!”
The Hammer Team cheered as Shinnoda arrived. From their perspective, he’d flawlessly lured the goblins just as planned.
“The crucial part is now. The Moru Team will make the sacrifice for us, so we mustn’t hesitate or delay.”
Speaking calmly, Shinnoda commanded respect from everyone. He was unnervingly calm, like an experienced soldier.
“We’ll advance through the woods to the front lines. When we emerge, we need to close with the enemy’s ranged forces immediately.”
“Okay!”
“Got it!”
Shinnoda and the Hammer Team moved forward while maintaining maximum stealth. Academy students all receive tactical and group combat training, so they adapted quickly.
As they reached a position within charge distance of the enemy ranged units, the main goblin force collided with the Moru Team. Mages cast spells and archers fired arrows, while swordsmen charged forward.
“Kerrrlek!”
“Ker-lek!”
The Moru Team tore into any goblins who came close, easily slaughtering them thanks to their superior level and equipment.
The Hop Goblin’s main force still had the cavalry unit waiting for orders.
“Shouldn’t we start our operation soon? Give the attack order.”
One student urged Shinnoda as the Moru Team was surrounded by green waves of goblins.
“Not yet. If we advance now, we’ll just get stuck by the cavalry and accomplish nothing.”
Shinnoda dismissed the suggestion. It wouldn’t be desirable.
‘You Hop Goblin bastard. What are you waiting for? Deploying forces incrementally in battle is a sin. Deploy already!’
He thought silently while resisting the urge to charge in himself, even as impatient classmates urged him on.
Meanwhile, the Hop Goblin was experiencing a headache.
One of the more intelligent goblins, but still limited by his species.
“Kerrlek. How did it come to this?”
The problem began when the reconnaissance team investigating issues with the boundary was wiped out.
After not returning after a day, they investigated and found them all dead.
The Hop Goblin sensed something was amiss and sent an investigation team beyond the boundary.
What they discovered was shocking.
Not far beyond the boundary lay a giant village, and its numbers were growing.
He hastily assembled an army.
Then, a few days later, the efforts were rendered meaningless as the giants began their invasion. Their number, about 60, was small compared to his army of over a thousand, but each one was strong.
“Kerrlek.”
Originally, he’d planned to fortify or gather more troops, but a red-armored giant kept provoking him nearby. He killed goblins with thrown spears and wiped out any scouts sent after him.
“Kerrlek. Can’t take it anymore. Everyone, attack!”
The Hop Goblin’s patience snapped when the red giant almost killed him with a spear. An intelligent goblin, but the monster’s primal instincts remained strong. Rationality was but a rein on that beast.
“Kerk, kerk. Running away now!”
Seeing the red giant flee, he laughed loudly for all to hear. A commander must appear calm.
‘They’re trying to lure us elsewhere.’
The Hop Goblin wasn’t a fool. Luring prey into an ambush was a common hunting strategy.
“Kerrlek. You underestimate goblinkind too much.”
He wasn’t worried. The giants were strong, but their numbers were small. Sixty was a manageable number. His confidence grew upon reaching the plain.
The giants sat helplessly in the middle of the plain, no ambush or tricks.
“Kerk, kerk. Foolish giant kinds.”
Goblin society had a saying – the bigger they are, the dumber they are. In his eyes, these giants were perfect examples.
“Kerrlek. The giants in the plain, attack them. Cavalry, stay behind and guard me for now.”
The cavalry would be a reserve force, useful as bodyguards if needed.
Not long after the battle began, a messenger arrived.
“Kerk. Kerrlek. Kerrl.”
“Kerrlek. Good work.”
The message was simple: there was an ambush in the forest, as he’d expected.
‘The giants are waiting for our cavalry to leave.’
He realized the giants were waiting for exactly that. He decided to use this against them.
“Kerk. Sorcerers, can you use the power of the sun? To create something like a river there.”
The Hop Goblin asked his sorcerers.
“Kerrlek. Kerk.”
The sorcerers confirmed they could, thanks to the strong daylight.
“Kerrlek. That’s what I wanted to hear. Kerk.”
After assessing the battlefield, the Hop Goblin judged that breaking through the giants in the plain would be difficult without the cavalry.
“We need to prepare a wall of fire. When they come, we’ll trap them with the wall and concentrate our attacks. Kerrlek.”
“Kerrlek!”
“Kerk!”
The sorcerers began chanting.
Satisfied, the Hop Goblin ordered the cavalry to attack the giants on the plain.
‘Tch. Foolish giants. Surely they think they have outwitted us with their clever scheme. But no matter how they jump, they’re still within my grasp.’
He mocked the giants silently.
After the cavalry left their position, a small group of giants appeared from the forest – exactly as he’d predicted.
“Kerk, kerk!”
“Kerrlek.”
The Hop Goblin and his remaining goblins laughed loudly, believing they now had the upper hand.
