Chapter 137 Rules of Engagement

For the bottom-tier adventurers around Rivervale Town, they might possess strength far exceeding that of an ordinary Goblin, allowing them to handle several on their own.

Given the right environment and timing, that number could even double.

But when the number of goblins truly reached thirty, fifty, or even triple digits...

...then even a four-person party of experienced adventurers would often have no choice but to flee in a panic.

Before attaining a Class Level and elevating one's combat power to a certain height, very few could simultaneously deal with so many enemies—even if they were just Green-Skinned Goblins slightly larger than wild dogs.

To put it to the extreme, if a few hundred goblins just stood completely still and let you hack at them, an ordinary person would still be completely exhausted and on the verge of collapse by the time they finished killing them all.

But Xia Nan was different.

His outstanding endurance, strengthened by his attribute points, allowed him to use combat techniques at a high frequency with almost no regard for stamina consumption. Meanwhile, the skill combination of [Fang Hunt] and [Spinning Slash] granted him the ability to launch wide-range attacks while maintaining high-speed movement.

This was not a cramped, dimly lit cave, nor were there the obstructive trees found everywhere in the forest.

His current location was a boundless, open plain in the wilderness.

It met almost every condition necessary for him to unleash a hundred percent of his strength.

Under these circumstances, if the only enemies were these green-skinned rats, it would require a massive number of them to push Xia Nan to his limits.

At the very least, the hundred or so in front of him... were nowhere near enough.

Accompanied by blood, flesh, and severed limbs constantly splashing through the green tide like a meat grinder, the density of the goblins—originally massed together due to a gap in the defensive line—visibly plummeted.

Consequently, the defensive pressure on the surrounding villagers eased significantly, allowing them to quickly reset their formation under the direction of Adeline and the village chief.

Faint cheers could even be heard from the crowd. Clearly, Xia Nan's fiercely valiant performance against the Goblins had reinvigorated and inspired these villagers, who were historically only ever able to passively defend against dangerous monsters.

Yet Xia Nan didn't feel relaxed or arrogant because of this.

Because he could clearly sense that in the face of his wanton, massacre-like slaughter, these cowardly goblins—who should have gradually lost their will to fight under such absolute suppression—were still maintaining the same hyper-excited, frenzied state they'd had at the very beginning. They swarmed him from all directions without the slightest intention of retreating.

And the reason for this was most likely not because they were some enhanced variant of the goblin species.

Rather, it was because of the figure standing at the edge of the battlefield, having made not a single move since the fighting began: the leader of the Green-Skinned Goblins.

"Whoosh—!"

A sharp howl tearing through the air, mingled with an eerie shriek like an infant's wail, suddenly came from behind him.

The timing was exceptionally treacherous.

It was exactly the instant after Xia Nan used [Spinning Slash] following a shift in position; his greatsword had just swung out, leaving his body in a posture that had yet to recover from the exertion.

Alarm bells rang wildly in his mind.

His extremely high combat aptitude allowed him to almost instinctively follow through with the momentum of his previous slash, pushing even harder.

His thick leather boots stamped deep footprints into the meadow.

Driven by inertia, the heavy metal greatsword pulled his body along, spinning two hundred and seventy degrees in a split second.

As he seamlessly drew the Decapitating Longsword back in front of himself, his entire body turned to face the direction of the howling wind.

It was incredibly fast!

A cold, pale shadow spinning at high speed merely flashed through his line of sight.

The next second.

"Clang!"

Dazzling sparks bloomed across the surface of the iron-gray blade.

Xia Nan felt a sudden, overwhelmingly powerful force transmit through his tight grip on the hilt. It traveled up from his wrist to his forearm, extending all the way to his shoulder before the highly penetrative impact finally dissipated against the resistance of his flesh and bone.

What followed was an unstoppable wave of numbing ache.

Whoosh—

The loose hair by his ears whipped violently, and the rolling gale stung his cheeks.

The pale shadow, originally aimed at the fatal spot on the back of his head, had been blocked by his greatsword thanks to a stroke of agile, inspired reaction.

Its momentum barely diminished, only the trajectory of its flight changed.

Amidst that howling sound like an infant's cry, it scraped right past Xia Nan.

It smashed two unlucky goblins to death before burying itself diagonally into the meadow.

Only then did he clearly see the true form of this pale shadow that carried such exaggerated force—

It was the exact same Pale Hollowed Bone Club that the Red-Mane Bugbear had been resting on its shoulder.

He abruptly turned his head!

Sure enough, the object of their deep dread, which had lingered like a shadow in everyone's hearts throughout the battle...

That exceptionally robust Bugbear with crimson bristles along its spine had finally made its move!

It cared nothing for the weapon it had just thrown away into the goblin horde.

It simply stared in Xia Nan's direction.

Inhaling.

Exhaling...

Long, forceful plumes of white steam billowed from between its teeth, nearly coalescing into a long snake amidst the rain and mist.

It took a step.

Thick, dark green fluid mixed with mud and plant sap oozed from between its toes as it tore up the turf like a rolled green carpet.

Its thick fur trembled with its bodily movements, faintly revealing the writhing, bulging muscles underneath.

"Thud. Thud. Thud."

Despite the great distance, the drum-like footsteps echoed clearly through the ear canal and into the cranial cavity, resonating like a heartbeat with their rushing blood.

From slow to fast.

One step, two steps...

The stride of its sapling-thick legs grew increasingly wide, and its muscle-packed arms swung back and forth with greater frequency.

Then, from the very center of its chest, a dark red aura of light and flame flared to life.

Enveloping its entire body, the flickering flames merged into the rushing air currents generated by its high-speed movement.

'I'm going to die!'

This was the first thought that surfaced in Xia Nan's mind.

The burly figure ahead, wrapped in an aura of energy, was like a flaming tank. Anything that dared to stand in its path would be crushed by its muscle-forged treads, turned into nothing more than nutrients to nourish the earth.

His legs burst with sudden force as an illusory wolf silhouette materialized around his body.

[Fang Hunt], [Fang Hunt], [Fang Hunt].

Driven by his survival instincts, he used [Fang Hunt] three times in rapid succession within an extremely short span.

His figure, originally positioned amidst the goblins, instantly retreated to the outskirts of the village near the edge of the battlefield.

Yet, due to the lingering effects of the "Taunt" skill, he was forced to halt his steps.

At the same time, the Bugbear—growing faster and faster under the propulsion of its dark red fiery aura—finally crashed into the center of the battlefield.

To his surprise, the enemy's intended target didn't seem to be him; it didn't chase after him.

This allowed Xia Nan to catch his breath and rapidly recover his stamina while witnessing the entirety of the monster's charge into the fray.

Humans and goblins, in the eyes of that Bugbear, seemed to bear no distinction whatsoever.

It cared nothing for the goblin subordinates it had personally brought out of the forest, which now stood in its path.

It simply crushed them mercilessly into puddles of ground meat.

And Red Mane's already robust body expanded its lethal range far beyond the ordinary.

In just a few short seconds, the number of Green-Skinned Goblins it trampled and flattened like wild dogs by the roadside was nearly equal to the total the villagers had killed prior.

Without the slightest pause, dragging a trail of corpses and wreckage behind it, it smashed straight into the defensive line the villagers had just finished repairing.

Trap-laden trenches were crossed in a single bound. The hardwood, made even tougher after being baked in fire, proved as fragile as wet paper in the face of the Bugbear's impact.

Upon the slightest contact, it was easily torn apart, bursting into flying splinters and sawdust.

And the villagers bracing the fences with all their might couldn't hold on for even a second.

With a thunderous "Boom!", they were sent flying explosively by the colossal force, crashing to the ground with their survival unknown.

That defensive line, which had endured the head-on assault of hundreds of goblins for so long, collapsed in an instant.

The goblins flooded in with shrieks, pouncing toward the fresh, lively flesh and blood.

For a time, wails, furious roars, and agonizing screams filled the air alongside the firelight and thick smoke.

Unable to retract its momentum, Red Mane spent its remaining speed after destroying the barricades, eventually crashing into and collapsing a wooden house near the village entrance, burying its body beneath the rubble.

Xia Nan's gaze swept over the gruesome trail left behind by the creature's rampage.

'Fuck,' Xia Nan cursed inwardly, raising his vigilance even higher.

Yet his body was already charging toward where the Bugbear lay.

Controlled by the "Taunt" and unable to escape, his only path to ending the battle quickly was to defeat the enemy.

He didn't even need to clash with it directly; just from the sheer force he'd felt when blocking the bone club earlier, he could already judge:

The Red-Mane Bugbear's strength vastly exceeded his own and the others'.

If they wanted to repel or even kill it, they had to pool their strength.

They needed to use their party's numerical advantage to lay siege against—

"Hm? Don't!"

Xia Nan, rapidly approaching while simultaneously searching for Adeline, Berg, and the others, hadn't yet managed to arrive when he saw a sturdy figure beat him to the punch, arriving right in front of the rubble burying the Bugbear.

It was Adeline.

Compared to earlier, though she was now covered in far more bloodstains and dirt, she hadn't suffered many injuries.

In her hands, she gripped two Fire Oil Bombs.

Seeing this, Xia Nan immediately felt a wave of relief.

Right now, the only two people on the battlefield capable of confronting the Bugbear head-on were himself and her.

If Adeline got too anxious, attacked alone, and was severely wounded by the enemy, losing her combat ability...

...leaving only himself, the pressure would undoubtedly multiply.

After all, ever since Red Mane had appeared earlier, Adeline's entire demeanor had suddenly gone wrong, as if she were looking at a mortal enemy.

Just a moment ago, she'd even wanted to stay behind alone and let the others escape.

Fortunately, her current behavior seemed calm enough. She knew not to act rashly, opting to test the waters with ranged means first, and then—

"Boom!"

Cloudy dust wrapped in splattering oil suddenly detonated from a spark, transforming into a raging inferno that set the entire ruined wooden house ablaze.

Roar—

A furious bellow erupted from the depths of the rubble, and blazing splinters of wood were hurled violently outward.

A burly physique could faintly be seen rising with a roar amidst the swirling flames.

Then came a deafening shockwave of sound that pressed the streams of flame low, followed by a ferocious, towering figure draped in fire that blasted outward amidst the explosion with reflexes far beyond a normal person's.

Even though she was already dual-wielding her hammers and fully prepared, the appearance of the sworn enemy she had bitterly sought for years still left Adeline's heart violently churning with emotion.

To the point that she lost the caution she ought to have possessed as a party leader.

She clearly remembered that the Bugbear which had attacked her village and killed her family many years ago possessed a physique far bulkier than its peers, along with a distinct set of crimson bristles.

She was also shocked by the creature's extraordinary strength, capable of instantly breaching the defensive line and charging into the battlefield.

Precisely because of this, she hadn't stepped further forward, instead using the Fire Oil Bombs to try and chip away at its stamina.

But what she hadn't expected was that Red Mane, currently enduring the searing blaze, actually possessed such terrifying explosive power.

The scalding hot wind battered her cheeks. Her iron hammers instinctively raised upward, and her eyes fluttered shut against the sting of the scorching currents.

When she opened them again...

...the wooden rubble previously engulfed in blazing fire had already vanished from her sight.

In its place was Red Mane's pair of cloudy eyes, brimming with cruelty and bloodlust.

Intense agony wracked her entire body, and her consciousness swam.

Her feet left the ground, and the scenery on both sides rapidly blurred in reverse.

"Bang!"

Under the Bugbear's ramming charge, Adeline's body flew backward like a discarded sack.

She tumbled across the ground amidst the billowing dust.

Her chest was still rising and falling, but her eyes could no longer open.

"Fuck!" Xia Nan skidded to a halt, glancing out of the corner of his eye at Adeline not far away, who had already lost her combat ability just as the battle had begun.

He gritted his teeth inwardly.

His pitch-black eyes reflected the towering, fire-wreathed figure before him.

His brain spun rapidly. Within his racing thoughts, countless combat strategies flashed through his mind, only to be rejected one by one.

How could he win?

How could he survive this?

"Boss!!!" Abi's shout rang out from nearby, but it was quickly drowned out again by the shrieks of the goblins.

The collapsed defensive line had allowed hordes of goblins to surge into the village.

Death, roars.

What was occurring right now between the villagers and these savage monsters was the most brutal of hand-to-hand combat.

Discarding all stray thoughts, Xia Nan gripped his iron-gray Decapitating Longsword tightly with both hands.

He stared fixedly at the Bugbear in front of him.

Even as rainwater dripped from his eyelashes, he didn't dare blink.

A familiar figure suddenly entered his line of sight.

It was Berg.

His face was pale, his gaze shifting erratically, visibly revealing his intense anxiety and panic.

He seemed to have been drawn over by the noise, but upon seeing the situation on the field, he subconsciously froze in place.

Gripping his Wooden Longbow, an arrow glinting with cold light was already nocked on the string.

The memory of defeating a Bugbear shortly after his transmigration surfaced in Xia Nan's mind.

"Then let's give it a try!"

"Fweeeet—!" Xia Nan abruptly blew a sharp whistle.

Prompting Berg, who was standing far in the distance behind the Bugbear, to notice him having just arrived.

The two locked eyes.

Xia Nan felt he had already clearly conveyed his intentions through his gaze.

—First looking at the longbow in the other man's hands, then pursing his lips toward where Red Mane stood, and finally pointing his sword at himself.

The meaning was for Xia Nan to hold the Bugbear down, giving Berg the chance to loose an arrow.

Berg was an experienced veteran adventurer; after so many missions, Xia Nan was absolutely certain he would understand what he meant.

Yet unexpectedly, faced with this proposal, Berg looked extremely hesitant.

"What's the hold-up?!" Xia Nan never got the chance to wait for a response.

Because the next second, the Bugbear—having just broken free from the rubble and severely wounded Adeline—was already charging straight toward Berg.

Unlike its moronic kin, Red Mane, who had grown up under the divine grace of its patron god "Maglubiyet", possessed an intellect no less than that of a human.

The adventurers who had died by its hands were by no means few in number.

Therefore, it naturally also knew some of the most basic, yet most effective, rules of engagement.

—Always kill the backline first.