Chapter 158: Sword Mastery

The moment the Kobolds saw their Chief’s head, their morale plummeted. The normal kobolds attempted to flee, turning their back in fear. The remaining Elite Kobold Fighters stood their ground but obviously shook when they saw their Chief’s head.

The following battle was straightforward. The three Goblin Champions were no longer holding back. They slaughtered anything in their path with the hobgoblins’ help.

"Ignore the fleeing kobolds! Focus on the elites!" One of the Goblin Champions roared.

Red saw that the situation was being handled on the main battlefield. His eyes moved toward the fleeing kobolds, and he didn’t hesitate to give chase. For the first time, he decided to use his sword, pulling off the cloth, revealing the black sword.

With his over three hundred Dexterity, he quickly caught up to the fleeing kobolds. He caught the slow kobold; his sword slashed through the kobold’s neck with little resistance. The head flew as blood spurted out from the body. As it was running, the body fell forward.

He kicked the ground, made a short leap to reach the second kobold. Then he thrust his sword forward, right to the head. He twisted the sword once before pulling it back. The kobold flopped forward, dead.

Then his sword grazed the kobold’s armor, leaving a small X-mark. That was because of the kobold’s level. The one he just killed was level 17. A body he could exchange for loot. He reminded himself to always use Appraisal on his target. He still needed two inferior Magic Cores to reach level 17.

Then he made a full swing to his left. His sword cut through the faded silver armor, cutting through the kobold’s stomach halfway. The kobold was still alive even after its body was cut halfway.

Red didn’t finish it, as it would die eventually. He dashed four steps forward, catching up to the kobold ahead of him. He lost his balance for a moment because of the sword.

The sword was too long, and he hadn’t gotten used to wielding it yet. Yet he still managed to swing his sword, but it was too low. That reached the kobold’s calf, cutting the leg as the body fell down.

With another step, Red was on top of the kobold, who let out an agonized cry. He ended its agonizing moment with a stab to the back of its head. Then he moved again, charging at another one.

There were a little over thirty kobolds that tried to escape, and he managed to catch them all. It proved no challenge because the kobolds lost their will to fight. It was basically a one-sided slaughter. His over three hundred Dexterity reduced the time to kill them all because of how fast his feet were.

He took a deep breath and looked up, looking toward the main battlefield. He was surprised that he finished quicker than them. Then he realized why it took them longer than him to finish the thirty-two kobolds. It was because the Chief didn’t lend a hand.

The Chief had pulled the spear off the shoulder, and he was now sitting on top of the Kobold Chief’s body. Their strongest individual was watching instead of finishing the fight.

That was another thing that he didn’t like about the Chief. The Chief could clearly reduce the unnecessary casualties by stepping in, yet he decided not to. He could save his people, but he didn’t.

That was when their eyes met, or, to be more exact, they were looking at each other. The Chief seemed to be watching him as well and nodded at him. That might be an approval of what he did to the fleeing kobolds.

Red thought of nothing, not willing to dwell on the Chief’s behavior. He was looking for his marking target and started to exchange them for loot. He marked exactly fifteen of them even though there were twenty-two kobolds that were on the same level or higher than him.

He marked the higher-level ones, thinking they might give him more loot. Nine kobolds dropped two cores, and six kobolds dropped three cores. The fifteen kobolds got him thirty-seven cores in total, with twenty of them being Might Cores and seventeen Magic Cores.

Red copied the Chief, sitting on top of the kobold’s dead body as he absorbed two Magic Cores.

[You have reached level 17!]

Just as he predicted, he absorbed two more inferior Magic Cores, and he reached level 17. He absorbed the remaining cores. Those disappeared from his hands so quickly. He also took out the seven inferior Might Cores from his Storage Pouch.

That was far from enough to get him to the threshold. He needed sixty to seventy inferior cores to reach the threshold. It meant he needed around 120 to 140 inferior cores for the next level.

Red didn’t join the fight as he made his run toward the jungle. The battle was technically over as only four Elite Kobold Fighters were standing. They were surrounded, at a dead end. It was time to retrieve more mediocre cores from the two Elite Kobold Fighters he killed in the jungle.

He put the sword on his shoulder, jogging at a steady pace. The battle was over even though there were still four standing elite kobolds. He didn’t think he would be in danger until he saw a shadow in front. The shadow started small, growing bigger.

He halted his steps immediately, snapped, and looked up. One Elite Kobold Fighter was coming for him. His eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t panic. He kicked the group, leaping backward, then took four steps back. At the same time, he manipulated his mana, drawing around a hundred mana out, coating his sword with his mana.

The Elite Kobold Fighter landed in front of him. There was distance between them since he reacted in time. The Elite Kobold Fighter was not unscathed, with a gushing wound across its chest. It no longer had its sword, barehanded.

The Elite Kobold Fighter turned toward him, gritting its teeth as the hissing noise left its mouth. It turned toward him, coming closer with each step.

Red took a deep breath, holding his sword with both hands. The way the elite kobold came for him indicated that it was underestimating him. It thought he was caught, and it wanted him for the last kill before it was killed.

For the first, Red decided to face the Elite Kobold Fighter. He gained some confidence after this battle, thinking the Elite Kobold Fighter was not out of his reach.

As the distance between them was shortened to four steps, the Elite Kobold Fighter took a large stride toward him.

Red’s eyes locked on the movement, and he found its movement was slow. He ducked as the fist went past him, then he took one step forward. He was right below the big kobold, then he brought his sword upward.

His sword was coated in his mana, and he maintained the mana well despite facing an enemy. The sword reached the kobold’s waist, reaching the black armor. It cut through the armor as if it were hay. The sword faced a little resistance from the armor as it sliced through the kobold’s waist.

The blood spurted out along the line of his sword as the Elite Kobold Fighter’s upper body fell to the side.

[You have learned a new skill, Sword Mastery!]