Garp’s loud shout instantly made Haus and the others turn their heads.
In the next moment, they heard Garp continue to shout: “Prepare for battle!” As soon as the words fell, Garp raised the greatsword in his hand and charged toward Zem.
Haus was momentarily stunned, not understanding why Garp had first called for a retreat and now was raising his unsheathed greatsword to charge back into the goblin nest.
But there was no time for him to think.
Beside him, Russell had already raised her staff and begun chanting an incantation.
Meanwhile, Jack, with practiced coordination, lifted his longbow and began scanning the surroundings.
They didn’t know where the enemy would appear, but since Captain Garp had given the order, they just needed to follow it.
“Zem, move aside!
Russell, the entrance!” Garp’s command instantly made everyone understand where the enemy was.
As Zem stepped aside, exposing the entrance to everyone’s view, Haus also saw those eyes hidden in the darkness.
What kind of evil eyes were those!
Haus couldn’t describe it.
They were just a pair of ordinary eyes, yet why…
why were they so evil?
As if born that way.
“….Ber fila!” Finishing her chant, Russell swung her staff and released a [Fireball] toward the entrance.
As the glowing fireball passed through the entrance, illuminating the interior of the cave, Haus vaguely saw the form of the owner of those eyes.
It seemed to be…
a hunched-over figure with green skin…
a person?
Unlike the ordinary goblins, which were less than a meter tall, Haus could clearly see by the light of the [Fireball] that the creature suspected to be a goblin in the cave was far larger than a meter.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t have needed to hunch over inside the cave.
Moreover, unlike the typical naked goblins, the moment the [Fireball] illuminated the area, Haus also noticed that this oversized goblin was actually wearing clothing similar to that of a barbarian.
It also seemed to be holding a weapon.
Bang!
The flames erupted.
Russell’s [Fireball] struck the target with precision.
She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Garp shouted to the group once more: “That’s a Goblin Warrior!
Don’t let your guard down!” At these words, Haus looked bewildered, Russell appeared confused, but Jack’s eyes widened in shock.
He knew what a “Goblin Warrior” was.
It was a being that had mastered the corresponding class skills!
If ordinary people were compared to goblins, then a “Goblin Warrior” was the equivalent of a “Warrior” among humans.
They were goblins who had embarked on the path of a profession, just like human adventurers, possessing the ability to learn skills and continuously level up to grow stronger.
However, compared to humans, the proportion of goblins who could step onto the path of a profession was much lower, making them almost impossible to encounter under normal circumstances.
Why would a professional appear in a goblin nest of this scale?!
Jack didn’t understand this, but he instinctively activated his Ranger’s skill.
Like the spellcaster Russell, Ranger Jack also possessed his own class skill.
[Precision Shot] A Ranger-exclusive skill that helped the Ranger lock onto the enemy’s vital points while slightly increasing arrow speed and damage.
Similar to how Russell’s [Fireball] consumed her own mana, Jack also expended a small amount of his mana and some stamina when releasing his skill.
As a reserve professional, Jack had mastered the skill, but because he had not yet become a full-fledged professional, his physical attributes had not significantly improved.
As a result, every time Jack used his skill, he needed a certain amount of time to recover, unlike full-fledged professionals who could use their skills anytime, anywhere, without cooldowns.
But for now, it was enough.
Because he wasn’t fighting alone.
Enduring the pain of his chest wound tearing open, Jack gritted his teeth, retrieved a specially crafted arrow from his quiver, and with great difficulty drew his longbow, firing this arrow enhanced by his skill.
A sharper, longer whistling sound pierced the air as the arrow, coated with paralyzing poison, followed the [Fireball] through the cave entrance, cutting through the thick smoke.
Thud!
A muffled sound of the arrow embedding into flesh faintly reached his ears.
Knowing he had succeeded, Jack felt slightly relieved and leaned weakly against Russell.
Even if that arrow didn’t kill the target, as long as it hit, the paralyzing poison on the arrowhead would seep into its bloodstream.
This paralyzing poison, priced at 1 gold coin, could incapacitate a human professional in less than ten minutes.
And a Goblin Warrior, weaker than a human professional, would fall even faster.
The remaining few minutes, with Captain Garp and Zem stalling, would be enough.
The bandages were soaked with blood again as his wound tore open.
Glancing down at the crimson stain on his chest, Jack smiled and looked at Russell beside him.
‘Once this adventure is over and the captain is away, I must confess my feelings to Russell.’ Captain Garp had always disliked romantic entanglements among team members.
According to him, once someone falls deeply in love, they inevitably lose their cool-headedness.
When the object of their affection is in danger, the other party will surely lose composure, making impulsive and immature choices easily.
And this, in perilous adventures, is undoubtedly a fatal taboo.
However, Jack held a dissenting view.
He always believed that the power of love is boundless.
Just as the bards sing tales of warriors battling dragons to rescue princesses.
With love, no matter how many difficulties arise, they will all be resolved; No matter how formidable the obstacles, they can be overcome one by one.
The god of love will bless every devoted couple.
As the smoke cleared and the outcome revealed itself, everything became clear…
Under everyone’s gaze, a common goblin, its body charred black and an arrow embedded in its chest, shot out from the thick mist like trash, trailing wisps of black smoke as it crashed to the ground.
Immediately after, a cleaver sliced through the smoke, followed by an adult-sized goblin, roughly 1.78 meters tall, brandishing a cleaver and charging straight toward Zem, who stood guard with his shield.
In an instant, the long blade had already cleaved into the wooden shield!
“Crack!” The sound of hardwood shattering echoed.
Sometimes, Zem deeply regretted why, after every adventure, he would spend his earnings on lavish feasts instead of upgrading his equipment.
Just because he came from a blacksmithing background, was skilled in weapon maintenance, and could significantly reduce equipment wear, did that mean he should keep making do with old gear?
At this moment, Zem felt another wave of regret wash over him.
If he survived this time, he would definitely get a better shield.
After the shield shattered, Zem used the momentum from the powerful blow to take a step back, creating an opening for an attack.
Immediately, a heavy, well-maintained greatsword swept in from the side, clashing fiercely with the cleaver wielded by the Goblin Warrior.
Sparks flew!
“Clang”