These archers were standing on the tree branches; some branches carried multiple of them. They all thought that everything was alright, but they didn’t expect that the moment they blinked, Atlas would be there standing in front of them.
They startled right away, trying to fathom how someone of that size moved at such speed. Instinctively, they all raised their bows at the same time, loaded an arrow through the string, and were about to shoot it.
But before they could, Atlas swiftly moved his blade once again, cutting the bows alongside the branches. The arc was so wide that it slashed the heads off the bodies of some goblins.
The moment the branches were severed, they came crashing to the ground. A deafening thud echoed through the surroundings, and when the dust settled, only a handful remained alive.
The distance between them and Atlas was only a metre, but Atlas didn’t remain standing there. He walked towards them; his steps were steady, but with each step, the ground shook.
The next instant, the heads of the remaining horde of goblins lay scattered across the ground, completely lifeless.
It didn’t even take more than a minute for Atlas to clear the entire group, including the archers. A faint satisfied smile appeared on Emil’s face as he muttered to himself. "I didn’t expect this kind of strength from him..."
The blue panel erupted out of nowhere, glimmering with shiny blue waves, and on it were written multiple characters:
═══════════════════
◈ LEVEL UP ◈
═══════════════════
[Level Increased]
└ Level 1 → Level 6
─────────────────
[Experience]
└ EXP Gained: 1,375
───────────────────
└ Mana + 400
───────────────────
[Unallocated Stat Points]
└ +25 Stat Points Available
═══════════════════
Emil’s eyes widened the moment he read all of these; he was left completely baffled because he didn’t expect to jump from level one to level six in just a minute. He took his lovely time to compose himself back to normal, and why should he not? A person who stayed level one for ages had finally levelled up, although it wasn’t the same person.
’Four levels in just a single hunt? This wasn’t even a hunt... Atlas just toyed with them all, and still I got this much EXP?!’ Emil started to question himself inwardly.
The questions were justified because why’s someone who didn’t even participate in a fight getting experience?
Even so, the reward was too tempting to ignore. He quickly brushed the matter aside, deciding not to overthink it. What truly mattered was that he had finally reached Level 5 and now possessed a reliable summon that could fight by his side.
The happiness didn’t last long as he heard heavy thuds which echoed through the forest, each impact causing the ground beneath his feet to tremble. Emil’s gaze snapped towards the source of the noise, and what he saw next sent a chill down his spine.
A massive goblin emerged from the trees. Its skin was a shade darker than that of the other goblins, giving it an even more menacing appearance. Resting on its shoulder was a colossal wooden club reinforced with thick iron nails. Standing well over seven feet tall, the monster towered more than a foot above Emil, its imposing frame radiating overwhelming strength.
The goblin looked around and noticed the lifeless bodies of his subordinates. It looked at the sky; a roar followed as its emotions were clearly visible from such a gesture. "Losing someone is a worse feeling for humans, but is it the same for monsters?" Emil questioned inwardly.
A flicker of remorse trailed across his face, but he shook his head to clear his mind. ’How did I even think about that?! I’m just fighting to survive; if Atlas hadn’t killed, then... they would have killed me without any second thought.’
His eyes fell to his clenched fist as he slowly tightened it. The goblin lunged at Emil at full pace; it lifted the mace and was about to smash it downwards, aiming it towards Emil’s head. But before the club could reach Emil, Atlas appeared in its path and blocked the attack with a single arm.
The impact echoed like a clap of thunder. Despite stopping the blow effortlessly, the sheer momentum behind the goblin’s massive frame forced him back an inch, the ground cracking beneath his feet in the shape of cobwebs.
Emil staggered a bit backwards even though Atlas had blocked it, but the force with which the goblin had come lunging at him made his heart sink. His heartbeat started racing, and his muscles tightened as his entire body got drenched in sweat.
"Th-thank you for saving me, Atlas." Unknowingly, he had said those words.
Atlas gave a single nod in consideration before returning his attention towards the goblin. Atlas lifted his right leg and drove it right into the goblin’s solar plexus. The impact was intact; the force sent the goblin flying backwards as it crashed into the trees. Dozens of them broke, but it finally stopped and fell on the floor with a loud THUD.
Emil witnessed it all with his own eyes. He had believed the attack would be enough to put the goblin down, but he was mistaken. The creature’s relentless persistence drove it back to its feet once more. Although it was noticeably weaker than before, it limped heavily on its right leg, its movements sluggish yet filled with unwavering hostility.
But it didn’t know that Atlas isn’t someone who’ll show mercy; it lunged at Emil, but this time a lot slower than before. It was still mid-leap before Atlas struck forward; his muscles tightened as he extended his weapon entirely and swung it in a clean slash, beheading the goblin right away.
The green blood splashed all over the ground; the thick grass was even greener now, but strangely it had begun rotting. Emil’s eyes widened because he saw that goblin’s blood also traced across Atlas’s face, and it led straight down to his chest.
But the way the grass had started to die, Atlas’s body didn’t have any uncertain reaction, which made Emil assured that nothing worse was happening.