The goblin lord came towards the spot we had just been in.
He stopped moving, as if detecting traces of us being there earlier.
Goblins are monsters the size of a young human child.
Goblin lords on the other hand, have a height of about 1.5 times the size of the average adult male.
Itâs torso, legs and arms are all thicker. Itâs honestly closer to an orc than a goblin.
Ario and Josh are both shaking in their boots.
Goblins are basically nothing. In a one-on-one fight, even F-rankers wonât have a hard time dealing with them.
However, when they become a goblin lord, even a B-rank adventurer might be in danger if they go against them alone.
No matter how many F-rank adventurers take on a goblin lord, itâs impossible for them to win.
Therefore itâs natural for Ario and Josh to be afraid of one.
By the way, F-rank is for newbies, and the moment they become E-rankers is proof that they stop being one.
D symbolises a full-fledged adventurer, C is for skilled adventurers, B for first-class, and A-rankers are the cream of the crop.
Throughout history, S-rank has only ever been bestowed to a minimal number of adventurers.
I whispered towards Ario and Josh.
The moment an F-rank party meets a goblin lord, they are without a doubt doomed.
However, I am an S-ranker.
I killed the Devil King, who would most probably destroy the world, on my own.
Mere goblin lords canât even pose a threat to me.
ăWhen the time comes, leave the goblin lord to me. You guys escapeă
ăWe canât just leave you to dieâŚâŚă
The same conversation I had 10 years ago.
It feels a little nostalgic.
ăă
The goblin lord seems to have noticed our presence.
The goblin family in general possesses a good sense of smell. It probably discovered us from our scent.
However, I donât think it knows where we are precisely. It might be because its sight isnât as good.
As it let out a shout, it swung its weapon:
A large steel club. As it hit the walls of the tunnel, a deafening sound rang out.
The rocks were smashed and scattered around the floor.
I can defeat goblin lords easily. However, this one seems suspicious.
A goblin lord leading a large pack of goblins is usually quite clever.
However, I canât seem to sense a hint of intelligence from this one.
In the first place, stealing livestock only a few at a time is pretty dodgy in itself.
Itâs weird for goblins which do not possess intelligence to not steal the whole herd at once.
And thereâs even 30 of them.
Let alone the livestock, it wouldnât be weird if they kidnapped all of the villagers.
Itâs as if theyâre pretending to be a small pack of goblins.
Moreover, they placed lookouts at the entrance.
That is proof that they are an organised group.
I canât believe that this goblin lord which lost its patience and smashed the walls is capable of such a thing.
Most probably someone or something is controlling them from behind the scenes. I donât want to let that guy escape if possible.
That is why I carefully observed them.
That guy may appear if he judges that the goblin lord canât stop the intruders by itself.
Either that or the goblin lord may return to report to him.
I waited for that to happen.
ăâŚâŚďźĄďźĄďźĄďźă
The roaring goblin lord stopped for a moment.
Someone dashed straight in from the tunnelâs entrance.
Sheâs fast. The moment she came close enough, she stabbed at the goblin lord.
The person who came in is a beast girl. She seems to be quite the warrior.
Her slender sword managed to accurately pierce towards the goblin lordâs vitals.
Contrary to its large build, the goblin lord managed to quickly deal with the attack.
Swinging the gigantic steel club as if it was but a twig, it parried the girlâs attack.
ăGet out of my way, you mere goblin!ă
Skillfully controlling the distance between them, the girl toyed with the goblin lord.
However, the goblin lord too reacted splendidly.
Both parties couldnât land a fatal blow. They fell into a stalemate.
Whispered Ario. At that moment, the girlâs ears moved imperceptibly.
ăYou guys over there! If youâre trying to escape, nowâs the time!ă
As expected from a beast-girl, her ears are extremely sensitive.
ăArio, Josh, run for nowă
ăBe careful of surprise attacksă
They both took a shortcut and dashed towards the exit.
The goblin lord tried to chase after Ario and Josh. HoweverâŚ
ăYouâre not getting past me!ă
The girl stopped it in its tracks.
ăWhy didnât you run?!ă
ăThere is no need toă
ăDo as you like. Donât you dare get in my way though!ă
The girl faced the goblin lord with a serious expression.
Even if she told me not to interfere, I should watch over her.
Each adventurer has their own circumstances. Itâll be fine if I act when itâs starting to get worse.
An equal fight unfolded between the girl and the goblin lord.
They are evenly matched. The only difference is their weapons.
The girlâs sword snapped.
She exchange blows with the gigantic steel club with it. Itâs no wonder that it broke.
Losing her weapon, the girl was cornered into a defensive fight.
Furthermore, she canât receive a single blow. This canât go on.
ăDo you need my help?ă
ăNo need! Donât worry about me, just get out of hereă
Drawing a short sword from her hips, the battle started once more.
However, she couldnât defeat it even when she was using her sword. Thereâs no way sheâll win with a short sword.
In the blink of an eye, the short sword was sent flying.
In a panic, the girl took some distance. The club then smashed right at where she had been.
The girl let out a frustrated groan.
Sheâs at her limit. Itâs only a matter of time before she falls.
ăNo more asking. Itâs my turnă
ăI said Iâm fine, so just ruââă
ăI was the one who arrived here first thoughă
Saying that, I grabbed the sword at my back.