3: Chapter 3 Bloodbath Against Goblin Bandits

Everyone in the caravan became tense.

The guards began to close in towards the center, forming a loose circle with the covered wagons.

The merchant William got off his horse; his face was a bit pale, but he remained composed.

Richard tightened his grip on the pickaxe in his hand; he hadn't heard anything.

But he trusted the Old Hunter's judgment; only an experienced hunter knew when the woods were normal and when they were not.

After only a dozen seconds, a sharp whistle rang out.

A dozen stones the size of pigeon eggs whistled out from the bushes on both sides of the road, dense like a hail of ice.

One guard didn't have time to raise his shield; a stone struck him squarely in the face, blood sprayed out, and he fell backward.

Another guard was hit in the collarbone and staggered backward, screaming.

Immediately after, a group of clawing and gnashing goblin bandits appeared.

They poured out from the trees and bushes—gray-green skin, pointed ears, blood-red eyes, and not even as tall as Richard's chest, but there were at least thirty or forty of them.

"Enemy attack! Goblins! It's goblins!"

Some of these goblins brandished crude spears, while others were loading slings.

And behind them stood a truly nerve-wracking giant—a Bugbear.

This guy was nearly two meters tall, with a head like a bear mixed with a hyena, and a mouth of fangs protruding from its lower jaw; it was extremely ugly.

Even though this Bugbear was wearing leather armor, it couldn't hide its tough, muscular build.

It carried a heavy morning star in its hand, the head densely covered with sharp iron spikes.

A pair of yellow, beady eyes slowly scanned the caravan, as if weighing which targets needed to be dealt with first.

Then it grinned, revealing a set of jagged, disgusting yellow teeth.

"Charge! Kill them all for me!" the Bugbear roared, giving the order.

The goblins shrieked and rushed forward!

The battle erupted in an instant; the caravan guards held off the first wave of the Charge with shields and spears, the sounds of metal clashing mixing with screams.

"Hold on, everyone! They're just a bunch of goblin trash!"

The guards had armor and combat experience, but the goblins were numerous, and the suppression from their slings continued.

The Old Hunter shot and killed a goblin charging at the front with an arrow, then drew his blade and engaged two other rushing goblins.

Richard had no protective gear; he knew the outcome if he went up to fight head-on. If he were stupid enough to rush into the pile of goblins like a newbie, he would likely be stabbed into a sieve.

He could only look for opportunities to launch a sneak attack, so Richard cautiously attacked while quickly observing the entire battlefield.

At the same moment, the Bugbear rushed toward the defensive circle like an out-of-control bison, swinging the morning star in an arc above its head and bringing it down with astonishing momentum.

A guard raised his shield to block, and the morning star struck the iron-plated shield with a dull, thunderous boom.

The shield was smashed inward, the guard's entire arm went limp, and he was shaken until blood seeped from his nose and mouth.

The Old Hunter hurriedly engaged the Bugbear along with a mercenary wielding a longsword.

Every strike of the Old Hunter's hunting knife was fast and accurate, but the Bugbear's movements were very agile; the knife could only leave shallow wounds on its body, unable to reach any vital parts.

The longsword mercenary's situation was no better; his swordsmanship was quite swift, but the Bugbear's strength was too great. Every clash of weapons made his sword hum, leaving his wrists numb and aching.

The morning star in the Bugbear's hand whistled with power as it swung, forcing the two men to avoid taking any direct hits, while it occasionally let out a mocking grunt.

Richard was certain that this Bugbear was the leader; only by finding a way to kill it would these goblins scatter.

During the battle, Richard quietly picked up a spear dropped by a goblin from the ground.

The item was crudely made, but the spearhead was iron and quite sharp, making it much more reliable than the pickaxe in his hand.

In the chaotic battle, the defensive formation was disrupted, and everyone was fighting in a melee.

Richard began to move quietly toward the Bugbear, threading through the chaotic crowd, keeping his movements as low-key as possible.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a goblin get slashed down after its sling got tangled, and he also saw a caravan guard get stabbed by three spears simultaneously, falling to the ground, vomiting blood and convulsing.

"Save me! I don't want to die yet, ugh ahhh..."

But Richard did not stop his steps.

He circled around to the side and rear of the Bugbear, which was focused on dealing with the two opponents in front of it.

The Old Hunter stepped back half a pace, inducing the Bugbear to swing its hammer; the heavy head struck the ground, sending gravel flying.

The mercenary took advantage of this gap to thrust his sword at the Bugbear's ribs, but the Bugbear dodged sideways, backhanding the hammer handle into the mercenary's shoulder, knocking him staggering backward.

This was the moment!

When the Bugbear dodged sideways, its right underarm was completely exposed!

There was no armor there, only a layer of rough animal hide.

Richard suddenly sprang up like a fierce snake lurking in the grass, his body lunging forward!

With the enhancement of Powerful Strike, he aimed the spear at the gap under its arm and thrust it in with all his might!

The spearhead pierced through the skin and burrowed into the soft flesh under the arm.

The Bugbear let out a roar that resembled no language, its body twisting violently.

Its right arm swung back violently, the morning star whistling past Richard's head, the wind it created blowing his hair back.

But Richard had already let go and jumped back the moment he thrust the spear; this was a planned move—hit and run.

If he had been half a second slower, his head would likely have become a watermelon smashed by a hammer.

The Bugbear swung the morning star frantically, but with a spear stuck under its arm, every swing only widened the wound.

Blood flowed down the spear shaft, staining the animal hide dark.

The Old Hunter seized the opportunity; his blade sliced open the back of the Bugbear's knee.

The Bugbear's massive body swayed, and it crashed to one knee; the mercenary's longsword followed, stabbing into the side of its neck.

"—Squelch!"

The Bugbear's roar turned into a gurgling sound, but it wasn't dead yet.

Richard rushed up, almost knocking the Old Hunter aside, and while raising his pickaxe, he roared:

"I hate these damn monsters the most! Leave it to me!"

The pickaxe smashed the Bugbear's head, the technique clean and swift.

Richard did this, of course, to steal the kill; quickly gaining experience points to level up was the way to go.

After the Bugbear fell, the remaining goblins indeed began to scatter.

The few that didn't manage to run were hunted down and cut down by the guards; the battle was finally over.

Richard stood beside the Bugbear's corpse, panting heavily, and hurriedly opened the panel to check.

Gained 60 Experience Points (Killed Bugbear Leader)

Gained 40 Experience Points (Assisted in killing goblins x4)

[Level Up!]

[Congratulations, Adventurer! You have been promoted to a Level 2 Warrior!]

Class: Level 2 Warrior (0 / 200)

The level-up interface then popped up a message:

[Gained 1 Attribute Point]

[Obtained a new skill; please select one from the following skills:]

[Trip Attack] Attack the enemy's lower body to knock them down; as long as your strength is high enough, large or huge creatures will be knocked down by you.

[Weapon Specialization] You may choose to specialize in one weapon type; damage and accuracy are increased when using this type of weapon.