4: Or shall we proceed with the final plan?

Zero-circle magic, "Scorching Ray."

Wherever Ronan's finger pointed, thick, scorched red holes appeared.

Behind a tree trunk, a Goblin's corpse slowly slumped over, most of its head sliced away by the Ray.

Hawkeye could hardly believe his eyes.

He specifically turned off his night vision, switched to normal sight, and looked at the battlefield behind him once more.

"This level of power... how could it be zero-circle magic?"

The reason zero-circle magic was called zero-circle was that its power, complexity, and casting requirements were on a completely different scale compared to true circle-tier magic.

Before obtaining a "Class," a Mage can only cast zero-circle magic.

But the destructive power of the magic before him had clearly exceeded the strength a zero-circle spell should have.

Could it be... this new Mage has already obtained a Class and stepped onto the path of advancement?

Hawkeye was startled, immediately dismissing the possibility.

A Professional with a Class was often the core of a high-level Adventurer team.

Someone like that wouldn't be encountered in the wild for years; how could they possibly join his team of their own accord?

Hawkeye gave a self-deprecating laugh, feeling deeply confused.

But if he wasn't a true Professional, how could zero-circle magic of this intensity be explained?

"Aim for this beast's eyes!" Shield Mountain's roar broke Hawkeye's train of thought.

His attention was forced back to the battlefield, but he felt dazed, unable to clearly grasp the situation.

He belatedly drew his bow, and before his aim was even aligned, the arrow was released.

The corrosive arrowhead grazed past Evil Axe's ear and was harmlessly deflected by the Bear Goblin's thick fur.

"Captain, you saw it; he's the one who started it."

"Hold him off yourself for a bit. I'll come help after I slaughter this elf."

A Berserker in a Frenzy state is easily provoked. Evil Axe turned to look at Hawkeye, intending to kill him regardless of the cost.

But Shield Mountain's next words made him instantly calm down.

"I can't hold out much longer..."

As he spoke, the Bear Goblin's charge came crashing in.

The fine iron shield in Shield Mountain's hands cracked from the impact, and he was pushed back, plowing a long trench into the ground before finally stopping.

He propped up the large shield and, finally unable to hold it in, spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Seeing this, Hawkeye shuddered, shouting as if waking from a dream,

"Shield Mountain, hang in there! The Goblins have been taken out!"

"Good job, Hawkeye!"

Finally hearing some good news, Shield Mountain forced a smile and wiped the blood from his mouth.

"Ah, it wasn't me..."

Hawkeye wanted to explain, but before he could finish, a red figure came flying toward the two of them.

Evil Axe tumbled his short but powerful body and landed steadily.

While Shield Mountain was being hit by the charge, he had leapt onto the Bear Goblin's back and hacked away with his twin short axes, only to be grabbed by a pair of large hands and tossed aside like trash.

"Captain, this beast's hide is way too thick!" Evil Axe exclaimed in surprise.

Despite his barrage of attacks, he could barely break through its defense; only a full-power strike had any effect.

Back in the cave, they had clearly been able to trade blows with the Bear Goblin on equal footing... "Is this... really the same one we encountered?" Evil Axe doubted if he had recognized the wrong Bear Goblin.

"Few Bear Goblins happen to have their left eye gouged out in the same way." Shield Mountain spoke with certainty, then paused and guessed,

"Maybe it ate something from that treasure chest, and its abilities have been enhanced for a short time."

"Then should we... stall until the enhancement wears off?"

Evil Axe blurted out, then saw his two teammates turn to look at him at the same time.

He slapped his forehead.

He almost forgot that their toughest member, the Captain, had just been hit hard enough to spit blood.

Never mind stalling until the enhancement wore off; whether they could even withstand the Bear Goblin's next charge was the real question.

"Captain, how about we execute the final plan?"

As he said this, Evil Axe already took action, the blood-red hue fading from his body as he exited his Frenzy state.

The final plan was to abandon the mission, desert the Employer, break the team into individuals, and flee in all directions.

Survival was the only priority; as long as they could flee back to town, the survivors would regroup.

As for who would make it back or how many, that was a different matter.

During a previous mission, the team had encountered a small Beast Tide; Shield Mountain and Evil Axe had escaped that way, becoming the only two survivors.

"Hawkeye, can you still use that move you used to kill the Goblins? Would it work on the Bear Goblin?"

Shield Mountain wasn't ready to give up yet and looked at Hawkeye.

"I didn't kill the Goblins." Hawkeye finally managed to get a word in.

"Oh! I was wondering why there was no sound from the Goblins." Evil Axe only then learned of the Goblins' deaths.

"What did you say?!" Shield Mountain couldn't quite wrap his head around it. "Then how did the Goblins die?"

"It was the Mage," Hawkeye replied expressionlessly.

"He used magic that exceeded the limits, taking out the Goblins in a single hit."

"White Night? Isn't he..."

Shield Mountain gave Hawkeye a suspicious look, not paying much attention to the second half of his sentence.

"In your opinion, will White Night's magic be effective against the Bear Goblin? Does he need coordination with your Corrosive Arrow?"

He didn't dwell on it, turning instead to the most pressing question.

"We'll probably have to try it to find out."

Ronan stepped out from behind the three of them and took over the conversation.

After settling the Young Lady and the Maid, and confirming there were no other enemies besides the Bear Goblin, he finally stood on the same front as his Adventurer team members.

"Of course, it would be better if you could open a wound on its head; my 'Scorching Ray' can deliver a direct headshot."

Ronan wasn't sure if the Bear Goblin could block his magic. He had observed Evil Axe's attacks for a while, and most of them didn't seem to break through its defense.

This meant the Bear Goblin had high resistance to physical attacks.

But high physical resistance didn't necessarily mean high magic resistance.

However, Ronan was cautious, wanting to avoid a situation where he was fighting for his life at the front while his teammates just watched from behind.

Given the typical behavior of these teammates, there was no guarantee they wouldn't strike both him and the Bear Goblin from behind once victory was in sight to eliminate all potential threats.

"Hawkeye, Evil Axe, focus on the beast's left eye. Concentrate all subsequent attacks on one spot to create an opening for White Night!"

Shield Mountain instantly completed the tactical assignment, and the Dwarf and Grey Elf followed suit.

After the Bear Goblin recovered, it looked at the three rapidly approaching people and immediately recognized Evil Axe, who had just climbed onto its back.

It without a word and ignoring the other two, it charged directly at Evil Axe.

Seeing this, Evil Axe instantly activated his Frenzy and leaped nimbly in another direction.

In an instant, he widened the distance from Shield Mountain, then lured the Bear Goblin into a pincer attack with the rest of the team.

Evil Axe's burst speed was impressive, but his stamina couldn't compare to the Bear Goblin's.

Before long, the Bear Goblin's massive shadow loomed over the moving Evil Axe.

Just as Evil Axe was about to be hit, the Bear Goblin's eyes suddenly became dazed.

An invisible force compelled it to turn around and look at the source of its true hatred—Shield Mountain, who was holding half a shield and beckoning with his finger!

This was Shield Mountain's specialty, the Shield Guard zero-level skill "Taunt."

For a short time, it focused the designated enemy's hatred on himself to control the enemy.

Previously, the Bear Goblin's target had always been him, so there had been no need to use this skill.

Using it now, the effect was beyond imagination.

The Bear Goblin seemed to have lost all reason. With eyes blood-red, it charged recklessly at Shield Mountain, not even jumping over the boulders in its path, but smashing straight into them.

Ronan suspected that if there were more hard boulders in the way, they might not even have to fight; the Bear Goblin might just kill itself by crashing.

Seeing this, Hawkeye decisively fired a Corrosive Arrow, the eerie light heading straight for the Bear Goblin's left eye.

At the same time, Evil Axe leaped and once again jumped onto the Bear Goblin's back... Ronan's brow twitched.

Even at a time like this, these two were still fighting independently?