At six o'clock in the morning, the summer sky was no longer shrouded in darkness. Kevin wore the weighted iron blocks crafted by his father and practiced his swordsmanship.
Today was the first day of hunting monsters with his new team. Kevin wanted to adjust his condition through exercise, so he could do more in battle and avoid danger. In the ruins, he drew a short and a tall figure on a wall and used them as targets for his sword practice.
The sound of metal clashing against the wall echoed as sword marks appeared on both figures. Kevin aimed for the critical points on the figures, representing monsters of different sizes, refining his precision with each strike. After over an hour of practice, he felt the heat and saw the sun had risen. He decided it was time to stop, not wanting to exhaust himself before the mission.
Kevin returned home, removed the heavy iron blocks, and felt the weight on his body vanish. He wiped down his body with cool water to refresh himself and then put on the light armor his father had given him. After preparing, he headed to the adventurer's hall.
Upon reaching the agreed meeting point, Kevin saw Owen, Alex, and Melissa had already gathered. Owen called out, "Good morning, Kevin! You're right on time. Now that you're here, let's get going. Time waits for no one." Kevin smiled and nodded in agreement.
With Kevin's addition, the team quickly arrived outside the settlement. This area had once been a bustling town before the apocalypse. When the two worlds merged, the surface area expanded, and different terrains were forced together. The remaining areas in the human world that had not been overlapped or merged with the other world were greatly affected.
Once towering skyscrapers and populous cities were severely damaged by the disaster. Buildings collapsed like dominoes, and streets were torn apart. The catastrophe brought about massive casualties, with few survivors remaining.
After the tragic disaster, the survivors not only lost most of their infrastructure but also struggled to maintain production and resources. Moreover, they had to face the constant threat of monsters. After decades of hardship, their lives gradually stabilized. The survivors banded together to establish new settlements in safe and habitable areas. The town of Gael, where Kevin lived, was one such settlement, while another nearby one was called Green Town. The two settlements often exchanged information and resources, relying on each other for support.
The place they were heading to today used to be a prosperous town as well. Unfortunately, it was located in an area heavily affected by the shifting mountains, and its buildings were leveled, along with its former glory. The desolate ruins, like a ghost town, created a stifling atmosphere. Nowadays, it was a playground for monsters, with no trace of human life.
Rubble scattered everywhere, weeds growing rampant, and half-rotten swords and spears lay on the ground, some stuck directly into the earth. What frightened some timid people were the numerous scattered bones mixed with the dirt. Some of the bones appeared to belong to cats and dogs, but many were humanoid, making it unclear if they were from deceased humans or some humanoid monsters.
As they followed the narrow path through the ruins and went around a dilapidated house, suddenly three goblins appeared in their line of sight: two wielding short swords and one slightly taller goblin holding a spear.
"I'll take care of the one with the spear; you guys find a way to take out the other two." Owen said, quickly drawing his sword and luring the spear-wielding goblin away, leaving Kevin, Alex, and Melissa to face the two goblins with short swords.
Alex stepped forward, standing in front. He tapped the sharp edge of his sword against the shield in his left hand, creating a dull thud to attract the goblins' attention. He leaned his body to the right, hiding behind the sturdy round shield, and steadily approached one of the goblins.
"Ha!" Alex suddenly shouted, attempting to distract the goblin. Once he was sure the goblin didn't immediately attack him, he swiftly swung his sword at the target. However, due to an inaccurate distance estimation, the goblin easily dodged Alex's attack. Alex retracted his sword, adjusted his stance, and prepared to strike again.
The other goblin, with wide eyes, ignored Alex and instead focused on Melissa in the back. Its eyes flashed with cunning as it rapidly launched an attack on Melissa.
With a metallic clang, Kevin quickly swung his sword, blocking the goblin's attack just in time. He immediately counterattacked, slashing at the creature. Although he only cut through the goblin's skin without causing a severe wound, it was enough to force it back.
"Thank you," Melissa whispered her thanks to Kevin.
"It's no big deal," Kevin replied. Then he shouted to the front, "Alex!"
"I got it," Alex quickly understood Kevin's intention, even though it was their first time working together. He loudly shouted "Taunt," and the eyes of the two goblins turned a faint red. The goblin that had been facing Melissa turned its head and launched an attack on Alex instead.
"Be careful!" Melissa warned Alex nervously. After using Taunt, Alex quickly turned around, stepped back, and raised his shield.
"Block!" Alex sturdily defended against the two goblin attacks. The taunt effect would last for some time, and during this period, unless they received a sufficiently fatal attack, the goblins would only target Alex. This bought precious time for Melissa and Kevin, allowing them to counterattack from a safe distance.
Once Kevin confirmed that the goblins were attacking Alex, he quickly moved away from Melissa and rushed to Alex's side to provide support. He closely watched for the moment when Alex couldn't block the attack. When the time was right, Kevin accurately thrust his sword between the goblin's weapon and Alex's shield to interrupt the attack, then swiftly withdrew. Taking advantage of the goblin preparing for its next attack, Kevin aimed at its thigh and stabbed it fiercely.
Kevin pinned the goblin down with his body, pressing the creature's arms with his legs, and then stabbed his sword into the goblin's neck. Kevin activated his Death Eye skill, watching the goblin's HP. He noticed that although the goblin's HP was low and still decreasing, it hadn't reached zero. So, Kevin steeled himself and forcefully twisted the sword. The goblin's eyes, which were previously closed, suddenly opened wide as if they were about to burst. It stopped struggling immediately.
After confirming the goblin's death with Death Eye, Kevin slowly stood up. He pulled his sword from the goblin's neck and swung it to the ground, shaking off the blood. Then, he looked towards Alex, ready to provide support. Kevin's furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
The effect of Alex's Taunt skill had expired, and the goblin was terrified by the death of its companion. Fear flickered in its eyes as it looked around nervously. The goblin let out a threatening sound, trying to intimidate Alex and his group. However, Alex remained unfazed, his eyes filled with determination as he increased the frequency of his sword attacks. The goblin dodged and roared, trying to prevent Alex from continuing his assault.
But when it saw Kevin approaching, it felt desperate. Knowing it couldn't withstand both of their attacks, it decisively broke away from Alex's range and fled. Alex didn't attempt to chase the goblin, instead, he sighed with relief and smiled at Melissa, saying, "At this point, I don't need to chase it down. You can aim, right?"
Melissa didn't answer immediately, instead, she frowned and concentrated, raising her wand to target the fleeing goblin. She took a deep breath and shouted, "Fireball!" A burning fireball shot from the tip of her wand, quickly pursuing the fleeing goblin. The fireball left a bright trail of flames across the sky before ultimately striking the goblin's back. The force of the impact knocked the goblin to the ground, and its agonizing screams filled the air as it was engulfed in flames.
The goblin writhed on the ground in pain, trying to extinguish the fire on its body. However, after struggling for a few seconds, the fire didn't subside, and the goblin's screams ceased. Its body lay limp on the ground, motionless. Kevin observed through Death Gaze that the goblin's HP had completely depleted.
"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Melissa puffed out her chest, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "The vile creature that tried to attack me is now dead by my magic." She flicked her hair with confidence, saying, "If it wasn't for the bad position earlier, I would have—"
"I knew it. You were afraid of accidentally hurting me, so you didn't use magic before, right?" Alex teased Melissa with a smile.
"It's not like that. It was just difficult to aim. Don't misunderstand," Melissa blushed and turned her head away.
Seeing their interaction, Kevin couldn't help but smile. He felt that their teamwork and rapport would only grow stronger during their adventure. Alex noticed Kevin's smile and reached out his hand, saying confidently, "I knew we would make great teammates."
"I think so too," Kevin responded, reaching out his hand as well. Their fists gently bumped, full of trust and understanding. This small gesture seemed to foreshadow their ability to face challenges and grow together in future adventures.
"How's it going, youngsters!" Owen's voice was full of enthusiasm and encouragement. He had easily taken care of the goblin with a spear earlier and observed the teamwork of the three. "It seems your first time working together went quite well."
"Kevin, I knew letting you join would be the right decision," Owen said, looking at Kevin with satisfaction and a hint of surprise. "But I didn't expect you, as a priest, to be such a good fighter. Truly worthy of being Tang's son." Owen paused and continued, "Although you didn't receive any injuries, don't get too cocky. These goblins were the weakest kind. You need to do even better next time."
Upon hearing Owen's words, Kevin, Alex, and Melissa exchanged glances but showed no discontent. They knew Owen was looking out for them and nodded in acknowledgment.
The four found a spot under the shade of a nearby tree to rest, catching their breath and taking a sip of water to relieve their fatigue. After some time, Alex stood up and said to the others, "Rest time is over. We should keep moving." Everyone nodded in agreement, gathered their gear, and continued on to the next location in search of more monsters.