Arthur's feet sank into the ground and the earth cracked as he threw himself forward, his sword slicing through the air towards one of the level thirty goblins, one that was very different from the others Arthur had seen.
It wasn't as small as the other goblins, but it wasn't big and strong enough to be considered a hobgoblin either, and its pupils didn't have the demonic reddish color of the other monsters, instead taking on a beautiful bluish color, in eyes that seemed almost human.
A mixture of red mana and dark green mana dominated the air around them as Arthur's sword, imbued with a corrosive crimson aura, and the goblin's sword, imbued with a dark, repulsive aura, collided fiercely.
Neither took a step back nor drew back their blades, which remained firmly pressed together in a fierce clash that lasted until a small crash could be heard in Arthur's ears, followed by the ground breaking as it suddenly collapsed under the pressure of their struggle.
"Shit!!!" Arthur exclaimed as he struggled to keep his balance, but he inevitably sank with the goblin, falling down the hill as part of the ground gave way.
Arthur's body tumbled down the hill, which stretched for more than 200 meters, bouncing violently against the ground, tearing up the ground and only stopping when it hit a tree, already inside the forest.
[-100 HP]
"Argh!" Arthur groaned as he felt his spine twist back 90 degrees, almost snapping in half as the tree he hit shuddered.
Luckily, Arthur didn't suffer any serious injuries except for a few internal wounds, which he was able to heal without attracting anyone's attention.
The goblin, on the other hand, seemed to be in much worse shape, his mouth was foaming, and Arthur could see a hole in his head, probably caused by hitting his head on a sharp rock during his fall.
Picking up his sword, which had fallen some distance from his body, Arthur walked over to the goblin and decided to use the moment to analyze its condition.
[Goblin Mutated by Obscure Magic
Description: He was once a human but was corrupted by the magic of a dark god in a profane ritual and took on the form of a goblin. He has a much lower intellect than an ordinary goblin but has strength and fighting skills almost comparable to a hobgoblin, as well as undying loyalty to his masters.
Grade: E
Stage: 2
Level: 30
HP: 20/450]
Arthur's gaze flickered, and he quickly understood what this was all about.
Gripping his sword tightly, Arthur placed its point against the goblin's chest, right where its heart should be, before thrusting forward.
The little creature could only utter one last pitiful cry before the gleam in its eyes faded and the blood in its lungs rushed to its mouth.
[You killed 'Goblin mutated by obscure magic' +20 XP]
Following the XP gain, Arthur also absorbed a small amount of the goblin's blood, increasing the reserves in the Blood Moon Necklace by 0.5, a small but welcome increase.
"Grrrrk!" A painful scream from one of the goblins reached Arthur's ears, drawing his vision back to the battlefield at the top of the hill.
***
Lugh's blade broke through the hobgoblin's axe and sliced through its arms, stopping just short of hitting its hard bones.
The hobgoblin tried to react and threw himself at Lugh, trying to immobilize the man's blade and sink his jaws into his neck, but he only managed to lose a few teeth when his jaw met Lugh's fist.
Arthur watched with a stunned look as the hobgoblin was thrown into the air and tumbled down the hill.
"It's coming towards me!" Arthur gasped as he saw the hobgoblin's huge body coming at him.
He thought about dodging but remembering his battle with Lugh, Arthur could only use all the attribute points he had left on Strength and held his sword tightly, placing himself right in the hobgoblin's path.
If the creature recovered and attacked him before Lugh reached him, it would be the end of him.
In less than a second, the hobgoblin's body, falling as it desperately tried to regain its composure, reached Arthur, and all the creatures could do was utter a miserable cry as it felt a sharp blade penetrate its back and emerge in its chest, piercing its esophagus and aorta.
[-20 HP]
"Damn it!" Arthur cursed, his feet sinking into the ground up to his knees, which almost tore through the force of the impact. The guard of his sword and even his hands went deep into the hobgoblin's flesh, and Arthur soon found himself bathed in blue blood, blood that the Blood Moon Necklace voraciously devoured, raising its reserves by more than 3 points.
"You disgusting son of a bitch!" Arthur struggled to lift the hobgoblin's body from him and toss it aside, his face distorted by the horrible stench of its blood.
[You killed 'hobgoblin' + 70 XP
You have killed an enemy 30 levels above you! +100 XP, +3 Prestige].
[Level up! 20 -> 21]
Arthur's eyes glanced over the warnings, but he didn't seem to care, just turning back to the battlefield as he struggled to get his feet off the ground before heading back up the hill.
In his mind, he was happy to have gained more prestige, and although he still wasn't sure how this system worked, he believed it had something to do with taking positions of command and power, something he hoped to assume one day.
Lugh, who had already started down the hill towards Arthur, stopped when he saw that the young man was all right and turned to Eri. The woman dealt with her opponent well, not suffering a single injury and unleashing fast and relentless attacks against her adversary.
A single glance was enough to tell that she was a warrior of speed.
Taking advantage of the hobgoblin being overwhelmed by Eri's attacks, Lugh moved quickly and was soon behind the creature before thrusting his swords forward in a vicious slash.
"Grrrrk!" The hobgoblin screamed as it felt Lugh's sword pierce its back, but it didn't even have time to turn around before Eri's sword sliced through its neck, sending its head flying.
"Thank you," Eri thanked and smiled at Lugh.
"No need to thank me, it's time to end this battle," Lugh smiled back, and soon the two of them began their massacre.
Without their commanders, the goblins were nothing more than cattle to be slaughtered before Eri and Lugh's blades.
By the time Arthur arrived at the scene of the battle, they had already killed all the goblins.
On the ground lay five corpses of Lugh's men, and of the four recruits, only Clyde and Robert had survived, kneeling over the bodies of Jhon and Rupert and saying their silent prayers.
On Eri's side, only two people had died, and his companions also tended to the dead.
Despite the victory, there wasn't a single smile on their faces.