Upon witnessing the tragic demise of their companions, the remaining goblins nervously formed a circle. The one-armed goblin even pushed the elder goblin, who had taken the lead, in front of him as a shield.
"Did you see clearly? How many... how many people?!"
"Boss, it seems... only one person, huh?"
"One person?"
Whoosh! Another arrow was shot, but this time the goblins were prepared. The one-armed goblin even deflected the arrow with a swing of its knife, standing boldly.
"Hmph! Kid, you're quite audacious, aren't you? Are you here to save grandpa?"
It pointed directly at Night Third Watch, who had already been exposed.
Night Third Watch glanced at the bow in his hand, sighed, and replaced it with a longsword as he walked forward.
The goblins' makeshift bows and arrows were crude, effective only within a range of ten meters. When the enemy was prepared, the slow arrow speed posed little threat. Night Third Watch's decision to step forward was not to rescue the old goblin but rather an acknowledgment of a profound truth.
To survive, he needed to become stronger. If he didn't practice on these goblins now, what would he do when facing even more formidable foes in the future? Succumb to defeat?
That wasn't Night Third Watch's style. Only what is within his control is true destiny. Relying on a mysterious system that came without invitation might be temporary, and he could use it, but dependence was out of the question.
Moreover, he wouldn't lose.
"Daring to come alone to my territory. Rest assured, I will make it quick for you!"
The one-armed goblin brandished its short knife, then kicked one of its companions forward.
"What are you waiting for? Attack together!"
Night Third Watch wore ordinary leather armor. He wasn't worried about that. Human ordinary soldiers could handle one or two goblins at most. Still, they were six, though old and feeble, it was enough.
What concerned him was the sword in the opponent's hand. Its glaring appearance did not resemble standard equipment. Regardless, it didn't matter. Let those foolish companions act as cannon fodder first; he would deal with them later.
Either succumbing to the imposing force or lured by the desire for food, the goblins rushed towards Night Third Watch. Even the old man with a cane followed suit.
Swoosh! A goblin threw a wooden spear, but Night Third Watch deftly dodged it. He then effortlessly grabbed a spear lying beside him, swung it open, and used it to stab another goblin, whose entrails spilled out.
"One."
Night Third Watch kicked another goblin off-balance, evaded two flying axes, and casually slashed open the stomachs of two goblins.
"Three."
At this moment, the goblin who had been kicked dizzy just recovered, but before it could assess the situation, a silver light flashed, and its head soared high.
"Four."
Witnessing this gruesome scene, the elderly goblin, who had just arrived, went silent and turned to leave. However, Night Third Watch paid no attention to it. Suddenly, he rolled forward.
"Hmph!"
Night Third Watch grunted as he examined his left arm. A dark-red liquid seeped out from the edge of his leather armor.
"Hehe! Die!"
Taking advantage of the skirmish between comrades, the one-armed goblin attacked again. Swinging its short knife, it aimed for the still downed Night Third Watch. Whether he dodged or blocked, he wouldn't withstand the consecutive hacking!
This is suppression!
The one-armed goblin sneered, seemingly hearing the sizzle of oil dripping from the opponent's white and tender arm onto the bonfire.
As Night Third Watch was about to be bathed in blood, he unexpectedly did not dodge or defend. Half-turning his body, he raised his sword and thrust it at the approaching goblin. With a muffled sound, the one-armed goblin widened its eyes, then knelt down.
"You..."
Night Third Watch glanced at the short knife embedded in his shoulder, furrowing his brow.
Pain was significantly alleviated due to the undead constitution. He wasn't worried about it, but what concerned him was that facing merely six goblins, weaker than ordinary farmers, had already caused him such severe injuries.
This indicated that he was not strong enough!
"Don't kill me, please! I'm old, smelly, and my teeth are falling out. I taste awful!"
Night Third Watch lifted his eyes, finding that the old goblin had used the sword to prop up the escaping elder goblin. Now it was tearfully begging for mercy.
Old against old, a swordsman would naturally have the upper hand.
One shot, one stab, two disemboweled, one decapitation, one heart stab. In addition to the captured one, just kill the old goblin, and Night Third Watch's soul energy today would reach 11 points. Dissolving the old man later before dawn would allow him to safely pass another day.
However, Night Third Watch didn't do so. Instead, he had the old man patch up the two disemboweled goblins with his knife. Then he compared the sword to the old goblin's body.
"Take me to your camp."
"Camp? W-we don't have a camp."
The old goblin looked at Night Third Watch in horror.
Night Third Watch shrugged, moving the sword between the old man's legs.
"No! I'll take you! But you must promise to spare my life!"
Night Third Watch shook his head.
"I can only guarantee you won't end up like him."
After saying that, he had the old man remove his disguise, revealing a bleak skeleton in front of the old goblin.
Seeing this scene, the old goblin almost fainted. Just now, it had wanted to fight against humans, but now it realized that these were undead creatures!
Perhaps thinking of some dreadful consequences, the goblin clenched its trembling teeth, its face pale, and walked towards the depths of the forest.
It feared death, but it feared even more that after death, its soul and body would be controlled and played with. Rumor had it that some perverted necromancers would imprison a soul for eternity, tormenting it every day for amusement.
Comparing the two, the old goblin instantly accepted its fate.
What if, just maybe, the other party would spare it later?
And two hours later, the hoped-for maybe did not come...
Night Third Watch wiped the bloodstains from the sword and nodded in satisfaction.
As he expected, goblins, no matter when, would form a community, even the failed ones that were eliminated. Shy but cruel, these contradictory characteristics allowed them to survive only by huddling together.
The recent batch seemed to be warriors from this small community. Those in the camp were mostly gatherers and women and children.
A total of eighteen goblins, men and women, old and young, unarmed, and hungry, didn't consume much of Night Third Watch's energy.
They couldn't even escape properly.
Psychological burden?
The skulls of human children in the little goblin tent were used as playthings. Even if such things hadn't happened, Night Third Watch, an undead, had no need for pity.
All he needed was to stay alive.
"Huh? Looks like I found something good."
In the middle of the night, he opened a dilapidated tent and licked his pale lips.