Maggie seemed to have lost the ability to resist.
It wasn't because he had given up hope and resigned himself to death.
Though despair filled his heart, he had been an adventurer for many years—his mental resilience was stronger than that.
Right now, the hunter was in a state of paralysis, unable to move his body.
[Precision Strike] was a skill exclusive to the "Ranger" class. Not only did it allow the user to pinpoint an enemy's weak spots in complex battle situations, but it also slightly enhanced the arrow's damage output.
As a "combat technique," it didn't consume mana but required a certain level of physical endurance to execute.
For a trained professional, the stamina cost was negligible, hardly a burden at all.
However, for someone like Maggie, who hadn't yet attained a class level and lacked any professional stat bonuses, the side effects of using [Precision Strike] were far too severe—
Each use of the technique left him in an extreme state of weakness for nearly fifteen seconds.
In this condition, forget fighting—he would even need assistance just to walk.
That was why [Precision Strike] was always his last resort.
Against a creature as formidable as the bear goblin, far beyond what their small team could handle, the hunter had chosen to unleash his most powerful technique from the very start, hoping to seize the upper hand.
It was a sound strategy.
However, when his arrow mysteriously missed its mark and his plan failed, he lost his best chance. The balance of victory tilted in favor of the enemy—it was inevitable.
Huff—
The bear goblin, "Humk," exhaled a thick cloud of white breath from its flared nostrils.
"Ruined Humk's lucky day," it grumbled, its murky yellow-brown eyes reflecting the motionless, vulnerable human before it. "Little bug… must compensate."
A few months ago, its underlings had snatched a woman from somewhere.
Humk was starving and had developed a particular fondness for human meat—soft and tender, far superior in taste to the wild boars and flower rabbits of the forest.
But as a newly independent goblin from the tribe, it still remembered the teachings of the ancient priest, said to have lived for two hundred years.
"Keep the females to breed. Only eat them after they give birth."
And so, Humk had been guarding its nest, drooling in anticipation.
Until today, when the woman had finally given birth.
But just as it was about to take its first bite, these pesky little bugs appeared.
"You need to be punished. Humk will—"
The thick scent of blood filled its nostrils, the intoxicating aroma making it lick its dry lips.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, its restless expression twisted into one of delight.
With this thought in mind, the bear goblin raised its spiked warhammer high above its head.
Its massive, muscular arm bulged, the iron hammer's jagged edges gleaming with a cold light in the fire's glow.
It swung down toward the helpless human before it.
And at that moment—
Whoosh—
A silver-white flash of steel cut through the dimly lit cave.
[Spinning Slash]
A sharp gust of wind lashed against Humk's skin, and an icy chill bit into the side of its thick neck.
Instinctively, it twisted its body to evade.
Its hammer's trajectory wavered—what had been a lethal strike aimed at Maggie's vitals instead smashed into his right leg.
"AHHH!!"
The brittle human bones were instantly pulverized beneath the metal hammer, his knee twisting grotesquely out of shape.
Maggie's agonized screams echoed through the cave, his pale face drenched in cold sweat.
But at that moment, no one paid him any attention.
Xia Nan kept his gaze locked on the hulking figure before him, a hint of regret flashing through his mind.
For someone who, until yesterday, had never killed anything more threatening than a chicken, he felt he had done his best.
In the split second after watching Gagu's skull get shattered by the bear goblin, his mind had raced through a series of rapid conclusions:
First, recognizing that his opponent's strength was beyond anything he could handle head-on. Then, acknowledging the futility of escape given its overwhelming speed. Finally, deciding to launch a surprise attack before the enemy took full notice of him.
He had even timed his strike precisely, exploiting the brief opening when the bear goblin committed to its hammer swing.
But what he hadn't expected was that this otherworldly monster could generate a second burst of power.
It could not only swing its weapon but also maneuver its body mid-motion to evade attacks.
"This is bad…"
Xia Nan muttered under his breath.
The good news: he had landed a hit, proving that this monstrous being was still made of flesh and blood—it had a health bar!
Moreover, his attack had bypassed the mysterious energy shield that had blocked the hunter's arrow, meaning the shield was either on cooldown or only activated against ranged attacks.
The bad news…
First, after executing a third [Spinning Slash] in such a short span, Xia Nan's body was at its limit.
Just gripping his sword, he could feel the tremors in his forearm, the muscles spasming on the verge of cramping.
Second, although his blade had struck the goblin's weak spot, its last-second dodge had reduced the damage significantly.
Instead of crippling the creature, he had merely wounded it—and in doing so, exposed himself, drawing its full attention.
ROAR—
A furious, guttural howl erupted from the bear goblin, a deep and savage cry that sent tremors through the air.
Enraged by the "little bug's" sneak attack, Humk's eyes burned with unbridled fury, fresh blood dripping from the gash on its neck.
Before Xia Nan could even think of a plan, the beast charged, its massive form hurtling forward like a flesh-and-blood tank.
There was no time for tactics.
Driven purely by survival instinct, Xia Nan threw himself sideways, tumbling into a desperate roll.
BANG!!!
The pitch-black warhammer slammed into the ground where he had been standing, leaving deep cracks radiating from the impact.
Flying debris stung his face, the force of the blow sending a wave of dirt into the air.
Maybe it was because he had already died once in his past life, or perhaps it was the adrenaline surging through his veins, but Xia Nan felt no fear facing this overwhelming opponent.
He sprang to his feet.
His sword flashed once more, slicing toward the beast's wounded neck.