Chapter 26: Goblin Invasion V.4

{Goblin Invasion: Fourth wave}

- Goblin x5000

- Goblin Thief x1000

- Goblin Mage x1000

- Hobgoblin x100

Haha, is this even doable?

{Certainly, if you play your cards well, you can survive this round.}

{Sudden Mission}

- Survive the Fourth wave

Reward upon completion: Rare skill card (Bound)

Reward upon failure: Death

Even giving me a quest to keep motivated huh? Well, better than sulking and complaining here.

"Are you ready, Nea? Let's do our strategy again."

"Alright," Nea responded then let out a warcry attracting the goblins to herself.

System, are they all elite goblins?

{Yes.}

The goblins approaching even have mana barriers protecting them. We only attracted not even a fourth of the entire horde. I see the Dean and Neimark fighting off the hobgoblins in the distance. The majority of the goblin horde is near the town wall because there are not enough people left to block them off.

Since the goblins are compiled together, I can make use of exploding {Frost Arrow}, it should still freeze the goblins. Let's not do that while Nea is there. I keep shooting a flurry of a combination of {Frost Arrow} and {Snipe}. I kill them one by one making it a lengthy process. I'm surprised Nea hasn't fallen down yet despite the number of goblins crowding her. Ah, she's using the goblins near her as a shield to lessen the attacks she takes.

Thanks to her there are no goblins attacking me but this way of strategy takes a lot of resources and time since I need to kill them one by one.

"Nea, do you have your {Gran Cross} ready?" I yelled while I keep shooting at the goblins around her.

"I need half an hour more!"

"We need to break through the horde and attack the mages, the barriers are annoying to deal with!"

"On it! I'll clear a path for you straight to the mages."

I continued shooting for half an hour. My supplies are almost exhausted. It's hard to get some assistance from the town because everyone is busy killing off the majority of the goblins. I don't see many hobgoblins in the distance anymore. The plains seem to have quieted down which only means one thing... most have died in battle...

"I hope Elaina is okay," I uttered to myself.

{GRAN CROSS}!!!

Nea cleared a straight path toward the mages, I leaped forward avoiding the goblins ahead, and went to the mages. Nea moved slowly behind in order to keep some of the goblins from following me.

I shot a flurry of {Snipe-split} and killed as many mages as I can before the other elite goblins swarm the mages creating a huge meat shield. Some of the mages deactivated the barrier and started shooting fireballs, this put me in a tough situation. Not only I can't hit them, they even got me dodging. They're disgustingly smart to think of this tactic.

"HAHAHAHHAHA!" I laughed loudly for a thought suddenly entered my mind. I should make the {Frost Arrow} explode on top of them. I tried it once, and for sure, the freeze effect is doing the same thing even if a powder of the skill just touches the barrier. I exploited this method along with {Snipe-split} to easily shatter the frozen parts of the barrier.

But not long after, the mages used fireballs on the other goblins to remove the frozen effect on the barriers. This made it harder for me, my plan has been countered. I went back to pick them off one by one, my mana potions are almost exhausted, and my HP potions are also starting to run low.

{Congratulations, you leveled up! Lv. 21> Lv. 22}

Just how many did I kill to level up?

{Snipe leveled up! Lv. 1 > Lv. 2}

{Normal / Snipe Lv. 2: Active}

Splits the projectile into 3 dealing 33.33% of the normal damage to each projectile. Able to control each projectile. Gains a piercing effect.

Proficiency: Activate 4000 times (0/4000)

MP cost: 8 MP

Haha, what great timing I say. With the skill leveled up and now having a piercing effect, it made it easier to penetrate the barriers and kill the goblins. I was full of joy, things are going according to plan. Nea arrived closer to me while still being swarmed by an entire horde of goblins. She let out a warcry provoking the goblins who were acting as a meat shield and started going for Nea.

"Thanks!" I shouted. I have faith that Nea could handle the enormous number of goblins on her. I handled all the remaining goblins who were not affected by the warcry and then proceeded to kill the mages. Once I've killed all of the mages, all the barriers from the elite goblins disappeared making it easier to kill them even at the castle walls.

In the distance, I saw Neimark and the Dean heading toward the town's wall. All the hobgoblins are dead. The plains became an ocean of dead bodies, both goblin and human bodies. Another great battle was happening around the castle wall but without the barriers, it was easier to clear them.

In my situation, only the goblins swarming Nea are the only ones left. I cleared them quickly so I could happily greet Nea for doing a great job but after I killed them off, an unsightly scene unfolded before me. Nea was full of stab wounds and a lot of swords skewered into her body. She died standing while holding her shield trying to protect something. I couldn't believe the sight before me, she was a great comrade, friend, and a great tanker. I held back the tears from flowing down, clenched my fist holding the bow she gave me tightly, and bit my lips until it bled because I felt guilty for just letting her be bait.

"I'm sorry I took too long. I swear I will not go too hard on you the next time I die and go back," I said to her corpse while I kneel down in front of it doing my best to hold my tears. I calmed down for a bit and removed the shield in front of her to see what she was protecting. It was a locket with a portrait of her and Rea inside. This just made me more sorrowful thinking that Rea lost her sister. I don't know how to face her now...

I couldn't stop the tears from falling down and just broke down there and then.

*Ding*

{You obtained a Rare Skill Card}

{Goblin Invasion: Fifth wave}

- Starts in 1 hour and 30 mins.

Ahh, the wave finished? My sight was blurry and my eyes were hot from crying. I wiped away the snot and tears from my face and stood up.

"Open the skill card."

The card shuffled and a blue card appeared out of the deck.

{Rare/ Bow Mastery Lv.1: Passive}

- Increases penetration when using a bow.

Proficiency: 0/100%

The proficiency is in percentage? Do I just keep shooting?

I looked at Nea's corpse, "If only I got this before the battle..." I removed the swords stuck in her body and then carried her over near the town wall.

"Sister?!" Rea shouted, "Kuya! My sister is still fine right?! RIGHT?" she's just a child, she doesn't deserve to face the harsh reality of the world yet.

"I'm sorry..." I held back my tears as much as I can.

"It's okay, kuya don't cry. It's not your fault..." She proceeded to cry while she consoles me while I hold her sister's corpse. Ysletta approached me and comforted me as well.

"You peasant, you can't even save a girl..." Eirene spoke up with her shaky voice and burst out crying while kneeling.

While I grieved for Nea's death, I suddenly remember Elaina.

"Miss Ysletta, have you seen Elaina?" I asked her with my nasty stuffy nasal voice.

"She ... hasn't returned yet," she replied.

I quickly put down Nea's corpse and stood up bolting out of the town's gate to find Elaina. Even though I can see them again if ever I go back to my save point but watching them die is too much of a burden for me. I've grown attached to them. They were the first people I came in contact with after being spawned in this world. I can't handle it if she also dies.

I leaped around the plains jumping from one body to another, searching every pile of bodies I see.

"Ras..." I heard a faint sound call to me. I searched around the perimeter and I found Elaina leaning to a pile of dead bodies.

"Elaina!" I shouted while I leap towards her.

Her body is a mess. Torn-up skin, stab wounds, some parts of her body are slashed away, her left arm cut off and her face bruised up with a lot of scratches. But even when she is at her worst, I still found her beautiful.

"Haha ... you look cute even when you are worried..." she faintly spoke to me. I just cried a while ago but tears won't stop falling. I brought out a potion for her to drink.

"Here, drink this quickly!" She slowly shoved it away refusing to drink.

"My condition is already worse... I don't think a potion will make it better."

I drank a portion of the potion then kissed her to transfer it to her mouth forcing her to drink it.

"I knew you were attracted to me too..." she jokingly said while she starts to lose the energy in her voice.

"Please don't die on me too," I sobbed while I kept feeding her the potion mouth-to-mouth.

"I knew it, you're cheating with me with that tanky woman," she tried to make her usual annoyed expression and pouting face.

"No, I-" she touched my lips and said, "I know, you don't have to explain yourself," after that, she kept on coughing blood. Certainly, potions aren't enough to heal her.

"I'll go bring you back to the town," she stopped me from carrying her and said.

"I don't wish to suffer any longer," she said to me while smiling. I know what she meant but my selfishness won't let me let her die.

"AT LEAST LET ME BRING A PRIEST TO HEAL YOU!" I yelled at her while I cry my heart out not accepting this situation I am in. When I looked at her face smiling at me I just thought of one thing.

I knelt down and said with my shaking voice, "If only I was stronger, I wouldn't lose you or Nea..." I continued to wail in front of her while she rubs my head comforting me, "You haven't even fulfilled your mother's wish of becoming rich yet. I haven't brought you there yet, so please don't die on me."

"Please," she said softly I looked up to her and her face says it all, she just want to crossover and not suffer any longer.

"O-okay..." I responded and then proceeded to pick up my bow.

"Get rich for me, okay?" she smiled while she looked at me drawing my bow and aiming at her.

My body is shaking, I can't see properly. My body feels numb. What am I doing? I can't do this.

"Ras, it was truly lovely meeting you," She smiled sweetly while tears also fall from her eyes.

"I felt the same... I wish I could see you again..." I forced myself to smile back but my lips kept twitching making it hard to maintain.

{Frost Arrow}

...

{Snipe}

...

The plains were filled with nothing but the sorrowful cold stream of wind.

"This... is too much... for me..." I uttered to myself as I look at the sun setting in the horizon.

Today, the wind decided to blow out two of my candles.