Chapter 16 - Agony

After slaying many goblins around him, Elias looking around and realize, more and more, goblins appear surrounding him, it seems that hobgoblin brings many reinforcements only to kill him. Although goblins can't pose as a threat against him, still, his stamina isn't endless. There limits to how much weak enemy he can handle right now, and these amounts are above his capability. It'll be awkward if people know him as someone who loses against random goblin horde after showered by many rebirth advantages.

Nevertheless, whether awkward or not is for his contemplation later. If this fight extended for too long, he'll the one who become corpses in this forest.

At least, he knows when he needs to change his fighting tactics — now.

"Time to change my rage into an advantage," he mumbles and then his eyes change.

He tightens his grip and swings his sword again, but this time, he won't aim to one slash one kill — he'll become brutal.

...

Kiaaak! Kiaaak!

Goblins' cry reverberates in this forest, they terrified with ferocious movement from a man in front of them, his attacking style changes immensely, from an efficient and clean strike into a sanguinary one. They can feel his anger rising, he doesn't even care about killing them anymore, but whoever in his strike area will get torturous wounds from his attack — their eyes, limbs, intestine, every onslaught is incapacitating their body, but it won't kill the — at least for a short time.

The remaining goblin becomes fearful and hesitates whether rush towards him, even though the hobgoblin still shouting his command to stay in their offense, but their morale drops after hearing echoes of wail around them. They afraid, terrified, after seeing this gory scenery, they understand this man isn't a joke — he's a true predator.

They already see many brutal massacres from predator after spawning on this world, but those because of predator's hunger which soon stops after it fills his stomach -- those predators never did any torture while hunt, they immediately kill their preys and eat them. Those goblins, of course, afraid with those predators, but this is the first time they see someone who grotesquely tortures his opponents like this — that man doesn't even let any of his attack to kill his opponents.

After seeing this bloody scene, they understand that they can't get out unscathed even if they can kill this monster with human skin — they must pay a very steep price, whether forfeit their life or become a cripple until death. Whichever the outcome, their horde will toss them aside after this battle — left to death — after knowing they're useless for their society.

Instinctively, they understand — this man is bad news. Their visceral reaction is to run as far as possible from this man — even their leader now is less fearsome compared to him.

Contrary from those goblins view which seen him as someone who clouded by his emotions, his mind is still clear. Although his movement seems vicious and without rhythm, he wasn't blinded by his wrath while striking his enemies. Those goblins don't realize in this chaotic battlefield he never even once wounded any goblin mouth or everything related to sound. He wants to make those goblins know the meaning of terror, who can show them that other than a person who was threading those paths itself — him.

Kiaaak!

Those goblins start to realize their hopeless situation, and some of them decide to run, try to escape from this man, but their step soon stops — a sword stab one of them from behind.

KHAAAK!

The hobgoblin becomes furious after noticing there is no goblin attacking anymore and some of them even dare disobey his direct order and try to escape from this battle. He immediately kills that deserter to set an example, to send a message — if they dare to run, they'll get the same punishment.

He looks those goblins in their eyes to see whether they dare to try funny thing again. After seeing all of them, the hobgoblin nods and let out a satisfaction noise. Even though nobody rush towards him, no goblins dare to run either.

After looking at his minion, the hobgoblins move his sight towards the human which still move and strike brutally, without bothering to think about a woman's life in his hand. The hobgoblin realizes a hostage is useless for this person, he tosses her aside towards his minion to use at later days.

There is no need to send other goblins to rush towards the human — they can't even fight properly to reduce his stamina with their fear now, which means they will only serve their heads for him. With those considerations in his thought, the hobgoblin decides to fight with Elias as the front line, the hobgoblin jumps and lands near that human while still glaring him menacingly — thinking about how torture him if he can catch him alive.

…

KHAAAK!

The hobgoblin roars, try to intimidate and agitate his enemy but it's for no avail — Elias doesn't even twitch his eyes.

"It's about time for you to come down," Elias mumbles while looking carefully at the hobgoblin as though he already expect this situation. He silent for a moment to focus his vision to that hobgoblin and then says "Observe."

After he says that word, holographic notifications appear on his retina.

Name: Unnamed Monster

Species: Hobgoblin

Rank: Colorless

Strength: 23.2

Stamina: 26.8

Agility: 19.6

Mana: 17.1

Elias let out a little grin full of confidence after seeing the hobgoblin status which a lot weaker than him. Those amounts maybe will scare him in a few hours ago, but it's not nearly enough to defeat him right now.

Without any words, Elias immediately rushes towards that hobgoblin with his sword aiming towards its head. At this moment, that goblins roar once again, but this time not to agitate him — it is a real fireball chant.

Swoosh!

The hobgoblin let out a smirk and chortles after seeing his fireball hit a target, but soon, it changes into a grimace after hearing voices from inside the fireball smoke.

"You're too underestimating mana affinity of a dungeon master."

Elias already realizes this kind of parlor trick even without using his status as a dungeon master. With his high perception stats and vast experience doing it himself, sensing this type of thing is easy. Before that fireball hit him, he grabs a random goblin and throws it towards that fireball.

After saying those words, he throws goblin's sword towards hobgoblin's head which hurriedly avoided by him. The hobgoblin loses its balance for a few seconds because of Elias surprise attack and agitated by his words. However, losing balance in this sort of fights are fatal which proven by the hobgoblin doesn't even realize Elias already near him before it too late. Elias swings his sword and strikes a clean cut towards the hobgoblin neck.

After decapitating that hobgoblin head, a notification appears on Elias' retina.

*Ding*

[You slay a Hobgoblin(Colorless): +8 points]

[Hobgoblin(Colorless-Medium — 400 points) added to Catalog]

Elias closes it without checking this notification and then start glaring goblins, he can slay these unorganized goblins if he exerts all his stamina and focuses on defense. Even though their amount still the same but they aren't as organized as before. However, those goblins don't attack anymore after seeing the corpse of hobgoblin — they hurriedly escape spreading towards many directions.

After looking at those running goblins, Elias decides not to pursue them and only kill the wounded one which can't move from this place. After all, this is their territory, who knows what kind of trap they're prepared in this place.

After sensing there no living goblins around him anymore, Elias finally moves towards a naked woman who used as a hostage earlier. It seems those goblins left her here after the hobgoblin death. He checks her pulse at her hand.

"Well, I don't know whether you're fortunate or not to still alive in this hellish world," Elias sigh after feeling her pulsatings vein.