lcionline Chapter 17 Don't get this wrong.
Chapter 17 Don't get this wrong.
The goblin leader rode on a dire wolf, his murky yellow eyes fixed on the battlefield not far away.
Don Quixote's movements had slowed down, each punch accompanied by obvious panting, his silver armor stained with green blood and dust, and he was even unsteady on his feet.
Milan's staff had dimmed considerably, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat. Clearly, the continuous casting and pursuit had almost exhausted her magic power.
The time has come.
The goblin leader grinned, and the dire wolf beneath him let out an excited howl, eager to hear the screams of its two trapped prey.
The hunt is about to begin.
At the same time, the hunters hidden in the shadows also began to move.
It wouldn't be easy to injure that cunning leader who had been lurking outside the battlefield, so Rhodes had been waiting for an opportunity.
An opportunity where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
"It's our turn."
Rhodes raised one hand horizontally, his five fingers making a grasping motion in the air, and a crystal longbow, entirely green, appeared out of thin air, instantly coalescing into shape in his hand.
Magic Arrow
As the fingertip touched the bowstring, wind elements gathered wildly, eventually transforming into a finger-thick cyan-gold magic arrow, ready to be released.
call--
A fierce wind rushed into the watchtower where he was from all directions, his dark, tousled hair fluttering in the wind, and even the cloak behind him was blown wildly.
Aim at your prey, draw the bowstring taut.
Precision shooting
Just as the arrow was about to leave his hand, the goblin leader, who had somehow circled behind Milan, suddenly trembled.
The biting chill of death relentlessly assaulted its senses, clearer than any fatal attack it had ever experienced, and drawing ever closer…
"Gurgle!"
Almost instinctively, it abandoned the prey that was right in front of it, suddenly clamped its jaws on the wolf, howled, and tried to escape back into the forest.
But how could it possibly dodge an arrow that has just been released from a bow?
call out--
The cyan-gold arrow light tore through the air, instantly slicing through the world before them.
There was no chance to dodge; as the arrow pierced through flesh, with a soft "thud,"
The goblin chieftain's thick shoulder blade instantly turned into a mass of mangled flesh; the enormous impact sent it flying off the dire wolf's back, scattering blood everywhere.
"Gurgle gurgle—!!!"
A piercing scream echoed, stunning all the creatures present.
All of this happened so suddenly that no one had time to react and they were all stunned in place for a moment.
"What is that...? An arrow?"
Milan, finally getting a chance to catch her breath, suddenly looked up. Seeing the goblin leader's miserable appearance and feeling the lingering, intense magic, she perked up and looked up sharply.
Following the trajectory of the magical fluctuations, Milan quickly spotted the man on the watchtower.
Hiro?!
It turns out to be that coward who never joined the fight and who's been hiding somewhere?
Don Quixote stood there stunned, his silver armor now covered in claw marks and bite marks, looking extremely disheveled.
The power of that arrow just now... was even more astonishing than her full-force slash!
The lapis lazuli arrow, the piercing whistle, and the explosive force that pierced the leader's shoulder blade...
"Is this the true strength of the Ranger?!" Don Quixote couldn't help but exclaim excitedly.
The elite dire wolves, who had been fiercely attacking, suddenly stopped in their tracks, their howls abruptly ceased, and they looked in horror at their severely wounded leader.
The ordinary goblins surrounding them were trembling with fear, their wooden clubs clattering to the ground. They shrank back, their eyes filled with panic.
The monsters, who had just been in the lead, lost all momentum after being hit by this arrow.
"Gurgle, quack!"
As for the goblin leader, it no longer had time to pay attention to the current battle situation; its mind was filled with only the thought of escaping.
It scrambled and jumped onto its equally panicked old companion, the dire wolf, and dragged its wounded body, desperately trying to escape the village and disappear into the dense forest for cover.
"It's trying to escape!" Alina exclaimed in the consciousness space. "Let's take this opportunity and go for another shot..."
"It can't escape," Rod said calmly.
He spread his five fingers, and the remaining magic power within the leader's body slowly condensed into a fierce, cyan-gold mark.
The mark resembled an open vertical pupil, surrounded by a sharp crosshair, like a hunter's gaze never leaving its prey, and was ultimately deeply imprinted on the goblin leader's body.
Hunter's Mark
In an instant, Alina felt a pale blue "wind" appear in her vision, always following behind the goblin leader, its movements completely visible.
Just as Alina was stunned, Rhodes' voice rang out again: "The most urgent task is to deal with these enemies in front of us."
Watching the goblin leader's retreating figure, he withdrew his gaze, casually flicking his crystal longbow. The ash wood longbow twirled in his hand, then instantly pointed at the dire wolf near Don Quixote.
call out--
The arrow pierced the air and precisely struck the dire wolf's left eye.
"Awooo—!"
Already gripped by fear from its leader's escape, the dire wolf let out a mournful howl, thrashing about in agony, throwing the goblin elite on its back off.
"A great opportunity! It's our turn!"
Don Quixote's spirits lifted, and he picked up a weapon from the side and charged forward, raising his sword with all his might.
"Roar!"
The goblin elites, caught off guard, were instantly smashed into a bloody pulp by the greatsword, their blood splattering everywhere.
The dire wolf beside him staggered and tried to escape, but because of its injured eye, it could not even maintain its basic balance. Its four legs thrashed wildly, constantly slipping and digging furrows in the grass. Finally, Don Quixote cleaved its head in two with his sword, and the wolf kicked its legs and stopped moving.
"Come on, this isn't over yet!" She looked at the monsters surrounding Milan again. "I will not fall here!"
Even faster than her support and encouragement came another arrow.
Having dealt with one dire wolf, Rhodes' arrow followed closely, piercing the hind leg of a dire wolf near Milan.
"?!"
Milan, who was some distance away, also reacted. She gritted her teeth, gathered her remaining magic power, and hurled her staff at the immobilized dire wolf.
"Explosive Flame!"
In the burning flames, the dire wolf and the goblin on it gradually lost their lives.
Seeing that things were not going well, the last dire wolf turned around and tried to run into the forest.
Rhodes' eyes narrowed, and the arrow flew out with a whoosh, accurately piercing its body.
The dire wolf howled and fell to the ground. Don Quixote caught up in a few steps and killed it with a single sword stroke.
The elite three-headed wolf pack was completely wiped out.
The remaining ordinary goblins were utterly terrified and screamed as they ran around in all directions.
"The enemy's morale has been crushed! Who can stop us now?"
Don Quixote shouted excitedly, brandishing his greatsword and charging forward with a roar.
Seeing this, the villagers who were hiding behind the house also mustered up their courage and rushed out.
Stones, hoes, sickles, pitchforks... whatever was at hand, they used to beat the lone goblin.
Without a commander and without numerical superiority, the goblins were not powerful, and the villagers' methods of killing them were not complicated.
They would throw stones at their heads, break their legs with hoes, or surround them and beat them to death with sticks.
Rhodes stood on the watchtower, occasionally taking the opportunity to finish off any stragglers who tried to ambush or escape.
Each arrow that pierced the sky was accompanied by a goblin's scream and its fall.
Not a single arrow missed its target, and not a single arrow deviated from the mark.
In less than fifteen minutes, the goblins that had attacked the village were wiped out.
"I survived..."
It's unclear who said it first, but the surrounding villagers erupted in deafening cheers.
"This is the first time I've ever killed a monster!"
Some people threw down their farm tools, hugged their loved ones, and cried loudly.
Some people helped each other up, looking at the monster corpses all over the ground, their faces full of relief at surviving the ordeal;
The old village chief was the first to react, directing those who were still able to move to help the injured villagers to the side.
"Hmph, this is our victory!"
Don Quixote leaned on his greatsword, panting heavily, but a victorious smile spread across his face.
Milan slumped to the ground, one hand gripping her staff, the other hand clutching her mage hat, forcing herself to find a clean place to sit down and rest.
Susanna led the children out of the haystack and saw the corpses all over the ground. She couldn't help but cover her mouth, but her eyes were full of relief. She then joined in treating the wounded.
Because of the presence of Don Quixote and Milan, most monsters are attracted to them, and the number of monsters that actually enter the village is not very large.
Not to mention that most of them were secretly dealt with by Rhodes, so the number of injured was kept to a minimum and there were no deaths.
Rhodes jumped down from the watchtower and landed on the ground as lightly as the wind.
He gripped a longbow, his jet-black hair slightly disheveled, and his turquoise cloak billowed freely behind him. His nonchalant demeanor was like that of the legendary elven rangers—handsome, dashing, mysterious, and powerful.
"Ranger! Knight! Lord!"
Don Quixote's voice preceded his arrival, a deafeningly powerful sound.
Upon seeing Rhodes appear, Don Quixote quickly waved and was about to run over with his greatsword to greet him.
"Your unerring and accurate arrows saved us from dire straits! You are truly amazing!"
She took off her helmet, revealing slightly curly brown short hair, and excitedly wiped the sticky sweat and blood from her face.
"Truly a great hero whom we all acknowledge!"
Seeing that she still had the strength to rush up and hug him, Rhodes was stunned for a moment, then waved for her to stop and pointed to the priestess Susanna who was trying to heal her.
"Alright, great hero, could you please treat your injuries first?"
Susanna breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this, pressed down on the seemingly inexhaustible Don Quixote to treat him, and at the same time looked at Rhodes, nodding somewhat awkwardly.
"Lord Hiro."
She looked at Rodden and paused, wanting to express her gratitude for saving her life earlier.
Seeing the villagers and companions around him who needed treatment, he finally opened his mouth, but what he said was just ordinary concern from the perspective of a healer.
"Are you injured? Do you need any treatment?" she asked softly, looking at Rhodes, who was completely unharmed and without even a stain.
Rod shook his head and then floated past her.
call--
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying a fresh and pleasant magical scent, which stood out against the smell of blood and stench, causing Milan, who was resting on the ground, to open her eyes.
"Um?"
The large purple mage hat on her head swayed slightly. She looked up and saw Rhodes squatting on the ground, drawing a dagger and beginning to cut off the left ears of the goblins one by one.
As for the fur of those dire wolves, most of it was damaged by the flames, so even if it was skinned, it would be difficult to sell it for a good price.
Pity.
Just as Rod was sighing, Milan's voice rang out from the side.
"Did you wound the goblin leader?" She seemed to have rested enough by now, and she stood up, holding her staff, and walked over to Rhodes to ask.
Seeing Rod nod, Milan raised an eyebrow and subconsciously asked a question.
"Why didn't you finish it in one go? I could tell you still had the strength to finish it back then..."
She seemed to realize that her tone was a bit harsh, and that she didn't want to ask a question; it sounded more like an interrogation.
"Let those damned monsters go. They'll come back sooner or later once they find the village. There's no need to give up this great opportunity just to support me."
"Some people haven't come back yet," Rod said without looking up.
"Who?" Milan asked, puzzled.
"Those two children."
Upon hearing this answer, not only Milan but also Alina in the consciousness space was stunned, only then realizing that there seemed to be only one child who had escaped back.
"you……"
She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a word.
It turns out that he didn't release the leader to support himself, but rather he had noticed from the beginning that only one child had escaped.
Alina, in her consciousness space, also fell silent, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
While everyone was basking in the joy of victory, only he remembered that two children had not yet returned.
Although they spoke softly, they made no attempt to conceal their conversation. Susanna, the old village chief, and others who had been secretly observing Rhodes all around naturally heard his answer.
The villagers, who were still basking in the joy of escaping death, were suddenly speechless.
"Lord Hiro, no, my benefactor..."
The old village chief's cane fell to the ground with a clatter.
"Those two children... they probably won't be coming back."
He staggered forward two steps, his withered fingers gripping Rod's arm tightly, and murky tears welled up instantly.
"I'm already content if even one of them comes back... Don't look for them anymore, you won't find them..."
"Let alone alive, I'm afraid even the corpses are..." a woman couldn't help but sob, and finally cried out in sorrow.
"Yes, Lord Hiro, goblins never leave any survivors, not to mention we can't even find their lair..." a middle-aged villager sighed. "Let's just forget about it."
"It's alright, I have the hunter's mark, I can sneak up to their nest and take a look."
As he spoke, he clapped his hands, strung together the goblin left ears that were covered in sand and gravel, and wrapped them in a burlap sack filled with wood ash for safekeeping.
"You've already saved the lives of our entire village; we can't let you take this risk again!"
The old village chief nodded vigorously, wiping away his tears: "They're right, Lord Hiro, you didn't need to go and rescue them; it was too dangerous."
"Um."
Rhodes nodded, which surprised everyone. They were both astonished that he was easy to talk to and somewhat disappointed that he had been persuaded so easily.
Just when some were happy and some were disappointed, he suddenly said with a serious expression.
"I wasn't there to rescue anyone; I was specifically there to hunt down the goblin leader."
"You've got it wrong."