บท 45: Hobgoblins (6)
"Indeed. The time has finally come. The Hobgoblins who have moved to this region will start scouting the surroundings. Sooner or later, they'll discover our home's location.
And then, the war would begin.
I had prepared for this.
That was why I created the phalanx, wasn't it?
We could win if four shield-bearers and four spear-bearers stood side by side in the dungeon passage and formed a formation. The phalanx was a very defensive tactic. We could not lose in a defensive battle.
Gulp.
Still, I couldn't shake off my anxiety. Having to go to war with those creatures… There would inevitably be casualties. It was bound to happen if they destroyed the shields of our shield-bearers with their stone axes, trampled them, and charged.
I had a bad feeling about this.
However, such things must not happen.
"Grarak."
"Grak."
Their arms were thicker than I thought. I would obviously win in arm wrestling, but no matter how you looked at it, they were not prey at the same level as a normal goblin.
"…"
What to do?
It was Sharan and me.
We were up against two scout Hobgoblins.
Our side was much stronger. The physical strength of a Hobgoblin was greater than that of a regular goblin, but what was frightening was their army.
Should I ambush them now to reduce their numbers? This was an opportunity to cut down their strength by two. The Hobgoblin village had a population of about thirty. Killing just two meant reducing their force by close to 10%.
Thump.
My heart raced.
I should kill them to reduce their strength. What was the risk? Their invasion might happen sooner. If their scouts didn't return, they'd definitely investigate.
Whatever the case,
I had to make a choice.
Do I kill these scouts and start the war a bit earlier with reduced enemy strength, or do I hope they were just exploring and would return, buying us more time to gather strength?
A difficult choice.
"Grak."
"Grararak."
Whoosh.
Then, the Hobgoblins turned in our direction.
Sneak.
I immediately retreated to our original position. Sharan and I hid behind a tree, observing the Hobgoblins.
"Grakrak."
"Grak."
The Hobgoblins, who were surveying the surroundings, pointed in a direction. Did they find something? No. The atmosphere was too calm. It looked like they were casually suggesting checking out that place.
And,
That direction was where our dungeon was.
Step by step.
The Hobgoblins casually started walking. Towards the direction they pointed to towards our dungeon.
"…"
I made my decision.
If they came towards our home, we'd kill them. My subordinates and I would kill them. This was actually good. It was an opportunity to give information about the Hobgoblins to my subordinates.
Come.
While thinking that, I watched the Hobgoblins.
Whoosh.
Sharan, too, rested her chin on my shoulder and watched the Hobgoblins. Conveniently, leaves sprouted from the vine wrapped around Sharan, making her look like she was wearing a natural ghillie suit.
She was a true ambush expert, an expert.
If she had been born on Earth, she could have simply become a professional sniper.
In the end, the Hobgoblins, after a very long journey, arrived near our home. Did they notice our traces? Was that why they walked all the way here?
While tailing them, I was overwhelmed with the impulse to play "Arirang" on them, but I held back. I wanted to fight alongside my subordinates rather than face them with just Sharan and myself.
You should always use it if you could land a blow with numbers. That was my principle. Being strong alone? It was useless. We're not wild beasts. To win, we must use numbers.
"Grak."
"Gra-rak."
They walked leisurely, not even in their wildest dreams, thinking they were being followed. Although they kept their guards up, they seemed relaxed for now.
However.
When they found the entrance to our home's dungeon,
"Gr, Grak…?!"
"Grak-rak!"
The atmosphere changed dramatically. Their expressions shifted suddenly, looking visibly panicked and preparing to flee at a moment's notice.
I didn't miss this opportunity. At the same time, as poking Sharani's side with my finger…
—Paaht!
I jumped out loudly towards them and shouted.
"Demon King Kyuse! Enter! Kaaaak!"
At the same time!
"Shaaa!"
Sharan also moved beside me, striking a menacing pose!
"Gr, Grak?!"
"Gra-rak?!"
Seeing our sudden appearance, the Hobgoblins looked horrified and began backpedaling towards the dungeon. Good! Our efforts to herd them this far paid off!
"Buril! Bring the kids out! Get ready for battle!!!"
The moment I shouted this,
"Keraaaaak!"
"Kereeeek!"
A scream came from inside the dungeon. Soon, my Goblin Phalanx squad rushed out, clutching their respective weapons!
"Grak?!"
The Hobgoblin looked back and forth between me and the goblins. They must be totally confused! The Demon King was in the front! And the Demon Army behind them! They were surrounded in an instant!
"Ke, Kerak?!"
"Keruk!"
The charging goblins hastily formed some kind of formation. It was sloppy but perfect. In pairs, they adopted a shield at the front and a spear at the back, attempting to encircle the Hobgoblins!
However,
"Ke, Keruk…!"
"Karung!"
For a moment, the goblin troops shivered, showing their fear. Naturally, in their natural state, they were predator and prey. Seeing the Hobgoblins, they instinctively became scared.
It was all within expectations.
"Kids! Don't be scared! Am I not here with you?"
Exactly.
"Devil's Breath!!"
—Whooosh!
I spewed flames towards those Hobgoblin bastards.
"Grakak?!"
The flames shot out, merely grazing the open air. Of course, they fell short and couldn't touch anything, serving merely as a visual threat. Nevertheless, this Demon's Breath only further instilled fear into the Hobgoblins.
"Keurek!"
"Keureureureuk!"
Inspired by my powerful display, my underlings regained their morale.
"Charge!"
At my command,
"Keurek! Keurek!"
"Keurek! Keurek!"
"Keurek! Keurek!"
Buril's goblins slowly advanced, pushing their spears toward the Hobgoblins.
"Graaaak! Graaak!"
"Grararak!"
The Hobgoblins…
-Boong!
-Boong!
Blindly swung their stone axes in a panic. Facing me, who was a monstrous creature that spits fire, along with the Dryad, and behind them, a squad of eight goblins, they were unable to make a clear judgment. Pure panic.
"Grak!"
We steadily closed in on them!
-Pfook!
-Perheok!
Until wooden spears found their mark on the Hobgoblins' backs!
"Grak…!"
"Keureureureuk!"
-Pfook!
-Pfook!
-Pfook!
It wasn't over in a single hit. The goblins were frenziedly stabbing with their spears, and the Hobgoblins fell without a fight… Victory!
"Oh, oooh! Ooooooooooh!!!"
"We did it!"
The thrill of victory, a soaring ecstasy!
-Pachitchit!
Those emotions surged through me! We won! An effortless victory!
Simply by surrounding them, we managed to easily defeat the two Hobgoblins with mere tactics! A brilliant victory was earned by our strategy!
"Our victory! Hurrayyyyyy!"
"Keureureureuk!"
"Keureureureureuk!"
"Shaaaaa!"
Upon declaring victory, all the goblins cheered in unison.
"Well done! You did amazingly!"
I praised my little heroes.
"Keureung!"
Buril hopped joyfully, and the other goblins flipped over, rubbing their backs on the ground in delight.
"Kueuk…!"
Tears welled up in my eyes.
The gains from this battle were truly significant.
Firstly, morale and a victory experience. The goblins had defeated a stronger foe, which would boost their confidence. Additionally, they gained combat experience, learning firsthand how to fight. Lastly, they obtained information about the enemy, the Hobgoblins.
"We can win."
Even if a Hobgoblin army were to invade, I felt confident that we could triumph.
"Now, guys! Let's eat these creatures and absorb their power!"
"Keureueuk!"
As I spouted a fitting remark, the goblins started preparing the meal. I immediately approached the Hobgoblin corpses to gather anything useful.
"Let's see… Stone axe, handle, oh? Right, this leather armor."
Leather armor.
Come to think of it, they were wearing clothes.
ㅡGulp.
I unconsciously swallowed my saliva. I was drawn to stripping the hobgoblins of their leather armor. This… was a trophy, wasn't it? I acquired clothing as loot?
"Unbelievable!"
Not just meat, but they also dropped equipment!
These creatures were incredible!
Wait a minute. If we killed all the hobgoblins, the clothes they wore and the equipment they carried would all be ours, right? That meant we could dress our goblins in these uniforms!
"We have one more reason to win now."
Then,
"Shaah. Shaahshaah."
Sharan approached with a smile and groomed my face. Yes. She also knew the value of victory.
"Hey. Sharan, I love you too."
I hugged Sharan's waist tightly.
Now,
After eating, we should have some intensive training. The clash was inevitable now. They would attack soon. We didn't have much time. We needed to train even harder.
Given today's battle, the goblins must have gained some insight into how to handle spears. Essentially, they had experienced real combat, and their proficiency had dramatically increased.
The goblin's spear technique level probably increased by two levels.
This meant they could train even better.
"Alright! Let's eat!"
"Keurek!"
"Shaah!"
Blood.
I felt like my blood was boiling. Was it because of the victory? Or was it because I was a demon? Either way, I could clearly see victory and growth before my eyes.
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