At the very moment the burly figure’s sharp claws were about to touch the tips of Lian’s hair, a feathered Arrow tore through the air, nailing precisely into its bulging, muscular back. THWACK! The muffled thud of the Arrow biting into flesh caused the giant shadow’s forward lunge to stiffen.
At the end of the corridor, a tall and straight figure stood, having appeared without warning. Raine held his Longbow, the Bowstring still quivering slightly. His pitch-black eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s in the dim light. His face showed no emotion, reflecting only absolute, focused calm.
When he heard Lady Basha’s unusual scream, he had instantly awakened from his sleep and grabbed the Longbow beside his pillow as fast as he could. Before the pained giant shadow could turn around, Raine’s fingers had already brushed across his Quiver again. Nocking the Arrow, drawing the bow, aiming, and releasing—his movements were seamless and fluid. THWIP! A second Arrow followed almost directly behind the fletching of the first, viciously piercing into the giant shadow’s broad back muscles once more, its shaft vibrating slightly from the impact.
"Damn bug, you’re asking for death!"
The successive waves of pain thoroughly ignited the opponent’s fury. It abandoned the weak prey right within its reach and abruptly spun around. A pair of dark yellow eyes, brimming with killing intent, instantly locked onto Raine at the end of the corridor. Its massive thighs suddenly flexed with Power, and it lunged straight toward Raine! With every heavy step, the wooden floorboards let out agonizing CREAK CREAK groans, the creature’s sheer momentum terrifying to behold.
In the split second the giant beast turned and pounced, Raine got a clear look at its face by the moonlight filtering through the corridor window. It was a massive, beastly face with a protruding snout. Combined with its broken Common and its mountain-like frame towering well over two meters tall, a name that a Sloppy Ranger had once described with a solemn tone instantly exploded in Raine’s mind.
A Bear Goblin!
Although this type of Demon was a distant relative of the Goblin, it was entirely different from its short, dull-witted kin. They were natural-born tyrants and walking Nightmares, each possessing the cunning and sheer presence needed to Command an entire Goblin tribe. Their powerfully muscled bodies harbored the terrifying Power to tear apart chainmail barehanded and snap bones with ease. And the crude Common they spat from mouths full of Sharp Teeth wasn’t meant for communication; it was only to make their prey clearly feel a bone-deep despair before the slaughter arrived.
Several years ago, Lotte City had experienced such a tragedy firsthand. A prominent circus owner, out of either greed or arrogance, had spent a fortune to purchase a Bear Goblin, vainly hoping to tame it like a brown bear or a regular Goblin and turn it into a cash cow. On the very night of the purchase, however, a Nightmare quietly unfolded. The creature snapped its heavy chains, its massive figure slipping like a ghost into every tent across the circus camp.
The next day, when terrified citizens brought over the Guards and pushed aside the tent flaps, the overwhelming stench of blood nearly made them faint. Everywhere they looked was a bloodbath. From the owner and his mistress to the thirty-odd members of the troupe, not a single intact corpse remained. Severed limbs and internal organs were scattered recklessly. Inside the tents that once echoed with laughter, there was nothing left but dead silence and thick, sticky pools of blood. Even the canvas was so soaked its original color was indistinguishable; sprawling, dark reddish-brown bloodstains silently testified to the brutality of the massacre. The slaughter only ended when the Chief Knight under the Lord personally led a squad to hunt down the terrifying beast and slay it on the spot.
For veteran Adventurers who had not yet stepped into the halls of Professionals, facing a Bear Goblin even in a group meant extremely high risks. A single misjudgment was enough to cost them their lives. And for a Newbie Adventurer, the mere appearance of a Bear Goblin was a fatal Nightmare in itself. When such a behemoth, radiating the stench of blood and filth, charged at you while brandishing a Warhammer and roaring in a language you understood that it would "chew your bones to dust," the overwhelming pressure it brought was incomparable to any mindless beast.
And right now, this was exactly the situation Raine was facing. He felt as though the blood in his entire body had frozen, a bone-deep chill shooting straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. But he had no way to retreat. He never expected that this particular adventure would begin right at the door of his own room.
He wondered, "How could this kind of Demon appear in a heavily guarded town? Could this guy be the one behind the string of drunkard disappearances over the past few days?"
Raine forcibly suppressed his inner fear, his hands never stopping. Facing the rapidly approaching giant beast, he nimbly stepped back. At the same time, the Bowstring sang again, firing two more Arrows in quick succession. However, the Bear Goblin was clearly rich in combat experience. It roared and swung its terrifying Warhammer, precisely deflecting the Arrow aimed at its face. Although the second Arrow successfully struck its shoulder, the Arrowhead seemed to be blocked by something. The strike only made the creature more frantic, failing to effectively halt its charge.
Mid-charge, the creature violently tore off its obstructive black robes, revealing a piece of Scale Armor that had been stretched entirely out of shape. It had clearly been stripped from the body of some unlucky Adventurer. Raine’s pupils shrank as he instantly understood why his Arrows hadn’t stopped it. The Scale Armor negated a portion of the Arrowhead’s Penetration Power, which, combined with the Bear Goblin’s naturally thick, tough hide, significantly diminished the impact of his attacks.
Seeing that the massive Shadow was practically on top of him, Raine decisively drew his new Short Sword with a sharp SHING. The icy blade traced a cold glint in the darkness as he prepared to face the beast in close-quarters combat. His past adventuring experiences had already forged a touch of ruthlessness in his eyes.
"Bug, smash to pieces!"
Just as the Bear Goblin raised its Warhammer high, a mere six or seven paces from Raine, a slender figure dashed out like a pouncing cheetah. It was none other than Kaelin. Her wine-red ponytail trailed in a straight line from her sheer speed. The Longsword in her hands, radiating an indomitable sharpness, thrust precisely toward the creature’s vulnerable armpit, which had been exposed by its raised arms!
SNICK!
The tip of the sword successfully pierced through the Scale Armor, drawing a spray of blood.
"RAARGH!"
Caught off guard by the pain, the Bear Goblin’s swing was knocked off its trajectory. The Warhammer smashed heavily onto the floor just in front of Raine, instantly bashing a terrifying hole through the wooden boards. The wound was far from fatal, however, and the beast turned toward Kaelin, charging at her with a thunderous roar.
Seeing Kaelin join the fray, Raine breathed a slight sigh of relief. He hadn’t seen her all day since they parted ways that morning; her sudden appearance brought him a great deal of comfort. With this in mind, Raine was already drawing his bow and nocking an Arrow, searching for another opportunity to strike.
Just then, Lian’s tearful voice rang out, "Mr. Raine, Sister Kaelin, there’s another monster downstairs! I beg you, save my mother! She’s downstairs! She can’t hold on much longer!"
He thought, "There’s actually another one?"
Raine’s brows instantly furrowed tightly. At this moment, Kaelin was fiercely locked in combat with the Bear Goblin. The monster’s terrifying Power made it impossible for her to fight head-on, forcing her to rely on her Agility to maneuver. She was clearly at a disadvantage and desperately needed his support. Meanwhile, downstairs, Lady Basha was facing another Bear Goblin alone, and her situation was bound to be even more critical. If that second Bear Goblin rushed upstairs, it would undoubtedly be a disaster.
His gaze quickly swept across the entire corridor. Muffled footsteps clearly emanated from behind several doors; evidently, other Adventurers had been awakened, but they were only quietly watching from behind their doors, none daring to rush out.
He couldn’t wait any longer!
Raine took a deep breath, trying his best to calm himself down. Soon, a voice loud enough to penetrate the wooden doors reached the ears of everyone hesitating:
"Everyone, the Demons are already blocking the doors! Are you just going to wait for them to pry open your rooms one by one? Will you be the prey? Or the hunters?"
The last few words were forceful and resounding.
After a brief silence, a door was forcefully shoved open with a BANG.
The first to rush out was the burly man whose arm had once been dislocated by Kaelin. His face still bore the pallor of a hangover, but his eyes held a reckless ferocity.
"The kid is right, we absolutely cannot be prey!" He brandished a Kara Scimitar and roared hoarsely, "Boys, Lady Basha has never mistreated us! Now it’s our turn to protect the inn! If you’re men, follow me!"
Immediately after, the Adventurer whose front teeth had been knocked out by Kaelin, along with a dozen or so other roused guests, rushed out of their rooms with weapons in hand. When they clearly saw that their opponent was actually a Bear Goblin, despite the sheer tension written all over their faces, they still swarmed forward, wildly attacking the creature with all kinds of weapons. Though the vast majority of their attacks had no effect, their sheer numbers prevailed, leaving the already injured Bear Goblin completely overwhelmed and scrambling.
Seeing that the battle on the second floor had stabilized, Raine and Kaelin quickly exchanged a glance. Like flying Arrows, the two of them bolted straight for the staircase and sprinted toward the first floor.