"Little bug, let’s see where else you can run."
The pitch-black first-floor lobby of the inn echoed with the Bear Goblin’s mocking voice.
Like a moving mountain of flesh, it unhurriedly chased the staggering figure ahead of it, relishing the thrill of its prey struggling in despair.
Lady Basha was already in a wretched state. Her highly cherished Hand Half-Sword had been knocked away into some unknown corner. Her greying hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat, and her rapid breathing sounded like a working bellows.
Relying on her familiar memory of the lobby’s layout, she struggled to weave through the shattered remains of tables and chairs, narrowly dodging heavy slashes that could split boulders each time.
Behind her, the monster’s thick arms swung a terrifying Giant Axe, continuously hacking at the furniture. The exploding, flying wood splinters acted like a dense barrage of blades, successively tearing through her thin clothes and skin, leaving trails of bloody scratches.
It was in no rush to kill her immediately. Much like toying with an ant trapped in a corner, it used fear and injuries to constantly drain her Physical stamina and spirit.
"Heh heh, little bug, it’s time to end this! I’m tired of playing!"
The Bear Goblin quickly lost its patience, the mockery in its dark yellow eyes instantly replaced by brutal ferocity.
No longer satisfied with the chase, its massive body suddenly surged forward with a burst of speed. The Giant Axe, stained with unknown filth, kicked up a nauseating foul wind as it swung down right at the head of the cornered Lady Basha.
WHOOSH!
A sharp sound of piercing air came from the direction of the stairs. An Iron-Tipped Arrow reflected a trace of cold light under the faint moonlight, aiming straight for the Bear Goblin’s huge and hideous head.
The Bear Goblin displayed an Agility and combat instinct that completely belied its massive size.
Almost the instant the Bowstring twanged, its beast-like intuition blared an alarm. It forcefully halted its downward chop, pivoting its enormous body at astonishing speed, and its thick arms drove the Giant Axe in a rapid sweeping counter-slash.
CLANG!
Sparks flew in the darkness.
The lethal Arrow was precisely deflected by the thick axe blade, embedding itself crookedly into the nearby wall.
Standing at the top of the stairs, Raine expressionlessly drew another Arrow from his Quiver, showing no signs of surprise.
If a Bear Goblin could be shot and killed from a distance so easily, it wouldn’t deserve to be called the Nightmare that struck terror into the hearts of Bottom-level Adventurers.
"Another bug looking for death! I will rip out your bones one by one to grind my teeth!"
The Bear Goblin burned with anger; having its "fun" interrupted sent it into a thundering rage. It abandoned the pale-faced Lady Basha, its pupils, glowing faintly in the darkness, snapping toward Raine at the staircase.
Just as the muscles of its massive body tensed and its thick, gigantic legs pushed off the ground in preparation to charge, Kaelin silently dashed out from behind a load-bearing pillar.
Taking advantage of the moment her opponent’s attention was drawn by Raine, the Longsword in her hand turned into a streak of silver lightning, thrusting straight toward its ribs!
"Cheap trick!"
Sensing the cold wind attacking from its flank, the Bear Goblin decisively aborted its charge, its thick arms rapidly swinging the Giant Axe back around.
CLANG!
A heavy metallic crash rang out.
Kaelin felt an irresistible, massive force transmit through the blade of her sword, causing her entire body to stumble backward several steps.
Raine wanted to draw his Longbow and shoot again, but the opponent was smart. While blocking Kaelin’s attack, its huge body continuously made small movements, almost completely hiding itself in the darkness of the lobby and causing Raine to completely lose sight of it.
The lighting on the first floor was even dimmer than the second floor, with only a few wisps of pale moonlight seeping in through the dilapidated ventilation windows.
In this extreme environment, even when Raine fully activated his Eagle Vision, his sight was severely limited; he could only catch blurred shadows and the sparks of clashing metal. This couldn’t help but remind him of the Short Sword with the unstable, permanent Light Technique from the Blacksmith’s Shop. Unfortunately, he currently lacked any tools capable of providing illumination.
Kaelin was also greatly restricted. Although her movements were still swift, they clearly lacked her usual precision and decisiveness.
In contrast, the darkness had practically become the Bear Goblin’s natural home turf. Its movements showed no hesitation, and its attacks grew increasingly ferocious and violent. Its slightly glowing pupils in the dark clearly reflected every one of Kaelin’s actions.
The Sloppy Ranger had once mentioned that this kind of monster inherently possessed powerful Dark Vision, and its sense of smell was as keen as a hound’s. With the odds shifting in its favor, the dark environment further magnified the gap in strength between them and their enemy.
He had to change this situation immediately!
Raine’s figure moved swiftly, quickly arriving beside the shell-shocked Lady Basha.
"It’s alright, madam. Lian is also safe."
He steadily helped the nearly exhausted woman to her feet and quickly moved toward the stairs, where Lian was hiding.
Upon drawing near, Lian pulled her mother into a tight embrace, her frail body trembling uncontrollably from fear and lingering dread. Lady Basha tightly hugged her daughter back. Ignoring the wounds on her body, she forced herself to look at Raine, thanking him profusely, "Thank you, thank you. Be careful of that monster..."
"Don’t worry. We need light right now, as fast as possible!"
Raine nodded heavily, then turned around without hesitation, refocusing all his attention on the dark battlefield. Lady Basha was extremely decisive as well; she immediately grabbed Lian and rushed toward the nearest oil lamp.
CLANG!
Fierce sounds of metallic collisions echoed from the darkness once again.
Following that was Kaelin’s heavy panting and the Bear Goblin’s unbridled, maniacal laughter. She had clearly been forced back yet again by her opponent’s unstoppable attacks.
Raine raised his Longbow once more and slowly shifted his footsteps, his pupils struggling to adjust their focus in the pitch black as he tried to catch sight of his opponent’s massive body hidden in the dark. At this distance of a little over twenty meters, as long as he had the slightest bit of visibility, he was confident he could inflict heavy damage on the enemy!
On the other side, Lady Basha scrambled practically on all fours toward an oil lamp hanging on the nearest wall. Her trembling fingers struck the Flint several times, until finally, on her fifth attempt—
FWOOSH!
A dim yellow flame suddenly flared up, dispelling a small patch of thick darkness around it and perfectly illuminating the Bear Goblin’s hideous, bestial face.
Almost at the exact moment the firelight leaped up, Raine’s pitch-black pupils constricted under the state of Eagle Vision as he seized the fleeting opportunity!
The Bear Goblin was grinning malevolently as it wildly swung its War Axe, attempting to tear the increasingly battered Kaelin to shreds.
The Bowstring twanged; the Arrow left the string!
This shot condensed all of Raine’s spirit and Power. Like a silver meteor tearing through the night sky, it viciously pierced deep into the opponent’s brazen pupil!
"AARGH—!!!"
Caught completely off guard, the Bear Goblin let out an agonizing, heart-wrenching howl. Its massive body suddenly jerked backward as it instinctively clawed at its own face. Viscous blood and murky fluids continuously gushed out from around the Arrow.
"Curved Slash!"
How could Kaelin miss such a perfect opportunity? Gritting her teeth, a silvery-white brilliance rippled across her blade as she slashed viciously into her opponent’s massive frame.
SQUELCH!
The sharp blade effortlessly sliced through the opponent’s black robes and the Scale Armor beneath. A massive gash stretching from its shoulder blade to its abdomen instantly appeared across the Bear Goblin’s robust chest, spraying foul-smelling, boiling hot beast blood in all directions.
"ROAR! Hng... Hng..."
After suffering this heavy blow, the Bear Goblin’s massive body swayed violently, but its tenacious Life Force stubbornly kept it from falling.
"Die... Die, together!"
It locked its single remaining eye fixedly onto Kaelin. Completely disregarding the still-bleeding wound on its chest, it tremblingly lifted the Giant Axe, intending to hack down onto the panting Kaelin’s head.
The stiffness following the execution of her Combat Technique left Kaelin only barely able to raise her sword in a blocking stance. Anyone could see that in her current state, it would be absolutely impossible for her to withstand the opponent’s dying counterattack.
Raine was well aware of Kaelin’s weakness after executing her Combat Technique, and his fingers were already nocked on the fletching of another Arrow. Just as he focused his entire attention on aiming at the dying behemoth—
At some unknown moment, a third, even more massive dark shadow exuding a suffocating murderous aura had silently appeared behind Raine, slowly raising the Two-Handed Warhammer in its hands.