Suddenly, Raine felt a cold wind brush against the back of his neck as an overwhelmingly oppressive presence descended from above! His hairs stood on end in an instant. Without a second thought, relying almost entirely on his survival instincts, he dove fiercely forward and to the side.
WHOOSH!
A heavy, foul wind howled past, practically scraping his back. A Giant Warhammer of incomparable weight, carrying enough Power to shatter stone, crashed down exactly where he had just been standing.
CRASH!
Accompanied by a deafening roar and flying wooden splinters, the stair treads and parts of the handrail were instantly reduced to dust under that terrifying strike.
Raine tumbled across the floor somewhat awkwardly for half a rotation, dropping to one knee to steady himself. He looked back, his heart still pounding. A Bear Goblin, even more massive than the previous two, was grinning fiercely as it pulled its Warhammer out of the hole it had just smashed. Its eyes, glowing with a crimson light in the darkness, narrowed slightly. It locked onto Raine, seemingly a bit surprised that he had dodged the lethal blow, but its gaze was overwhelmingly filled with intense killing intent.
He thought, "A third Bear Goblin? Where on earth did these guys come from?!" Cold sweat slid down his forehead, and he almost forgot to breathe.
On the other side, the dying Bear Goblin was still struggling to swing its final War Axe at Kaelin, who was powerless to move. And now, a new formidable enemy had appeared.
He gritted his teeth, thinking, "Damn it, that Bear Goblin was about to be finished off!" Caught between a rock and a hard place, Raine knew that if Kaelin completely lost her combat capability, the situation would undoubtedly take a sharp turn for the worse.
"You disgusting pile of stinking meat, your opponent is right here!" a booming shout suddenly exploded like muffled thunder.
A short yet exceptionally stocky figure charged down the stairs like a cannonball fired from its barrel. His attack was without any flashy moves; holding a rectangular Great Shield nearly as tall as he was, he launched himself forward and slammed fiercely into the side of the third Bear Goblin’s knee joint!
THUD!
A dull sound of physical impact rang out. Caught off guard, the Bear Goblin let out a roar of pain. Its massive body stumbled, nearly dropping to one knee.
"Damn ant, I’ll smash you into a meat patty!" it roared furiously, lowering its head. Its crimson pupils instantly locked onto the "short bug" that dared to ambush it.
Having completed a beautiful sneak attack, the short figure calmly took a half-step back and firmly planted the massive Shield in front of him. It was the Dwarf exile.
"Boy of the Earth People, keep aiming at your target. Leave this stinking mongrel to me!" the Dwarf shouted in a booming voice without looking back. "Sorry for waking up late, HICCUP... I’ll just use this hairy freak to stretch my legs and sober up!"
"Thanks!" Raine replied. He did not hesitate for a second, nor did he have time for pleasantries.
Whipping his head back around, his gaze locked onto the dying Bear Goblin once more like a falcon. At this moment, the creature’s War Axe was already raised above its head.
Eagle Vision, fully activated!
Time seemed to stand still in that instant, and the Bowstring let out a faint groan under the immense tension. In Raine’s eyes, the entire world was reduced to nothing but the fiercely grimacing, dying behemoth.
WHOOSH!
The Arrow left the string, as fast as lightning.
SQUELCH!
The sharp Arrowhead tore through fur with ease, directly piercing the Bear Goblin’s thick neck.
"Urgh..." Its dying roar came to an abrupt halt, turning into a hissing sound like leaking air.
The Bear Goblin’s arm, holding the War Axe high, suddenly stiffened. The War Axe fell to the side with a CLANG, landing just a single step away from Kaelin. Like a mountain that had its foundation hollowed out, the creature crashed backward. With a muffled THUD, it kicked up a cloud of dust on the ground.
[You killed the Demon: Bear Goblin.]
[Bear Goblin recorded.]
[Current Demons recorded: 3.]
[Hunting Chapter next stage reward: 5 Demons recorded.]
The prompts surfaced in his mind, but Raine had no time to read them carefully, nor could he even afford to check on Kaelin’s condition. He spun around rapidly, throwing an anxious glance toward the Dwarf’s battlefield, where the fight was in full swing.
"Haven’t you eaten, you hairy freak? Your hammer is as soft as Goblin snot!" the Dwarf mocked loudly with his gruff voice while nimbly using his Shield to parry the Bear Goblin’s heavy swings.
The heavy Warhammer smashed against the rectangular Great Shield, producing loud CLANG! CLANG! sounds. Yet, the Dwarf’s rock-solid stance effortlessly neutralized the terrifying impact force time and time again.
"Short bug, I will tear your stinking mouth apart!" The Bear Goblin’s attacks grew increasingly ferocious, but it was facing a Defense Master.
The Dwarf’s combat style was completely different from Kaelin’s. He didn’t seek one-hit kills; instead, he acted like a fortress rooted deep into the earth. Utilizing his Shield and the advantage of his low center of gravity, he constantly blocked and parried, preventing his opponent from pulling away, only occasionally swinging his One-Handed Axe in a counterattack. His offensive Power wasn’t as sharp as Kaelin’s Curved Slash, but this steady defensive and restraining ability proved crucial at this moment.
Although the area of their fierce battle was almost entirely shrouded in darkness and fell outside the illumination of the oil lamp, the Dwarf’s movements showed not the slightest hint of sluggishness. Raine knew this was because Dwarves, who lived underground without sunlight year-round, also possessed extremely strong Dark Vision. This darkness, nearly lethal to a human, was like daylight to a Dwarf. But as for Raine himself, he had naturally lost his line of sight once more and was unable to provide effective support.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Two more oil lamps were ignited almost simultaneously. Their dim, yellow light stubbornly spread outward, dispersing more of the Shadow.
It was Lady Basha and Lian. The mother and daughter looked pale, and though their hands holding the Flint were still trembling, they gritted their teeth and lit the surrounding lamps as fast as they could. They knew that light was the most important weapon right now.
The dancing flames finally illuminated the figures of the Dwarf grappling with the strong Bear Goblin. Although it was still somewhat blurry, it was enough to provide Raine with a stable line of sight!
"Hold on!" Raine shouted in a low voice. The cold Arrowheads gleamed sharply in the dim light.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
His fingers moved in rapid succession, the Bowstring vibrating as a volley of Arrows whistled through the air. However, the squelching sound of Arrows piercing flesh did not ring out. Instead, it was replaced by a series of crisp CLINK CLANK noises.
This Bear Goblin was clearly much better equipped than its companions. The heavy Zha Armor it wore, cobbled together from various metal plates, effectively resisted the Arrows’ penetration. Most of the Arrows merely embedded themselves shallowly in the gaps between the plates or were deflected outright. Although they caused pain and distraction, they were far from lethal, and any shots aimed above the neck were entirely blocked.
"This thick-skinned beast," Raine muttered, his brow furrowed, but the motion of drawing his bow never stopped. He knew that if he had sharper Arrows, a stronger Power Attribute, or had mastered some Archery Combat Techniques to increase his damage, the situation would naturally be much better. For now, simply tying the enemy down wasn’t a bad outcome.
"I’ll give it a try," Kaelin said as she walked over, enduring her body’s soreness and tightening her grip on her Longsword once more.
Seeing Raine and Kaelin arrive one after the other, the Dwarf seized the opportunity to push forward with his Shield, never forgetting to taunt, "Hahaha, hairy freak! Your companions are dead as doornails! You’re next! Even your armor won’t save you!"
He was trying to enrage his opponent to force a larger opening. With the three of them working together, the situation seemed to be turning in their favor. But the Bear Goblin remained completely silent. Instead, an almost imperceptible cold sneer curled up at the corners of its mouth, which still had bits of meat clinging to them.
Lady Basha and Lian huddled closely together, still clutching the Flint used to light the oil lamps. Watching the three Adventurers gradually take control of the situation, a trace of color finally returned to their pale faces, and hope ignited in their eyes.
Lian even whispered a prayer, "You can do it, Mr. Raine, Sister Kailin, and Mr. Redbeard..."
Just when everyone thought victory was in their grasp and the battle was all but won—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion suddenly blasted from the direction of the inn’s front door!