His return seemed to cause a disturbance in the village. This was the first time he returned earlier, so the guard thought he brought bad news with him. More and more goblins gathered at the entrance, and he could even see Darla at the back of the goblins, looking worried.
The goblins looked nervous, their eyes locked on the equipment all over his body. One of the guards seemed to call the Matron as three of them ran toward him.
"What's the fuss?" Red blurted toward the guard closest to him.
"What happens?" Matron came over to take the issue, relieving the guard to the side. The three Matrons were quite tense, but they were confused as well as Red.
"I don't know," He shrugged, looking toward the guard who followed the three matrons closely.
The three Matrons snapped, turning toward the guard who called them. The glares were enough to scare the guard as he stammered with his response, "W-we t-thought t-the ko-kobolds come to attack us…"
He explained why he thought, related to Red's earlier arrival than usual, and the weapons and armor he brought over. The guard goblin admitted being panicked and called the Matron over.
"I killed a group of seven kobolds, and their weapons are in good condition. It will be a waste to throw them away, so I bring them back for us. I will go back after having a meal."
The armor was clanking with the sword and shield, two quivers filled with arrows, and two bows. From a single, it looked indeed like a high-quality weapon.
"You killed seven!?" One of the Matrons seemed to focus on something different, not interested in the tools.
The three Matrons were about to snap at the guard who summoned them for nothing, looking at Red, confirming the kill changed their mood. The three Matrons left the crowd with a sonorous laughter, happy as they ushered the crowd to continue their work.
Red shrugged and dumped most of the equipment on the guards, "Get them to the storage!" But he kept the Great Longbow and a quiver of arrows. He decided that the bow might be a great replacement for his spears.
It was more convenient to take the arrow than five spears. While the bow had less destructive force, it provided him with accuracy and a shooting range. Of course, he needed to train with the bows for a few days before he could actually use them for hunting. He was not going to hunt the kobold with an unfamiliar weapon.
That was a little episode upon his return, but the little episode made him realize that the village was in fear. They hadn't recovered from the Dire Wolf's raid. This kobold's invasion raised tension in the village. They were afraid of another battle.
Red went to his house to store his bow before heading to the main kitchen. Darla had prepared something for him, a steaming big bowl of gruel and grilled rabbon's leg on the counter. She pointed at the counter as he entered the kitchen.
The guards, hunters, and workers welcomed him. They were happy with his presence, having him cull the number of kobolds instead of sending them out. They were happy because he did the most dangerous work for them.
Red dawned the gruel, licking his lips in delight. He never tired of the food, even though it was almost the same every day. He thought of asking for a second, but he didn't want his belly too full before going out again. But he asked for a second leg as he headed out.
In his second run, he discovered the second group quicker than the first group. A group of six kobolds comprised two level 10 kobolds, two level 9 kobolds, and two level 8 kobolds.
The two level 8 kobolds had minimal armor, and they had a metal club with a spike on it as their weapons. One of the level 9 kobolds was an archer, and the second was holding a spear. The two level 10 kobolds had a round shield and a curved blade.
The two level 10 kobolds were wearing a silver helmet, full-torso armor, and silver-plated armor down to their thigh, slightly above the knee. They would be tough to fight head-on. He needed a clean strike on the back of their neck.
Just like the previous hunt, he trailed the group carefully, from tree to tree, without making a noise. As he followed, he started to make a plan. It was not really a grand plan, as he planned to take down the highest level kobolds first and leave the two level 8 kobolds for last.
He followed, hoping to catch them off when they were taking a rest. But the group didn't take a rest, and he had been following them long enough. He hoped to kill this group and found another group before calling it a day off. If he kept following them until they took a break, he might not have time for another hunt.
His red eyes kept scanning the surroundings while following them, finding the right location for his ambush. It took him a while until he was convinced that he had found a good spot for an ambush.
The location ahead of him, where four giant trees were standing too close, closer than they should be. The branches were protruding past the other trees, and the giant roots clashed with each other on the ground, standing taller than they should be. The root could reach up to his neck.
This was the spot, the ideal ambush spot. The trees were close to each other, helping to get out of the kobold's sight after the ambush. The same with the giant root. He could use them as a natural shield, especially from the archer. This spot was not so good for the spear user. The root made the area cramped, making it harder for the spear.
Red made up his mind and sped up ahead of the ground. It seemed the group noticed the spot was not ideal, as they changed direction. That was when Red launched his ambush.
He jumped off the tree with the spear in his hand, landing on top of the tall root with a thud. Right below him were the two level 10 kobolds who stayed at the back of the group.
Before the kobolds could turn toward him, his spear already moved, diving down to one of the level 10 kobolds' necks. His victim gurgled as the five kobolds looked up at him.
The second level 10 kobold was the quickest to react, drawing its sword out. However, Red jumped off at the other side of the root, still holding his spear. He then pulled the spear down with all his strength, pulling the level 10 kobold up into the air.
The kobold's blood streamed onto the spear, but he held strong as the kobold was struggling in the air. The harder the struggle, the quicker it was killed. As the struggle weakened, Red released the grasp on his spear and made a run, running around to the closest tree.
By the time the second level 10 kobold climbed up the root. It only caught Red's silhouette disappearing into the tree.
The hunt began.