(Attendance… plz…)
….
The group moved in the direction Reinhard had pointed out, trying to be as quiet as possible. As they ventured deeper, the forest grew darker, the canopy blocking out nearly all sunlight.
The stench in the air grew thick and heavy, and the smell was getting worse by the minute, a pungent stench of rotting meat, unwashed bodies, and excrement that made Felt wrinkle her nose in disgust.
It didn't take long, maybe five or ten minutes of walking through the dense bushes and trees, before the vegetation started to thin out a little bit.
Peter raised a hand, signaling everyone to stop and crouch down. They hid behind the thick line of bushes and trees, looking out at the clearing ahead.
It was a massive open area where the trees had been brutally cleared away. The ground was churned with dirt and mud, littered with bones and debris. In the center of it was a huge, gaping cave entrance, black and dark like an open mouth.
But what took everyone's attention wasn't the cave, but the numbers outside of it.
"That... is a lot of Goblins," Lukrut whispered, his face losing a bit of color.
The clearing was packed. It wasn't just like a few patrols or a small raiding party. There were Goblins everywhere. Some were sitting around crude fires, some were fighting each other over scraps of food, and some were laughing maniacally at nothing.
The sheer number alone was enough to wipe out a small or even a moderately sized village if they were caught unprepared. The casualties would be big.
"From what I see… their numbers are easily in hundreds or so," Peter said, sweating a little as he scanned the mob. "Maybe more inside the cave."
And it wasn't just Goblins. Towering over the little green monsters were Trolls. Big, hulking masses of muscle and fat, carrying tree trunks or big rocks as weapons. They didn't talk or strategize; they just grunted and shoved the smaller Goblins out of their way with brutal force.
Monsters like these didn't have civilization. They were savages that lived only to eat and kill. Seeing them in such large numbers was intimidating for any normal adventurer.
Ninya gripped her staff tighter, her knuckles white. "Trolls have high regeneration. We need fire or acid to kill them permanently, otherwise, they just get back up after some time."
Peter looked at his party, assessing their readiness, then turned to Reinhard and Momon. He asked, "So, the plan remains the same? You two take the front?"
Reinhard looked at them, sensing their anxiety. He offered a reassuring smile.
"There is no need to worry."
Reinhard stood up from the crouching position like it was nothing. He didn't look scared or nervous at seeing the massive army in front of him. He looked like he was observing a mild inconvenience, like a fallen branch on a road.
"Please stay behind," Reinhard said, his voice as calm as a still lake. "The numbers are quite large, so it is better if we draw their attention here so they don't scatter."
Momon stood up too, his black armor clanking softly. He looked at the horde.
To him, they were low-level trash mobs. Level 5 Goblins or maybe even lower level, and maybe Level 10 Trolls with annoying regeneration. Nothing that could hold his attention or capable of putting even a dent in his armor.
But he wasn't looking at the monsters. He was looking at Reinhard.
For him especially... this was the perfect chance. He needed to see how Reinhard fought. How was his strength against numbers? Would he struggle? Would he get unfocused? What were his martial arts? His magic tier if he would use any?
"I agree," Momon said, his deep voice calm. "We will take the front. You guys cover the back and sides if any try to run past us. Don't come out as it can divide their attention. Nabe, be ready to use magic if necessary, be sure no one gets hurt here."
Nabe nodded her head obediently. "Yes, Momon."
Felt grinned, pulling out her dagger even though she was staying back. Just looking at the number of enemies, she saw them not as monster but as coins and coins only. She turned to Reinhard.
"Reinhard, you know what to do. Right?"
Reinhard smiled and nodded. "I know, Lady Felt."
And just like that, Reinhard walked out of the bushes.
He didn't go undercover or flank from the side. He didn't sneak. He didn't run. He just walked into the open clearing, his white uniform bright against the mud.
The Goblins nearest to him stopped what they were doing as they noticed him. They blinked their yellow, disgusting lustful hungry eyes, confused by the human who had just appeared out of nowhere.
Then, one of them shrieked, a loud, ear-piercing scream that alerted the entire camp. One by one, every head turned to him.
Instantly, hundreds of monsters reacted. Goblins grabbed their rusted swords and daggers; Trolls roared, spit flying from their mouths, happy to see fresh meat walking right onto their dinner plates.
Then, their attention was divided as they saw one more person emerge.
Momon walked out next to Reinhard, reaching over his shoulders and drawing his two massive greatswords. The metal scraped against the sheaths, making a heavy, ringing sound that promised violence.
"Ready, Momon?" Reinhard asked. He hadn't drawn his sword. He simply clenched his fist.
"Always," Momon replied, eyeing Reinhard's empty hands curiously but saying nothing.
The horde charged. It was like a wave of green and brown rushing towards them, a tsunami of violence.
Reinhard took a single step forward. He didn't need a weapon. He just kicked the empty air.
BOOM.
A shockwave, invisible but deadly, blasted from his leg. The air pressure alone acted like a cannonball fired at point-blank range.
The front row of Goblins didn't even know what hit them. They were blasted backward, their bodies shattering instantly upon impact, crashing into the ones behind them and turning the vanguard into a spray of gore in an instant.
Momon saw this out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes narrowed behind the helmet.
'What?!' Momon thought, stunned. 'Was I wrong? That wasn't magic or a skill... that was just pure strength? Just how high is his physical stat to generate that kind of air pressure just by kicking simply?'
A Troll roared and charged at Reinhard through the chaos, swinging a massive tree trunk down to crush him into paste. Reinhard didn't dodge. He simply raised one hand.
Wham.
He caught the tree trunk.
The Troll looked confused, pushing and straining with all its might to crush the human, but Reinhard held the massive log with one hand as if it were a twig.
Reinhard pushed back lightly. He lifted the whole Troll by its weapon and then threw it. The monster flew backward through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into a group of twenty Goblins, crushing them instantly under its bulk.
Momon wasn't just watching, though. He swung his greatsword, cleaving three Goblins in half with a single horizontal swing. He wasn't using his full strength, just enough to look like a strong.
"There are more, Reinhard," Momon called out, playing the part of a partner, though mostly he just wanted to prolong the fight to observe more. Reinhard's build and his strength was simply too abnormal.
Reinhard smiled. "Thanks. Look out for your side too, Momon."
All in all, it wasn't a fight. It was a massacre. Reinhard and Momon were like two natural predators walking through a field of helpless prey.
The Swords of Darkness, watching from the bushes, had their mouths open in shock.
"They... they don't even need us," Lukrut muttered, forgetting to nock an arrow to his bow.
Peter shook his head in disbelief. "Do they even need support to begin with? I knew Reinhard was strong. But Momon too... he is cleaving Trolls and Goblins alike without any struggle!"
Nabe, overhearing them, spoke with a haughty, proud attitude. "That much is nothing for Momon."
Felt, seeing Nabe's arrogance, smirked and pointed to the battlefield. "But Reinhard has killed more than Momon. So he isn't really that much better, huh!"
Nabe and Felt glared at each other, sparks flying between them like rivals from past lives. The Swords of Darkness wisely stayed silent, watching the carnage.
For the two fighters, there wasn't even a hint of struggle. Reinhard was knocking monsters out or killing them with simple punches and kicks, and Momon was harvesting them like wheat.
The Trolls, which Ninya was so worried about regenerating, were a non-issue. Reinhard hit them so hard their bodies were obliterated beyond repair, or Momon chopped them in half vertically, killing them instantly.
The people who were supposed to be supporters had turned into an audience.
'Why isn't he using his sword?' Momon thought, slicing through a Troll and goblins. 'Does he have a special class like Monk that relies on unarmed combat? But then why carry such a high-quality sword? Why doesn't he use it?'
Just then, a bigger Troll, probably the their leader or skmetging, came lumbering out of the cave. It was huge, holding a rusted iron war hammer that dragged on the ground.
It roared and ran straight for Reinhard.
Momon watched. 'Still not using it?' he thought, cleaving two Trolls at once.
Reinhard simply sidestepped the hammer smash, which created a crater in the dirt. He jumped lightly, landing on the hammer handle, and delivered a chop to the Troll's neck with his bare hand.
Crack.
The Troll's head twisted at an unnatural angle. It fell down dead. One hit.
The remaining Goblins and Trolls, seeing their leader dead and their numbers dropping by the second, broke. Panic set in. They shrieked and tried to run back into the cave or scatter into the forest.
"They are retreating!" Peter shouted from behind. "Don't let them regroup!"
"Leave it to me," Reinhard said.
He bent down and picked up a small stone from the ground. Just a pebble.
He threw it.
The stone flew faster than an arrow, disappearing from sight in an instant. It hit a running Goblin in the head, splat, and then, impossibly, bounced at a perfect angle to hit the next one. And the next one. It bounced and bounced around like a pinball of death.
Momon stopped swinging, staring. 'Huh?!'
He couldn't comprehend what he just saw. Just by throwing a simple pebble?
In under a minute, the clearing was quiet. Bodies of Goblins and Trolls lay everywhere.
Reinhard dusted off his hands. His white clothes were still completely clean. Not a drop of blood, not a speck of dust, not even on his hair.
Momon stood there, his black armor spattered with gore, looking at the boy who was smiling like he had just finished a light morning exercise.
"That went well."
….
A/N: Well, I hope it was good. I didn't try to exaggerate a scene with skimming, with the sole exception of Reinhard, of course. So I hope you all like it. For feedback, please vote below this.
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