WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Alyo

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◈ Surviving as a Warrior in a TRPG World ◈

Chapter 45: Border Forest (2)

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'If it hadn't been for Grimdal's equipment, I might've been hurt.'

Fortunately, stones thrown with such pathetic physical stats couldn't pierce Gerik's high-quality armor or deal any damage, putting him at ease.

Minos, however, wore relatively weaker armor. When several stones grazed vital areas, Minos must have felt threatened, because he cast an armor spell to bolster his defenses.

"Prepare for close combat!!"

As a dozen or so Goblins pressed right up to them, Ilvern raised his shield and shouted, signaling the start of the battle.

Drawing on his experience with the heavily armored Warrior Bruno, Gerik waited for the clash. Then something happened that differed from anything he had experienced before.

Boom!!

Ilvern's shield struck the ground, unleashing a violent Shockwave.

The Goblins nearest him, their weapons raised as they prepared to attack the party, couldn't withstand the sudden, powerful tremor surging through the ground and flopped onto the floor.

'That scared me...!!'

Gerik flinched at the Shockwave skill. It was his first time experiencing it.

Fortunately, Shockwave only affected the area in front of its caster. It posed no danger at all to the allies positioned behind him.

Quickly regaining his composure, Gerik joined his companions in slaughtering the fallen Goblins.

Swoosh!! Thud...!!

Gerik, Ilvern, and Katrin's combined attacks began a one-sided massacre. The fallen Goblins' heads burst or were severed.

Ordinary Goblins should have fled in terror at such an overwhelming sight, no matter how many of them there were.

Yet the Goblins under the Hobgoblins' command continued fighting to the death like moths drawn to a flame, shrieking madly even as their comrades were slaughtered.

"Kieek!! Kiyaah!!"

The Hobgoblins watched without a trace of emotion before sending another group of Goblins charging in.

Their expressions seemed to say, Yeah, die like that and wear those bastards down.

Twing!! Smack!!

The narrow cave prevented them from being surrounded, since they could only be attacked from the front. Still, the mad assault of nearly a hundred Goblins occasionally landed stray blows on the two warriors holding the front line.

Especially Gerik, who was acting as a second-line sub-tank without a shield.

But Grimdal's custom brigandine was such sturdy equipment that even when the Goblins landed a lucky hit, their pathetic weapons couldn't leave so much as a scratch on Gerik's armor.

"Huff... Huff..."

He might have looked unharmed on the outside, but blocking stones flying in from every direction while cutting down dozens of Goblins demanded considerable stamina from Gerik.

Spotting Gerik's growing fatigue, a Hobgoblin's eyes gleamed cunningly as it shouted something.

At once, several Goblins facing them from the front ignored the two warriors and swiftly attempted to break through toward the rear.

"How dare you!!"

Ilvern's face twisted with fury. He raised his shield again and slammed it hard into the ground.

Boom!!

Another powerful impact shook the cave, sending the Goblins trying to break through flying into the air before they tumbled across the floor.

'If it has such overwhelming power and he isn't using it repeatedly... does Shockwave have a longer cooldown than Charge?'

With Ilvern's Shockwave buying him a brief chance to catch his breath, Gerik raised his sword and killed the fallen Goblins as he considered the skill.

Even then, the Goblins in the rear trampled over their own kin's corpses and attacked the party again.

'These bastards, again...!!'

Amazingly, the Hobgoblins seemed to have figured out, just like Gerik, that Shockwave had a substantial cooldown.

They once again ignored the frontliners, sending Goblins around them to charge the rear while trying to surround the party.

"Terror anima... Corrumpe mentis..."

At that moment, a strangely familiar chant came from behind Gerik.

The unpleasant memory made him flinch. Then, a dark crimson, ominous sphere shot from Minos's hand. Minos had already completed the casting.

"Kieee!!!"

The sphere struck where the Goblins stood. An eerie light and a horrifying noise spread in every direction, and every Goblin within its range fell into extreme confusion and began rampaging madly.

'This is...!! The spell Bruno's party got hit by...!!'

Watching the Goblins go wild, Gerik immediately recognized Minos's magic as the very spell that had dealt Bruno's party such a devastating blow not long ago.

He had only one thought when he saw it.

Thank goodness the mage was on their side.

As the crazed Goblins created a bottleneck, the Hobgoblin directing them seemed to decide that this wouldn't do. It pulled out another whistle and began blowing it repeatedly.

Before long, more Hobgoblins and Black Wolves poured in, followed by swarms of Goblins.

"What... just how many are there?!"

Gerik thought they had killed at least a hundred, but as many Goblins as they killed kept spilling out. At last, the curse he had been holding back burst from his mouth.

The Hobgoblins paid him no mind. Using Goblins as meat shields once more, they advanced, this time aiming for the party's flank alongside the wolves.

They seemed to have instinctively realized that they couldn't defeat the warriors before them in a head-on fight.

"Minos! An obstacle!"

Unlike the flustered Gerik, Ilvern calmly held the front and called for something from Minos.

Minos immediately began chanting another spell.

"Oleum sparge... fundamenta cadant..."

Another familiar chant reached Gerik's ears. Soon, a brown sphere flew from the tip of Minos's staff.

Trickle...

Crash!!

A slippery liquid spread across the party's flank.

The wolves and Hobgoblins, charging at full speed to break through their side, slipped on the magically created mire and rolled across the floor.

'This is...'

Gerik realized that Minos had used the very spell that had nearly driven Bruno to his death not long ago.

Facing it as an ally was entirely different. Though Gerik had only seen these two examples, he could keenly feel just how many tactical advantages a mage could offer.

"Grr...! Human...!! Kill...!!"

With an obstacle blocking their breakthrough, a furious Hobgoblin let out a hate-filled cry.

Gerik's eyes widened in surprise. Until now, he had only heard beastlike cries such as "Kyak!" and "Kik!" from Goblins.

Twang!!

The Hobgoblin that had slipped struggled to its feet and readied its weapon. Just then, Katrin, who had already taken position in the rear, fired her bow and buried an arrow in its torso.

"Kyaak!!"

But disabling one Hobgoblin meant nothing. More Hobgoblins began forcing their way into its place.

The Hobgoblins formed a battle line, then pushed all the remaining Goblins toward the mire at their flank.

The Goblins repeatedly slipped in the oily liquid as they struggled onward, but with the party bracing for the Hobgoblins' frontal attack, they couldn't keep the Goblins at their flank in check.

Falling over and over, the creatures somehow began inching forward through the mire.

"Human...!! Kill...!!"

By then, the Hobgoblins had successfully formed ranks at the front and began attacking alongside the wolves.

'At this rate, we're in danger...!!'

Unlike the Rat Men, whose tactics had been an utter mess despite their numerical advantage, the Hobgoblins' calculated movements put immense pressure on Gerik.

Just as he debated whether to ask his allies what they should do, Ilvern shouted toward the rear.

"Minos! Don't hold back your spells. Pour out every last one!"

At Ilvern's cry, Minos began chanting instead of answering.

As if that had been the signal, the Hobgoblins charged savagely and finally began fighting the warriors at the front.

"Urgh...!!"

Gerik blocked a Hobgoblin's unrestrained swing with his longsword, gritting his teeth at the creature's considerable strength.

"Die...!! Hooman!!"

Seeing Gerik locked in combat with one of its comrades, another Hobgoblin snarled and swung a nail-studded club into Gerik's side.

'How dare you...!!'

Grimdal's brigandine was several times harder than ordinary steel, so he suffered no direct injury. Still, some of the impact passed through the armor and caused Gerik pain.

'There's no room to use Slash...!!'

Locked in a contest of strength with a Hobgoblin in the cramped space, Gerik had no room to attack. Unable even to counterattack, he could only take blow after blow from the Hobgoblin repeatedly swinging its weapon from the right.

"Gerik!! Use Charge!"

'Out of nowhere...?!'

Gerik was momentarily confused by Ilvern's shout. Ilvern was on his left, blocking the Hobgoblins' attacks, and Gerik couldn't understand his intent.

But only for a moment. Trusting that the veteran knight had a reason, Gerik put strength into his legs and used Charge.

Boom!!

When Gerik kicked off the ground with strength enhanced by the skill, a thunderous roar rang out in every direction. The explosive force drove him powerfully forward.

"Kiek?!"

The Hobgoblin locked in a contest of strength with him was bewildered as the human before it suddenly shoved it with tremendous force.

It couldn't stop Gerik even with all its strength. In the end, it was crushed against the Hobgoblin behind it.

"Kieek...!!"

Gerik's armor and body weight combined with his speed, exerting enormous pressure on the Hobgoblin. Unable to breathe, it writhed in agony.

Within moments, it and the companion behind it were shoved back about half a step and crushed to death, coughing up blood.

'That works...!!'

Gerik shuddered at the result of using Charge while pressed close against an enemy.

His thoughts lasted only a moment. Hobgoblins at his flank brought their weapons down on him, and he gritted his teeth against the impacts.

The passage was narrow enough that the Hobgoblins couldn't swing their weapons properly either, allowing Gerik to avoid serious damage.

"You vermin...!!"

Gerik raised his Red Steel bracers to protect his head from their attacks, cursed, then jumped back as though retreating and used Slash.

Swoosh!!

A sharp silver flash spread through the area and cut the flesh of the nearby Hobgoblins.

He hadn't been able to aim properly, so it caused no serious wounds. It only bought him time to return to his position.

"I'll keel you...!!"

The lightly wounded Hobgoblin raised its weapon with a furious expression and tried to counterattack without regard for its injury.

"Viscum aranea... expande!"

At last, Minos completed his chant. A sphere filled with sticky liquid shot from the tip of his staff.

Splaash!!

A white liquid resembling spiderwebs burst from the sphere in every direction, restricting the movements of the enemies it touched.

As they stopped attacking to tear away the webbing, Gerik raised his sword, determined not to miss the opportunity.

"Don't move forward! This spell doesn't distinguish between friend and foe!"

Seeing Gerik about to advance, Minos urgently told him to hold his position.

Footnotes:

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