The members of Hunting Fangs watched in horror, only able to scream in helplessness.
But just then,
“Fire Barrier!”
Boom——!
A blazing wall of fire erupted around Alec.
Thud!
The Big Goblin’s descending broadsword bounced back, and the flying embers scorched it, leaving it screeching in pain.
Despite the heavy impact, the Fire Barrier only trembled slightly before stabilizing again.
“Mr. Alec, are you okay?”
Alec followed the voice and his eyes lit up.
“Hulim——!”
“Did you save me——?”
Ahead of him stood Hulim Heyerar, holding a wand that looked like a simple wooden stick in her right hand and a plain longsword slung over her back.
......
Back before the goblin attack began,
Even inside the carriage, Hulim’s years of combat experience had alerted her to the incoming threat instantly.
She was the first person in the entire caravan to react.
The moment goblin arrows rained down on the caravan, she rushed out of the carriage and entered combat readiness.
But just as she was about to join the fight, she hesitated when she saw the panicking crowd around her.
“The attackers must be a goblin tribe led by a Goblin Lord. Since there are only arrow attacks and no magic, they probably don’t have any Goblin Mages......”
“Just a regular goblin tribe......”
Hulim glanced carefully at the people urgently setting up defenses.
Hmm...... While the number of combat-ready fighters was far fewer than the attacking goblins, there were four full Rank C Adventurer Teams as guards! Plus, many merchants and passengers knew magic......
Wait, do we actually have the upper hand here?
“......”
Hulim silently suppressed her aura.
She’d wait and see. It was better not to reveal her true strength if she didn’t have to......
Shortly after, the four Rank C Adventurer Teams charged out to engage the goblins. Hulim and the other combat-capable merchants and passengers took up positions behind the carriage barrier, forming the final line of defense for the crowd.
Every time a goblin broke through the barrier and rushed toward the people, it was immediately overwhelmed by concentrated attacks.
After fighting for a while, the once-terrified people suddenly realized......
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Not a single goblin had managed to reach them.
This made sense—Hulim’s gaze had been fixed on the entire battlefield. With her speed of casting magic and vast mana reserves, she could have handled twice as many goblins breaking through the barrier with ease.
But she wasn’t the only one handling things effortlessly......
Hulim’s eyes drifted to a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in a gray robe not far away.
“So she’s an adventurer too......”
The gray-robed girl who’d shared her carriage had displayed strength far exceeding the rest of the caravan. While others struggled to cast spells after chanting for a long time, she could unleash magic in just two or three seconds—and her spells were far more powerful.
Her movement habits were similar to those of other adventurers, which is why Hulim suspected her true identity.
At that moment, Hulim’s eyes sharpened, and she quickly looked beyond the carriage barrier.
She’d just witnessed Alec being sent flying by the Goblin Lord’s warhammer.
The entire battlefield situation flashed through her mind in an instant, and she sprang into action—leaving the barrier and rushing outward.
“?”
Watching Hulim suddenly depart, a trace of confusion flashed in the gray-robed girl’s eyes. But the sudden increase in pressure on the barrier left her no time to think—she immediately quickened her spell-casting speed.
“Ga——!”
Seeing Hulim charge over, two goblins raised their weapons fiercely.
“Enhance——!”
A white light flashed, and Hulim’s speed surged.
“Out of my way!”
Thud! Thud!
Two dull thuds rang out. The two blocking goblins were sent flying backward, crashing to the ground unconscious.
As she rushed past the carriage barrier, Hulim quickly cast a spell.
“【????????????????????????????????????】”
“Fire Barrier——!”
......
“Mr. Alec, now isn’t the time for this.”
Hulim replied calmly, casting another spell at the same time.
“【?????????????????????????????????????】”
“Fire Arrow!”
“Ga——!”
A goblin trying to close in was pierced straight through by the Fire Arrow, bursting into flames and collapsing.
“You’re right!”
Alec calmed down and stood up quickly.
He scanned the battlefield, then shouted: “Hey, cover us! Let’s take this thing down first——!”
The adventurer teams defending other positions responded immediately: “We’ve got your backs!”
“Good!”
Alec’s gaze locked onto the Goblin Lord once more.
“Bart, hold on! York, Anjie, Stein—forget the other fodder! All of us, together!”
“Understood, Leader!!!”
Following Alec’s orders, Hunting Fangs launched a coordinated assault.
Alec and Bart drew the Goblin Lord’s attention head-on. Stein circled around, waiting for an opening to strike with deadly precision. Anjie’s arrows flew fast and true—too quick for the Goblin Lord to dodge—leaving more and more wounds in its skin, even piercing one of its eyes.
Of course, the most powerful damage dealer was the mage York.
A single Tier 3 spell, Rock Lance, would leave the Goblin Lord with a severe wound.
The Goblin Lord was filled with anger and helplessness. It tried to call for its minions’ help, but they were blocked by reinforcements from the other adventurer teams.
Hulim watched quietly as Hunting Fangs besieged the Goblin Lord. Like the other reinforcing adventurers, she didn’t interfere with their battle against the lord. Instead, she maintained her persona as a D-rank rookie, focusing on eliminating the surrounding goblin grunts.
Individually, none of the Hunting Fangs members could have defeated the Goblin Lord. But with their seamless teamwork, the tide of the battle turned completely—the powerful Goblin Lord was left defenseless.
“Ga!”
The Goblin Lord’s massive body suddenly knelt down. Stein had sliced through the tendon in one of its legs.
Seizing the opportunity, Alec raised his sword high and brought it down with all his strength......
Thud——!
The Goblin Lord’s huge body collapsed slowly, sending a dull tremor through the ground.
With their leader fallen, the remaining goblins descended into chaos.
The adventurers seized the moment to regroup and launch a counterattack.
The once-ferocious goblins were now nothing but a disorganized mob, fleeing at the first sign of resistance.
As the last goblin fell to the adventurers’ swords,
the crowd erupted in cheers.
People raised their weapons, celebrating their victory.
......
