Chapter 161 The Grendelkin . . .

The Grendelkin was already making its move, and it was throwing boulders in our direction.

The Goblin shamans might not reach us with their spells, but it was different for the Grendelkin. The giant monster threw whatever its hands could reach. Boulders, trees, and even goblins.

"Take cover!"

Another round of boulders flew in our way. The impact of the stones against the walls quaked the castle. When the trembling stopped, the western and front battlements were reduced half to rubbles, and half the players and inhabitants stationed on this side were reduced to paste.

Our numbers were further reduced when the others deserted and ran away. I didn't know what they were going to do. Hide?

When those goblins stormed this castle, there weren't any left corners to hide.

"Stop that Grendelkin!"

A group made up of hunters and inhabitants with ATP nearing four hundred smashed right through the goblins' rank. They cleaved right through the goblins and pushed through to the other side where the Grendelkin was situated.

The goblins didn't have any formation. They swarmed and attacked on all sides, so a group of the finest Hunters and teachers managed to cut a small path into the Grendelkin's ranks and swiftly carved a path forward. The teachers were leading the front, as well as some of the Rank-B hunters in the area.

However, it didn't mean that all were safe. Flunked from all sides, the goblins tried to stop their advance, and they cut a small chunk in their backline. The back of that small group was made up of lower Rank hunters, and they were quick to submit to the Goblins' assault.

The Goblins didn't care if they were riding a war horse. They leaped, smashed, cut, and wrestled everything they lay their hands on. Against hundreds of goblins, even a war horse would slow down, and once it did, nothing befalls the horse and its rider but a gruesome death.

I saw how the horse was stabbed multiple times until it was reduced to nothing but paste. The fate of the rider was worse. Their limbs were cut, and every piece and organ was snatched like a prize.

Even though their backlines were asking for help, the frontline didn't stop galloping forward. They couldn't afford to slow down their pace and risk being swarmed by the goblins.

Eventually, they pushed through and reached the Grendelkin.

A Grendelkin does not fight to the death unless specifically ordered to do so, which means that the creature does just enough damage to escape these first few fights. But sadly, this giant wasn't ordered to retreat. It would fight to the death.

The Grendelkin set the field to its advantage as much as possible. It relied on its ability to grapple and then crush its enemies, so a battleground where its foes' mobility was limited was ideal. Because of this, it stayed near the woodlands and the cluster of rocks in the area.

However, men would always think about themselves. Some of the hunters pulled out from the group when they cut through the hordes of Goblins. Their intentions were plain to see. They wanted to escape the fight.

"Cowards!"

"Filthy hunters! We'll see to it that your card is revoked!"

"Go ahead then! If you can live to see tomorrow, that is!"

At least half deserted from the group, and the morale just kept getting lower.

"Forget about them, and let's kill this thing!"

Instead of turning to its attackers, the Grendelkin went after those Hunters who were fleeing. It threw a large boulder in their direction. Its aim was impeccable. Either that or the escaping hunters were too happy to escape that they didn't notice the approaching boulders.

The next thing that happened, the hunters who escaped were ambushed by the Hobgoblins, who were curled on the wide field pretending to be a rock.

The hunters were caught off guard when a giant club with nail spikes smashed right into their heads, and they could do nothing but fall on their horses. Another smashed on the head, and their HP went to zero. They were isolated and easily picked one by one by the Hobgoblins riding a wild boar.

Those who saw what happened went pale, and they were glad that they didn't escape. However, another kind of horror awaited those who stayed behind.

A Grendelkin was a straightforward and uncomplicated combatant whose primary goal was to bring enemies within reach to be easily pulverized. Fighting with immense strength and unrivaled ferocity, the Grendelkin charged into battle without fear or mercy. It didn't wield weapons, seeking to crush its enemies into oblivion with its bare hands.

This creature began combat by using its speed and jumping abilities to reach characters quickly, those wielding ranged weapons and magic users.

While dealing with these characters with grapples and crush actions, the Grendelkin ignored all attacks from melee characters, building its rage.

It leaps about the battlefield for ideal positioning, not caring if it crushed goblins under its weight. It then killed seemingly safe players with its bare hands.

"Stop it!"

"Stop it? How?!"

The teachers and Hunters thought to corner the Grendelkin and swiftly kill it. But instead, it duped them. Once they closed in, it leaped forward over the weaker players and killed the magic users in one blow.

While Grendelkin was perpetually angry, it was not stupid. It fought with an animalistic cunning, quickly adapting to problems and avoiding obvious hazards. A particularly nasty ability of it was its [Throw] action, which could be used to hurl grapple players, boulders, and even goblins-like projectiles.

The players and the inhabitant alike scurried for cover against the Grendelkin's relentless onslaught, desperately trying to withstand its punishing blows. The more the Grendelkin took damage, the more its rage built up, and when it unleashed its rage, dozen died in an instant.

The Grendelkin didn't stop moving in the field and ruthlessly prioritized eliminating spell casters. It's the greatest threat. It Grapples a bunch of mages and drag them away from the rest of the party, destroying their formations.

The Grendelkin was immune to non-magical bludgeoning damage and free fall from the air while grappling characters to inflict falling damage on them as often as possible.

Those who panicked and pulled away from their formation were quickly butchered by the goblins. Those who retreated were cut down when they showed their back before the goblins swarmed and murdered them with their numbers and poison knives.