CH 24

Base in Flames

Ultimately, I was so exhausted that day that I decided to sleep in a shed in the village. However, the orc meat was passed around in the village, and there was a celebratory atmosphere. The appetizing smell of meat was everywhere. My empty stomach protested, and so I ended up eating the orc meat.

To be honest, it was pretty good.

The next day, I rode Emma back to the town. I sold the herbs and magic stones at the guild, and everything that wasn’t orc materials or non-medicinal plants were sold at the pharmacist.

I had planned to return to the village on the same day, but I ended up staying due to something that the receptionist told me.

“Mr. Ajifu. You smell.”

After thinking about it, I had done nothing but wipe my body for the past few days, and had not even changed my clothes.

And so I went to a steam bath, scrubbed off the dead skin, and then washed my clothes and gear at the inn I was staying at. The long sword I had been using was especially chipped.

And so I had a blacksmith sharpen it, and I bought a bow and arrows from a weapon store, as well as materials to make more arrows. I wanted to be able to fight from a raised platform and on horseback.

While I didn’t like using a bow, I couldn’t allow that to hold me back.

And then I returned to the village and asked Naki.

“Please teach me to use a bow.”

“I don’t think that it’s right for you.”

“I know.”

I nodded firmly, and he gave me an odd look. Still, he taught me the basics of using a bow, and how to make arrows.

When I returned to the forest, I attached a wooden pole to my base for emergency escape. I made the already smooth wood even smoother by polishing it.

Yes, like those poles that firemen use, that most kids would want to try.

Then I strung up some grass vipers that I had encountered while herb gathering, and then made a large bonfire underneath. And there, I cooked, ate and waited.

Once it was dark, goblins and wolves would approach from within the forest after detecting the smell. They would come out of the dark forest and into the clearing where the firelight would reveal them, just as I stood ready on the platform with my bow in hand.

Surprisingly, I was able to hit them.

A hunter’s bow could take down prey that was 20 to 30 meters away. However, the clearing in the forest was only about 5 meters in diameter. And so even if I wasn’t a good shot, I could still hit them.

That being said, forest wolves were able to cross 5 meters instantly, and I could not shoot them once they were beneath me. And so they would get away with the food. I was angry.

When I told Makibi about this, he opened a hole for me on the floor. Furthermore, he cut down more trees for me so that the clearing was now 8 meters in diameter.

Oh, you really don’t have to do so much…

But it was with great confidence in my overwhelming advantage that I returned to the hunt on the following night. As I smoothly defeated the forest wolves and warmed up some soup over the fire, I heard a rustling sound coming from the forest.

I squinted through the darkness in the trees. And then I heard something.

“Gugyaa.”

“Giiigiii.”

“Gigigia.”

“Gukyaa.”

There were a lot of goblins. I held my bow ready and waited for them to enter the clearing.

Hyun. Kan!

The sound rang as an arrow hit the tree.

They had an archer!

I quickly dropped to the floor. This was bad. They were shooting out of the darkness towards a tree that had lights.

And so I took off the shield and held the bow horizontally so that I could aim as the goblins came into the clearing. There were so many.

Five, no six. More were still coming! After I had shot down three of them, an especially large one stepped out of the forest. This one seemed to be a leader, and it was the size of a grown human.

A hobgoblin. An E rank monster.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

A goblin archer was F rank, and a hobgoblin was E rank. But that was just when they were alone.

If they are in a group, the difficulty will jump up.

So, those who laugh at goblins will get laughed at by goblins…

There were already ten of them in the clearing now. I could not even aim properly as I kept shooting arrow after arrow. And the archer’s arrows were a great hindrance. By the time I had shot five of them down, they moved under the floor. But now, I was able to deal with them!

And so I shot two through the floor at a close distance.

I could do this! I was winning! The goblins groaned below me.

“Gugaaaaa!”

“Shut up!”

Just as I tried to aim at the next one, there was a loud thud and the ground shook under my feet.

I held onto the floor and looked down. Part of the platform was now burning.

“A magician!!”

So that thing earlier was a signal for the goblin magician! I don’t think the platform will survive another hit.

CRACK!

The hobgoblin had snapped the pole that I used for an emergency exit.

“Hahh!”

I had no choice now. I had to bring their number down. There were four right below me…

I aimed through the hole and killed two more. Then a fireball came flying.

Thud!

The impact of the second one finally broke the platform. The two supports were broken, and so the floor started to fall apart as it tipped to the side. I jumped as far as I could and rolled on the ground. There was dull pain in my shoulder and legs, but I couldn’t think about that now. I stood up, unsheathed my sword and looked at the hobgoblin.

It had moved away in order to avoid being hit by the falling platform. In the meantime, I grabbed a potion from my belt, downed it, and then ran in the direction that the goblin magician should be.

At the edge of the forest, I saw a goblin that was holding a staff while chanting. With a sidestep, I dodged the fireball that was just unleashed, and then slashed at the goblin’s torso.

“Gyah!”

That’s what happens to magicians with no advance guard. When I turned around, the hobgoblin and another goblin were already moving towards me. And behind them, two archers had appeared. If I ran away, the archers would target me.

I charged at the hobgoblin and then stopped right before crashing. Thinking this was his chance, the hobgoblin swung his club with both hands. In that instant, I jumped back and then swung with my own sword.

The hobgoblins hands were severed, and as the goblin to the side froze for a second, I ran my blade into him as well.

“Gugaa…”

“Gugyaaaa…”

The dying cries echoed. Then an arrow came flying and I raised a hand to protect my face. The arrow hit me in the shoulder, but it was not enough to go through my armor! Even as my hand was still held up, the hobgoblin tried to kick me. I moved away with a side step and then slashed at him with my sword.

Immediately after, I picked up the dead goblin and held him up as a shield as I rushed towards the archers. But then they turned around and began to run. I threw the dead goblin to the side and chased after them and cut them down from behind.

Then I went around and finished off any goblins who were still breathing. Then I stood behind the hobgoblin, who was still moving even after losing his legs.

“Gugyaa!”

It’s eyes were filled with fear. And so I quickly took off his head.

The watch platform I had worked so hard to make had gone up in flames. And while I had been able to retrieve my belongings, the tent had burned up.

“Hah… All my hard work…”

I sighed as I removed the magic stones from the goblins. There were 17 in all. That was a new record for me. I would throw the remains into the forest, so that the slimes could eat them.

In the darkness of the night, while I carried the dead goblins in front of a blazing campfire, I heard rustling from the forest.

“Fogoo. Fogouh!”

The thing that looked at me while kicking its hind legs was a giant boar with wicked tusks. A fang boar. It was about a meter and a half tall.

“Just great! I’ll take anything that comes at me tonight!”

The darkness, flames, and goblins had made me strangely excited.

And so before the fang boar could charge at me, I approached it with a dash, jumped to the side and slashed at its legs.

And so the night in the forest continued in this lively manner.