Chapter 3 Survivors
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Carrying a Kondou spear on my shoulder, I walked towards the entrance of the passageway in front of me.
’Master (Goshujin-sama)?’
”…”
Without responding to Tina’s puzzled call, I focused my attention ahead.
I could hear the annoying squeaky voices of goblins in the distance. It sounded like they were chasing or enjoying a hunt.
Then, a female student rushed into the room.
However, she didn’t walk steadily anymore, she only had enough momentum to move quickly. She had a distinctive fluffy short-cut chestnut hair that swayed as she twisted her face in pain. Her deep blue eyes were captivating. If those weren’t colored contacts, she might be half-Japanese. She didn’t seem to be injured. I could tell she was a first-year student from her light blue checkered skirt and matching tie ribbon.
’Monsters are coming soon. It’s recommended to retreat right away.’
The female student seemed to finally notice me after looking around the room, perhaps to find an exit. Her field of vision seemed narrow due to fatigue. With footsteps that seemed about to collapse at any moment, she desperately raised her voice towards me in between rough breaths.
”Run away… quickly!”
She waved her hand once, as if to drive me away.
Instead of saying “Help me,” she said “Run away.”
My mouth relaxed and the corners of my mouth lifted slightly. I didn’t know what kind of person would appear, but even if it meant dying, I wouldn’t regret it.
I continued walking while adjusting my breathing.
”Wait…!? No… run away!”
The sight of kouhai-chan frantically waving her hands and trying to push me away was heartwarming. Or rather, she was incredibly cute, this girl.
”I’ll buy you some time, so please just keep running. Thank you for worrying about me.”
”Huh?”
I called out to her as I passed by. However, because kouhai-chan was looking at me, her legs got tangled and she fell down. She must have run out of energy, and she just rolls around, breathing heavily, and doesn’t move. It looks like she won’t be able to stand up for a while. She doesn’t even notice that her skirt is up, she seems exhausted. Naturally, my eyes will be drawn to her pure white thighs and light blue sporty shorts with white stripes. Is she showing off her first-year-ness? Her underwear has a refreshing feel rather than her s*x appeal, and is perfect for her energetic image.
”Thank you for the meal,” I say, clasping my hands together in my mind, feeling a little guilty.
Now, I readied my spear as I approached the exit passage where the screeching voice began.
’Master, this is dangerous. Please retreat immediately.’
”Shut up”
’…’
Oh, no. It seems like I’m getting excited. My tone became rough.
Kouhai-chan won’t be able to move for a while, so I can’t let even one of them pass. No, I won’t let them pass. I swear to Kondo-senpai.
Soon, two goblins jumped out of the passage, looking excited.
When they noticed me, they had a surprised expression on their faces. In that moment of passing by, I slit the throat of one goblin and stabbed the tip of my sword into the throat of the next one.
Then, as the next goblin jumped into the room, I stabbed its throat too. It fell to the ground in the passage, defeated.
The following two goblins finally noticed something was wrong.
They jumped into the room cautiously, side by side.
But I knew their weakness. When I made a thrust towards their feet without intending to hit, they reacted dramatically. In that moment, I raised the tip of my spear and easily cut their throats. The next goblin was the same. It’s like playing with a cat and a fast-moving toy. If I quickly move the tip of my spear while keeping my body away from it, the goblin react excessively by moving its whole bodies. In that moment, if I strike its center, it’s will be a quick and decisive victory.
”Amazing…”
I could hear the hoarse voice of kouhai-chan from behind, but I didn’t have time to pay attention.
The following footsteps were clearly louder than the ones before.
As a monster jumped out from the passageway, I thrust my spear at it, but it was deflected by a round shield. I quickly stepped back to create distance as it swung its sword down.
Its reaction was clearly superior to that of a goblin.
Although it looked like a goblin, it was much larger than a child-like goblin. It was about the same height as me and had a sturdy build. Its flabby skin, painted white like a wall, was somewhat unsettling.
’A higher-ranked goblin, a hobgoblin. This is a warrior-type hobgoblin fighter. It’s not an opponent that a level 1 player can defeat alone. And there’s one more…’
Before Tina could finish her sentence, another white hobgoblin appeared from the passageway. It was wearing armor made of interwoven chains and held a spear. This one is also a warrior type.
I attack a hobgoblin equipped with a sword and shield. However, it’s really tough to fight two at the same time, so I want to defeat them as quickly as possible.
However, when it defended itself with a sword and shield, it is very strong.
The feint didn’t seem to have as much of a dramatic effect as the goblin, and while I was taking a lot of time, I narrowly dodged the attack from the spearman who joined.
While quickly brushing aside the sword that was swung down to me, I swung the tip of my spear as if to counter it, but it was blocked by its shield. I immediately jumped down to dodge the spear that was thrusting out from my side, and the spear grazed my left arm, causing the short sleeves of my shirt to begin to turn red.
I can feel kouhai-chan behind me taking a deep breath. If I die, please give up. really sorry.
Anyway, I’m not used to defense, so the slight delay before I turn to attack is fatal. It can’t be helped that my skill is lacking, but it will be bad if I don’t do something about it.
Tina seems to be muttering something, but I don’t have time to pay attention to her.
’Application for title acquisition “Success.” Obtained the title “Spearman”‘
Now, the first thing I should aim for is a counter, but I need to decide on my move in advance so I can move quickly without hesitation. I have to pinpoint my opponent’s movements and timing in this position. I would like to observe the other party’s quirks, but I don’t have the time to bring them out. It will probably take a few more attacks, but if I fail, I might be unable to avoid the two attacks and be killed the first time. So, what I’m picturing is the situation when my left arm was cut earlier. In this position, I need to held the spear in front of the opponent, and the opponent is positioned diagonally in front of me, and the thrust is aimed straight at its heart from the front of the open upper body. That’s what I’m aiming for. I’m not very good at it, but I have no choice but to do it.
’Class change. Change the class to “spearman”. ‘
’Apply to acquire skills.’
’Success. Obtained “Double Thrust”.’
’Cancel. Start re-application.’
’Success. Obtained “Thunder Thrust”.’
’Cancel. Start re-application.’
’Success. Obtained “Smash”.’
’Cancel. Start re-application.’
’Success. Obtained “Phoenix Temple Spear Technique Introduction (Hououin-ryu)”. Confirm.’
The hobgoblin slowly approaches, screeching and threatening. It seems confident and annoyingly human-like with its smirk.
One of them, holding a sword and shield, moves to flank me, so I quickly launch an attack.
I don’t have much time to prepare, but if the two hobgoblins are too far apart, it won’t be the situation I want.
For the upcoming attack, I hold the spear with my left hand behind me and my right hand in front, gripping it around the middle. In other words, I’m in a position to thrust with my left hand. It’s an unfamiliar stance, but the attack on the shield holder is a feint and a lure for the spearman, so this should work.
But when I move, my body moves smoothly without any discomfort. My center of gravity is low and stable, and my thrust is stronger than ever. The hobgoblin raises its shield, but something seems off…
Huh? Isn’t this guy completely vulnerable?
The hobgoblin adjusts its shield to match the trajectory of my spear, assuming a defensive stance. It’s already prepared to immediately counterattack after parrying my spear.
However, when I watch closely, I can anticipate the timing of the attack that hasn’t been unleashed yet. It’s a surprise attack, so its center of gravity is too far back, and it won’t be able to respond to another surprise attack, right?
In other words, if I can get past the shield that was carelessly raised, it will be a matter of less than a second, but it will be almost defenseless. I can somehow see that tiny opening.
When I glanced at the spearman in the corner of my vision, I noticed that it was getting ready to attack, but there was still a few moments left.
Is this okay?
I took a step deeper, tapped the edge of the hobgoblin’s shield with the tip of my spear, and then released an additional thrust at once.
”Gah!? Gear…!”
To an amateur, it may have looked like a simple thrust, but it was a flowing double thrust. My body moved naturally, as if I had learned the technique through repeated practice.
The hobgoblin, whose throat had been thrust with my spear, stood there as if stunned. As soon as I pulled it out, the spear-wielding hobgoblin lunged forward with another thrust.
The orbit is in the center of my empty chest. It’s on target!
But at the right time, I raise, my left hand and lower my right hand. My spear parries the tip of the hobgoblin’s spear as it moves in a large circle. Then, rotating my body around my left foot, I turned my back to the Hobgoblin’s spear that was piercing through me. While continuing to rotate, I lowered my stance and swung my spear.
The tip of my spear tears through the thigh of the Hobgoblin, splattering blood everywhere.
After that, I pull the spear towards my chest and approach straight along the Hobgoblin’s outstretched arm.
As I get closer, our eyes meet.
”Well, Hunter. How does it feel to be hunted?”
I see fear in the depths of its eyes as its smirk disappears. With all my strength, I thrust my spear into its lower jaw.
Damn, it feels satisfyingly intense.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.