Goblin…they really came?!
Ryder stood frozen, feeling the scratch marks on his face begin to tingle and go numb.
Not only that, but the numbness quickly spread from his face.
Poison!
The arrow just now was poisoned by the Goblin!!
"Damn green-skinned brats, truly cunning and sinister."
Ryder's face turned pale as he cursed, quickly pulling out an antidote from his waist pouch and gulping it down. The paralytic symptoms immediately lessened considerably.
If it were a novice adventurer, a single poisoned arrow might have been enough to cause his downfall.
"The Goblins are here!"
"Maintain defenses, maintain defenses!!"
"Elders, women, and children, quickly hide! Do not leave your homes."
"Strong men of the Village, don't be afraid! Grab your weapons and fight them!"
"Oh no, there are Goblins behind the Village too."
"Reinforcements, quickly come and support us!"
Shouts from Iron Water Village rose and fell, chaotic and disorderly.
They were, after all, just ordinary villagers who hadn't practiced, so chaos was normal.
At the same time.
Naruto, who was Extracting Chakra, suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in his azure pupils.
"They really came."
Naruto formed a hand seal, actively dispelling all his Shadow Clones that were out leveling up, then jumped out the window onto the rooftop, once again forming a hand seal with both hands. The pure Chakra accumulated within his body, like a bright blue stream, rapidly circulated through his meridians.
Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!
"Poof, poof, poof…"
Puffs of Chakra white mist continuously bloomed around Naruto.
Under the bright Gekko, the rooftop was filled with Naruto's Shadow Clones!
"Kill!!"
With a calm command, Naruto's Shadow Clones all assented, then, like arrows released from a bowstring, they leaped out with a 'swish, swish, swish', moving like a rabbit and hawk across the rooftops of the Village, heading to every corner of Iron Water Village.
As for Naruto's main body, he arrived at the Village entrance and saw Kane, Ryder, and Dalia eliminating Goblins.
The Goblins attacking the Village at night were numerous, and the Village entrance was their main force, but on the open grassland, they were temporarily helpless against them. Instead, they were being cut down by the powerful Kane Adventurer Team as easily as chopping vegetables.
Kane noticed Naruto's arrival and a competitive spirit arose within him. He laughed loudly, "Naruto, let's see who can kill more Goblins."
"Boring."
The next moment, Naruto added, "The loser calls the winner 'Dad'."
"Good!"
"Ryder, Dalia, you two guard the Village entrance. Try not to attack too much, leave the Goblins to me and Naruto."
Kane gave an order, stood in place, and roared angrily, "You filthy green-skinned brats, what kind of skill is it to bully villagers? If you have guts, come at me!!"
Before he finished speaking.
As if disturbed by a strange force, several nearby Goblins immediately had bloodshot, red eyes, muttering and charging furiously towards Kane.
Ryder crossed his arms and said with a smile, "This is the miracle our boss mastered—'Taunt'. Naruto is definitely going to lose."
Dalia nodded in agreement, "Big Brother Kane is a Bronze-level Adventurer after all, second only to Silver Rank. No matter how powerful Naruto is, how could he be Big Brother Kane's opponent?"
Silver-rank Adventurers are already the strongest existence in the Border Town.
From this, it can be seen that the value of Bronze-level is also not low.
Indeed.
It seemed like three Goblins surrounded Kane, but Kane gripped his giant greatsword and swept it fiercely, a powerful wind howling, directly bisecting the three Goblins at the waist. Blood splattered everywhere with a 'whoosh'.
With a "thump".
A Goblin leaped up to ambush, striking Kane from behind with a blunt object, making him dizzy.
However, Kane's physique was far superior to that of ordinary people. He angrily turned his head, grabbed the Goblin's head, and slammed it hard into the grass, the green-skinned head bursting open like a watermelon, blood gushing out.
Some arrows also flew in, hitting Kane's heavy armor with a 'ping-pong', unable to cause damage.
"All of you, die—!"
The Heavy Swordsman Kane was like a berserker, wildly swinging his greatsword, continuously slaughtering Goblins.
In contrast, Naruto was very calm, with an eerie stillness.
He killed Goblins without any unnecessary movements; he was fast, effective, and quiet.
He mostly closed in with astonishing speed.
Then, either a kunai to the throat, a thrown shuriken, or a backhanded sword slash—each move was fatal, clean, and decisive, never dragging on.
Coupled with the reactions and evasions brought by his high [Agility], no Goblin could surround him or ambush him.
"Swish"
Naruto, leaning forward and dashing, appeared like an orange lightning bolt under the dim firelight, constantly darting left and right, charging towards one Goblin after another. He would then brush past them, and wherever he passed, Goblins would fall like harvested wheat.
[Eliminated a Goblin, Experience +8 points]
[Eliminated a Goblin, Experience +8 points]
[Eliminated a Goblin, Experience +8 points]
…
Such decisiveness and efficiency truly startled Ryder and Dalia, who were watching the battle at the Village entrance.
They exchanged glances, the same thought rising in their hearts.
"This guy named Naruto…is he really just a youth, a novice adventurer?"
Ryder remembered that when he was about Naruto's age, he was still swinging wooden sticks in the Village, acting as the kids' leader.
Because his parents made him help with farm work, he was inspired to become an adventurer, to become the greatest gun god renowned throughout the capital!
"Good thing…most of the Goblins were attracted by Boss's 'Taunt', otherwise Boss would definitely lose!"
"Wait a minute, why do I feel like Boss will lose? Just kidding, Boss won't lose, he's a Bronze-level Adventurer!"
Ryder and Dalia constantly corrected their thoughts, but their hearts were already deeply shaken by Naruto's strength.
Alicia, who arrived later, was equally stunned.
She never expected that a sunny, cheerful, and approachable youth could be so fierce when killing Goblins, like a god of death.
The contrast was too great.
She simply couldn't connect the Naruto who slurped instant noodles with the Naruto who was currently slaughtering Goblins.
The battle ended even faster than expected.
In a short while.
The open ground at the entrance of Iron Water Village was covered with scattered, flattened grass, and Goblin corpses lay haphazardly. The original fresh scent of grass in the air was replaced by a pungent, sickening smell of blood.
Kane stood hunched over among the pile of corpses, his silvery heavy armor smeared with blood.
He leaned on his greatsword with one hand and supported his knee with the other, breathing heavily, clearly having expended considerable stamina, but his excitement was undeniable.
"Twenty-one!"
"I…I…I won!"
Naruto's expression was normal, his face neither red nor breathless, and his orange jacket was largely clean, with only a small amount of blood splattered on the edges.
Kane looked at Naruto, a triumphant smile barely concealed on his lips, and said in the tone of a senior, "You killed thirteen."
"To be able to eliminate so many Goblins in one go, you're already very impressive compared to others your age, but you're still a bit short of me."
"A bet's a bet, call me 'Dad'."