The two hulking parodies of goblins roared in unison, their blocky muscles rippling as they lunged forward. This time, there were no crude weapons in hand—only raw, brutal strength.
One of them swung a fist the size of a boulder, its cubic knuckles whistling through the air.
Airen's eyes narrowed. He raised his sword to block, the steel bracing against the blow.
Boom!
The impact shook the hall like thunder. A shockwave rippled outward, coins scattering across the floor in a glittering storm. Airen's feet slid back before his body was hurled against the wall, wood and stone cracking behind him.
But as the dust settled, he stepped out of the rubble without a scratch, eyes sharp.
They're stronger than the two before… he thought, lips twitching faintly. Good. This might be worth my time.
The pair came again, fists flying like warhammers. Airen didn't brace this time—he shifted. His sword flicked in quick arcs, not to stop their power, but to deflect it. Every strike redirected just enough to leave openings.
His counterattacks followed instantly. A slash across a forearm, a kick snapping into a knee, a punch cracking against a cubic jaw.
At first, his blows seemed shallow, barely scratching their thick frames. But with each exchange, the damage built. Shards of their blocky skin chipped away, dark blood dripping in jagged trails.
"Not bad," Airen muttered, twisting aside as another fist slammed where his head had been a moment before. He drove his elbow into a goblin's ribs, spun low, and cut a shallow line across its thigh.
The elites grunted, staggering now, their breaths ragged. Airen's pace never slowed—if anything, he grew sharper, each move more precise, his body flowing between sword and strike like a seamless dance.
Then came his opening.
One of the goblins swung high, overextending. Airen ducked, his eyes glinting, and drove a savage kick into its chest.
Boom!
The creature was launched backward, smashing into a mountain of treasure with a crash that sent gold and jewels exploding through the air like fireworks. Coins clattered across the floor, gems rolling into shadows, the sound ringing loud enough to rattle the walls.
And then—
"Grrhh…"
A deep, guttural growl rolled out, heavier than thunder.
From atop the pile of treasure, the Goblin Chief stirred. His massive cubic body shifted, gold cascading off his chest like rivers of molten sunlight. Slowly, his eyes opened—twin orbs burning with crimson fire.
The elites froze where they stood. The air thickened, pressing down like an invisible weight.
Airen tilted his head, sword resting lightly in his grip. A faint smile curved his lips.
"So the boss finally wakes up."
The room went silent, save for the faint clinking of coins still settling across the floor.
From the top of the treasure mound, the Goblin Chief rose.
Unlike his hulking guards, he wasn't a beast of muscle. His frame was lean, almost fragile, shaped like the goblins outside—but every inch of his cubic body was rendered with unnerving detail. Golden earrings dangled from his long, pointed ears, while chains and rings glittered across his neck, wrists, and fingers. Even his ankles gleamed with bands of pure gold, as though he wore wealth not as decoration, but as armor.
His crimson eyes narrowed, scanning the chaos: shattered piles of treasure, two guards fallen, and the other pair bloodied, their cubic forms cracked from battle. Slowly, his gaze locked onto Airen.
"Are you the one who caused this mess?" the Chief asked, his tone calm, almost lazy—yet laced with authority. His expression betrayed no fear, no anger, not even surprise. Only confidence, the kind born from knowing he was above everything in the room.
Airen didn't flinch. "Without a doubt," he replied flatly.
The Chief's lips curled into the faintest grin. From his palm, a flicker of red light sparked. A broken sword hilt materialized out of thin air—its blade long gone, but its jagged grip pulsed with a sinister glow. He raised it like a wand, and fire coiled around the ruined weapon.
"Burn."
A sphere of flame burst forth, swelling into a fireball that roared across the hall.
Airen's eyes sharpened, sword rising in reflex. Steel met flame in a blinding explosion.
BOOOM!
The blast swallowed him whole, shockwaves tearing through wood and stone. The chief's hall quaked violently—walls cracking, ceiling splintering. A single deafening crack rang out as Airen's body was hurled backward, smashing into the far wall.
Stone shattered. Wood burst apart.
And then— KRAAAASH!
The entire wall gave way, blown open in a storm of fire and rubble. Airen's body shot through the gap like a cannonball, debris raining after him.
He crashed into the ground outside, dirt and dust spraying skyward. For a moment, silence. Then Airen groaned, rolling onto his side.
"Ah… my back. That hit hard," he muttered, spitting out a trace of blood with irritation rather than pain.
A flicker of blue text shimmered before his eyes.
[The Goblin Chief is a 2nd Circle Magician – Middle Stage]
Airen's brows twitched. "Tch… Goblins can become magicians too?"
The answer came in the form of footsteps.
From the smoking hole in the chief's hall, three figures emerged. First, the Goblin Chief himself, stepping lightly over broken stone, his golden ornaments gleaming under the torchlight. He didn't look like a warrior, but the sheer pressure rolling off him was undeniable.
Behind him came his guards—the two towering elites that remained. Their cubic muscles swelled with tension, glowing cracks of red spreading faintly across their bodies as though his magic strengthened them.
The night air grew heavier with every step they took. From beyond the village, shouts began to rise—goblins who had rushed off at Lirra's distraction were now returning, drawn by the deafening blast. Their footsteps thundered closer, panic and curiosity in every cry.
Airen pushed himself to his feet, brushing off dust, his eyes locked on the Chief.
"So this is the true boss of the goblin village," he muttered, a flicker of excitement beneath his calm tone.
The battle was no longer a skirmish. It had become a war between predator and prey.