NOVEL NEXT Chapter 73: 1st hamlet
Old Man James's eyes widened, a look of utter disbelief on his face, as he watched the goblins he had just slain rise to their feet, tn heir bodies riddled with unhealed wounds. "What in the…?" he muttered, his voice trailing off as he stare d at the gruesome sight.
Kendrick and Roger stood beside him, their swords hanging loosely in their hands. Roger's jaw went slack, and he blinked as if to clear his vision, while Kendrick's face contorted in a mix of horror and confusion. They had just defeated the goblin horde, only to have them stand up again, faster and more menacing than before.
Without a word, the three men moved forward, instinctively running to join Ragnar and Noah, who were still fighting fiercely. They couldn't leave their friends to face this new, terrifying threat alone.
"Stay back!" Ragnar yelled, his voice laced with urgency as he sliced through another undead goblin.
"Don't come any closer!" Noah's voice was just as sharp as he parried a clawed attack.
But it was already too late. A low, guttural growl sounded from behind them. Old Man James, Kendrick, and Roger turned in unison, their eyes widening in shock as they saw three undead goblins, their eyes glowing with a sinister red light, standing inches from them.
"How did they..." Roger stammered, his body frozen in place.
"Behind us..." Kendrick said, his voice a hoarse whisper.
Time seemed to slow down comically, the world moving in slow motion. The undead goblins lunged, their movements unnaturally fast, their claws aimed at their defenseless bodies. The claws ripped through flesh, tearing and gouging. The three men cried out, the sounds of their pain echoing in the brief silence as the blows landed.
Blood flowed freely, soaking their clothes and dripping onto the ground. The undead goblins had inflicted deadly wounds.
The rage that erupted from Ragnar was not a roar of sound but a silent, volcanic eruption of fury. His eyes, fixed on the bleeding forms of Old Man James, Kendrick, and Roger, burned with a cold, lethal fire. Noah, standing beside him, shared the same fury. His expression, usually so collected in battle, was now a mask of pure, unadulterated hate. The sight of their allies, so willing to join the fight, now bleeding on the ground, was too much.
Somehow, they were reminded of how they had unfortunately lost Milan to the goblins' ambush. These same shameless bastards had, through the same shameless ambush, attempted to end the lives of their comrades. They could not stand it.
"You bastards!"
A synchronized roar of wrath erupted from both of them.
Ragnar and Noah moved. They darted from their positions, a sudden, blinding rush of speed that sliced through the tense air of the battlefield. The atmosphere, already thick with the growls of the undead and the screams of the wounded, seemed to momentarily hold its breath as they moved.
Ragnar's face was a stone mask of fury, his eyes burning with a cold, unforgiving light. Noah's expression was just as grim, a mix of anger and grim determination set on his features. They were a single, unstoppable force, their movements a perfect, synchronized dance of rage.
They arrived at their companions' side just as the undead goblins were about to strike with their claws again. The undead goblins had a speedy reaction, as usual. They let go of the wounded men on the ground and lunged toward the two of them. The other undead goblins, the ones they were formerly engaged with, also began sprinting toward them.
But the youths were unfazed. Ragnar's blade became a blur of silver, a flash of light that sliced through the undead goblins with deadly speed. He moved with a furious precision, each slash and thrust a perfectly executed maneuver aimed at the vital points of the creatures. The goblins were no match for his speed and skill. Now fueled by wrath, the undead goblins were sent to another death easily.
Only about a minute later, the entire undead goblin horde was now lying dead on the ground, sliced and diced by the wrathful blades of the youths.
"Are you guys okay?"
Ragnar and Noah moved to assist the wounded men.
Kendrick and Roger winced in pain as Ragnar and Noah tried to check on them. Their profusely bleeding wounds were able to indicate just how much pain they were going through.
Fortunately, Ragnar had painkillers. He brought out three of them and distributed them to the injured men. After they consumed the painkillers, the pain from the wounds was reduced, but the bleeding continued.
"CHEE!"
While Ragnar and Noah were taking care of the injured, the voices of the goblin necromancers hidden behind the bush leaked out. Ragnar's face crumbled in anger as he turned to Noah.
"Help both of them out of here," he said.
"But... those goblins are dangerous. You can't take care of them alone," Noah complained.
"Don't you worry about me, I have a trump card I haven't used yet," Ragnar said with a smile. He grabbed his sword from the ground and stood up.
Noah gazed at the back of his friend as he strolled toward the location of the goblin necromancers. He heaved a sigh and returned his attention to the three wounded men. He slowly helped them out of the chaotic battlefield, now filled with corpses and blood.
While strolling toward the goblin hideout, Ragnar opened his inventory and equipped the strength-boosting potion he had been saving for some time now. He uncorked the small vial and consumed the liquid.
|| You've consumed low-grade strength boosting potion. Your physique and agility attributes would experience a 30% boost for 10 minutes. ||
Seeing the notification, a grin appeared on Ragnar's face as he pinpointed the location of the goblin necromancers with his gaze. At that moment, the bush began to rattle, clearly indicating that the goblin necromancers were beginning to move.
The goblin necromancers watched Ragnar approach. They were not warriors. Their strength was in their magic and their cunning. Seeing Ragnar's ruthless advance, their fear grew. They knew they had only one option left. The leader of the group, a goblin with a crooked stick, reached into its tattered robe and pulled out a small brown pouch. With a flick of its wrist, it tossed the pouch directly at Ragnar.
Ragnar's eyes, now sharp and alert, caught the sight of the pouch flying out of the bush. He did not recognize it, but he knew it was a threat. He moved instantly, his body shifting with the new speed the potion gave him. He took a single, fast step to the side. The pouch flew past where he had been and landed on the ground.
A small explosion erupted. It was a sharp, concussive blast that sent a shockwave through the air. The sound was loud, and the force could have killed Ragnar if he had failed to dodge. Nevertheless, instead of shrapnel, a thick cloud of black, acrid smoke billowed out from the explosion. It spread fast, creating a dark wall with the aim to cloud Ragnar's vision and give the goblins a chance to escape.
"CHEE!"
The goblin had already begun to celebrate their luck. With Ragnar blinded, they could leave, acquire more goblins, and return to take down the Hamlet.
The goblin necromancers ran. They believed their plan had worked. They sprinted toward the woods, their small bodies a blur of motion. They were sure they had escaped Ragnar. They were wrong.
A figure leaped through the black smoke. It was a single, fast move, and the next second, Ragnar landed on the ground in front of them, blocking their path.
The goblins halted, their victorious expressions slowly crumbling into one of fear and frustration.
"Let me see how you guys would run from me this time," Ragnar grinned.
His blade glimmered and vibrated with killing intent, one that the goblins could feel in their gut. One of them even began reaching for something on its waist, wanting to try out another trick to get rid of him now that he was in front of them.
But Ragnar wouldn't allow it. Before it even revealed its intention, Ragnar, with his incredible speed, appeared behind it.
|| You've slayed X1 goblin, XP +89 ||
|| You've leveled up ||
|| Level 11 -----> Level 12 ||
The sound of a blade slitting the neck of the goblin could be heard, and the next second it fell to the ground. The frustrated and scared cries of the other six goblin necromancers resounded as they tried to flee.
But Ragnar quickly appeared before them. With a series of moves, the goblin necromancers fell to the ground. But as one of the goblins fell to the ground, a faintly glowing scroll appeared beside its corpse.
"A skill scroll," Ragnar's eyes widened.
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