Chapter: Gathering, Feast and Just Wholesome Vibes (II) — Part 1
The moment the goblins noticed them, the entire atmosphere shifted.
The massive goblin boss raised its head and released a long, piercing scream that echoed through the village. It wasn't the kind of sound a creature made out of instinct or anger—it carried intent. Authority. Every goblin reacted to it instantly.
They moved.
Not randomly. Not like beasts.
They tightened their ranks around the boss, forming a rough but effective formation. Weapons were raised—some held crude spears made of sharpened bone, others gripped rusted iron bars, while a few carried slings already loaded with stones. Their movements were coordinated in a way that felt completely wrong for a Rank F dungeon.
For the first time since entering this place, they didn't look like prey.
They looked like soldiers.
Shadow narrowed his eyes slightly as he took it all in.
A faint mechanical sound echoed inside his head.
[ SYSTEM QUEST ]
Exterminate the Goblin Colony
Eliminate all goblins
Kill the Goblin Leader
Reward: +50 System Points
"Formation!" Mike shouted without hesitation.
The group reacted immediately, their earlier tension turning into urgency.
Mike and the other knight stepped forward, placing themselves at the front line. Their stances were firm, shields raised, ready to take the initial impact.
The assassin slipped away to the side, disappearing between the trees with practiced ease, already looking for an opening.
Behind the front line, Leon, Shadow, the other two mages, and the archer spread out. Each of them positioned themselves carefully to avoid overlapping lines of fire.
Lara stood at the center, gripping her staff tightly. Her role was clear—keep everyone alive.
The goblins began to move.
Not charging.
Not rushing blindly.
They advanced in steady, measured steps, maintaining their formation.
"Fire!" Leon called out.
Magic surged instantly.
Fireballs shot forward one after another, glowing spheres of heat tearing through the air. They didn't stop at one or two—spell circles kept forming, again and again, faster than necessary, driven more by pressure than efficiency.
Water projectiles followed, dense and forceful, crashing forward in heavy bursts that distorted the air with their speed. Wind blades layered over them, slicing forward in overlapping arcs.
The archer didn't pause either—arrows flew continuously, one after another, the tension in her fingers growing visible as she forced each shot faster than the last.
The attacks collided with the advancing goblins.
And yet—
Instead of chaos, the goblins reacted with discipline.
Those in the front raised their crude shields and scraps of armor, angling them with surprising precision. Fire splashed and spread, but failed to break through. Water crashed, but dispersed across the compact defense. Even the wind spells—normally sharp and unpredictable—lost most of their cutting force against the tightly packed formation.
A few goblins staggered backward.
None fell.
Leon's expression darkened as he continued casting. Sweat gathered on his forehead, then slid down his jaw.
"This is useless… we're just draining our mana for nothing!"
Still, he didn't stop.
Another fireball formed. Then another. Then two at once—sloppier, heavier, less controlled.
The other mage tried to compensate, releasing a wide-area wind gust that consumed even more mana than necessary.
It achieved nothing.
The goblins kept advancing.
Step by step.
Unshaken.
Shadow watched carefully, his gaze flicking toward the boss standing at the back.
It hadn't moved.
But it was watching everything.
Commanding everything.
"Mike," Shadow said calmly, "draw their attention. Force them to break formation."
Mike didn't question it. "On me!"
He and the other knight surged forward, abilities activating as they slammed their shields and roared, trying to provoke the goblins into reacting.
For a moment—
It worked.
Several goblins shifted.
Their formation loosened.
Then the boss screamed again.
Sharp. Absolute.
Everything snapped back into place instantly.
Mike cursed. "So it can override aggro… great."
Before anyone could adjust—
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
The boss goblin moved.
A spear flew.
Fast.
Precise.
It pierced straight through one of the mages.
The force alone lifted him off his feet before his body hit the ground.
Hard.
Still.
Lara rushed forward immediately, her staff glowing as she tried to activate a healing spell—but the moment she reached him, she froze.
There was nothing to heal.
He was already dead.
The realization spread through the group like poison.
The casting slowed.
Breathing became uneven.
Fear crept in—not sudden, but suffocating.
Real.
"This isn't working," Shadow said.
And this time—
No one argued.
The goblins closed the distance.
Their formation tightened as they surrounded the group, step by step, sealing off every escape route.
The assassin reappeared behind one of them, her blade flashing as she cut its throat cleanly.
For a brief second—
An opening.
Then three goblins reacted instantly.
A spear pierced her leg.
A bar slammed into her ribs.
The impact dropped her to the ground with a broken cry.
Shadow reacted immediately, releasing a fireball into the cluster around her. The explosion forced them back just enough.
"Move!" he snapped.
Lara rushed in, forcing another healing spell despite the strain now clearly visible—her mana was dropping too fast.
At the front—
Everything collapsed.
The other knight took a spear through the shoulder. His body jerked violently, his stance breaking for a fraction of a second.
That was enough.
A heavy club came down.
The sound was dull.
Crushing.
He dropped.
Then they swarmed him, making the knight disappear within their numbers.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
The knight was gone.
Leon kept casting.
Even now.
Even as his breathing turned ragged.
Even as each fireball grew weaker than the last.
"…They're not going down!" the archer shouted, her voice tight as she loosed arrows faster, her quiver rapidly emptying.
Shadow clicked his tongue.
So this is coordination.
This is what a real fight looks like.
He bent his knees—
Wind burst beneath him.
He launched into the air.
Leon's eyes widened. "You can do that now?!"
From above, Shadow cast without hesitation.
Fire and water collided mid-air.
Steam exploded outward.
This time—
The goblins screamed.
The boiling mist clung to them, bypassing their crude defenses, burning through exposed skin and gaps in their formation.
For the first time—
They faltered.
"That's… actually working," Mike muttered.
Shadow landed.
Behind the boss.
Alone.
"…Not ideal."
But he didn't stop.
Because the moment he landed—
Every goblin turned toward him.
And the boss—
Finally moved.
And in that instant, Shadow realized something.
He hadn't broken their formation.
He had just made himself the center of it.