Wind whooshed above him as Rue dodged Oozak's attempt to separate his head. He weaved in and stabbed his needle-sword forward – Oozak, recognizing this, didn't dodge. The hulking Hob bulked up his muscles around his chest, stopping the sword from going further. Withdrawing his sword, Rue was only greeted by a pinprick of blood.

  He did not get any moment of respite as he darted back, avoiding a strike that would have cleaved his body in half. He dodged again as Oozak started looking more like a brute with his relentless strike.

  “What was that shield for? Decoration!” He growled. Smashing the cave ground where Rue just had been.

  He flinched from the mere sound and the fact that Ozzak’s cleaver dug deep into the earth itself. And he wants him to use this shield? Rue even wanted to drop it right then and there.

  Yet, despite the danger, Rue managed to dodge all of the Hob's strikes. His level increase is significant, almost double. He could feel his dexterity gain, thrumming in his entire body. He wondered if he could do a dunk with his body-enhanced system.

  “Fight properly, Human!” Ooozak screamed, raising his sword up high. But, there's a slight pause as the cleaver's weight slightly burdens him from bringing it down. Rue lunged forward, with his shield charging first. He bashed the shield straight into Oozak's raised hand. Its sword clanged below to the hard, coarse ground of the cave.

  Grinning at the open target. Rue stabbed his Dance Sword deep – no, the sword stuck again in the Hob muscle. He pushed, grunting for more – but, alas, his sword completely stopped.

  “Weak!” Ozzak laughed out loud. The Hob even has the gall to puff up his chest and cross his arms, looking down on Rue.

  His eyes twitched, fine then.

  Rue let go of the Needle Sword, still stuck on the Hob. Then he summoned his Sword of Frost. Ice coalesced, the moment the cold hit Rue's palm, he already rend it down straight at Oozak's abdomen.

  Blood slithered down, as his blue sword seeped red.

  He let out a smile at the Hob Goblin, who let out a howl like a fool. The Hob staggered back, glaring at Rue.

  Rue pointed to the Hob’s cleaver. “Pick it up,” He sneered.

  Ozaak growled. “You will regret this, human! I shall have you for dinner.”

  As Oozak bent down, Rue took a page from Rino's trick. He briefly let go of his shield and hid his left palm inside his robe. An ice cube manifest, and Rue pushed it to darkness, slowly levitating toward Oozak.

  Oozak screamed, and Cleaver swung down in a cruel arc at Rue. He will surely not going to attempt to parry that, or even use his shield to catch the strike.

  Rue merely stepped back, the cleaver again – just strike down at the ground. Oozak kept striking at Rue, and with each attempt, he evaded, weaving out of the reach easily.

  “Stop scurrying around-” Oozak screamed.

  From atop him, an Ice cube shone in the darkness. Rue willed a fist, and they broke apart into five sharp needles aimed at the Hob, unknowingly at the monster.

  The Needle flew downward.

  Oozark let out a sharp cry, and it looked back to find nothing. Then with its hand it tried to reach his back. “What did you do?” Oozak snarled at Rue, the hob ran, and recklessly swung.

  Rue had to move faster now, as one strike almost took off one of his arms.

  “Careful,” He muttered.

  One ice crystal blossomed from Oozak back. Rue could make out the Ice like a sudden deformed wing covered by darkness. With the sudden pain, Oozak stumbled forward. Seeing his chance, Rue steps in and brings his sword with a jab straight at the Hob's chest.

  His sword connected – but in the last second, Oozak growled, regaining its balance and grasping his sword that was about to pierce further into his heart.

  The Goblin clenched through his ice sword's sharp blade, its hand bleeding – but its mere rage overpowered any pain it no doubt felt. The Ice sword cracked. Oozak completely destroyed it.

  The Hob Goblin let out a roar of victory. Then it grinned down at Rue, who looked at the Hob like it was a fool.

  Oozak brought his fist to a close and straight down at the human. Trying to pommel- the human caught Oozak’s fist… with his own right hand.

  “Fool,” Rue said. “Look at your hand.”

  The monster looked down, and its hand was bluish with ice slightly formed as each second passed. They grew heavy, and cold, very cold. “What is this?!” It demanded.

  Oozak tried to punch with his free hand, only to be caught by the human shield.

  “Right, you want me to use this earlier, aren't you?”

  The blue shield bashed against Oozak's face, and his nose exploded in blood.

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  Rue watched as the huge creature stumbled back. He kept charging, pushing against its heavy body, toppling it down in a heap of flesh. He looked down at the Hob – then at its cleaver that lay there, begging to be picked up, so Rue did. Dropping his shield, he crashed the cleaver into Oozak's head with the huge, heavy sword. Its head was cleaved into two by the time Rue was done.

  (You Have Slain Hob Goblins' Brother. Third Brother Oozak Lvl 25)

  (Skill Option Gained)

  (Special Reward for slaying the third brother, Oozak, shall be distributed once the tutorial phase is over.)

  Another skill option? Now he's back to six sets of skill options he had to deal with. Rue certainly is not complaining, but he just feels it's way too good a reward for killing Oozak.

  Well, perhaps his level, along with Benedict's, was the unnatural one.

  Even after he finished his battle, the scurry of feet did not stop. Rue briefly checked the quest, with only three goblins remaining. Chimes of steel grinding against each other colour the dark cave. Rue pushed his Mana deeper into his shield and Ice sword. After making sure to sheathe his Dancer Sword, he made out two battles ongoing.

  The first, he couldn't see clearly, only the clank of light appeared occasionally when Benedict traded slashes with the Hobgoblin, and both fighters clearly preferred to fight in the dark as they eagerly traded blows.

  The other fight he could see clearly, Yomi and Rita stepped around one Hob, slowly bleeding it to death. The source of light is from Yuuki, who apparently decided to serve as the Vanguard and draw the Hob's attention.

  Rue decided they would be fine, even all three levels below the Hob. Benedict should be able to take care of himself, too, until he saw the man fighting on back foot. Behind him is a stag, fallen and bleeding out. Cel has somehow fallen? What with that wound? A gashing five-line streaked across his fur.

  How?

  Rue stayed focused. When the next clash of steel came, he saw a lioness lying near the stag. Beyond them is another HobGoblin. This one is wielding a great sword, even larger than the Golden Sword of Salar.

  Benedict left his Hobgoblin and blocked a sword attempt on the lioness by the claymore-wielding Hob. But he was out powered; he lost both of his Long Knives to the darkness.

  Rushing forward, Rue closed the distance toward the HobGoblin Benedict had been facing, this one was trying to kill Cel with a heavy two-handed axe by the time Rue had shone his Mana to see what was happening.

  The Hob, noticing the sudden light turned, flowed into a side attack like a whirlwind. Rue barely moved his shield up – the axe dug deep into the shield, steel jutting out almost cutting off Rue's finger, but his shield managed to hold.

  (Hob Goblin Second Brother Kooram. Lvl 28)

  “Pesky one!” It growled. Unlike the bald Oozak, this one had a white ponytail that extended to its chest. Unfortunately, it's also filled with muscle, just like its brother.

  Rue jabbed his sword into Kooram's thigh in a quick stab. Ice crystals bloomed in response to his Icen Frost.

  Kooram stumbled, and the axe he had brought down to Rue suddenly got weaker as it lost its balance. Its attack bent, missing Rue completely.

  As he was about to carve down on its body. Kooram let go of its axe and brought its arm to punch Rue with an uppercut. Luckily, he was able to catch the blow with his shield, but the force alone almost made his body shake, buying a couple of precious seconds for Kooram.

  The Hob kicked him in a surprising display of athleticism straight at Rue’s stomach.

  Rue coughed up blood, and he sent flying and rolling to the coarse cave ground. His shoulder and entire sides burn like a sudden fire.

  He exhaled, steadied his vision, and shook off the dizziness. The sound of footsteps on the rocky, uneven ground disrupted Rue’s recovery. He lifted his head to see Kooram awkwardly stumble toward him, the Ice Crystal still embedded in his right thigh.

  Rue had lost his Dancer Sword somewhere in the darkness, which that to be expected since it's too small for the sheath he has. Trying to stand, his left hand blossoming in pain, Rue looked down to see it bend in a way it shouldn't. The shield he manages to hold in his grip has delivered more damage to himself than the kick, it appears.

  Yet, the pain is manageable; he could sense the cold crept through his body to battle the searing pain of his arm and whole body. Rue let go of his shield, and he cast a fireball.

  The fire flew straight at Kooram, who, without its full leg capacity, had to drop down to dodge it.

  The Hob fell, like someone just tripped its legs in a prank

  And Rue planned to end it once and for all. He ran forward. Sword of Frost manifested out of thin air. He reversed his grip, holding the sword down.

  Skidding to a stop, he impaled his blue sword straight down at the Hob Goblin's back neck.

  He wrenches his sword crescently as it's not dead yet. Then, with his recovering left hand, Rue shot another Fireball at the back of the Hob head – blasting the creature in fiery sizzle. Fire jumped up as they hit the cave floor. Lighting up the cave around him.

  (You Have Slain Hob Goblins' Brother. Second Brother Kooram Lvl 28)

  (Skill Option Gained)

  (Special Reward for slaying the second brother, Kooram, shall be distributed once the tutorial phase is over.)

  (Level Up. 20→22)

  “Two left,” Rue said. He couldn't hide his excitement at finally finishing this phase. The fire lit up the cave around him, revealing that Benedict had recovered his knives but was still struggling against the Hobgoblin. The sword wielder was incredibly fast, to the point that Benedict hadn't managed to land any slashes.

  Rude did make out a couple of knives jutting from the Hobgoblin's chest, but it did not slow the hulking creature down.

  (Hob Goblin Eldest Brother Goan. Lvl 35)

  The final one. Rue hefted up his shield, his eyes falling on Cel and the lioness. Cel bled profusely, and the stag struggled to lift his head. The lioness, on the other hand, is awake, but she groans with deep rumbling.

  Benedict dodged the Great Sword swung that would undoubtedly split him in two. He threw another knife with his skill, and it landed on the Hobgoblin's arm, barely did anything.

  Benedict growled, taking a breath, huffing in and out. He gazed back at Cel. “Finally awake? Good, Rue, you help here too,” he called out to Rue.

  With both him and Benedict, surely they would stand a chance against this Goan, even if he meant to be the last monster of the tutorial.

  Rue passed by Cel, who was still struggling to lift his head. Cel gurgled under his snout. His eyes stare at Rue, begging for something.

  ‘Dodge-’

  A voice whistled inside his mind. Then another one, this one had a cold reverberating thrum that resonated with Rue.

  ‘The Lioness. Tell him to dodge her!’

  Rue examined Cel. That wound, that looked like a claw wound…

  “Benedict dodge!”

  Benedict looked at him, tilting his head. The Hobgoblin is still a bit far away. Before he realized …

  The lioness lunged up, raking her claw down in a brutal swipe at Benedict.