Chapter 137: Combat Doctrine

For low-level adventurers near River Valley Town, they might possess strength far exceeding ordinary Goblins, capable of dealing with multiple Goblins alone.

If the environment and timing were right, this number could even double.

But when the number of Goblins reached thirty, fifty, or even three digits.

Even a four-person squad composed of experienced adventurers would often have to flee in a panic.

Before obtaining a professional level and raising their combat power to a certain height, few people could deal with so many enemies at the same time—even if they were just green-skinned Goblins slightly larger than wild dogs.

To put it extremely, several hundred Goblins, even if they stood still and let you hack, and killed them all once, an ordinary person would already be exhausted and close to collapse.

But Xia Nan was different.

The outstanding endurance strengthened by attribute points allowed him to use combat techniques at high frequency almost without considering consumption; and the skill combination of 【Tooth Hunt】 and 【Spinning Slash】 granted him the ability to attack in a large range while maintaining high-speed movement.

It was not a cramped cave with dim light, nor were there annoying trees everywhere in the forest.

The location he was in right now was an open plain in the wilderness that one couldn't see the end of.

It almost satisfied all the conditions for him to exert his strength to one hundred percent.

In this situation, wanting to force Xia Nan to his limit, if the enemies were only these green-skinned rats, the number required would be very large.

At least these hundred-plus right now... were not enough to look at.

Accompanied by the flesh and blood and fragmented limbs splashing and scattering in the green tide like a meat grinder, the density of the Goblins that had originally gathered together due to the battle line loophole clearly decreased.

Even the defensive pressure on the surrounding villagers was reduced a lot, and they quickly returned to their positions under the command of Adeline and the village chief.

Vaguely, one could still hear a few cheers from the crowd, clearly because Xia Nan's rather brave performance facing the Goblins made these villagers, who could only defend passively when facing dangerous monsters, feel encouraged and inspired.

But Xia Nan did not feel relaxed or proud because of this.

Because he could clearly feel that, facing his wanton slaughter like a massacre, those cowardly Goblins who should have gradually lost their fighting will under the suppression of strength.

Still maintained the manic state of extreme excitement from the very beginning, surging toward him from all directions without the slightest intention of retreating.

And the reason for this was probably not that they belonged to some kind of enhanced variant of Goblins.

But because of the leader of the green-skinned Goblins, who was located at the edge of the battlefield and had not made any moves since the battle began.

"Woo hum!"

The sharp whistling sound tearing the air, mixed with the eerie sharp sound like a baby's wail, suddenly came from behind him.

The timing was grasped extremely trickily.

It happened to be the moment after Xia Nan used 【Spinning Slash】 after shifting, when his body was in a posture that hadn't recovered after exerting force.

The alarm in his heart rang loudly.

His extremely high combat talent made him almost instinctively continue the hacking action just now, and even exerted more force.

The sturdy leather boots stepped out deep footprints on the meadow.

The heavy metal longsword, driven by inertia, brought his body, rotating two hundred and seventy degrees in an instant.

While pulling the decapitation longsword back in front of his body, his whole person also faced the direction from which the whistling sound came.

The speed was extremely fast!

Only a pale white shadow rotating at high speed flashed in his line of sight.

The next second.

"Bang!"

Dazzling sparks bloomed on the surface of the iron-gray sword body.

Xia Nan only felt a burst of incomparably strong force suddenly transmitted from the sword hilt he was gripping tightly, extending from his wrist, forearm, all the way to his shoulder, before that highly penetrating force dissipated in the obstruction of flesh and bone.

Then, it was the endless bursts of soreness.

Whoosh—

The broken hair by his ears fluttered violently, and the passing gale made his cheeks ache.

The pale shadow that was originally aiming at his vital point at the back of his head was blocked by him using his longsword under his ingenious and agile movements.

The remaining force did not decrease, it just changed the trajectory of its rotation.

Amidst the whistling sound like a baby's wail, it brushed past Xia Nan's side.

It smashed two unlucky Goblins to death and inserted itself obliquely into the meadow.

It was only until this moment that he saw the main body of this pale shadow containing exaggerated force—

It was none other than the pale bone club with hollows that the Red-maned Hobgoblin was carrying on its shoulder.

Turning his head suddenly!

Sure enough, the object that had been lingering in everyone's heart like a shadow during the battle and was deeply feared.

That Bugbear with an unusually strong body and bright red mane on its spine finally moved!

Not caring at all about the weapon it had just thrown out and fallen into the Goblins.

It just stared at the direction where Xia Nan was.

Inhale,

Exhale...

The white smoke, sprayed out from between its teeth, almost condensed into a long snake in the rain and mist.

Step.

Dark green thick liquid mixed with mud and plant stems seeped out from between its toes, and the turf was lifted like a green carpet.

Thick fur trembled with the movement of its body, and one could vaguely see the wriggling and expanding muscle contours beneath it.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Separated by a great distance, the footsteps like beating drums were clearly transmitted to his ear canal, resonating with the surging and flowing blood like a heartbeat.

From slow to fast.

One step, two steps...

The stride of its legs, which were as thick as young trees, grew larger and larger, and its arms, filled with muscles, swung back and forth more frequently.

And then, it was the dark red light flame rising from the very center of its chest.

Wrapping its whole body, the flame light swayed, merging into the air currents brought about by its high-speed movement.

"Will die!"

This was the first thought that emerged in Xia Nan's heart.

The burly figure wrapped in dark red energy flames in front was like a tank on fire; anything that dared to block its path would be crushed by the muscle-formed tracks, turning into fertilizer nourishing this land.

His legs exerted force suddenly, and illusory wolf shadows appeared around his body.

【Tooth Hunt】, 【Tooth Hunt】, 【Tooth Hunt】.

Under the action of survival instinct, he used 【Tooth Hunt】 three times in a very short period of time.

The figure that was originally among the Goblins retreated to the edge of the battlefield near the village entrance in an instant.

And because of the residual influence of the "taunt" skill, he had to stop his footsteps.

And at the same time, the Bugbear, which was getting faster and faster under the drive of the dark red light flames, finally rushed into the center of the battlefield.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the target of its impact didn't seem to be himself, and it didn't follow him.

This also allowed Xia Nan to pant and quickly recover his physical strength while witnessing the whole process of the other party crashing into the battlefield.

Humans and Goblins, in the eyes of that Bugbear, seemed to have no difference.

It didn't care at all about the Goblin underlings it had brought out of the forest on the road ahead, and didn't follow them.

It just ruthlessly crushed them into a pool of minced meat.

And Hong Zong's already sturdy body made its killing range far exceed that of ordinary peers.

In just a few seconds, the number of green-skinned Goblins it crushed and smashed like wild dogs on the side of the road had already exceeded the total killed by the villagers before.

Without the slightest pause, carrying the corpses and remains along the way, it crashed straight into the defense line that the villagers had just repaired.

The trench with traps was crossed in one step, and the hardwood, which was tougher after fire roasting, was as fragile as a piece of wet paper in the face of the Bugbear's impact.

Just by touching it slightly, it was easily torn apart, turning into cracked and flying fibers and wood chips.

And the villagers who were holding the fence with all their strength were not even able to hold on for a second.

Just hearing a loud "boom," they were lifted away by the huge force like an explosion, falling to the ground, life or death unknown.

The defense line that had resisted over a hundred Goblins head-on and persisted for a long time collapsed in an instant.

The Goblins shrieked and surged in, pouncing on those fresh flesh and blood that were jumping around.

For a time, crying, roaring, and screaming filled the air along with fire and thick smoke.

Unable to hold back its strength, Hong Zong slowed down all the way after destroying the fence, and finally crashed into a wooden house near the village entrance, its body covered by the ruins.

His gaze swept over the tragic traces left by the other party's rampage along the way.

"Damn it."

Xia Nan cursed in his heart and increased his vigilance even more.

But his body had already rushed toward the direction of the Bugbear.

Controlled by "taunt" and unable to escape, if he wanted to end the battle in a short time, there was only this one way left to defeat the other party.

No need to fight, just from the force felt when blocking the bone club just now, he could already judge:

The strength of the Red-maned Hobgoblin was far superior to himself and others.

Wanting to repel, or even kill the other party, he must gather strength.

Use the advantage of their squad's numbers to surround and attack...

"Hmm? Don't!"

Rushing over rapidly, while searching for Adeline, Berg, and others, Xia Nan hadn't had time to arrive, but saw a sturdy figure already arriving one step ahead before the wooden house ruins where the Bugbear was buried.

It was Adeline.

At this moment, compared to just now, although she had many more bloodstains and dust on her body, she hadn't suffered much injury.

In her hand, she was holding two fire oil bombs.

Seeing this, Xia Nan's heart suddenly relaxed.

On the battlefield right now, the only two who had the ability to deal with the Bugbear head-on were himself and the other party.

If Adeline was anxious for a moment, attacked alone, and was severely injured by the enemy and lost her combat ability.

If only he was left alone, the pressure would undoubtedly increase exponentially.

After all, since Hong Zong appeared, Adeline's entire state had suddenly become wrong, as if she had seen some enemy.

Just now she even thought about staying alone and letting the others escape.

Fortunately, she still seemed calm right now, knowing not to act rashly, first using long-range means to probe, and then...

"Boom!"

Turbid dust mixed with splashing grease suddenly exploded in a point of fire, turning into a surging flame that ignited the entire wooden house.

Ang—

The roar erupted from the depths of the ruins, and wooden fragments burning with flames were thrown out violently.

One could vaguely see a burly figure roaring and standing up amidst the flames.

Then came a deafening wave of sound that pressed the flow of flames low, followed by a fierce, reckless figure, far exceeding the reaction speed of an ordinary person, charging out from the explosions while cloaked in fire.

Even though she was already holding dual hammers and had made all preparations, the appearance of the enemy she had been searching for for many years still made Adeline's emotions surge.

To the extent that she lost the caution she should have had as a squad leader.

She clearly remembered that the Bugbear that attacked the village many years ago and killed her relatives possessed a sturdier body than its peers, as well as a special bright red mane.

She was also surprised that the other party could break through the defense line in an instant and break into the battlefield with such extraordinary strength.

It was precisely because of this that she didn't step forward further, but used fire oil bombs to try to reduce the other party's physical strength.

But what she didn't expect was that Hong Zong, who was enduring the burning of the raging fire, possessed such astonishing explosive power.

Hot burning wind rushed across her cheeks, the iron hammer in her hand lifted upward by instinct, and her eyes closed gently because of the stimulation of the burning flame flow.

Open eyes again.

The wooden house ruins that had been swallowed by the blazing flames had already disappeared.

Replacing it were the turbid eyes of Hong Zong, filled with violence and slaughter.

Severe pain came from all over her body, and her consciousness was dim.

Her legs left the ground, and the scenery on both sides retreated rapidly.

"Bang!"

Adeline's body flew backward like a sack under the Bugbear's impact.

Rolling to the ground amidst the four-scattering smoke and dust.

Her chest was still heaving, but her eyes could no longer open.

"Damn it!"

Xia Nan stopped his footsteps, glanced at Adeline, who had lost her combat ability not far beside him just after the battle began.

Gritting his teeth secretly.

Pitch-black eyes reflected the burly figure surrounded by flames in front of him.

His brain turned rapidly, and countless combat plans flashed through his mind, and were excluded by him one by one.

How to win?

How to survive?

"Boss!!!"

Abi's shouting came from not far beside him, but was quickly covered by the Goblin's shrieks.

The collapsed defense line allowed groups of Goblins to have already rushed into the village.

Death, roaring,

what was happening between the villagers and these ferocious monsters right now was the most cruel hand-to-hand combat.

Discarding all distracting thoughts, Xia Nan gripped the iron-gray decapitation longsword with both hands.

Staring fixedly at the Bugbear in front.

Even if raindrops dripped from his eyelashes, he didn't dare to blink.

A familiar figure suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

It was Berg.

His face was pale, his eyes wandering, and one could see obvious anxiety and panic.

Seeming to be attracted by the sound, but after seeing the situation on the field, he stayed in place subconsciously.

Holding a wooden longbow in his hand, an arrow flashing with cold light had already been nocked on the bowstring.

The memory of defeating a Bugbear at the beginning of the crossing surfaced in his mind.

"Then let's try it!"

Beep—

Xia Nan suddenly whistled.

Letting Berg, who was behind the Bugbear in the distance, notice himself who had just arrived.

The two looked at each other.

Xia Nan felt that he had already expressed his meaning clearly through his eyes.

—First look at the longbow in the other party's hand, then pout toward Hong Zong to indicate, and finally point to himself with his sword.

The meaning was for Xia Nan to drag the Bugbear, and let the other party find an opportunity to shoot.

Berg was an experienced veteran adventurer, and after so many missions, he was incomparably certain in his heart that the other party could understand his meaning.

But unexpectedly, facing his proposal, Berg was very hesitant.

"What do you mean!?"

Xia Nan did not wait for the other party's response.

Because the next second, the Bugbear that had just escaped from the ruins and severely injured Adeline had already rushed toward Berg's direction.

Unlike its stupid peers, Hong Zong, who grew up under the shroud of its main god "Maglubiyet's" divine grace, possessed an IQ no less than that of humans.

The adventurers who died under its hands were no longer a minority.

Therefore, it naturally knew some most basic, but effective combat doctrines.

—Kill the back row first.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 138 =====