Chapter 22

The goblin scout leader saw that two of his subordinates were killed in a single encounter by the human children on the opposite side, his face instantly turned ashen, and his brows furrowed.

Realizing that each of the three human children before him possessed the ability to match his subordinates in direct combat, the Goblin scout leader gestured to his troops and ordered them; a dozen or so subordinates immediately split into two routes, vowing to encircle William and his two companions.

William understood that relying on John and Bulande's combat strength alone could not match the sheer number of Goblins; if they were surrounded, death would be certain, so he immediately commanded: "Fall back and pull!"

During the several months he spent guiding Bulande, John, and the other children in their training, he not only taught them martial skills and combat techniques, but also imparted some basic tactics for fighting in groups.

Upon hearing William's order, Bulande and John instantly recalled the tactics from their training; the three turned around and continued sprinting at full speed toward Bigen Village.

Seeing the enemy flee again, the Goblin scout leader immediately ordered continued pursuit.

The Goblin scouts were somewhat faster than William and his companions, but the trio kept a close distance while fleeing; moreover, before giving chase the Goblin scouts had dispersed their formation in order to surround the three, so when the first Goblin caught up to William's group, its companions were still some distance away.

"Together!"

William shouted, and the three simultaneously drew their Long Swords, turned, and charged at the Goblin that had caught up to them.

Seeing that it was about to catch up to William's trio, the Goblin was filled with excitement, but when the three suddenly drew their swords and attacked, it was caught off guard and instantly hacked into four pieces by William and his companions.

The other Goblins were startled, drawing their weapons to prepare for battle, but William's trio, after slaying that Goblin, did not look back and continued running forward.

The Goblins kept pursuing, while William's group repeatedly employed the same tactic; in a short while, the original scout squad of nearly twenty Goblins was reduced to thirteen.

The Goblin scout leader sensed something was wrong and immediately ordered his subordinates: "Guo gua ji ji ha!"

The remaining twelve Goblins, upon hearing the order, each moved toward the nearest Goblin, forming groups of four; three groups of Goblins then came from behind, left, and right to flank William and his companions.

Seeing that the Goblins had devised a counter to his tactics, William realized that his trio could not avoid a head‑on fight; he therefore ran into a densely wooded area unfavorable for overwhelming numbers and ordered: "Prepare for melee combat, one‑two split!"

"One‑two" means William alone forms one group, Bulande and John together form another, each engaging the enemy; "split" indicates a fight without formation.

Bulande and John understood that the upcoming battle would be a life‑or‑death struggle for the three of them; they immediately stopped, drew their Long Swords, and Bulande additionally produced a bottle of low‑grade red healing potion, tossing it to John and saying: "Use it immediately if wounded; don't be stingy."

John took the potion, nodded, and said: "Understood!"

The three Goblin squads surrounded William's trio; because the woods were dense, one squad moved to flank John and Bulande at the rear, while the other two squads advanced toward William, who blocked their forward path.

Although William was confident he could hold off the nine Goblins including the leader for a while, he could not attend to John and Bulande, and could only silently pray that the two would withstand the assault of the four Goblins.

Suddenly, several tearing‑through‑the‑air sounds rang out, and immediately William heard a familiar voice coming from not far behind him.

"【Sword Strike Consecutive Slash】!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!"

A dozen or so sword qi flew forth in succession; the thirteen Goblins were instantly severed head from body, and thirteen crimson fountains burst forth before William's party.

Bulande and John stared blankly at the scene before them, somewhat stunned and unable to comprehend what had happened.

William sheathed his Long Sword with a smile, turned, and said to his father: "Dad, if you arrive any later I won't be able to make you breakfast."

Having lived with his father for ten years in his previous life, he never knew his father possessed intermediate martial arts; he hadn't expected his father to hide such depth, perhaps every member of the White Shadow Squad knows intermediate arts.

David sheathed his Long Sword as well, instantly retracting the fierce aura from his earlier strike that had slain thirteen Goblins; he rubbed his head and laughed: "Sorry, sorry! I got the news while I was bathing, and getting dressed took a moment."

Upon seeing William's father appear, Bulande and John realized they had survived a disaster; their legs went weak and they slumped to the ground from exhaustion.

"Speaking of William, what's going on with these Goblins?" David asked sternly.

William informed David of how he and his companions had encountered hundreds of Goblins, and David's expression grew even graver as he said:

"The Goblin army has not launched a direct attack precisely to conceal its movements, but once they discover that the scouts they sent out have not returned for a long time, they will surely realize their whereabouts have been exposed and will likely attack at once; we must therefore return to the village immediately and organize the villagers for evacuation."

However, he left something unsaid: that given the proximity, it would be impossible for all the people of Bigen Village to retreat safely, and someone must buy time for the villagers' withdrawal.

William nodded, agreeing with his father's words, and said:

"Dad, please go back to the village and inform everyone that the Goblins are about to attack; as a Silver‑rank adventurer, your word will surely be believed by the villagers. Bulande, you should also go with my father to the village, and with you persuading your father, who is the village chief, the villagers will surely cooperate more fully in their evacuation."

"As for John, you will come with me to meet the few people who are going to my house to fetch traps, in preparation for implementing the second‑stage plan."

Bulande and John had no hesitation about William's arrangements, and like soldiers obeying orders they immediately replied:

"Good."

"All right, William big brother."

David stared, his expression somewhat complex as he looked at William, and hesitated: "William, aren't you coming back to the village with me? You know how dangerous so many Goblins are; this isn't something you kids should be involved in..."

Before he could finish, William thrust out his thumb, smiled, and said: "Someone has to buy time for the villagers' retreat, right? Don't worry, Dad—I've made so many traps; they'll surely work fine, and I won't be foolish enough to clash head‑on with a Goblin army."

Upon hearing this, David recalled his son's earlier hypothesis about a Goblin attack on Bigen Village, and remembered how William had spent every night in his room crafting traps until his magical energy was exhausted; seeing William, Bulande, and the other children now fully prepared and ready with a plan, that previously implausible guess resurfaced in his mind.

"I have something to ask you, William—come over here for a moment." David gestured to his son.

William, puzzled, followed his father to the side; seeing his father turn, his expression grave, he lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear and asked:

"William, answer honestly—did I die in my previous life at this very moment?"