A scaled arm shot forward and grasped the spear shaft. Claws coiled around it and twisted the spear in one go. A crunch rang out, resounding in David’s ears, as the man’s skull tore to make way for the spear blade.

First, they saw only one Kobold. It walked up the flight of stairs in an unhurried manner, revealing its long snout, sharp claws, and scaled body. The Kobold’s tail was long and thick. The tail smashed impatiently against the stairs while the creature made a weird gurgling noise as its vibrant yellow eyes landed on David and the rest.

However, its eyes lingered on Sebastian for the longest. It issued a deep growl and shouted something in a foreign language.

They can speak too? What language are they speaking, though? And where the hell are they from?

David had many questions about the Kobolds but he had to give them one thing. They were tiny. The Kobold approaching with slow strides was not even one meter tall. It missed a few centimeters.

As if understanding what David was thinking, the Kobold turned to him, the spear blade pointed at his heart. The Kobold snarled and was about to reach the third floor when more scaled creatures stepped out of the stairwell.

Four Kobolds? That’s bad.

David thought, but his heart was drumming in his chest.

“Stay calm. Maybe they won’t do anything–...” Sebastian couldn’t even finish his sentence as the first Kobold charged forward. Its’ spear thrust forward with shocking velocity. It was too fast to evade, forcing Sebastian to take the attack head-on. He used [Parry], pushing his body to react instantly. His position changed subtly, and the longsword whipped upward, blocking the initial spear thrust.

However, the Kobold wasn’t done yet. It was only the first thrust of a long sequence. Sebastian realized that barely in time and used [Parry] again. He shifted his body, adjusted his stance, and parried the second spear thrust. However, this time, Sebastian pushed the Kobold’s spear to the side, creating a tiny opening.

Jack grasped the opportunity and released an arrow without thinking. He didn’t have the luxury of spending several valuable seconds to take aim, but that wasn’t necessary anymore. [Archer Mastery] did the goliath portion of work.

The arrow propelled through the air and past Sebastian. It struck the Kobold square in the chest but didn’t inflict a major wound. The Kobold barely noticed the tip of the arrowhead as it pierced one of the scales covering the Kobold’s body. Jack cursed aloud and retrieved a second arrow, but the Kobold had already diverted its attention. It attacked Sebastian again, but this time the spear thrust was faster.

The weapon accelerated suddenly, passed through Sebastian’s [Parry], and dug deep into his shoulder. Sebastian groaned as the Kobold’s force impacted, but he didn’t give up like that. He switched from defense to offense and triggered [Slash]. The spear blade twisted in Sebastian’s chest, and blood gushed from the wound, but Sebastian moved ahead. His sword hummed quietly as it arced beautifully through the air.

The Kobold grasped the spear tightly, pulled its blade out of Sebastian’s chest, and backtracked. Sebastian’s sword missed the initial target but instinctively adjusted the attack trajectory while pushing forward, hitting and splitting the spear in one go.

The blue spear blade attached to a little bit of wood landed on the floor with a loud thud. David appeared beside the Kobold a moment later. The heavy baseball bat smacked hard as it crashed in the Kobold’s face. A deafening crunch rang out as several scales shattered, but David was certain his arms were in more pain than the Kobold.

The Kobold’s snout was deformed, albeit only a little; several scales were broken from the impact, and the small creature wasn’t hurled back. The Kobold didn’t even have to retreat a single step from the hit.

David glanced at his weapon for a moment as he heard wood bursting and cursed inwardly.

Are you serious right now?! The bat is cracked already??

Thin, cobweb-like cracks covered the bat’s surface. It looked similar to the shattered scales in the Kobold’s face.

David’s hair suddenly stood up to its end, and he kicked the ground to retreat. However, he reacted too late and moved a little bit too slowly to escape the incoming attack. One of the remaining three Kobolds charged at him, its longsword, which was as long as the average shortsword, but looked like a massive Zweihänder in the Kobold’s claws, cut David. The sword scraped across his chest.

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The wound wasn’t deep, but it was more than he’d expected from the blade’s tip, barely scratching him. His tracksuit was cut apart and drenched in clothes, yet the Kobold wasn’t done attacking. It pushed forward, laughing like a maniac as it closed the remaining distance between them.

Suddenly, a blue bullet of mana shot past his waist, tearing his pants, and impacted heavily. Flora’s [Mana Bullet] burst past David at the perfect moment. The Kobold hadn’t stopped laughing yet. Its mouth wide open, the mana bullet struck the target. It should have only hit the Kobold’s face, forcing it to slow down, but it entered the Kobold’s mouth and exploded when it struck the Kobold’s windpipe.

The Kobold’s sword clattered to the ground as the creature screamed in agony. It coughed up blood, tears of utmost pain gathered in its eyes, and it threatened to collapse. David used the momentum, drilled his feet into the ground to shift his position and push forward, and attacked. He took a full swing and used every bit of strength in his body to smash the Kobold’s head.

Several cracking noises resounded. The Kobold’s scales protecting its head burst apart, and the skull underneath cracked. However, the skull didn’t burst open. Instead, the heavy baseball bat shattered. It transformed into countless wooden shrapnels, which shot in all directions. Some of them struck David, scratching his arms and face, but he wasn’t done yet.

The other Kobolds aimed at Sebastian first. Either he was the biggest threat, or they hated him to the core for being tall. One of the two latecomers changed his approach and pushed toward David, who leaped through the air and rolled over the ground to jump up with the Kobold’s sword in his hands.

The sword wasn’t balanced well, and it didn’t look like it was made by an experienced blacksmith either. However, David knew how sharp the sword blade had been. His chest was still burning.

Another [Mana Bullet] hurled through the air, separating the latecomer from David, while several arrows pierced the injured Kobold. The Kobold, its throat shredded, writhed on the ground. Its’ danger sense perked up as the arrows came its way, but it was already too late. Three arrows headed to the Kobold, two piercing its neck.

That should be enough.

David figured, his attention drifting back to Sebastian. Sebastian didn’t look well. Even though one of the Kobolds lost its weapon, it still had its claws and fangs to fight. Sebastian’s only advantage was his sharp weapon. The Kobold’s scales could protect them from lots of damage, but it wasn’t enough to block Sebastian’s sword. The force behind his every attack was tremendous.

David hadn’t seen how Sebastian did it, but his sword impaled the unarmed Kobold. The Kobold was on the verge of death, but it kept scratching and biting Sebastian. Its claws dug deep into his chest and sides while ripping large chunks of flesh out of his upper chest and shoulder with its fangs.

The sight was bloody, yet also heroic. Sebastian protected Jack and Flora from the Kobold’s threat with his life on the line. His body was shredded, yet Sebastian didn’t give up. He kept protecting the youngster.

His taut muscles bulged suddenly, and the life in Sebastian’s eyes returned stronger than ever. He headbutted the impaled Kobold and twisted the sword inside the Kobold, ending the creature once and for all. The Kobold let go of Sebastian and slit seamlessly from Sebastian’s sword. It collapsed dead to the ground, leaving only two Kobolds to take care of.

He ranked up again. That’s great, but what the hell!

A few more arrows burst past David, hitting the other latecomer Kobold who’d thirsted for his blood, which was quickly followed by Flora’s voice.

“Rescue Sebastian!!” Her voice was tired, but the worry in it was overflowing. That made sense. Sebastian looked like he was on the verge of death.

A [Mana Bullet] and two more arrows came his way, forcing the Kobold to slow down. It snarled and headed for Jack and Flora instead of pursuing David. Flora squealed aloud, and David barely recognized what was happening as he accelerated.

He reached Sebastian in two hurried strides, activated [Cure Wounds] with the intent to use it twice simultaneously, and slapped the Warrior’s back with his brightly glowing hand. His Holy Sea churned wildly as the holy power surged into the [Cure Wounds] Skill Rune.

The Skill Rune was triggered, and its power surged into David’s hand, where it was forwarded to Sebastian. The soothing warmth flowing through his body and into his arm disappeared when he touched Sebastian. David urged the Skill Rune to mend Sebastian as quickly as possible before turning to Jack and Flora.

There was no time to check Sebastian’s situation or to help him. The others’ lives were in danger.

[Excessive holy power has been detected. Initiate Skill Rune overlock.]

[Proficiency of Cure Wounds increased.]

That has to be enough. You can do it, Sebastian!

Flora tried gathering mana at the tip of her Mage Wand, but her legs caved in. Her chest heaved up and down heavily, and her eyes looked dull.

She used her Skill Rune too often. Her Mana Core must be empty too. Fuck!

Jack released a quick series of arrows, slowing the Kobold, but it wasn’t enough. The Kobol’s sword turned into a blur as it cleaved down. Jack’s eyes turned sharp. They glistened for a moment and narrowed to tiny slits as he pushed his body to the left.

He didn’t evade the full attack, but instead of gutting him in one go, Jack only sustained a ‘minor’ injury in comparison. The blade cut Jack’s leg, leaving a deep wound behind.

A moment later, David appeared behind the small creature, the sword in his hand flashing brightly.