"As a man! No matter how many enemies I face, I cannot back down!

As a Hero! If I retreat before a monster, who will protect the people behind us?” Layton cried, raising his fist.

“Well said!” Dus cheered, lifting his own fist high. “A Hero must have the courage to defeat monsters! Are you heroes or not? If you wish to bear that title, summon the bravery to stand tall and charge forward!”

“Bravery…”

“Yes... only courage can truly defeat monsters…”

“Why am I even afraid?” murmured another, his heart stirring.

White light flared from Layton’s hand, illuminating the [Hero's Shield], raised proudly above him.

"Kami-sama grants us the power to defeat monsters! Do we still need to fear them? No! We must rid the world of these creatures!”

“Ack ack ack—!” The believers, fists raised, joined in, some shedding tears of renewed resolve.

"Drive them out!!”

"Drive out the monsters!”

At last, the Heroes’ spirits surged, sparked to life by Layton’s fervor. Kami-sama had bestowed them with strength to fight monsters—today’s victory was proof enough!

“Destroy the monsters!

Destroy the monsters!

Destroy the monsters!” they shouted, tears streaming as they cast away the shadows of doubt.

From her place at the front, Ariana let two tears slip down her cheeks as she smiled, relieved.

Grateful, she turned, catching Anyi’s sleeve to wipe her eyes.

Anyi: “...Hey.”

Please, not on my sleeve!

Off to the side, Miruku hugged her knees, feeling lost in the raucous fervor.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Waaa, I can’t blend into this at all!”

With that, the second phase of the plan commenced—an infiltration.

The heroes split into teams, the level-5s tasked with targeting the Goblin Shamans to rise to level 7 and earn new weapons.

The prelude to the second stage had begun.

...

“What? Humans are attacking again?!” Govan growled in surprise, his eyes narrowed.

“Yes, they’ve begun advancing from multiple directions,” replied the Goblin Shaman, his voice trembling.

“Foolish humans,” Gothry sneered, his lips curling back. “Do they think we’re as unprepared as before?”

Just earlier, they had restructured their defenses. Eighteen Goblin Shamans were split into six groups, each group led by one Shaman who commanded thirty Hobgoblins and three hundred Goblins. Unlike before, the strategy now was layered—one group would engage head-on, and once the humans’ guard dropped, another group would ambush them from behind, trapping them in a deadly two-sided assault.

Six groups, three zones, converging on the humans from multiple angles to ensure no escape.

On the human side, the strategy was also well-prepared, led by Anyi.

“Our aim this time,” Anyi announced, “is to eliminate the Goblin Shamans as swiftly as possible, then regroup at the center. We have twenty-four Heroes, organized into six squads. The Goblins will be ready for us; they’re clever enough to adapt once they’ve gauged our strength. They’ll shift from frontal attacks to ambushes, so we have to be smarter. Split into three groups, with two squads per group. One squad will move forward to engage, while the second squad stays ready to assist.”

Anyi’s voice grew sharper. “The forward squad should focus on eliminating as many Goblins as possible. Then, whether or not the Shaman is down, they must retreat, allowing the second squad to step in fresh. We’ll repeat this process, conserving our strength while depleting the Goblins.”

He paused, letting his words sink in. “The enemy loses lives, but we only lose food.”

“Aw ack ack ack—!!” The Heroes cheered, finding renewed confidence in the simplicity of Anyi’s words. It became a contest of endurance—whose resources would last longer, the Goblins’ lives or the Heroes’ supplies?

With the plan set, Anyi’s squad began preparing for phase three. Once everyone reached level seven, they would gather for a unified strike. Anyi and his team, however, had a specific role: target the Goblin Centurions from behind. Their goal was to move quickly, tracking the Centurions’ movements before the main force converged.

The ideal scenario? Two Centurions leave the camp, leaving only one behind. But even a single Centurion facing the full Hero squad was unlikely to stand a chance.

As they advanced, Dus joined them without revealing his special skill, though he assured them it would prove invaluable against a Goblin Centurion. Anyi welcomed his aid.

They moved stealthily through the side of the forest unguarded by Goblins. Rose led the way, a rope binding her wrist, with Layton keeping a strong grip from behind to prevent any chance of escape.

‘Ha! Fools!’ Rose smirked inwardly, relishing the thought. Before departing, she had overheard Anyi briefing the Heroes on their numbers and plan, which meant her sisters back at the hotel could make a clean escape now that all the Heroes had left.

With only a few non-Heroes remaining to guards, freedom was within reach for her allies.