Anyi and Layton made their way to the training ground, where they found three of their companions already gathered, deep in conversation. Miruku was smiling, but it was the kind of smile that spoke volumes—a barely-hidden plea to escape, a silent wish to be anywhere but there.
Meanwhile, five hundred elite soldiers stood at attention around the training grounds, lining the perimeter in neat ranks. The king himself was seated at an observation balcony, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. He’d heard tales of the heroes' legendary abilities, and though he’d seen all manner of warriors in his years as king, he had never witnessed the heroes in action. Today would be a grand unveiling.
Once settled, Anyi turned to Ariana, intent on digging deeper into the fateful battle with the Goblin Centurion. “It may be a bit late to ask, but could you tell me more about what happened with the Goblin Centurion?”
On the journey back, he hadn’t asked them to recount the fight’s details, content in his silent acknowledgment of their growth. He wasn’t their parent, hovering and dissecting each lesson learned. He’d accepted that they’d matured; that was enough.
But after noticing Layton’s lingering doubts, he was curious about what exactly had shaken him.
“Ah, perfect! Karen might like to hear it as well,” Ariana chimed, casting a warm smile at the princess. Karen, who was still level one, had only heard of such battles from afar. With her sheltered life, her knowledge of the world beyond the kingdom walls was limited to what she could glean through tales. For her, stories were like windows to distant worlds, and her interest was clear in the gentle smile she returned.
Ariana began her recounting. “So…we set off into the jungle. That’s when we spotted not one, but three Goblin Centurions,” she explained, launching into the story with animated gestures. “Everything was going according to plan until…well, the Centurions actually arrived. We…may have had a bit of a crisis.”
She shot Anyi a mischievous smile, recalling an earlier part of the fight. “First, Anyi here got blindsided by the Centurion’s attack and was thrown—completely out cold for most of the battle!”
“Ah!” Karen’s hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide with shock. To think a mere Goblin Centurion had the power to throw the Sword Hero…how fearsome must this creature have been?
“Yes, and before that, we’d carefully outlined an action plan,” Ariana continued. “We set up positions, anticipated their movements…but when the real fight began, it didn’t go quite so smoothly. Dus and Layton struggled to take one down, and even Dus sustained a serious injury.”
Anyi listened silently, his brow furrowing slightly as Ariana recounted Dus’s attacks on the Centurion’s head. He sighed to himself. 'Dus, you know goblins’ weaknesses are in their abdomens… Why go for the skull?' Goblins’ skulls were their sturdiest points; aiming there wasted time and energy. He’d trusted that Dus’s experience with goblins would ensure a swift strike to the vulnerable abdomen, yet it seemed Dus had a particular flaw: he favored airborne attacks.
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Dus, with only 18 Strength points, lacked the raw power to cleave through the Centurion’s defenses. By attacking from above, he tried to add momentum to his blows, focusing all his strength into his staff. Against regular goblins or even hobgoblins, this strategy would have worked well; their durability was low enough that even a glancing blow could incapacitate them. But the Centurion was no ordinary goblin, and it didn’t rebound or counterattack as a slime might. It absorbed physical and magical damage alike, as long as it wasn’t struck in its few weak spots.
Anyi remained silent, observing as Ariana described how Dus’s airborne strikes managed only to daze the Centurion. Dus had miscalculated, and neither Layton nor Ariana had moved in decisively to support him. Their hesitation proved costly. The Centurion had shaken off the blows, regained its footing, and in the ensuing chaos, Dus had been seriously wounded.
Anyi’s expression softened. There was a lesson here, but he wouldn’t press it. He merely continued to listen, letting them tell the tale in their own words.
As Ariana continued the tale, she recounted Dus’s next tactic—trying to exhaust the Goblin Centurion by darting around, dodging blows and drawing out the fight. Hearing this, Anyi could only close his eyes and press his hand to his forehead. If he’d been there, he would have wrested Dus's rod from him and stuffed it into his own mouth to save everyone the headache. 'Such a pointless strategy!'
They had two swift fighters who could easily outpace the Centurion; why waste time and energy leaping back and forth? They could’ve just kept a safe distance while pulling Layton in to strike decisively. Instead, Dus practically faced the Centurion alone, barely coordinating with anyone. And the worst of it came when the Goblin Shaman arrived. Dus, distracted and unprepared, was struck by a surprise attack, an outcome that could have been avoided if they’d held the fight closer to Layton.
The story worsened as Miruku’s turn came up. She’d hesitated during the fight after seeing Dus hit, stopping to assess instead of moving to a safer position. With her incredible 35 Agility, she was the fastest in the group—a strength that became a liability when it bred overconfidence. She trusted her speed too much, failing to see that standing still in a dangerous field, no matter how briefly, left her open. Her swift reflexes hadn’t spared her a serious injury.
It was plain to see. Every one of them, in some way, had faltered. Big or small, they all made mistakes, and Anyi felt a twinge of frustration, but also a sense of opportunity. 'Maybe this was a lesson they needed.'
"Alright, I understand. I wasn’t there to help you on the spot, so I'll take the first share of the blame," Anyi said, looking around at them.
The five sat on the ground, having just finished Ariana’s story. Layton, who had been filling in gaps, glanced over as Anyi spoke.
“Anyi, you got ambushed—no one can help that,” Ariana said gently, patting his shoulder. “We made it out alive, right?”
Anyi shrugged her hand off, shaking his head. “I know exactly what went wrong for each of you. The Holy Maiden here—caught off guard, timing attacks wrong. Layton—always getting separated from his team. And Miruku…”
He paused, eyeing her. “Arrogant.”
Miruku’s eyes widened in shock. “Arrogant?! Me? I’m the humblest person here!”
Anyi only gave her a wry smile as he rose, brushing dirt off his pants. “Alright, let’s get to the training grounds. I’ll be the Goblin Centurion this time. Plan and execute as if you’re fighting the real thing. Let’s see how long it takes you to bring me down.”