From my initial thrust, it only took a few exchanges to realize I was still stronger and faster than him. At some point, he began wielding his mace and attempted to bash my skull multiple times while just barely dodging my spear by a few inches time and time again.
I was stronger.
I was faster.
Though I could not harm him.
While part of me was still enjoying the fight, another part of me was upset at myself.
With the exception of my flames, I was fighting with everything I got, everything I’ve learned from the Outpost Leader, everything I’ve learned from fighting thousands of Goblins over the course of the last few weeks, everything I’ve learned from practicing and training by myself, yet despite all of that, I could not harm this Hobgoblin.
I took a step forward just in time to see him wielding his mace with one hand as it moved with speed towards my head from the left. I ducked and took a step in the direction he swung from before thrusting out with my spear from a crouched position towards his abdomen. He somehow managed to abruptly twist his back to the right and out of the path of spear. It was almost laughable.
His appearance would easily lead you to believe that he was all muscle, and would only fight with large powerful movements, but no, that would be far from the truth. He was agile as he was strong and followed up powerful blows with deft movements.
I continued to press and press and press, trying to catch him just once, but I only ever met air.
I didn’t like the situation, but I didn’t like ignoring reality either. He is a better fighter than me, perhaps far better than me.
From our exchanges thus far, I can somewhat estimate that he is likely around the 5th Cycle in terms of strength, and if that estimation was correct, it would mean that I was 2 cycles ahead of him.
Yet, I couldn’t touch him. If he was on the 7th Cycle just like I was, I doubt I would have survived as long as he is currently surviving at the moment.
I didn’t need any more wake up calls, because I was fully aware of the fact that I didn’t exist alone in this world, and just because I was strong here at Outpost G, didn’t mean I was the strongest in the Tutorial, let alone the entire Multiverse. And of course, that was only speaking of other beings in the Body Tempering Realm.
So, while this wasn’t a wake-up call, it was still a slight eye opener. It was one thing to assume something, it was another thing to experience it in reality. And experience it I did.
We continued to exchange strikes at what felt like blistering speed for a few minutes, before I began to hear something.
It was footsteps, and loud grunting.
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The gap in strength and speed wasn’t so wide that I could completely ignore the Hobgoblin in front of me, but it wasn’t too challenging to take a step back and disengage for a few moments, to listen to my surroundings.
The footsteps were heavy.
They sounded like the steps of other Hobgoblins.
Are there more of them?
….
That would be a problem.
I don’t know how many there are, but if they are all as strong as him, then that would be a big problem.
Hm, what to do.
Well, as much as I would want to continue this fight, as I’m learning things through despite the fact I didn’t like my lack of fighting ability, I wasn’t fighting for just myself.
Other people’s lives depended on this fight.
The flames within me sparked to life, and immediately coated the head of my spear. When the Hobgoblin saw it, his eyes widened for a split second before his face contorted in anger and then he spoke again for the first time since this battle started. Though it looked and sounded more like a guttural roar, I still somehow heard English.
“ATTACKKK!!!”
Those were his final words, before the flames expanded from spear and caught his chest.
“GRAHHHHHHH!!!!”
The scream of pain he let out was almost deafening, but that moment of pain caused him to stumble as he dodged to the right, and I didn’t let that moment go to waste. I planted my left foot, and with the spear in my left hand, I pivoted into a direct lunge towards his chest and extended my spear with everything I had into his heart. I didn’t let his screams stop me from continuing as I then latched my right hand onto the spear as well.
He tried to hold on to the spear, a nod to the amount of vitality he possessed to still be able to move despite a spear piercing his chest and flames burning away at his body.
Though grabbing the spear didn’t help him as I let out a scream of my own and drove the spear upwards while it was still in his body.
“Arghh!!!”
Bisecting him from his chest and all the way up and out of his skull.
The shock and anger in his eyes were still present as his blood landed on me while his body fell to the ground with a loud thud.
Before the dust even settled the footsteps, I heard earlier picked up significantly and was combined with the roars of tens of Hobgoblins, or at least that’s what I was assuming them to be. It took only a few moments later to put faces and numbers to the footsteps and roars I was hearing.
Tens of them? No…there were over 100 of them. Over 100 Hobgoblins heading this way.
They weren’t talking, only roars and grunts, so I’m not sure if that meant they were weaker than the one I just fought or not. It’s probably safe to assume they were since they were all also slightly smaller, but they were all armed and covered in armor.
Just that other day I was easily dealing with 10 Hobgoblins, and thousands of normal ones, but this felt different.
These Hobgoblins felt different. I will take no chances.
The wall of flames that I was so used to using quickly sprang up behind me.
Only a few seconds remained until they arrived, but something was bothering me. I couldn’t tell what, but something was really different here.
“RICHARDD!!!! BE READY TO FIGHTT!!”
I didn’t know what it was, but I couldn’t be everywhere at once, and while I would do my best to ensure not a single one of these Hobgoblins made it past me, that feeling was bothering me, what was it?
Why were my instincts screaming at me that something was wrong?
What was it? What was I missing?
I racked my brain and thought about every single thing that happened today, and even yesterday, but nothing. Nothing came to mind.
Even as the Hobgoblins crashed down on me, I still couldn’t figure it out. To my back, the flames covered the entire Outpost all the way around, and to my front I fought the oncoming Hobgoblins, who were weaker than the one from earlier but stronger than the previous ones from the last stage, likely 4th Cycle.
Then it hit me.
To my front?
Why would the only attack from the front?
“Ahhhhh!! They’re inside!!!”
Just as I had that thought, I began to hear screams coming from the Outpost.