We traveled to some woods near the west of Istria. Plains surrounded the city for the most part, but we didn’t need to journey far before reaching a forest. Monsters were more plentiful in places that humans found hard to reach, such as mountains, woods, and caves, more so than plains.
Kobold nests were plentiful in forests. They built small-scale settlements in the clearings that typically housed a few dozen or so of their kind. We made our way over by foot, which was a fundamental adventurer practice, as monsters tended to attack and eat horses. On our way there, Dad explained the basics about kobolds and what to look out for.
“Kobolds aren’t as powerful as goblins, but they can be a pain to deal with. They make up for strength with numbers and group coordination. Still, they’re overall easier to fight than goblins, especially with certain methods. For that reason, they’re the first monsters that adventurers, swordsmen, and mercenaries take on. That’s why we’ve chosen kobolds, I presume?”
He directed his last words at Graste, who shrugged his shoulders in response.
“They may be at the bottom of the barrel, but you need to keep up your guard,” Dad said. “Even experienced adventurers have been killed by kobolds. If you lose focus, they’ll get you. No matter what kind of opponent you’re fighting, you must stay focused, collected, and ready for anything. That’s the first, indisputable rule of monster hunting.”
Initially, I wasn’t that worried about the danger factor. Maybe it was because I’d killed a goblin before, or a sense of security with the adults present, but the more I observed Dad and Graste, the more nervous I began to feel.
I had no intention of retreating. I needed to verify whether my magic was in fact effective against monsters. It would be too late if I needed to find out during an emergency struggle. Today had to be both an experiment and a battle experience.
“Our formation will be me, Marie, Rose, Shion, and then Graste. I’ll issue all orders. Graste will observe our surroundings and inform us of anything important, so stay alert. If we encounter the enemy, I’ll lead the vanguard. If they attack us first, take on only one at a time.”
Dad and Graste seemed relaxed. It was reassuring and made me feel that we would be fine with them. Their cool manner made Marie and Rose more relaxed than they were a few minutes ago.
We continued to talk as we walked through the plain, until we came to the forest. It resembled the woods closest to our house. It was probably around the same size. I didn’t see any other adventurers, and I only heard the sounds of footsteps and rustling leaves. Today, the typical soothing sounds of nature carried a hint of danger.
We advanced until Dad raised his right hand, then we stopped. Dad crouched down to examine some footprints. They were the size of a human child’s foot, but with only three toes each. Were those kobold tracks?
I strained my ears and caught a low and deep whisper of something passing by. I debated whether they were growls or even a distant conversation, but then I started to hear it everywhere. I saw faces through some nearby brush.
It was the kobolds! There were about ten of them. That was more than I expected. They had dog-like faces, ruffled, unkempt fur, and they reeked of the wild, just as Dad described.
I squinted and saw there was mana glittering faintly around their bodies. They had it exactly like the goblins.
Dad turned to us and signaled us to wait here. This was way too many enemies! Surely, we couldn’t take on this number at once. Dad drew his sword and nonchalantly started to walk towards the kobold settlement. I gasped from shock as he grew nearer to them.
The kobolds sat under a crudely raised tent. When they noticed Dad, they rushed through it, gripping their weapons. They yipped and howled like mad dogs, then encircled him while bearing their fangs.
Everyone was frozen in place until one of the kobolds charged at Dad. The others followed its lead. There were four or five kicking off the ground toward him at once. There was no way Dad could escape or take them all out at once.
So I thought! With a lowered posture, Dad weaved his blade through the attacking monsters, piercing their web in one swift blow. The kobolds howled and their bodies thumped to the ground as Dad’s sword concluded its arc through the crowd.
Neither us nor the kobolds understood what was happening. It all occurred in a single motion, and every last kobold lay lifeless on the ground within less than thirty seconds. There were no more signs of monster life here. Dad had exterminated them all.
Marie, Rose, and my jaw hung agape. We were awestruck.
“Goodness, Gawain, but you’re still a beast, ain’t ya?” Graste scratched the back of his head as he plodded over toward Dad. The rest of us shook off our shock and followed him into the kobold settlement.
Dad had taken them all out in one stroke. I wasn’t an expert, but I knew enough to know that wasn’t normal.
“We’re safe now.” He said as he wiped the blood off his sword and sheathed it.
Yes, we were technically safe, but weren’t we supposed to fight the kobolds too? Dad had taken all of our kills and we’d be unable to fulfill our goals for today.
Dad grimaced and nodded to us. “Don’t worry. That was just to trim their numbers. There will be a few more kobolds that will come back soon from hunting. You can fight those.”
Oh, good. Dad had thought this through. I knew he wouldn’t have slaughtered the kobolds without reason.
While we waited, Dad and Graste chopped off the kobold ears and collected them in a leather bag. It wasn’t a pleasant process, but the ears were the proof the guild required to fulfill the monster hunt. In the midst of that work, Dad glanced up into the forest.
We followed his gaze and saw about six kobolds standing in the distance. I immediately saw the fury in their snarling and menacing expressions. They didn’t come in for an attack. Instead, they hunched close to the ground and growled as they readied their weapons.
“Hunter kobolds have better battle instincts and are more cautious than the others,” Dad explained. “They can see that we don’t have ranged weapons, so they’re keeping their distance. Marie and Rose, move in front. Shion, stay behind. And Shion…they don’t have any ranged weapons either, so…”
“So, I can use magic on them.”
I readied myself and placed the Spark Gauntlet into position. I activated mana in both hands. The kobolds remained still, which gave me the time to do a test run. I snapped my right finger, applied mana to the flame, and used Flare.
The moment the blue fire shot through the air, I saw the kobolds shudder. They didn’t react immediately, but the moment Flare arrived before their eyes, I shot mana toward it from out of my left hand. The mana struck the blue ball of fire and it exploded.
With a fierce bang, the blast sent the front two kobolds flying as their flesh scattered into the trees. It was Bomb Flare, and it was even more powerful than I expected. I had to quell my elation and stay focused on my next move. I had to wait at least three seconds before I could re-activate my mana.
The surviving kobolds were considerably shaken by the explosion. They stood frozen in terror. I gathered mana into both hands again, but this time the remaining kobolds realized what I was doing and sprang through the air. They raced toward us faster than I could’ve imagined.
Two seconds had passed. It wasn’t enough; I needed one more second. The fact that you couldn’t consecutively release mana was undoubtedly magic’s greatest weakness.
One kobold swung an axe in my direction. Marie appeared in its path. I saw the metallic glint of her blade, and the blur of her body.
“You’re never getting your paws on Shion!” she shouted, and the axe was swept away. She had diverted its blow. Now the second kobold charged at me, but Rose intercepted its path. She parried the blow with a clean sidestep.
“You think you can beat us with such simple attacks?” she taunted.
This may have been Rose and Marie’s first real battle, but their movements were crisp, and didn’t betray any nerves. Marie battled the first kobold with her overpowering agility and speed, and Rose defeated the second monster with her sharp technique. I couldn’t conceal my surprise at their level of ability. I shouldn’t have been surprised given all the training they’d done.
I combined the mana from my two hands and turned sideways. Instantly, staff-shaped mana extended from my right hand, and I twisted my two hands together to birth an electric current. This was called Line Bolt. It was a fearsome zap of electricity created with compound mana.
Red lightning whizzed at the kobolds, and struck them with high-voltage electricity. The strike created a blinding light sparked along with a screeching pop.
“Garrruuuuu!” The kobolds howled in their death throes, collapsing to the ground in vicious convulsions. A burnt, foul odor rose off their bodies. Now, they were dead.
Wow…Bomb Flare and Line Bolt were fearsome attacks, to say the least. I suspected that ordinary Flare and Bolt would’ve only left serious burns, but not death. Compounding mana really did multiply magic’s effectiveness.