Red Monster

Red had prepared everything; his weapon and armor were in fine condition. He even finished the remaining arrow, preparing for the war tomorrow after familiarizing himself with the sword.

The preparation rewarded him with another level in Mana Authority, reaching level 4. He used a lot of mana, managing it strictly and thoroughly. His control over his mana had become much better.

When the dark came, Red went to the kitchen for dinner. Darla spent her day in the kitchen, making more food than usual because of the reinforcement. They left together in case she was snatched.

Once they were inside, Red used his broken human language. The possibility of the night attack. He managed to get the message across, and Darla was frightened.

She started the day with the village under attack from the kobolds. After the attack was quelled, a random hobgoblin grabbed her and almost got defiled by a bunch of them. That was a series of traumatizing events, which was followed by long hours of work afterward.

Darla was completely exhausted, mentally and physically. She now heard the news that the hobgoblin might come back to kidnap her. She totally broke down there.

"Okay... I protect... okay..." He caressed her back.

She stayed in Red’s embrace for a while. That was what Red thought until he could no longer hear her sob. Something was amiss until he found out she was sleeping. Her eyes were completely shut as light breathing escaped her nose.

Red brought her to the bedroom. It was still the hay bed, different from the one they had in their old house. He put her on the bed, then he put the armor and dagger next to the bed. Then brought the loaded crossbow and put them together.

It was better for her if she slept through the night. He thought of not telling her the possibility of the attack. That might be better for him, but he decided to tell her because it would be better for her, so she could be prepared for what would come.

Red looked at Darla’s sleeping face for a while before proceeding with his plan. He slung the bow and quiver on his back along with the throwing spears.

After arming up, he climbed up to the roof. He just hoped the roof was sturdy enough to hold his weight. The house was intact, but it was not in a better condition compared to his last lodging. Fortunately, the roof could hold his weight.

He lay on his back on the roof, looking at the dark night. The waiting game started now. He still believed the tall hobgoblins would come with their lackeys. They would come much later when the other goblins and hobgoblins went to sleep.

He closed his eyes while his ears stayed sharp. A lot of goblins passed by, mentioning how they had a great night at the slave cave. The temperature dropped as the night matured, and there was no sign that a group of malicious goblins was approaching his house.

The night grew quieter as most of the goblins had already returned to their lodging. There was almost no noise but the breeze that carried the cold wind. He was not that bothered by the low temperature, as he found it was comfortable. He used to dip into the creek late at night, so the temperature really didn’t bother him.

Just as he thought he might be wrong about that tall goblin, he heard a movement. The rustling grass followed with light steps. He could hear them because the village was too quiet. The low whispers didn’t help the cover-up.

Red opened his eyes, grabbed the bow next to him, and put the quiver on his back. He slowly crept to the side, staying low while trying to get a clear view down below.

"Remember, we don’t want to kill that freak. We just need to take the woman and maybe break his leg so he can’t interrupt us."

Red overheard the conversation, and he assumed the tall hobgoblin was the one who talked. He could not really get a clear sight on them because they were hiding under the shadow where the torch light didn’t reach them. However, he could see the silhouette. Four tall silhouettes and six small ones.

He thought he might be wrong, but that conversation confirmed his prediction. They truly came to take Darla. The goblins were too obvious. They would not give up just because the Chief stopped them. He was glad that he made the right decision.

Red was on his right knee, his left hand gripped the bow as his right hand pulled an arrow, put it in the bow, and drew it into maximum stretch. He adjusted his breathing while waiting.

He was not going to fire the first arrow until they approached his house.

"Are you sure this is their house?" The same voice asked about the small silhouette.

"Yes, Boss. I followed him earlier. He and that female human entered this house. I even heard her cries. He might be tired and is sleeping right now. We need to strike him right now!"

"Good. Let’s go!"

Red took a deep breath and held his breath as the group came into the light. He guessed it right; it was the same group that tried to take Darla. That was when he released the first shot.

The whistling noise was loud on a quiet night that quickly alerted the group of ten. Before they could identify the noise, an arrow pierced the tall hobgoblin’s head.

A little blood sprayed as the body fell backward, which was followed by a thud. That startled the others, quickly turning their attention toward their boss. That was when the second arrow flew. The same whistling noise resounded as the second arrow hit the second hobgoblin.

A second body fell to the ground with a thud. One goblin screamed as the group was panic-stricken. The third arrow flew and hit the third hobgoblin with another headshot. That was when the group scrambled, crying out in fear.

Red didn’t budge from his spot, kept firing arrow after arrow. Even when they tried to flee, he didn’t show mercy. Despite the limited lighting, his arrow was hitting. One arrow every two breaths, and he shot the last fleeing goblins.

Not all shots were on the mark. It was still too hard for him, especially with the current circumstances. Most of them were left wounded as their cries rang in the dark night, screaming as loud as possible. It was clear that they tried to catch the other goblins’ attention.

Red remained calm, jumped off the roof, and landed with a thud. He calmly put the bow on his back, exchanging the body for loot. He got nine cores from the first three hobgoblins.

He retrieved the arrow before going to the fourth hobgoblin, getting another two cores from this one. Then he slowly made his way toward the surviving goblins. Four goblins were still alive with arrows on their body and legs.

To his surprise, no one came to scream. Not that he would stop killing them, but he was sure that the scream was loud enough to wake the sleeping goblins. Yet no one came for the cries.

He finished each goblin with a stab in their head with his spear. He finished them off one by one.

"What should I do with their body now?"

Red turned his head toward his house. He thought of waking up Darla and letting her get the loot until he noticed a movement. A small silhouette appeared from the village side.

"It’s me, boss!"

He heard a familiar voice and recognized it immediately. It was Tob’s voice.

"I have taken care of the situation. No one will come to stop you, boss. The area is safe!"

Tob appeared with a wide smile, showing his three missing teeth while pointing at his own chest, acting proud with his action.

Red truly didn’t care if the other hobgoblins and goblins came. He would still kill this group, but this was better.

"Good. You can have the body, but give me the coins!"

Tob’s smile got wider as he delightfully approached the dead bodies.

The little goblin quickly got his loot, exchanging them all as quickly as possible. He gathered the coins and gave them to Red, bowing his head before leaving the scene. He didn’t even ask why Red asked him for the coins, which he deemed useless.

Red counted the coins in his hand: 18 copper coins. He furrowed his brow because it was less than he expected. He was pretty sure that it should be at least over thirty coins if it was him who exchanged the loot.

It was because each goblin dropped two cores, and it would give at least five to ten coins each time he got two cores. He watched Tob exchange the loot, and the little goblin didn’t trick him.

"Is it possible that I have a better drop?" He muttered in a low voice.