The bloody and brutal melee erupted in an instant!
Instructor Calm stood pinned to the very front of the battle line like a boulder, his longsword transforming into a flurry of silver light as he parried and thrust with pinpoint accuracy.
Roaring, he swept his sword to deflect five kobolds charging head-on. Before he could even draw his blade back, he spun around and slashed horizontally, severing the wrist of a kobold on his left.
Pulling his sword back, he slashed upward. Clang! Sparks flew as a stone axe was firmly blocked by his steel longsword!
Finally!
Calm thrust his sword backhanded, piercing the throat of another kobold as hot blood splattered across his leather armor.
Relying solely on his own strength, he had forcefully held off the five most ferocious kobolds in the frontal assault and slain one of them!
Meanwhile, Matthew, standing at the very rear, naturally witnessed this entire scene, his heart filled with shock.
‘Youth truly has the advantage in a fight... Flynn is definitely a Class holder, and his rank is certainly above Black Iron Rank, but even so, he became exhausted right after killing three kobolds.’
‘Yet Instructor Calm is still handling these five kobolds with ease.’
But what surprised him even more was Brody.
This young noble master!
Right now, his crimson hunting attire fluttered, and his chainmail gleamed with a cold light. Facing a pincer attack from two kobolds, his footwork suddenly became peculiar.
His feet tapped the ground like drumbeats; his chest expanded slightly as he inhaled, and his sword momentum surged explosively as he exhaled!
Pfft! His steel rapier snaked into a kobold's eye socket like a viper.
It was a breathing technique!
Unlike the gentle, flowing nature of the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】, Brody's breathing was scorching and violent!
As for what level it was at, Matthew could not tell for the moment.
Before the shock in Matthew's heart could settle from seeing the scorching air trails at the tip of Brody's sword, the battle situation suddenly deteriorated!
“Roar—!”
The kobold priest on the mound let out a shrill shriek!
The remaining dozen or so kobolds pressed toward Matthew, the mercenaries, Hal, and the others.
Rayson's wooden shield was split by a stone axe, and Hal fell into the mud; Sierra used her bow to block sharp claws, while the mercenary Remy and his two companions were back-to-back, locked in a bitter struggle!
Two strong, adult kobolds broke through the defensive line and lunged straight for Matthew!
Without hesitation, Matthew tore the cloth bag from his waist, even though this thing was worth two and a half gold coins!
But his life was more important!
He threw the cloth bag into the distant bushes with all his might.
The two kobolds had already rushed up to him, roaring.
They were much taller and sturdier than the previous goblins, with knotted muscles beneath their rough skin and bloodthirsty, savage glints in their slit pupils.
One held a crude stone axe, while the other brandished a wooden spear with a sharpened tip, flanking him from left and right with a gust of foul wind!
Matthew took a deep breath, instantly circulating the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 to its absolute limit. That gentle yet robust power flowed through his entire body, extending onto the blade of his sword.
Gripping the Finely Forged One-Handed Sword tightly, he parried upward against the stone axe swinging from the left.
Clang!
A heavy, dull collision rang out!
The force transmitted from the stone axe was far heavier and more ferocious than when he had sparred with Fabian, leaving Matthew's arm slightly numb from the shock.
However, even when Matthew had first entered the forest, he would have been able to handle this, let alone now. With his 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 having reached the Novice level, it brought a massive boost to his Constitution and Strength, as well as perfect coordination of his muscle exertion, allowing him to firmly withstand this strike.
To the current Matthew, though this brute force was strong, it posed no real threat!
Taking advantage of the opening, the wooden spear on the right thrust viciously toward his ribs!
Matthew's footwork shifted rapidly. He turned his body and twisted his waist, sliding and guiding his blade down along the force of the stone axe. This not only deflected the axe but also allowed the tip of his sword to trace a cold light, accurately striking the side of the wooden spear and knocking it off course.
Failing to land a hit, the two kobolds grew even more frenzied.
The axe-wielder roared and raised its weapon once more, while the spear-wielder adjusted its angle, coordinating to thrust at Matthew's lower body.
Matthew's eyes were sharp, his breathing rhythm and movements perfectly integrated. Spotting the opening on the neck of the axe-wielding kobold as it swung down with all its might, he stepped forward instead of retreating. Pushing off the ground, he swung the Finely Forged One-Handed Sword upward in a diagonal slash!
Upon the edge of the sword, an extremely faint condensed force, brought by the circulation of the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】, was subtly attached.
‘So the breathing technique at the Novice level can indeed be applied to the sword blade!’
Although it was far less conspicuous than the pale glow on Flynn's scythe, it still elevated his power by a whole level!
Coupled with the "Armor Penetration" of his Green-quality one-handed sword!
Splat!
The blade precisely avoided the thickest part of the kobold's rough leather armor at the shoulder and neck, slicing diagonally into the relatively fragile side of its neck.
Backed by the instantaneous explosive power of the breathing technique, the finely forged blade felt as if it were cutting into slightly tough leather. Despite some resistance, it still smoothly sliced through the tough skin and muscle until it struck bone!
Warm blood sprayed out.
The kobold froze in its tracks, the stone axe slipping from its hand as its massive body swayed and crashed to the ground.
Small black text popped up before Matthew's eyes:
【Basic Swordsmanship proficiency +1】
【Basic Swordsmanship proficiency +1】
【...】
Seeing its companion killed in an instant, the savage glint in the other spear-wielding kobold's yellowish-brown slit pupils froze, instinctively revealing a trace of fear born from primal instinct.
Its advancing steps hesitated for a moment, its thick tail sweeping the ground uneasily.
How could Matthew let this fleeting opportunity slip by?
Without stopping his footwork, he used the momentum from slaying the previous enemy to leap forward as swiftly as a cheetah, closing in on the spear-wielding kobold.
In its panic, the kobold managed to thrust its spear forward again, but its movements were already frantic.
Matthew sidestepped the spear tip. Using his forward momentum, he swung the Finely Forged One-Handed Sword upward from a low diagonal angle!
Upon the edge of the sword, that imperceptible yet very real condensed force circulated once more.
Splat!
This strike was faster and fiercer! It precisely sliced across the kobold's unprotected throat.
A sensation of an even smoother cut than before came through, and warm blood gushed out like a fountain.
Clutching its throat, the kobold made wheezing, gasping sounds as it stumbled backward, finally collapsing heavily into the mud to join its companion.
In just a few short minutes!
Two fierce, adult kobolds had already perished beneath his sword.
Matthew stood with his sword in hand, slowly adjusting his breathing. As the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 circulated naturally, white mist manifested out of air around him, faintly forming the shape of a small snake.
After a dozen or so breaths, he calmed his surging blood and energy.
Flicking the blood droplets off his blade, a wave of emotion far more turbulent than the battle itself surged in his heart.
The process of slaying the two kobolds just now had been smooth and seamless. Compared to before he entered the forest, or even right when his breathing technique had just reached the Novice level, it was like night and day.
‘This attribute increase... is simply too shocking!’
He could clearly feel the changes within himself.
With sheer force, even a brick could fly—this was probably the best way to describe Matthew's current state.
He panted heavily. Although his sword strikes just now were simple, the kobolds' physical constitutions were indeed robust, and every swing had consumed a tremendous amount of physical stamina.
Although his surrounding companions were not having an easy time either, Matthew had no opportunity to offer further assistance at this moment.
In this forest, placing one's own safety first was always the optimal choice.
Immediately after, he began drawing his bow, shooting cold arrows at the surrounding kobolds from time to time.
Meanwhile, he looked at the panel before him that only he could see:
Rate on N.U.
