Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

To be sure, no rule stated that a Wanderer couldn’t learn Magic. In fact, in the stories from Ron’s past life, both Tricksters and Arcane Thugs were Wanderer subclasses known for their Casting Ability.

But the Magic of these classes wasn’t something they acquired out of thin air. Just like Mages, they had to put in considerable effort.

And Delaford clearly didn’t have a Sorcerer’s bloodline. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be just a simple Hunter among the goblins. Casters were elite talents anywhere, and this was especially true among goblins.

’And... Cloud Mist Technique?’

Unable to figure it out, Ron decided to stop thinking about it. He hurried to catch up with Aive, unleashing a barrage of Flaming Arrows from behind the protection of her tower shield.

Although the appearance of the mist had made most of the bandits wary, they never expected an attack from two sides at once. The entire camp was thrown into utter chaos, and cries of pain and panic were endless.

Ron and his group didn’t get bogged down fighting them, instead charging directly into the tent.

Inside was a single, older bandit with a graying beard, along with two younger men. Ron guessed they were the old bandit’s son and nephew, roped in to act as bodyguards.

”Don’t move!”

Sera bellowed, leaping forward and snatching the old bandit. She clamped him tightly in the crook of her arm. ”Hand over the Half-Elf girl, or prepare to collect your leader’s corpse!”

”Uncle!” ”Dad!”

The two young men’s faces went pale with fright, but Aive struck one of them to the ground with a Shield Strike. Ron raised a hand and seized the other by the jaw.

”I’m warning you, don’t do anything rash.” Ron looked at the bandits swarming the tent entrance, then pointed the index finger of his other hand into the captive youth’s mouth. A fiery light flickered at his fingertip.

”One step forward, and his head will explode.”

”Where’s the Half-Elf you kidnapped a few days ago? Hand her over, and we can all go our separate ways!”

”G-Give her to them! Bring her here, quickly!”

The old bandit in Sera’s grasp hastily shouted the order. Ron’s group moved with practiced skill; their coordination was perfect. The one Aive had knocked down was his nephew, and the one whose life Ron held in his hand was his only son!

On top of that, his own life was in her hands. How could he dare not to compromise?

However, despite the situation, not a single bandit outside moved.

”What you’re doing is pointless!” a shrewd-looking bandit yelled. ”This is a perfect opportunity for us to pick a new leader!”

”This bastard took the money for himself and dragged us all the way out here to attack the town!”

”We got nothing out of it and lost a bunch of our brothers instead!”

Once that bandit spoke up, he struck a chord with the others. The disorganized mob immediately began to vent their frustrations.

”Let them go, and we’ll let you leave safely. We’ll even give you a few days’ grace to gather the ransom!” the shrewd bandit yelled again. ”Release them! This is pointless!”

”They’re right,” the old bandit said hurriedly. ”Let us go, and I can still make the call to guarantee the hostage’s safety. You see? They don’t care if I live or die!”

’Ordinarily, I would’ve enjoyed being in a woman’s arms, but not today. Today, all I can think about is how to stay alive!’

’Because this woman ”holding” me is stronger than a damn brown bear! Her arms are colder and harder than the giant axe she carries! The bulging muscles and veins alone are almost enough to choke the life out of me!’

”Then make your move,” Ron sneered. ”If the hostages are so useless, why aren’t you charging in? Come on!”

”Because you’ll use them as human shields!” The shrewd bandit’s eyes darted. ”That way, we won’t be able to kill you right away!”

”If you’ve got the guts, kill the hostage first! Then we can fight for real!”

”You think I’m an idiot...” Ron laughed contemptuously. ”Fire Bolt!”

A fiery light flashed from Ron’s hand. A spray of blood erupted beside him, splattering one side of his body with hot blood and brain matter.

Ron had aimed for the lambdoid suture, located behind the parietal and occipital bones. At this range, the power of the Flaming Arrow was enough to tear through the tissue of the oral cavity and punch straight through the skull via the suture.

The young bandit didn’t even have time to scream before his body fell stiffly to the ground.

A sudden, brief silence fell over the area, both inside and outside the tent.

”Are you crazy?!” The shrewd bandit exploded with rage. ”You killed your own bargaining chip!”

”That’s right,” Ron said, his face expressionless as he prepared another Flaming Arrow and aimed it at the old bandit’s nephew. ”Don’t worry, I’m just too ’cowardly.’ Even if you taunt me, I only have the nerve to kill these two younger ones. I’ll have to let the old one go. Please, I’m begging you, spare our lives.”

’Spare your lives? So I’m supposed to be the one who dies?!’ The shrewd bandit was already regretting his decision to show off how clever he was.

’Their boss has always been ruthless. I just goaded this guy into killing his only son and his nephew. If the boss actually survives this, is he going to let me live?’

’No way!’

’There’s only one way for me to survive this... but if I tell everyone to rush in, I doubt these guys will listen to me...’

Just then, the canvas at the back of the tent rustled, and Delaford slipped in from behind.

”Boss, I freed the Half-Elf!” the goblin announced with a triumphant grin. ”They were all crowded around here, so no one was on guard!”

”You... you people—” The bandit leader in Sera’s grasp nearly coughed up blood. ’How did I end up with such a bunch of morons!’

”You!” The bandits outside were stunned. They no longer cared about hostages; they just surged into the tent.

”Go on! Take your leader!” Sera kicked the old bandit forward. The shrewd one immediately rushed to meet him, only to plunge a knife into his chest.

’If I don’t make a move now, I’ll be the next one to go!’

”These bastards killed him!” The bandit twisted the blade before pulling it out and shouting furiously, ”Kill them! Avenge our leader!”

It was a clumsy ploy, but his comrades didn’t have time to worry about the details. First, they had to kill these intruders—who were even more ruthless than they were—and then they could decide on a new leader!

”In the name of Taimola, may the goddess guide you to victory!”

Buni crossed her hands over her chest. Four beams of light enveloped Sera, Aive, Delaford, and Victoria. The four of them felt their bodies surge with power, their movements becoming more agile and precise.