Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

“She’s truly refined the art of combat to perfection.”

When the fifth Tiger Man fell, simply observing from inside the carriage through Arcane Magic was no longer enough to satisfy their curiosity. Ron and the others all stepped out to experience the awe this Elf inspired up close.

Among their companions, Sera represented dauntless courage, Aive was an impenetrable fortress, and Quest, Seymour, and Constance focused more on refined techniques and agility. But none of them could fuse power, agility, and technique as perfectly as Anastina. It was less a fight and more a demonstration of art and science.

“Maybe I could reach her level by the time I’m a hundred,” Aive sighed in awe. “But at that age, I doubt I could maintain this kind of physique.”

“Disarm, Taunt, Intimidate, Parry, Counter… add sweeps and trips to that… is there any technique she hasn’t mastered?” Sera clicked her tongue. As a fellow greatsword wielder, her appreciation for Anastina’s technique was even deeper than the others’. But even she wasn’t sure she could pull all of that off.

After all, for a barbarian, “brute force gets the job done” was a much simpler approach than such precise control.

“Damn it, Boss, this one’s a real handful!” A Tiger Man, forced by the Elf Great Swordsman to revert to his normal size to dodge her attacks, retreated miserably to his leader’s side. “Why don’t we just retreat?”

“Retreat? Easy for you to say!” the Tiger Man leader snorted. “How long has it been since any of us had a decent meal? If we miss this chance, who knows when the next one will come along!”

“Didn’t you see those people who got out of the carriage? The clothes on their backs alone are worth a fortune! Where else are we gonna find such fat sheep?!”

“Uh…” The Tiger Man gritted his teeth. While his instincts told him these people weren’t fat sheep—more like Owl Bears or Scorpion-tailed Lions—his gut agreed with the leader’s assessment. “Then what should we do? We’ll listen to you!”

The Tiger Man leader mused for a moment. “Didn’t we take in that batch of strange-looking clansmen? We’ve been feeding them every day. It’s about time they earned their keep!”

“But the elders said they’re a curse…”

“We don’t have time for that!” the Tiger Man leader growled. “Get them to move. Bypass that Elf and attack the people behind her directly!”

“Focus on the black-haired human male. He looks like the leader!”

“What’s the matter, getting tired?”

With a magnificent flourish of her sword, Anastina forced back all the Tiger Men before her. She watched the brutes mockingly. “You should learn to pick your battles. People like me are out of your league!”

“Everyone, stand down! Let them pass!”

To the Elf’s surprise, the Tiger Man leader suddenly changed his tune, his previous arrogance replaced with deference as he ordered his clansmen to clear a path. “Our apologies, our apologies! We admit defeat! Please, go on ahead. We won’t trouble you again…”

“That’s more like it,” Anastina nodded in satisfaction. Without turning back, she called out to Ron and the others, “Sir, it’s all clear. We can get back on the road—”

The Mercenary’s raised hand froze in mid-air. Her pointed ears twitched, seeming to catch an imperceptible sound. “Wait…”

“It’s an ambush!”

It was Victoria’s voice that shattered the superficial peace. The Priest instantly raised the Hell Angel’s Zither, but before a domain of light could envelop most of the party, the shield, made of living wood, let out a pained shriek!

An arrow materialized out of thin air, having nearly pierced the Kite Shield!

“Watch out! Invisible enemies!”

Even though the Priest of Heim had sensed the sudden danger and reacted, she hadn’t been able to cover every angle. In her peripheral vision, a distorted blur of light and shadow shot in from a distance at high speed. It bypassed the carriage, Aiksuuri, the others, and Anastina, only revealing its dark green true form as it drew near.

But by then, it was too late to react. The dark green figure brandished claws shimmering with an eerie green light and clawed straight for the back of Ron’s head!

With a sickening RIP, Ron was torn to shreds by the sharp claws like a rag doll, with no chance to fight back. The ambushing creature, however, didn’t stop for a moment, instead turning swiftly toward Silvia!

Its target was clear: any potential Casters and the leader!

“Dark Magic!” Just as the creature’s unnaturally sharp fangs grazed her cheek, Silvia, the Vampire Mage, barely managed to react. The crystal on her Walking Stick spewed a cloud of Magic Black Fog, completely shrouding her within the Dark Magic. As the attacker shot its claws forward to rip her apart inside the fog, Silvia transformed into a wisp of mist, narrowly dodging the fatal blow.

Only then did the group get their first clear look at the newcomer. He was also a Tiger Man, but compared to the rabble blocking the road, this one had a larger frame and a much leaner build. He had supple, smooth muscles, and his fur was obviously well-groomed. Yet, no matter how much care he put into his appearance, he couldn’t hide how bizarre he looked.

The Tiger Man’s entire body, from his eyes to his claws, emitted a shimmering green glow. Even the breath he exhaled into the cold air formed an eerie green mist.

“Damn it, did this guy take a bath in a vat of Strong Acid?!” Aiksuuri yelled, spewing a breath of Strong Acid—similar in form, if not substance, to that of a Black Dragon Descendant—at the newly appeared Tiger Man Assassin. “Ron! You can’t be dead just like that!”

Just as Aiksuuri expected, his opponent was almost immune to the Strong Acid. Even so, Aiksuuri used his Giant Dragon physique and magical aptitude to keep the creature occupied, buying time for the others. The Tiger Man Assassin’s attacks also relied on acidic corrosion, which meant neither could defeat the other quickly.

However, there was only one Aiksuuri. With the first Tiger Man Assassin engaged, more and more green Tiger Men broke their invisibility, swarming the party from all sides!

“Brothers, it’s time to strike back!” The Tiger Man leader, who had been so subservient moments ago, was ferocious once more. He led the charge, leading his clansmen to intercept the Elf Mercenary who was trying to fall back and provide aid.

“You despicable cowards!” The Elf Great Swordsman had watched her patron get torn to shreds, and it sent her into a frenzy. Her Swordsmanship lost all its flair; every strike now aimed straight for the Tiger Men’s vitals. With every two or three clashes, another ordinary Tiger Man fell in a pool of blood!

“You were asking for it!” the Tiger Man leader laughed. The pair of scimitars in his hands hammered against Anastina’s greatsword like a torrential downpour. By overwhelming her with sheer speed, the leader, who had been on the defensive just moments ago, was now fighting the Mercenary to a standstill.

“Your leader is dead! Surrender is your only way out! Otherwise, you’ll end up just like that little brat—”

Caught off guard by the ferocious assault, the unprepared party was thrown completely on the defensive. The Tiger Man leader and his forces, however, fought with mounting courage. Anastina, her stamina now drained, was beginning to lose ground. But just as the Tiger Man leader spotted an opening in the Elf’s defense, preparing to break through her flimsy armor and deliver a fatal blow, a ray of light—many times more dazzling than the winter sun overhead—suddenly blazed to life behind him!

It was Ron. The body that the Tiger Man Assassin had torn to shreds now melted away before everyone’s eyes like spring snow. But his voice, as chilling as a winter gale, emerged from behind the Tiger Men along with the dazzling radiance. “I knew something was off. A band of robbers picky enough to choose their targets wouldn’t just let a prize slip through their fingers. Anastina barely used lethal force!”

“Besides, Reveal Invisibility lasts for a full hour, and Mass Suggestion Magic can last for an entire day. But none of that matters now—everyone, get clear!”

As Ron finished speaking, his Magic was ready. A dazzling ray of light shot from his hand, blasting a line one and a half meters wide and twenty meters long at an incredibly difficult angle. As it unleashed its violent, radiant energy upon everyone in its path, it blinded them.

“Ultimate Flash: Sun Flame Ray!”