Chapter 17: the goblin tribe

The goblin hunting party had a total of six goblins. Five were ordinary goblins with an average aura of 13 points, including one carrying a sack of stones who was clearly a stone thrower. Then there was a big goblin twice the size of an ordinary goblin. He wore tattered leather armor, carried a short sword, and boasted a Novice rank aura of 20 points.

​Seeing the hunting party, Lily and Anna viewed it as a minimal threat just perfect for Velvet’s training session. Lily turned to Velvet and asked, "Can you handle them, or do you need assistance?"

​Velvet shook her head. "Don’t worry. This threat level is very low for me. I can handle it myself you just watch."

​Velvet stepped forward, entering the big goblin’s detection range. The big goblin suddenly let out a roar, causing all the other goblins to snap their heads in Velvet’s direction.

​Seeing that she had drawn their attention, Velvet wasted no time. She drew her katana, held it with both hands, and entered a combat stance. Although they were not a serious threat, she took the hunting party more seriously than the individual goblins she had fought earlier.

​The goblins charged forward. The first goblin swung its club at Velvet’s head. Velvet she dodged and slashed diagonally, cleaving the goblin in half. Just as she did so, a second goblin attacked her waist. She twisted her body to dodge the strike while simultaneously blocking another goblin’s attack with her blade. She then leaped backward to reset her position.

​this exchange took only a single second. She had killed one goblin, leaving four remaining.

​Seeing that velvet had not stablized her footing, the big goblin thrust his short sword forward. Velvet saw that the big goblin had taken the bait she easily sidestepped the thrust and slashed horizontally, severing the big goblin’s head. The remaining goblins stood there stunned because there leader was slain that easily. Velvet stepped forward and killed another frozen goblin.

​Realizing they were alone and had no chance of winning, the remaining goblins tried to flee. But It was too late. Velvet charged forward and cut them down. The entire fight took less than half a minute, leaving all six goblins dead.

​Watching from afar, even Brian was surprised. Velvet had managed to wipe out a goblin hunting party without using her Title or taking any damage, relying purely on her technique.

​This time, only energy orbs dropped no loot appeared and because the fight ended so quickly it didn’t cause a major commotion.

​Brian turned to Smith. "Based on what we just discovered, there must be a goblin tribe nearby. Creatures like these usually live in social groups like tribes. Judging by the size of this hunting party and the fact that its leader was just a big goblin, the tribe isn’t very large. Hunting parties rarely travel far from their settlement, and since they weren’t carrying any prey, they were still in the searching phase. The direction they came from must lead straight to their settlement."

​Smith didn’t object, knowing Brian was far more experienced. The group headed in the direction the hunting party had come from.

​After searching for a while, they found a clearing in the forest containing a settlement. Roughly 40 goblins were visible, including several big goblins with strength similar to the one in the hunting party.

​Brian explained to Smith, "Goblins usually live in caves rather than forests, so this tribe must be newly formed. Newly formed tribes are typically led by a Hobgoblin. Those guys are Intermediate rank creatures with physical enhancement and combat skills. They’re evolved species and are considered elites among goblins."

​Brian proposed a plan: "Lily and Anna can hold off the big goblins, the Hobgoblin, and a few others. That way, Velvet can fight a smaller group without being overwhelmed."

​Overhearing this, Velvet immediately refused. "You don’t have to worry about me. I can handle it myself. These weaklings aren’t enough to fill the gaps between my teeth."

​Brian knew she was strong, especially since she hadn’t activated her Title earlier. Still, to be safe, he instructed Lily and Jack told Anna to keep a close watch and step in if any unexpected situation occurred.

​Velvet stepped forward. Instead of luring them out one by one as the group expected, she walked directly into the camp to crash head on.

​Before long, a goblin on the perimeter spotted her and let out a sharp cry, alerting the entire camp. Moments later, the Hobgoblin emerged from the center of the camp. To their surprise, the Hobgoblin was an Archer, while the big goblins wearing tattered leather armor served as his vanguard.

​The camp held one Hobgoblin, six big goblins, and approximately 40 ordinary goblins. Velvet scanned the group: the ordinary and big goblins matched the hunting party’s levels, but the Hobgoblin was an Intermediate-rank creature with an aura of 32 points. Because it was an Intermediate creature, it possessed physical enhancements—likely focused on attack , given its archer attire and heavy protection from the big goblins.

​Velvet didn’t wait. A tight defensive guard formed around the Hobgoblin as a small detachment of 10 goblins, led by two big goblins, charged toward her.

​Rather than wasting time on small fries, Velvet summoned one of her pawns to confront the vanguard while she directly activated her legendary Title: The Blade Saint.

​Her aura visibly shifted, surging from 10 points to 30 points. Her legendary Title doubled both her speed and attack, effectively tripling her total aura output.

​The onlookers were stunned. Smith hadn’t expected that activating her Title would instantly push her aura to the beginning of the Intermediate rank. Lily and Anna paused in shock an ordinary Golden Title usually only doubled an aura level, making Velvet’s power surge completely unheard of.

​Brian and Jack refrained from questioning Smith about it. They knew that Smith sharing this much already demonstrated his trust, so they quietly kept watching the fight unfold.