Ossan Saikyō Chapter 3 Part 03
On the day of the large-scale subjugation mission.
A huge crowd had gathered in front of the gates of the town of Tolson.
First were the Lord’s soldiers. About 200 of them stood in formation, uniformly equipped with short spears and light armor. Of course, they were ordinary humans, not Awakened.
Commanding them was the silver-haired, crimson-armored female knight, Crimson Anatolia.
Alongside them were about 50 adventurers affiliated with the town of Tolson. Roughly half were D-rank and half E-rank. Naturally, Kaim’s party,〈Silver Ring〉, was among them.
There were also about 50 adventurers from other towns. Among them were C-rank parties, whose equipment and presence were clearly on another level. The difference was striking.
Apparently, most adventurers plateau at D-rank, and C-rank and above are considered elites.
Of course, I stood among the adventurers, watching Crimson Anatolia as she began her speech.
“Adventurers, thank you for gathering here today. And soldiers, well done in your duties. I am Anatolia, Knight Captain of the Barius Viscounty. For the next few days, you will be tasked with exterminating the goblins that have made their nest in the forests near this town of Tolson.
…
As you all know, goblins become a threat when they multiply. I ask that each of you do your utmost to eradicate them swiftly and complete the mission.”
Her voice was clear and dignified, a beautiful voice befitting her appearance. Yet after listening to her, she seemed young enough to still be called a girl. Looking closely, there was indeed a hint of youth behind her sharp features.
Of course, regardless of appearance, she was an A-rank, judging her by looks alone would be foolish.
“Damn… she’s insanely pretty-! Yowch!”
Kaim muttered under his breath, only to be pinched hard by Meribe and left writhing.
As I watched the antics of the youngsters, the speech ended and the order to depart was given.
◇◆◇
We spent a night near the village we had visited during the previous goblin subjugation mission, and the next day we entered the forest.
A D-rank adventurer led the way by tracking the goblins’ traces, with the rest of the adventurers following behind.
Behind them came the Viscount’s soldiers, led by the Knight Captain Anatolia.
It was on the second day in the forest that we found a large goblin settlement.
A scouting adventurer returned with a tense expression and approached Anatolia.
After listening silently to the report, Anatolia nodded and issued her orders in a calm voice.
“There is a large goblin settlement ahead. Scouts have confirmed five ‘King’ candidates, so there are at least 2,500 goblins. Naturally, a King is likely present as well. We will now launch a surprise attack and annihilate the settlement.
…
The King will be handled by myself or the C-rank party〈Fortuner〉. Do not interfere. Before the assault, we will perform a volley of magic. All magic users, prepare earth-attribute, stone-projectile spells.”
All adventurers began checking their equipment again. The faint clinking of metal echoed through the forest, heightening the tension that a large-scale battle was about to begin.
I also checked my weapons, armor, and backpack, then waited for the next order.
“Alright, advance.”
At Anatolia’s command, the adventurers moved out, followed by the soldiers.
After about ten minutes, a sunlit clearing came into view ahead, an open space within the forest.
As we approached, it became clear the clearing was about the size of a baseball field. Over a hundred goblin tents made of branches were scattered across it.
Naturally, countless goblins roamed around them. At a glance, there were easily over a thousand. It was honestly a chilling sight.
We lined up along the outer edge of the settlement and halted.
“Prepare magic.”
At Anatolia’s command, the mage adventurers raised their staves and began concentrating.
When party members raised their hands, it likely signaled readiness (E/N: As in, we're ready to fire).
As one member of the C-rank party raised their hand, Anatolia gave the order.
“Fire.”
On average, there’s one mage per party. With 100 adventurers, that’s about 25 mages.
And indeed, around 25 mages unleashed stone-projectile magic simultaneously, and the sight was overwhelming.
At E-rank, like Meribe, multiple fist-sized stones shot forward at high speed.
At D-rank, they launched spear-like projectiles made of stone.
And the C-rank mage who fired last rained down around thirty stone spears from above.
The power was devastating; in an instant, 400 to 500 goblins were blown apart in a spray of blood, and 60–70% of the tents were destroyed. One large goblin, possibly a King candidate, also fell.
“Charge!”
At Anatolia’s command, the adventurers rushed into the clearing. Even in this chaos, they moved in party units, typical of adventurers.
The Viscount’s soldiers entered shortly after, dealing with any goblins the adventurers missed.
To adventurers, goblins are weak enough to fight in groups alone, but to non-Awakened humans, they are still a serious threat.
Looking ahead, Anatolia had already left the soldiers behind and charged in herself.
With a single swing of her longsword, a blade of light shot out from its tip, cleaving multiple goblins in two. Definitely a skill at play.
But beyond that, her sword movements were invisible, and she occasionally moved with what looked like teleportation-level speed. Her combat style could only be described as inhuman.
I took the chance to observe an A-rank in action, but at the same time, I was at the edge of the adventurer line, smashing… no, obliterating goblins one after another.
Because this was a large group, the goblins were stronger, equipped with stone axes and spears instead of wooden clubs, but honestly, that made little difference.
Spears landed a few hits, but thanks【Steel Body】, their tips couldn’t penetrate my skin.
After crushing 20 to 30 goblins with my mace, I came across a tent that was still intact.
There might be some inside. I approached, intending to blow it away with my mace.
Gugiii!!
With a heavy roar, the tent burst open from within.
A massive goblin emerged, about two meters tall, excessively buff, holding a thick club, trembling with rage.
It was clearly a higher-tier goblin than the King candidate I had seen before.
Which means, could this be the king!?
“Whoa!”
A club swung down suddenly, I barely dodged it in time.
The impact on the ground was tremendous. If that hit directly, even【Steel Body】wouldn’t save me from heavy damage.
“That’s the King! Old man, fall back!”
I heard Kaim shout from a distance. Right, the King was supposed to be handled by Anatolia or the C-rank party.
But the King in front of me had already locked onto me. If I turned my back at this distance, I’d take that club to the back of the head.
Then I had no choice; stall and wait for backup.
The King swung its club wildly. It looked reckless, but its core strength kept it stable.
Backing away, I searched for an opening. Blocking with the shield would probably crush my arm along with it. Then… the mace… right, a counter.
The King raised its club, it would come down in a diagonal slash.
As it swung down, I swung my mace up from near the ground.
My target, the club itself.
The descending club and rising mace collided, and the difference in material shattered the club.
A massive shock ran through my arms, but I endured it and reset my stance. The King staggered back a few steps, its weapon destroyed.
Alright! Time to run-!
Just as I thought that, the King suddenly dashed forward. My reaction lagged.
Its right hook slammed into my body.
Even【Steel Body】couldn’t fully negate the impact, it shook my organs. It felt like my stomach would come out of my mouth. **Damn it… my vision turned red.
Blood? No, it was that skill.
Thanks to【Stability】, I barely held my ground. Then came a follow-up left straight.
I dodged by a hair’s breadth and slammed my forehead into the King’s hooked nose.
Idiot, headbutts are the strongest move in close combat.
The King reeled back, blood spurting from its nose, yet it still tried to grab me.
Even as it did, I raised my mace.
My target, its groin.
(E/N: All of us men felt that…)
Gugyaa!!
Yeah… that hurts, doesn’t it? I’ll end it for you now.
Gripping the mace with both hands, I brought it down on the King’s head as it doubled over in pain.
◇◆◇
“I see… so the King appeared right in front of you, and you had no choice but to fight.”
The remaining goblins were quickly wiped out, and now the soldiers were collecting mana stones from over 2,000 corpses. It seemed that was their main role.
Meanwhile, I was being questioned by the crimson-armored knight.
“Yes. I intended to retreat, but at that distance, turning my back would have been dangerous.”
“I see. Those who witnessed it say the same, so it cannot be helped.”
Anatolia placed a hand to her mouth and looked up at me, studying me.
Up close, I realized she was about a head shorter than me.
But seeing her from this close, she was undeniably beautiful, no, more like a beautiful girl. Her pointed ears suggested she wasn’t human, likely an elf, giving her an almost otherworldly presence.
With that physique and appearance, yet capable of fighting like a war god… an ex-A-rank was truly something else.
“By the way, I hear you have only just reached E-rank. Yet you crushed a King’s head in a single blow. That is considerable skill. Forgive me, but given your age, have you not been an adventurer for quite some time?”
“No, I truly only awakened recently. I’m just somewhat confident in my strength. This time, I was also fortunate to hit a vital point.”
“Fortunate, hm. Normally, a King is not something an E-rank can defeat one-on-one. If you truly just became an adventurer, then yes… you were lucky.”
“Yes. I failed to properly use my presence detection. I’ll be more careful next time.”
“See that you are. Very well, given the circumstances, your actions will be overlooked. However, remember that disobeying orders during a large-scale subjugation carries appropriate punishment.”
“I will keep that in mind. Thank you for your leniency.”
I bowed and took my leave.
As I walked away, she looked at me as if I were some rare creature.
Maybe my behavior didn’t seem like that of a typical adventurer.
Well, I did come from another world. Some things can’t be helped.
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E/N:
Crotch blast was probably the worst thing that happened to that Goblin King, sans death! Oof!
And Anatolia has taken interest in Ossan? Let's go!
Stay tuned!
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