'My mouse's squeak was put to shame'

Despite the fact that I had collected a number of rare and useful titles or skills, I had only one attack skill and one heal skill for fighting. As well, I was level seventeen, now, and all of my stats except for Agility had risen beyond my level. I needed titles for stats or to train my stats more than I needed to gain levels right now.

I had turned my combat notifications off early this time so I had no idea what skill levels I gains in Bow Hunting, but with an additional front liner to replace me and a second support I was able to empty the rest of my handmade arrows. Then I decided I might as well join the fun in the next wave.

After moving Papi and Skooma further to the sides by their respective relations between the fifth and sixth wave I joined the front line with Go ten yards to my right. Now the back row had moved in around Ivana to more actively support with the few ranged magics that they could use. Cweeper did not have any ranged attacks but what she could do was run in whenever somebody took more than one or two hits and lay Soothing Hands on them through their armor even while fighting.

I was once again using a pair of Bokuto but these were made of Hardened Hickory so they drained away a handful more damage than the original oak Bokuto. They also had half a time more durability. Which, somehow, was only increased when the weapon was enhanced with beast parts.

Even though there were a minimum of six three or so foot tall goblins per person running at the four people on the front line, we all either had a skill that could attack and or knockback multiple targets at once or Papi was armed with a weapon that could fulfill the same role.

However, unlike the others I did not come equipped with benefits to compensate for the drain in my stamina from using skills. Luckily, I could easily use 360 Edge twice and recover most of what I lost with First-Aid. As well, 360 Edge was a skill that I developed myself and thus could be used freely without a cool down despite having a high stamina consumption to compensate.

In this way, the front line could take minimal damage while taking turns knocking the short hoard back into itself while sustaining AOE damage from the alternating attacks of her support mages and familiars on the sides. Every now and then, a bloody goblin would jump up from the ground and attack one of its fellows, as well, but it was not long before they were clubbed down.

These distractions, no mater how small or how few were involved, were enough to disturb the flow of bodies and thus buy us on the front lines even more time to find a way to control the situation. Like icing on top of a beautiful cake, most of the few attacks I received even in the seventh round rarely did double-digit damage now that I had a belt on. Once everybody had the stats for heavier gear, not counting the blessed armor Papi wore, we would be nearly unstoppable.

My thoughts on the subject slowly but surely started to change, though, because I started taking steadily more attacks and enemies were constantly getting around me or the others to attack the back like. Even though I had a full-circle-swing attack, the others only had frontal knockback skills or could only knockback however they managed to attack.

Thankfully the female dusk imps that everyone had tamed from our previous hunt were all gaining experience and confidence. Even Cweeper would randomly lash out while healing, casting out streaking claw marks of random elements from her all-purpose Elemental Claw skill. I was pretty proud of her whenever I noticed a goblin burning beside me.

During the ninth wave we received our first push and I could feel that seventy goblins in the tenth wave would be a huge number to take on. Even if the difference was just one more club hammering on my foot, each clubbing had an average worth of six HP and any time I was hit right now I was already being hit three or four times. Damage Per Second was lethal.

Luckily, it was half of the way through the ninth goblin wave that I received a pleasant notification.

[Skill: 360 Edge has been Initiated]

[360 Edge: After long hours spent forging your attacks in the fire on combat, you have mastered a specific form of striking your opponent and made it uniquely your own. Skill damage is now (125)% of true damage with (1.5)ft of knockback and 360 Edge adds a passive to all jumping spin attacks of +(10)PATK and a half-step of knockback.]

The first thing I did was taking a lunging step forward into the goblins, cross-slashing both Bokuto outward from my body to open the way before diving forward into a 360 edge while in the air. The area around me was quickly cleared of enemies except for several splatters of blood. Against enemies like these, plus-ten to my overall attack values negates their defenses for full attack damage.

The ninth wave ended only a minute or two later before I called out, "Meat and buffs! I call dibs on the big guy, too," I call out as Papi and Lil cast there buffs with the addition of the Summoner class's initial Willpower and Endurance buff. Just as I was stuffing five sticks of improves meat into my mouth, now worth fifteen Health Points thanks to some E grade seasonings, the final wave's combat alert struck my gaze.

[Acquired Skill: Overeating]

[+10XP]

[Overeating: After constantly stuffing your face at the worst of times and only during those times, you have developed a skill to help you swiftly fill your face with food and put it away while still taking full advantage of your food]

The description did not tell me the actual affects of the skill, but even with five chicken-tender sized pieces of meat in my mouth I did not have any discomfort or trouble. In fact, as I swallowed small mouthfuls of meat every time I got hit I started feeling better than I did at the start of the round.

My armor was finally entering the 'danger' zone of having only one fourth of its overall durability. Except for my brand new belt, anyway. However, the tenth wave was only half gone and I was low on options. So, I threw my Bokuto down on the heads of two goblins before drawing Blackened Fuller Haunter to start taking heavy two-handed swings for making space.

Not only my armor but I soon got a notification that my primary weapon had dropped below half durability as well. After tonight I would have no choice but to spend all day tomorrow working in a smithy or some other form of workshop. Maybe I would be able to try undoing the sword's temper to help cook off the ridium with the carbon before scrapping it.

Regardless of whether or not I had been wielding two weapons before, I was now wielding a weapon with more damage overall than both Bokuto together and put to use its cutting edge in scoring different crits. This helped to relieve the stress on the others who I tempered with my weapons practice.

By the end of the final goblin wave, though, I was dog tired even after finishing the meat I was eating and casting First-Aid on myself. Sadly, the previous wave was started with heals from our mages so I was low on options even as I received the next combat alert. Then, like a blessing from heaven, a pair of Soothing Hands were pressed against my back.

My body suddenly started relaxing and feeling like as the burdens I had placed on it with improper healing methods slowly became resolved. The difference of adding twenty goblins to the tenth wave had been a big one but it was worth it. everybody's clear rating and experience rewards would probably go up from those increased numbers.

As the hobgoblin warrior and its giant prized club finally exited the tunnel with only Cweeper and I within fifteen yards, I shoo the priestess back before pulling a second Fuller Sword from the ground nearby and roaring at the big beast like a kid in elementary school who was confused about fighting from TV shows. Unlike in school, though, when everybody would just stare back in response the hobgoblin warriors flexed its body and leaned into a thunderous roar of its own.

My mouse's squeak was put to shame.

Feeling half as good as I had been when I started the tenth wave, I rush forward with my swords held low and aimed forward at the ready. The hobgoblin warrior abruptly slammed its four-and-a-half-foot club straight down the middle at where I was coming from. I simply stopped in mid-stride to slide forward through the soft and barren topsoil at half speed before hopping up and forward.

Raising my knees up to my chest to increase my upward force as I jump up over the length of the club, I slam both feet down onto the middle of the club and stab both swords forward into the meaty bicep of the monster's extended arm.

They roared a second time as the club was snatched from the grip and I twisted my swords to pull them free, but this time it was a deeper and pained roar up at the air as thick fluids spurted out like arterial spray from its ruined bicep.

Pressing my advantage while I still had it, I leap up from my crouched landing to pursue the backpedaling monster and cross-slash my swords outward ahead of me. The full points of both needling sword points whipped completely across and through its throat from one side to the other.

The health bar that had previously lost fifteen percent was now drained to a slowly bleeding fifty percent. Knowing that death was upon it, the hobgoblin warrior seemed to go berserk and just started lashing out randomly, swiping at me with one hand of giant claws and then whipping its mostly limp arm at me with its turning body. It even started dashing randomly to one side or the other at times after or in the middle of attacking.

After one of these feinting moves I finally got whipped my that limp arm as was lifted off of the ground. Twelve percent of my health was gone in and instant and three percent more faded when I finally landed. However, I was up on my feet even as the beast charged forward while roaring as if going in for the kill.

Its health bar was now nearing twelve percent, meaning I had a decent chance of safely finishing this with one hit. So, I took the initiative while running forward to duck low into a lung as if preparing to attack. The hobgoblin warrior responded my punching straight forward at me as if it had never learned its lesson in the beginning.

I immediately leaped forward to the right around the outside of their extending arm and called out, "Geist," while performing a 360 Edge in midair. As if summoned by my call after making only a few appearances in this event, right after my sword slid through the outer meat along the warrior's ribs for eight percent of damage a second ghostly blade passed by for the remaining health in the bar.

The hobgoblin warrior simply collapsed to the ground as two arcs of dark fluids splashed on the ground one right behind the other. Just a second or two later the body was mostly faded away and the others were getting back into their positions. This time, though, I called out, "Test time! Spread out halfway to the fire and fight your own battles for the first three rounds! Familiars are allowed."

I did not know what kind of experience they had with fighting, but Skooma had survived thus far skating by with around fifty or sixty percent of his health at the end of every round and Agnes was a capable magic user. With all of their skills refreshed from resting during my solo fight, they should both show some more of their worth in the next few rounds.

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