hunting is always good - I

What Med saw was just another goblin. Like the previous one, it wielded a broken sword — nothing special at first glance. However, what truly caught his attention was its armor.

It wore a silver armor with golden details along the sides, clearly made for a human. It was twice the size of its scrawny body, almost completely swallowing the creature's green skin. Only parts of its thin legs and unprotected head remained visible.

The tamer raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the unusual sight. Still, he didn't underestimate it — he had learned better from the last one.

When he threw the stone, their eyes met. For a brief moment, it was as if two kindred souls recognized each other.

Of course, that had nothing to do with connections or passion — Med turned his back and started running.

Behind him, the armored goblin also bolted toward him.

This time, Med wished with all his might for more skill points to be available. When he risked a glance over his shoulder, his pursuer was dangerously close.

"What the hell... How can a monster like that wear armor twice its size? And how the hell is it still running like that?!" he thought, heart racing.

His arms pumped frantically, propelling his body as fast as it could go. Each stride was a scream for survival.

When he reached a certain distance, he raised his left hand — determined to do something before it was too late.

— Come, he commanded.

At that moment, the black-furred werewolf charged toward his opponent, fearless.

The armored goblin showed no sign of fear. With a precise movement, it swung its sword.

SWISH!!

The werewolf, still in mid-air, about to sink its teeth and claws, was struck by a brutal slash across its abdomen from top to bottom.

Magic Beast's HP: 70/100

— HOLY SHIT… Med could barely believe what he had just witnessed.

He quickly recovered. He pulled out his whip and kept his eyes locked on the opponent.

His magical beast rose to its feet, positioning itself protectively in front of him.

— Shit… this thing is way faster than me and my magic beast. What the hell do I do now? I'm completely screwed, he muttered, unable to hide the panic.

There was no time to think. The goblin charged forward with a vicious move.

SNAP!!!

Med cracked the whip, aiming at the enemy. But the goblin dodged with surprising agility, twisting its body to the side. At the same time, the werewolf lunged again.

Just like before, it was met with a direct slash to the abdomen.

Magic Beast's HP: 40/100

The creature collapsed heavily to the ground, wounded. The goblin then advanced, now aiming directly at the tamer.

Med tried to counterattack, but as expected, his move was useless.

The goblin twirled its sword, aiming at Med's thigh — a cruel and precise strike.

But before the blade hit, the werewolf, even wounded, leapt from behind and slammed the enemy to the ground with force.

With the goblin down, Med had — for the first time in seconds — a chance to think.

Well, he barely had time to react.

The goblin stood back up, shot a direct look at him, and then glanced at its armor.

With a toothy, yellow grin, it raised its sword as if leading an army on a battlefield.

— Shit… Med cursed, voice trembling.

The werewolf lunged in a fierce pounce. But something unexpected happened.

With a single, precise movement, the goblin spun its sword — and the creature's head flew, separated from its body as if made of paper.

Magic Beast's HP: 00/00

Magic Beast has been killed!!!

Warning!!!

The system notification blared in his ears, high-pitched and insistent. But Med was far too busy trying to survive to care about something he already knew: he was screwed.

The goblin approached in long strides, armor creaking with each movement, eyes glowing with bloodlust. Med retreated — three steps for each advance from the creature.

— Let's talk a bit, you ugly hellspawn. he growled, trying to sound confident.

If the goblin understood, it didn't show. It let out a fierce roar and charged, sword raised high, hungry for blood.

Med knew he didn't stand a chance. Two against one hadn't worked before. Now, alone… it was just a matter of time.

He closed his eyes.

He didn't want the last thing he saw in that game to be that horrible face, with rotting teeth and eyes filled with hate. He could already feel the weight of the blow coming.

BOOM!

A muffled explosion echoed around, followed by a strange silence.

He didn't see it. Not at first. But curiosity overcame fear.

When he opened his eyes, all he could see was a scarlet cape fluttering before him.

And then, as if an action movie script had kicked in, two figures emerged from the shadows. Quick, precise blows struck the goblin from opposite sides — no mercy, no hesitation.

The monster barely had time to react.

And finally, the finishing touch — a mage walked slowly into the scene.

— Shaolin, take control of the situation. We can't let it build too much confidence. That armor was made to withstand small-scale impacts… time to test it. Yumi, Empolo-man, focus your attacks on the sides!

— This goblin… it can move and strike from every angle. Way different from our last opponent.

The mage smiled confidently, raising her hand in a pose reminiscent of a superheroine.

— Now, let's start the show.

— YES! 2x.

∆∆∆∆

Victor, Carlos, and Lily stared at Robinson with pure disapproval — or more like a look that screamed: "Do that again and we'll skin you alive."

— Did you see the face he made when the goblin came straight at me? said Robinson, trying to hold back laughter.

Truth is, no one there seemed too worried about Med — and that quickly became clear.

— Haha! The best part was him tossing those pebbles to distract the goblin. commented Carlos, laughing.

— Hahaha, we should totally do this more often. added Victor, cracking up.

— Hahahaha, we should do this more often. responded Victor.

But unlike the others, Lily wasn't in the mood for jokes. Her eyes remained focused, tracking the movements of the tamer as he faced the goblins.

— This guy knows what he's doing… she murmured, more to herself.

— He's fighting without his magic creature, making the goblin think it has the advantage. Smart.

That was enough to silence the laughter. The three turned to her, surprised by the observation.

— Now that you mention it, makes sense. said Carlos, scratching his "head".

— He's got impressive game sense. That trap with the stones... genius. I wouldn't have thought of that at that level.

— Of course you wouldn't. shot back Robinson, with a sly grin.

— You've got muscle… and a head shaped like an ostrich egg.

As quickly as the serious tone came, it vanished.

Lily tried to hold back a laugh, bringing a hand to her mouth — but it was too late. The image of Carlos' confused expression outside the game popped into her mind.

— HAHAHA… Egg head! she burst out laughing.

Victor, as always, watched in silence, not joining the chaos.

— Oh, look at her… began Carlos, pointing at her, but was interrupted by the fighter's firm voice.

— Hey! Focus up!

The three turned at the same time, like rehearsed, and shouted in unison:

— SHUT UP!

A bard who happened to be passing by suddenly stopped, staring at the group with a mix of confusion and shock.

The four of them turned to him at once — all simultaneously. The silence was awkward for a few seconds.

— What's your problem, dude? Lose something here? Lily snapped, puffing her chest like she was challenging a dragon.

— N-nothing! stuttered the poor bard before turning on his heels and sprinting away without looking back.

— YEAH, RUN OFF, BEFORE I SHOVE MY STAFF UP YOUR!

Before she could finish, Carlos clamped his hand over her mouth.

— This guy's gonna do something stupid. commented Victor, arms crossed, watching the tamer from afar.

— He barely knows the enemy's attack patterns… I don't know how he's still alive — or worse, gaining XP.

If this were an anime, the tamer would definitely be the lucky protagonist: no real knowledge, yet racking up wins and XP almost effortlessly.

— Yumi's right. said Carlos, with a wicked grin.

— Let's keep watching for now. If it turns out profitable and yields good XP, we jump in… or steal everything if he refuses our generous help.

Meanwhile, Lily watched the tamer tossing stones like it was some elaborate strategy. She rolled her eyes… and got a better idea.

— Let him play for a bit longer. His luck will run out. When a stronger monster shows up, he'll panic, prioritize his own survival… and the werewolf will end up dead. That's when we strike.

— We play the saviors… and steal that idiot's plan for ourselves.

Back to the present.

— Wouldn't be fair to fight you with a shield. I'll use a sword too. said Carlos, strapping the shield to his back and drawing his blade.

The fight, however, would never be balanced — the tank wielded a superior-quality sword, while his opponent barely had a half-broken weapon in decent condition.

Even so, both charged forward, and with one well-executed move, the situation quickly turned into a 3 versus 1.