"Let's attack while they're busy with this strange ritual..." Han whispered, his eyes scanning the gathered goblins.
His gaze shifted to Jenna. "Jenna, stay here and support us from the back. Shoot at those big goblins…" He pointed toward a cluster of the more muscular, broad-shouldered goblins stationed near the altar like guards. "They'll be the main issue. Injuring them before the fight starts will make things much simpler for us."
"Yes, Han," Jenna replied, her voice low but firm.
With practiced ease, she climbed onto the roof of the hut they had used for cover. Her movements were silent, her bow already in hand. She laid flat on her stomach, steadying her breathing, making herself nearly invisible among the uneven thatch and bone.
Han glanced once to confirm she was in position, then turned back to Shay and Tess.
Han turned to the girls with calm intensity in his eyes. "Let's go."
With a silent burst of speed, he launched forward, his body fluid and swift—Nimble Movements enhancing every step. Tess and Shay followed instantly, their figures blurring through the shadows as they charged toward the goblins from behind.
"Gnak! Gnak!" The goblins screeched in pain and confusion as steel tore into their ranks.
The ritual halted for a heartbeat as the goblins turned, their wide eyes glowing with fury. "Huuuumans!" they cried—though to Han and the girls, it was just guttural nonsense.
The moment of confusion shattered. The entire village erupted.
Dozens of goblins rushed toward them from all sides, their crude weapons raised, screeching battle cries on their lips.
Han didn't flinch. Shay and Tess flanked him, and together, they met the wave head-on. Swords and daggers clashed against rusted cleavers and clubs.
Each parry from Han was a setup for a swift counter—each blow a clean, efficient kill.
Shay moved like a force of nature, her Solemn Blade Style turning her into a whirlwind of precision and power.
Tess fought with firm thrusts and wide sweeps of her spear, keeping the goblins at bay.
Jenna's arrows rained from above, sharp and deadly. Each shot found its mark—skewering eyes, throats, or knees—crippling the goblins before they could reach her companions.
They cut through the enemy like fire through dry grass. Goblins fell one after another, their numbers thinning fast.
Tess, however, was starting to slow, her breathing heavier, her movements less fluid. Han caught it at a glance but didn't comment—yet. Shay was still flawless, her blade drenched in green blood as she cleaved through another three enemies in a single powerful arc.
Then Han's eyes flicked toward the altar again.
A cluster of goblins were still there—unmoved by the chaos. They kept chanting, swaying, their ritual intensifying. Four massive goblins stood in a half-circle around them, muscles bulging, eyes glowing faintly, swatting Jenna's occasional arrows out of the air like flies.
Han's expression hardened.
"Girls," he said calmly, his voice carrying through the clamor of battle. The disparity between him and the goblins was so immense, he barely registered them as threats anymore. "Those goblins are still making that strange ritual... what do you think of stopping them?"
Shay's eyes gleamed.
"I'm all for it," she replied coolly—just before decapitating three goblins with one clean slash.
Han's eyes suddenly flashed gold, a sharp glow flickering like a predator locking onto prey.
Then he moved.
In a blur of motion, his sword danced through the battlefield—each strike deliberate, each kill clean. Limbs flew, goblins screamed, but none could even touch him.
[Han (★)'s Basic Swordsmanship has risen to Level 7!]
Shay's sword responded as if in sync, glowing faintly as her movements became sharper, more refined. She raised her blade and murmured:
"Solemn Blade: Royal Arc."
With a single sweeping slash, she carved through four goblins in a clean horizontal line, their bodies hitting the ground before their weapons did.
"Those guys…" Tess muttered between breaths, eyes wide as she watched the two whirl through the battlefield. "They're killing everything… they're not leaving me anything."
Every time Tess moved in to strike, her target would fall—either to Han's sword, Shay's blade, or an arrow from Jenna above. She could barely plant her spear before another goblin dropped.
The slaughter was absolute.
And then—only silence.
The last goblin let out a strangled cry before collapsing. The field was clear of all but blood, bodies, and those by the altar.
The four massive goblins near the ritual finally moved.
One of them let out a deep, snarling scream. "Die, lurid humans!" it shrieked with twisted fury, and hurled its massive club toward Han.
Han barely had time to react, Nimble Movements activating again as he ducked under it. But before he could strike back, another came from his side, swinging its club with terrifying force. Han rolled out of range, teeth gritted.
"Fuck!" he hissed. "I can't get close enough!"
He wasn't fast enough to close the distance without being intercepted—and their sheer size gave them too much reach.
His eyes darted to Shay—and saw her in the same position. Her eyes met his, both of them dodging, never able to fully retaliate.
It wasn't a matter of speed anymore. It was a matter of range. The massive goblins had full control of the space in front of the altar, their huge clubs keeping both him and Shay away like walls of iron.
But they couldn't block everything.
Jenna's arrows continued to rain down. And now, with the brutes fully focused on Han and Shay, some of her shots finally found their marks—one embedding into a shoulder, another striking a thigh. The damage was limited, but it made the giants flinch.
Han realized it instantly.
The only one still free—the only one who could reach the altar—was Tess.
"Tess!" he shouted, glancing her way.
She didn't need more.
"I'm on it!" she called, gripping her spear tightly. With a burst of speed, she bolted toward the altar, weaving through the chaos.
One of the massive goblins noticed her, raising its club to strike—but Han dashed in, forcing it to turn back and swing at him. Shay did the same with another, stepping into its range and forcing its focus.
"Thanks, guys!" Tess yelled as she slipped through their ranks, her movements quick and precise.
She broke past the defensive circle and made it to the altar—where the chanting goblins still stood, eyes wide with surprise.
To be continued...
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How was this chapter? Liking this floor? It's not that difficult, they aren't having that much difficulties except for those huge goblins.
Also, in the next chapters, after this floor, there will be new heroes, from the females there will be Chloe (just like the original), the blacksmith (which I decided to be a young version of Hephaestus, she won't be a god, she will just be a normal young girl with a blacksmithing passion) and another one which I will keep hidden, the rest will all be male (should I kill them or not?).