Kael planted his foot firmly on the rickety wooden bed.


    Already in a precarious state, the bed was now on the verge of collapsing completely after the fierce battle that had just transpired.


    He wrenched the fire axe free from the goblin''s skull, and with that final act, the goblin beneath him finally breathed its last.


    Suddenly, a faint, glowing speck emerged from the dead goblin''s body and hurtled straight towards Kael.


    Before he could even register what was happening, the tiny light disappeared into his body.


    What in the world was that?!


    Kael was taken aback, but since there were no immediate adverse effects on his body, he decided to put it out of his mind for the time being.


    He''d examine it later if he managed to survive this ordeal.


    He scooped up his backpack and tossed in all the food and tools.


    Fortunately, the backpack had remained free of bloodstains.


    He stashed the backpack in another room. There was no time to waste; he had to deal with the remaining four goblins promptly.


    Returning to the goblin''s lifeless form, he picked up a stone spear.


    Using his dagger, he sliced through the rope securing the stone tip, then discarded the sharp stone and lashed the dagger in its place.


    As the old saying went, "An extra inch of length can make all the difference in battle." Long-handled weapons indeed held an edge in combat situations.


    The dagger, compared to the crude stone spear, was far sharper.


    Its slightly curved blade, with a keen point, made it a more than adequate substitute for a spearhead.


    Leaning against the window, Kael kept a vigilant eye on the movements of the other two groups of goblins while deftly securing the dagger to the wooden pole with sturdy grass ropes.


    In no time at all, he had fashioned a new, improved spear that was leagues better than the goblins'' primitive stone spears.


    Without hesitation, he snatched up the newly made spear and the trusty fire axe and dashed downstairs, making his way into the building where another group of goblins was conducting their search.


    Just as he was about to ascend the stairs, he heard the unmistakable chatter of the two goblins as they descended.


    There was no time to climb up now.


    Quickly, he crouched down beneath the stairs on the first floor.


    The area was shrouded in deep shadow, and the goblins were unlikely to spot him unless they looked closely.


    The two goblins, one trailing the other, made their way down the stairs, each clutching some items in their hands.


    Kael, crouched low at the base of the stairs, took a slow, silent breath and let the first goblin pass by.


    In a surprise attack, it was often wiser to target the one at the rear.


    Once the second goblin had also reached the bottom of the stairs, Kael rose to his feet.


    With a powerful stride, he grasped the two-meter-long spear firmly in both hands and thrust it forward with all his might.


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    “puff！”


    The spearhead pierced through the goblin''s chest with a sickening sound, and a stream of blood began to trickle down the wound.


    “hoh~”


    The goblin gazed down feebly at the spear protruding from its chest, emitting a pained moan.


    This cry of distress immediately caught the attention of the goblin ahead.


    When it turned around, it was met with the sight of the towering Kael delivering a swift kick to its companion, followed by the removal of the spear from the fallen goblin''s body.


    “Ah!”


    The goblin let out a shrill scream of terror, flinging the sundries in its hands away in a panic, and even dropping its spear in the process.


    This was the perfect opportunity!


    Kael wasn''t about to let this chance slip through his fingers.


    He closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds, driving the spear through the goblin''s back with a powerful thrust and then withdrawing it just as quickly.


    The goblin spun around, its hands clutching at its chest as blood gushed from its mouth.


    It stared at Kael with a look of sheer terror in its eyes.


    Kael, however, remained stoic.


    He knew that the two goblins in the opposite building had heard the commotion and were now emerging from the building.


    For the previous four goblins, Kael had had the element of surprise on his side, which had allowed him to dispatch them with relative ease.


    But now, these two remaining goblins were on high alert.


    They brandished their spears menacingly and uttered guttural growls, either attempting to intimidate Kael or bolster their own and their companion''s courage.


    Kael exhaled slowly, gripping the spear tightly with both hands.


    He bent his knees slightly, assuming a stance that would allow for a quick and powerful thrust.


    What lay ahead was a direct, face-to-face confrontation, and he couldn''t afford to make even the slightest mistake.


    The two goblins began to circle Kael slowly, spreading out in an attempt to find any vulnerabilities in his defenses.


    Kael was acutely aware that he couldn''t afford to wait any longer. Engaging two opponents simultaneously was a dangerous proposition.


    If he allowed one of the goblins to get behind or to the side of him and waited for them to make the first move, he''d be at a significant disadvantage.


    With a resounding shout to steel his nerves, Kael charged forward.


    The sudden outburst caught the goblins off guard.


    He lunged towards the goblin directly in front of him, the tip of his spear aimed straight at the creature.


    The goblin, its aggression now fully roused, charged towards Kael in return.


    But it was clearly outmatched in terms of height.


    Standing at only around 1.3 meters, the goblin was significantly shorter than Kael.


    Its shorter stature meant shorter arms, putting it at a distinct disadvantage in a close-quarters fight.


    Using his well-honed stabbing techniques, Kael deftly flicked his spear, knocking the goblin''s stone spear off course.


    “puff！”


    Kael''s spear found its mark once again, piercing the goblin''s body.


    This time, however, it wasn''t a fatal blow; instead, it struck the goblin''s shoulder.


    The goblin let out a howl of agony and reached out to grab Kael''s spear, effectively trapping it in place.


    For a moment, Kael struggled to pull the spear free.


    Despite the searing pain, the goblin continued to shout, desperately calling for its companion to come to its aid.


    After two unsuccessful attempts to retrieve the spear, Kael''s determination hardened.


    He released his grip on the spear and reached for the fire axe at his waist.


    “hoh～”


    The goblin stared at Kael in a mixture of shock and terror as he brought the axe swinging down.


    “sizzle！”


    The fire axe once again proved its lethality.


    With a powerful swing, the blade cleaved through half of the goblin''s neck, and the creature''s head lolled to one side as it succumbed to its injuries.


    In that instant, a faint, glowing speck emerged from the goblin''s body and hurtled towards Kael, disappearing into his form.


    Meanwhile, the other goblin, who had been on the verge of coming to its companion''s rescue, saw that all of its comrades were now dead.


    Its bravado instantly evaporated.


    Goblins were known for their fickle courage; in large numbers, they were as bold as brass, but when their numbers dwindled, they were quick to flee.


    The goblin promptly discarded its spear and took off running.


    Kael turned his head and saw that the goblin had already covered more than ten meters.


    Without a second thought, he knew he couldn''t let it escape.


    He had no idea how far the goblin tribe was or how many goblins it contained. If this goblin managed to get away and return with reinforcements, he''d be in serious trouble.


    Kael planted his foot on the goblin''s corpse and wrenched the spear free.


    He took off after the fleeing goblin, his long legs carrying him quickly.


    But the goblin was running faster and faster. Kael took a running start and hurled the spear with all his might.


    The spear sliced through the air in a graceful arc. With a sickening “puff！” sound, it embedded itself in the goblin''s thigh, its great kinetic energy bringing the creature to a halt.


    The goblin was now unable to run.


    It struggled in vain to pull the spear out of its bone, forced to hobble forward slowly with its severely injured leg.


    It didn''t take long for Kael to catch up. With a single, decisive swing of the axe, he ended the goblin''s life once and for all.