The increase in Combat Power from physical Attributes was far from a simple case of 1+1=2.
For example, if an adult faced two children whose combined strength equaled his own, he would still completely dominate them.
The gap between the Mutated Goblin and Larry's group was similar to this, if not even greater.
Lin Mo turned his head at just the right—or wrong—moment. He saw a spiked Wolf Fang Club, moving with unstoppable momentum, brutally shatter the Broken Sword in Rhein's hand. What broke next was his sternum.
Even from a great distance, one could clearly see his chest cave in, crumbling into a broken mess without any resistance.
The fury on Rhein's face froze, replaced by a momentary stupor.
Blood gushed from the corners of his mouth like an unstoppable fountain. The immense force sent his body flying backward, slamming hard against a tree.
The young man's body slowly slid to the ground. His final gaze fell upon the girl who was also on the ground, struggling to crawl toward him. He saw her mouth open in a scream, saw her face twisted in sorrow; he saw shimmering tears stream down, glinting in the sunlight that pierced through the trees.
But he could no longer hear her voice. His world seemed to fall silent, everything fading into peace.
"Fey..."
In his very last moments, he struggled to open his mouth. The name he failed to cry out became an eternal regret.
The girl's grief became a cruel melody on the battlefield.
So, what about the other two?
They were already a hundred or two hundred meters away!
The moment Lin Mo had turned to deal with the other Goblins, those two had stopped their charge and fled without a backward glance.
"Mad..."
'Although I anticipated this possibility, I hadn't expected the two bastards to sell out their comrade so decisively.'
He quickly dove into the bushes, distancing himself from the battlefield to avoid becoming the next target.
The Mutated Goblin didn't seem to notice him. Instead, it looked toward the two fleeing men, its lips parting in a cruel smile.
The next moment, the agile Mutated Goblin broke into a run. The distance between them closed visibly. When only a few dozen meters remained, it hurled its Wolf Fang Club. Empowered by savage strength, the club flew like a swift black shadow, accurately smashing into Larry's left leg.
"AHHH—!"
With a bloodcurdling scream, Larry's left leg twisted into a bizarre angle. He collapsed, howling in agony, but the excruciating pain showed no signs of easing.
"Larry!"
Leo, who was beside him, was startled, his pace faltering for a moment.
Larry was drenched in sweat, screaming in despair. He looked at Leo, his eyes filled with tears.
"Leo, save me!"
Leo hesitated for less than half a second before the surprise on his face twisted into a sneer. He picked up his pace and said as he ran, "I can't save you, Larry."
An excited look crossed his face as if he'd just thought of something wonderful. "But don't you worry, I'll take good care of Julina for you. And your eldest daughter, haha, she'll be of age in a few years..."
Ever since losing Julina to Larry, he had secretly resented him, resenting that failure every single moment.
He had only maintained a friendly facade for Julina's sake.
But now, everything was different. Larry was going to die!
Once he returned to town, Julina, with no one left to rely on, would have no choice but to depend on him. And at that time...
"W-wait, Leo!"
Larry struggled to pull the Goblin's left ear from his pocket and threw it with all his might.
"Take this."
He looked at Leo, his face full of sorrow. "I know you've never let it go all these years... but do you remember? When we were kids, the three of us playing in town, saving up for so long just to buy a freshly baked meat pie. Leo, my brother, I've always thought of you as my best friend."
With tears in his eyes, he continued, "I don't blame you. So, take this, and like you said, take good care of Julina!"
A flicker of emotion crossed Leo's face. He looked at the Goblin ear, now less than ten meters away from him, then glanced back at the Mutated Goblin, which seemed satisfied with its work and wasn't in a hurry to pursue.
'Supporting two... no, three women, requires a lot of money.'
Driven by greed, he finally turned around, strode forward, and picked up the ear.
"Thank you, Larry. I won't forget your kindness..."
As he spoke, he looked up. A flash of Silver Radiance suddenly appeared in his vision, shooting in from a distance and piercing his thigh.
The pain made him drop to his knees instantly. He then looked ahead in a rage.
"Larry!"
"Hahaha—!"
Seeing the dagger he had thrown hit its mark, Larry laughed maniacally, his twisted face a mask of insanity. "Serves you right! Leo, if I'm not making it out of here, neither are you!"
The Mutated Goblin behind them finally sauntered over and picked up its Wolf Fang Club from the ground.
THUD—!
The heavy Wolf Fang Club landed on the ground less than ten centimeters from Larry's head.
The stout creature stopped, in no rush to act. It simply stared at the two men before it with eyes full of mockery.
"Pitiful... little... bugs..."
As a crossbreed of Goblin and human, its intelligence wasn't particularly high—it only seemed exceptional among its own kind. But that didn't stop it from mocking the depravity of human nature.
Even Goblins, at the very least, didn't backstab their own.
Yet for humans, who prided themselves on being intelligent creatures, such acts were commonplace.
Of course, for the goblin, this was undoubtedly a good thing. It saved it the effort of having to chase them down.
That's right. In its eyes, these tiny bugs never had the option of escape. Their pathetic attempt to flee merely added a bit of fun to the hunt.
This was Loran Forest, a paradise for Goblins. Humans who dared to covet their territory had to pay the price.
That included the little bug hiding in the shadows...
'Once I'm done with these two old codgers, it'll be his turn to suffer!'
The well-built Mutated Goblin toyed with the Wolf Fang Club in its hands, its gaze falling playfully on Larry, who was still on the ground.
"Little bug... Zadon, will slowly... fix you..."
As it spoke, it raised the Wolf Fang Club and brought it down hard.
"AHHH—!!!"
A horrifying scream tore from Larry's throat. The heavy Wolf Fang Club had landed squarely on his uninjured right leg, effortlessly shattering the bone.
"No... don't... I don't want to die, spare me..."
The intense pain snapped him out of the smug satisfaction of his revenge on Leo. He struggled, digging his fingers into the dirt, trying to crawl forward as if moving just a few centimeters could help him escape the monster behind him, escape this nightmarish reality.
"Hahahahaha—"
The monster laughed maniacally, swinging its weapon, crushing his bones bit by bit.