The goblins got closer and closer.
Those ugly faces and mouths full of fangs grew larger in their field of vision. Kazuma and Naofumi's faces grew whiter and whiter.
These people who had never set foot outside a school campus felt for the first time that death wasn't a distant concept.
"Brave Heroes, please remain calm."
Malty's voice came from the side, carrying a reassuring power.
"Brave Hero of the Bow, please create distance. Brave Hero of the Shield, please step forward and block their attacks."
Kazuma mechanically stepped back, his foot catching on the dirt, nearly falling.
Naofumi finally got up from the ground. The small shield on his right arm emitted a light blue glow as he stood before everyone.
The first goblin's wooden mallet slammed into the shield's surface with a dull thud.
Naofumi's arm went a bit numb, but the shield absorbed most of the attack, keeping his feet from stepping back.
"Good job."
Malty's encouragement came just in time.
Kazuma found his rhythm, shooting arrows one after another. His aim wasn't great, but quantity made up for lack of precision.
Naofumi used his shield to shove a goblin away. Another pounced from the side, and he turned to block, the shield clashing against the goblin's teeth.
Malty commanded, Naofumi defended, Kazuma attacked.
Their cooperation was actually decent.
"If this were a Shoujo Manga, these three would probably be starting a dramatic love triangle."
The Teddy Devil smacked his lips and said.
Makoto smiled without speaking.
He was a bit curious, 'If Kazuma knew this woman's true nature, what would he think?'
Just now, he had also remembered.
This man, Iwatani Naofumi, was the protagonist from another Isekai Anime... The Rising of the Shield Hero.
He hadn't watched it, had only heard a small part of the plot... the protagonist is chosen to transmigrate to another world, gets framed by a vicious princess, has his Brave Hero status stripped away, gets exiled from the kingdom, and then goes through a series of satisfying face-slapping events.
Makoto lost interest immediately.
Web novels from over a decade ago didn't even use this kind of trope anymore.
Plus, he heard the later plot was even more frustrating... the protagonist gets bullied and endures it... gets stronger but still endures it... gets harmed but doesn't retaliate... faces those who once oppressed him but doesn't seek accountability.
When the protagonist finally gets strong enough to hold his head high, the plot remains just as frustrating.
Makoto was speechless.
'I can understand getting bullied when you're weak, but how can you still be frustrated when you've become strong?'
This just shows how abnormal the protagonists of Japanese stories really are.
Seeing the interaction between Naofumi and Malty, and recalling the plot he'd heard, he had already concluded that Malty was the vicious princess who framed the protagonist.
The last goblin fell.
Kazuma lowered his bow. His arms were trembling from exhaustion after his first real battle.
Naofumi braced his hands on his knees, gasping for air.
Malty stepped forward, crouched down, and examined the goblins' corpses.
After confirming the goblins were all dead, she looked up at the two Brave Heroes, the corner of her mouth curving into just the right angle.
"Unless it's a monster that can be used as food, for most subjugation quests, you only need to take a part of the monster's body back to the guild. For goblins, for example, just cut off their ears."
Kazuma nodded, drawing the short blade from his waist.
The blade glinted in the sunlight. He crouched down and grabbed a goblin's ear.
When he saw Malty, the corner of Kazuma's mouth couldn't help but curl involuntarily.
No need to guess... this guy's mind was already putting himself and Malty together in certain scenes that wouldn't pass censorship.
Malty's gaze moved away from the two inexperienced duo and fell on the few people at the back of the group who hadn't lifted a finger.
'Strange, why are these people so calm?'
Malty withdrew her gaze, thinking, 'Maybe they were just cowardly.'
'After all, they weren't Brave Heroes.'
Just then, a furious roar came from the back of the group.
Low, rough, making eardrums tremble.
Everyone turned their heads at once.
A goblin standing over three meters tall stood behind Makoto.
Its body was more than three times the size of those ordinary goblins. Muscles stretched its gray-green skin shiny. Veins coiled around its arms and neck like earthworms.
In its hand, it held a giant wooden club comparable in size to an adult human.
"That's a Goblin Berserker!" Malty's voice carried a hint of panic.
A rare variant among goblins, several levels higher than ordinary goblins.
It possessed a giant body, immense strength, and extraordinary defensive power.
If the lowest-level adventurers encountered it, they wouldn't even have a chance to run away.
The Goblin Berserker raised its giant club... the club head whistled through the air as it smashed toward the back of Makoto's head.
"Look out!" Naofumi shouted in alarm, but he no longer had the strength to control his shield, and he was too far away.
Kazuma was also startled, but he wasn't worried about Makoto.
'How could an attack of that level possibly work on that monster?'
Malty's eyes narrowed, 'Dying just like that? What a pity.'
She had wanted to find a chance to toy with this man who had remained extremely calm since arriving here.
'If he was willing to be my dog, it wouldn't be impossible to keep him.'
The giant club fell.
When it was less than half a meter from Makoto's forehead…
"Light of Saber!"
Sword energy.
A clear shout came from the side.
A golden light shot out from the grass by the roadside. A young girl with lightning-gold sword spun her body and slashed out a golden sword energy.
The light sword split the three-meter-tall goblin in half at the waist. The upper and lower halves separated in mid-air, the cross-section as smooth as a mirror.
Gray-green blood sprayed out, splashing onto the grass by the roadside, making a 'sizzling' corrosion sound.
The young girl stood in front of Makoto. The golden light sword in her hand was slowly dissipating, turning into motes of light that melted into the air.
Her breathing was a bit quick. The rise and fall of her chest was considerable.
"Kizaru?!"
Seeing this technique, Yu, Ace, and others who had participated in the Summit War instinctively thought of a wrinkled, lecherous old man.
Makoto's first reaction was completely different from his two subordinates'.
When the young girl swung her sword in front of him, those two soft mounds nearly flew out of her collar. The arc was astonishing. Under the golden light just now, they shone brightly.
"I made it just in time... are you alright?"
The young girl put away the light sword she had condensed with magic and turned around.
Her height only reached his chest. She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling.
Makoto didn't answer. He stepped forward, reached out, and pinched her collar, pulling it up.
The young girl's eyes widened even more.
His fingers paused for a moment at the collar, then pulled that thin piece of fabric up half an inch, just enough to cover those two soft mounds that were nearly jumping out.
The deep cleavage was completely blocked by the collar, not revealing a trace of skin.