Philip grinned widely.
"Of course! That's why I'm here.
Prepare to witness the mighty power of Philip, the legendary Beastmaster!" He showed an exaggerated pose with his hat in hand, puffing out his chest with confidence.
Victor watched him in silence, his lips twitching. Yep, this guy is definitely a chunibyo.
Philip's outfit—an odd mix of flashy colors, black hat, and dramatic accessories—seemed like an attempt to look mysterious. Unfortunately, he only ended up resembling a second-rate street performer.
"Legendary Beastmaster, my foot. Stop acting like a clown, will you?" Kierra scoffed disdainfully. "I bet you don't even have the strength to take down a single Hobgoblin on your own, am I right?"
Philip froze. His confident facade cracked, and his face turned red with embarrassment. Silently, he pulled his long hat down, trying to hide.
"....."
Seeing no way to defend himself, he sighed and signaled the tiny Spirit beside him. "Philo, do your thing."
The little Spirit, instead of casting a grand spell, simply yawned as if exhausted. But the moment it did, a faint wave of invisible energy spread out, wrapping around their bodies.
Victor and Kierra immediately checked their hands, still uncertain if the magic had taken effect.
But Philip, now back to his usual smugness, smirked.
"Hey, no need to doubt," he said. "You've got exactly ten minutes before the spell wears off. And just like you pointed out, I can't help you fight—not in my current state, at least. But I demand to be in your party to get those experience points. Otherwise, I won't help," Philip declared with a smug grin.
Victor and Kierra exchanged glances. They had no choice but to agree.
"Alright," Victor said, sighing.
With their party now increased to three, Victor and Kierra wasted no time. The rushed toward the Hobgoblin Den like silent phantoms.
Philip also followed behind, his smirk growing wider—until his figure suddenly faded into invisibility as well.
As they arrived at the center of the Goblin encampment, they observed several Hobgoblins patrolling the area with strict vigilance, moving in coordinated patterns like trained security guards.
"Slice!"
A faint glimmer of steel flashed in the dim light. A Hobgoblin's head suddenly rolled across the dirt, lifeless.
"Thud!" Another followed, its body crumpling to the ground after Kierra's swift strike.
Even after taking down two enemies, Victor and Kierra didn't slow down. They knew time was of the essence. Nightfall was approaching, and within 9 minutes, they had to take down the remaining Hobgoblins as many as possible.
The other Hobgoblins quickly noticed the anomaly, and their guttural roars echoed through the settlement, sending an urgent warning to all.
In response, the warrior-class Hobgoblins rushed outside, weapons in hand, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of the attackers. Even the female Goblins emerged from their huts, driven by sheer desperation as if their very survival depended on it.
But to their utter confusion and helplessness, there were no intruders in sight.
Yet, even as they searched frantically, their comrades continued to fall one by one. Bodies hit the ground with sickening thuds, their green blood splattering across the dirt, staining the earth beneath them.
"Krrrr! Krrrrruuuu!"
Shrieks of horror and panic filled the air. The remaining Hobgoblins trembled, unable to comprehend what kind of unseen evil had descended upon them so suddenly.
Victor grinned instead of feeling sympathetic as he listen to their cries and helplessness as if their desperation and fear were fueling his determination to exterminate them.
If he were on Earth, such acts of slaughtering lives wouldn't have been possible for him. Guilt and fear would have gnawed at him day and night after just a single kill.
But ever since he transmigrated into this body, his personality had changed.
He felt no sympathy, no hesitation, no mercy, even after slaughtering hundreds of lives.
Something was changing him, slowly but surely, molding him into something unknown.
He too wasn't even aware of the fact.
Where this bloodthirst would lead him, no one knew.
Time passed, with occasional howls from the green monsters, as their bodies disappeared into particles of EXP.
After nearly seven minutes, all the Goblin warriors and females lay dead.
They had tried hard to detect the invisible enemy and defend themselves, but against Raizel's wits and Kierra's expertise, everything crumbled down eventually.
All defenses, all cries, didn't help them escape their extermination.
In these few minutes, Raizel had leveled up.
[ Level: 8 | EXP: 1350/7500 ]
He hadn't distributed the points yet because one last enemy stood as a stumbling block to their goal of completing the Extermination Quest.
[ Hobgoblin Chief - Level 10 ]
[ HP: 500 ]
[ Threat Level: Medium ]
__
The Hobgoblin Chief stood tall and proud, despite the multiple cuts he'd sustained from the invisible enemy.
His eyes, bloodshot with rage, scanned the battlefield, witnessing the slaughter of his tribe in mere minutes. The sight only fueled his fury.
He was simply helpless against the invisible enemy.
But now he was adapting fast.
He was now wielding a crude shield crafted from tough, wooden bark. His instincts screamed for vengeance.
All he wanted was to see his enemies, and when he did, he would tear them apart—drinking their blood and devouring their flesh alive.
"Swoosh!"
As Victor launched another attack while remaining invisible, the Goblin Chief, with uncanny focus, swung his wooden shield in the direction of the strike.
It seemed his survival instincts had kicked in, heightening his senses to their peak.
"Hey, Raizel, I think we are seen through," Kierra muttered, feeling the Goblin Chief's eyes locked onto her.
"Yes. I can see that too. The invisibility wore off."
Victor too felt the crippling gaze, and he paused to assess the situation.
The Goblin Chief's bloodshot eyes locked onto the culprits.
Rage consumed him. This was a dishonor of the highest degree, because two mere humans had wiped out his entire tribe. This was simply humiliating.
"Roarrrrrr!"
The Hobgoblin Chief entered berserk mode and charged with the wooden shield in its hand, wanting to crush them into mincemeat.