Under the powerful attribute boost from reaching the Novice level in the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】, Matthew's arrows were like the Grim Reaper calling names—precise and deadly.
As he repeatedly drew his bow to hold back the intercepting kobolds, he bought precious time for everyone to regroup.
Soon, a formation was established with Calm at the front and Matthew, Brody, and Sierra guarding the flanks.
There were still eight kobolds remaining on the periphery. For the four of them, dealing with them was only a matter of time.
Standing inside the defensive perimeter, Matthew warily nocked an arrow, keeping guard while quickly scanning the battlefield.
He wasn't worried about these few kobolds; everyone present was confident they could easily deal with them.
And so, his gaze bypassed the snarling, growling kobolds in front of him and drifted toward the distance—in the direction of the earthen mound.
His only concern was that kobold priest.
Meanwhile...
The battle near the mound had also reached a fever pitch.
Flynn's duel with the kobold priest was far more dangerous than anyone had anticipated.
Although the priest's spellcasting was slow and clumsy, chanting incantations intermittently as if a stone were caught in its throat, and requiring a considerable amount of time to gather power before each cast...
...the effect of the crude staff in its hand was undeniably clear. Whenever the priest finished screeching its garbled incantation, the crystal at the tip of the staff would suddenly light up, forcibly gathering and compressing the hot, restless energy in the air before unleashing it in a sudden burst!
This directly led to a bizarre phenomenon: the priest cast spells very slowly, but the fireballs released with the help of the staff were astonishingly powerful!
They were far beyond the fist-sized fireballs from when they had killed the goblins.
Though Flynn was swift, the impact of the exploding fireballs and the splashing flames still left him in a rather disheveled state. Several scorch marks had appeared on his grey clothes, and his breathing had grown noticeably heavy.
Yet, this primitive staff had forcibly elevated the priest's crude spell-like abilities to a level that could threaten a half-step Silver Rank Class holder!
Flynn felt a cold chill in his heart. As he dodged another whistling fireball, he calmly assessed the situation.
“This staff is indeed extraordinary...”
“This kobold priest's own spellcasting ability is probably extremely limited, even quite clumsy. Without this staff, it could at most spark a few embers or barely condense a fist-sized fireball. There's no way it could release a spell of this power and scale.”
“We must take down this priest! The Young Master happens to lack such a treasure!”
Just as Flynn was momentarily distracted, a club carrying a foul wind swung toward him.
His pupils shrank slightly. He swiftly shifted his footwork, his figure darting to the rear flank like a phantom.
However, whether it was due to his declining stamina or the kobolds growing increasingly fierce as the battle went on, Flynn was actually grazed by the edge of the club!
And the kobold priest clearly would not miss this opportunity!
Seeing Flynn falter, it let out an excited, cruel screech. The staff in its hand glowed with a dark red light once more as it pointed the tip at Flynn, chanting its garbled incantations even faster.
The remaining few kobold warriors nearby also seemed to receive an order. Fearing no death, they lunged forward, using crude stone axes and wooden spears to block Flynn's dodging space, attempting to trap him in place and create a perfect opportunity for the priest's next fatal spell!
Flynn instantly fell into a dangerous situation! He had to deal with the close-quarters struggle against the kobold warriors while remaining alert to the priest's impending fireball attack.
He swung his scythe. Although the pale qi blade was still sharp, cutting through two wooden spears and slicing open a kobold's shoulder in succession, it was noticeably less condensed and durable than before.
His breathing grew heavier, and sweat poured from his forehead, evaporating rapidly under the intense heat of the exploding fireballs.
“This priest's own spellcasting is clumsy, but with that strange staff, it has actually managed to drag the battle into such a troublesome war of attrition!”
Flynn cursed inwardly. He had originally thought that with his half-step Silver Rank strength, getting close and quickly slaying the priest would be an easy task. He never expected the staff's enhancement to be so absurd, turning a supposedly fragile spellcaster into such a tough nut to crack.
Every dodge of a fireball consumed a significant amount of stamina and focus, and the kobold warriors blocking him at close range with their lives made it impossible for him to charge forward with full force.
Just as Flynn parried a stone axe and tilted his body, preparing to endure another kobold's bite to force his way through at the cost of an injury—
Whoosh!
Two crimson figures suddenly cut into the battle from the rear flank!
It was Calm, Matthew, and Brody.
The three of them already possessed outstanding combat strength; joining forces to slay the remaining kobolds was only a matter of time.
Calm led the charge, his steel longsword like a viper's tongue, thrusting precisely at a kobold warrior that was about to spear Flynn from behind.
The tip of the sword pierced deep under its ribs. The kobold shrieked in agony, its attack instantly halted.
Brody followed closely behind, his fiery breathing accompanying his sword light as he tied down the enemy on the other side trying to flank Flynn.
【Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1】
On the flank, Matthew swung his sword to parry a stone axe from a kobold trying to sneak-attack Brody. The heavy impact made his arm feel slightly numb.
But the strength brought by the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 allowed him to steady his stance. He seized the momentum to deliver a backhand slash, carving a deep gash on the kobold's arm, and 【Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1】 popped up once more.
His pressure suddenly alleviated, Flynn's spirits rose. Without hesitation, he locked all of his remaining focus onto the kobold priest on the mound.
He and Calm exchanged a look. Without needing words, the two had already formed a pincer movement!
“Matthew! I'll leave the flank to you and Brody. Protect yourselves!” Calm barked. Instead of pushing ahead himself, he helped Flynn hold off the remaining kobold warriors.
Hearing Instructor Calm's command, Matthew responded without hesitation, “Yes, sir!” The gentle energy from the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 circulated endlessly within his body, allowing him to maintain a clear mind even in the heat of battle.
His gaze instantly swept across the flank battlefield he was responsible for.
With the boost from his breathing technique, Brody was suppressing one kobold all by himself.
There were also two other kobolds howling as they lunged toward their direction.
Matthew's feet slid smoothly. The coordination brought by the 【White Snake Breathing Technique】 made his movements swift and precise.
He sidestepped to avoid a sweeping stone axe, and using the momentum, he delivered an upward slash with his Finely Forged One-Handed Sword. The blade sliced precisely across the kobold's unprotected armpit, drawing a spray of blood.
【Basic Swordsmanship Proficiency +1】
He could feel that after reaching the Novice level of the breathing technique, every sword swing was smoother. The transmission and burst of power far exceeded his past self, and the bottleneck of his Basic Swordsmanship seemed to be right before his eyes...
【Basic Swordsmanship: Basic (188/200)】
Yet, from the corner of his eye, he kept his attention on the direction of the mound—that was the key to deciding victory or defeat!
Rate on N.U.
