Efficiency

Goblins were treacherous, but they were by no means intelligent.

Greedy and lustful, yet desperate to stay alive, they were a textbook example of a species that preyed on the weak while cowering before the strong.

Unlike gremlins, who had been domesticated and 'evolved' by Truth Sorcerers, the malice of wild goblins was universally acknowledged as beyond redemption.

Only after at least two generations of taming could a goblin turn into a rational, civilized gremlin—one that loved money, but was no longer inherently evil.

In this regard, the relationship between goblins and gremlins closely mirrored that between wolves and dogs.

“One hundred thirty-two... one hundred thirty-three...”

Holding his small hammer, Ogre pressed forward without a trace of fear, killing one creature with every swing.

He was slaughtering them so mercilessly that even these low-intelligence, naturally fearless monsters began to feel the panic of a total rout.

Though treacherous goblins were accustomed to setting traps in the dark, relying on their enemies' carelessness, expecting their simple brains to concoct a complex trap was overestimating them.

“#%... lu!”

(Goblin Language: This guy is terrifying! He isn't afraid of the dark, he can see us!)

To the goblins, Ogre's presence was an overwhelming, dimension-crushing force. His leather armor and naturally tough skin allowed him to completely ignore the arrows shot by these low-level goblins.

His night-vision eyes allowed him to spot traps and ambushes with ease, giving him a sight range far superior to theirs. This enabled him to deliver long-range preemptive strikes on high-value targets.

As for the faint paralyzing poison fog goblins loved to use, it proved completely useless against Ogre's deliberately conditioned ogre physique.

Furthermore, the large quantity of elven green-fruit he had consumed earlier guaranteed he would maintain full stamina throughout the upcoming slaughter.

His specialized weapon setup also granted him a tremendous advantage within the cramped and winding cave network.

Most crucial of all, however, was Ogre's attitude toward goblins: disdainful, yet never careless.

For Apprentice-level Professionals, although goblins were easy to kill, a large horde could still turn the tables and kill an Apprentice. Such deaths occurred every year, almost always stemming from underestimation and misplaced mercy.

“Lu ka ka!”

(Goblin Language: Don't run!)

A large goblin, clearly twice the size and intelligence of its peers, roared fiercely.

The dominance of higher-grade magic beasts over lower-grade ones of the same species was absolute. At the large goblin's command, the remaining scattered goblins, who had been preparing to flee, overcame their terror and turned back to surround Ogre.

Seeing this, a rare smile tugged at the corners of Ogre's mouth beneath his mask. The target he was looking for had finally revealed itself.

Ogre reached down toward the small wooden box at his waist.

Against the background of low goblin growls, the sound of tearing air wasn't particularly loud.

Yet the effect of this strike was critical.

A tiny goblin lurking behind the large goblin suddenly froze and collapsed straight to the ground.

An iron nail was embedded deeply in its forehead.

‘Goblin Shaman, dealt with.’

The nail had been thrown by Ogre. His true target had never been that burly large goblin, but the Goblin Shaman hiding behind it, preparing to cast a spell!

The goblin species was capable of mastering low-tier magic. However, due to their short lifespans and low intelligence, most goblins died of old age or in battle before they ever had the chance to learn spellcasting.

Only those rare, exceptionally clever goblins who survived managed to become spellcasters—Goblin Shamans.

Furthermore, these goblin spellcasters were typically birthed only by human or elven mothers.

Whenever Ogre spotted one, he killed it immediately without a second thought.

The custom iron nails in the small wooden box at his waist were crafted specifically for this purpose.

“Ge! Lu ka... da si ta!”

(Goblin Language: No! No—! Shaman-sama! Curse you, kill that human for me!)

Though Ogre couldn't understand what they were shouting, he could easily guess the gist of it from the large goblin's frantic reaction.

But what did the goblin's rage matter to him?

Slaughtering these creatures didn't stir even the slightest wave of emotion in Ogre's heart.

The small hammer connected to the cord whirled in Ogre's hand. Every time it left his grip and flicked outward, it took another goblin's life.

Not a single one of the knife-wielding goblins rushing at him could so much as touch his clothes; all of them fell before the seemingly plain small hammer.

Ogre casually strolled toward the large goblin as if taking a walk in a garden.

To him, killing a low-level goblin was easier than driving a nail into wood.

Gathering in a crowd saved him the trouble of chasing them down or throwing stones.

In just a few short breaths, Ogre stood right before the large goblin. The corpses of the low-level goblins lined both sides of his path, forming a literal bloody corridor.

“Lu ka da!”

(Goblin Language: Damned human! I'll kill you!)

Before the large goblin could even launch an attack, its minions were practically wiped out, leaving it completely alone.

What had it even managed to protect?

The entire slaughter had taken less than three breaths of time.

Facing the furious, charging monster, Ogre merely pinched the tail end of the cord, letting gravity extend it slightly. With a powerful, momentum-building spin, he launched the hammer forward like a sling.

Standing within five paces, the large goblin displayed physical capabilities far superior to ordinary goblins. It actually managed to endure a blow that would have smashed a human head to pieces!

However, its crumpled left shoulder and limp arm proved that taking the heavy, momentum-filled strike had been far from easy.

“Ge'er!” The large goblin, accustomed to slaughtering others, erupted into an even fiercer roar born of both pain and fury.

It had never faced such a terrifying enemy—a creature so thin and small...

It reminded the monster of a slaughter it had fled as a child. Back then, the human who had butchered its tribe had been about the same size... and back then, its kin had been harvested like weeds just like this.

But this time, it wouldn't run!

This was a mission given by the King!

This was its defiance against fate after surviving that day!

Perhaps driven by this conviction, the wounded large goblin did not flee. Instead, it charged directly at Ogre.

With bloodshot eyes, it raised its remaining uninjured hand—holding a wooden club—and pounced at Ogre.

It believed that at this distance, an unarmed human couldn't possibly dodge!

This was an opportunity bought with its own blood—it would avenge Lord Shaman... It would protect the lair and guard the newborn children for the King...

It couldn't step back. Behind it lay the hope of the goblin race...

It was going to hit! This human was dead!

Right up until its head separated from its body, the large goblin still believed it could win...

‘Why... why won't my body move...?’ As its head tumbled onto the dirt floor of the dark cave, consciousness slowly slipped away...

‘I can't accept this...’

A boot stepped onto the massive head before life faded entirely. The final sight it saw was the familiar small hammer descending.

“You actually showed a bit of bravery...”

Ogre offered a rare word of praise for the large goblin's courage, though it could no longer hear him.

Having dealt with the most troublesome enemy, Ogre looked around the cave. Once he confirmed that no living goblin remained in sight, he manually operated a spring mechanism on his left arm to retract the hidden blade back into its gauntlet.

Before initiating his attack, Ogre had disengaged the safety on his left gauntlet's hidden blade.

Whenever he raised his arm, the sharp, poisoned blade would instantly spring forth from his left wrist!

The hidden blade on Ogre's left arm was not of standard length—it was a two-stage mechanism that extended into the length of a short sword, slightly longer than his forearm.

Such extension length allowed for deadly close-quarters ambushes, which was the original purpose for which he had built the weapon.

However, as his strength grew, the usefulness of this hidden blade had diminished. Gear like this was gradually being phased out.

By now, Ogre rarely used it.

The primary reason was durability: every battle inflicted wear on the blade, consuming the Silver-Needle Bee venom coated on it. Using it twice meant it had to be re-soaked.

While the bee venom wasn't particularly expensive, purchasing it was a hassle. Few shops in the black market sold Silver-Needle Bee venom, collecting it was difficult, and it was usually only available in summer and autumn.

In terms of cost-effectiveness and efficiency, it was far inferior to the hammer. Ogre only deployed it when he had no other weapon ready in hand.

“If you hadn't charged straight at me, cleanly taking off your head might've taken a bit more effort... Rest in peace. Don't be a goblin in your next life.”

Musing to himself, Ogre unbuckled the cord clasp on his right gauntlet, wound up the cord attached to the hammer handle's ring, and switched the hammer to his other hand.

After re-engaging the safety on his hidden blade, he prepared to explore the deeper parts of the cave.

If Ogre guessed correctly, the inner section was where the goblins kept their captives for breeding.

Considering that only small goblins and female goblins remained, Ogre felt there was no need to deploy his meteor hammer tactics.

Throwing a hammer on a cord carried a risk of ricochet if it missed, which could accidentally harm the captive women.

The meteor hammer tactic was primarily designed for clearing crowds of low-level enemies.

“As for any stragglers that ran... well, I'll leave them to Folke and the others. Can't let them come along for nothing.”

Before leaving, Ogre walked back over to the Goblin Shaman who had died before even casting a spell, delivering one final crush to its head.

Once he made sure it was dead beyond a shadow of a doubt, Ogre picked up a few stone fragments from the ground, holding them in his right hand as new 'ammunition.'

Thrown weapons were far more effective for dealing with fleeing goblins.

Plain stones were enough to kill ordinary goblins outright; he only reserved his custom metal nails for key targets.

“With such a pathetic setup, there probably isn't any good loot here anyway.”

But he hadn't come for loot in the first place. Neither loot nor goblins mattered to him—only a world without goblins mattered.

Compared to living goblins, Ogre much preferred dealing with dead ones—a theory that applied equally to all raiders and pillagers.

...

Item Encyclopedia: Silver-Needle Bee Venom.

Upon contact with muscle tissue, the venom of the Silver-Needle Bee temporarily relaxes and softens muscle fibers.

Due to this property, Silver-Needle Bee venom serves as a highly effective surgical agent and anesthetic, easily absorbed by most living organisms.

The duration of its effect depends on the dosage.

Generally, the duration is short (high-dosage injections last no longer than three minutes). Oral consumption and external application yield identical results, though excessive injection (half a liter or more) can induce sudden cardiac arrest.

Because it breaks down muscular defenses, it can be used for temporary weapon 'enchantments.'

However, it offers zero armor-penetration against non-living defenses like battle qi or metal armor, and performs poorly against targets with thick scales. It is only suitable against targets below the true Professional tier.

Silver-Needle Bee venom played a significant role in Ogre's ability to sever the large goblin's head in a single stroke, combined with his deep anatomical knowledge of goblin joint structures.