The moment the arrow was deflected by the transparent shield, the clamor in the clearing ground to a sudden halt. Every single goblin turned their head in unison, dozens of eyes locking onto the direction from which the arrow had flown.
Several goblin grunts quickly shielded the goblin mage, their faces filled with wariness.
“Charge!” Knight Stine roared, rushing into the clearing at the forefront.
Aside from the two squires assigned to stay behind and protect Roger, everyone else charged right in behind him.
Since his first shot had failed, Roger immediately retreated, using the surrounding trees to conceal his figure. At the same time, he activated 【Iron Wall】, causing a faint, barely visible glow to coat his body.
In a situation like this, there was no need for a ranged fighter to draw fire away from the melee vanguard.
Moreover, he didn't know what kind of magic this goblin mage was capable of or how long its shield would last. Overextending now would only lead to a swift death.
The two squires also hid behind trees, keeping a safe distance.
Roger stole a glance at the battlefield. Seeing that the goblin mage hadn't targeted him immediately, he let out a small sigh of relief.
The battlefield had already devolved into utter chaos.
The militiamen managed to form a simple line, using the reach of their spears to fend off the goblins' daggers and wooden clubs. However, the goblins charged fearlessly, trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
It didn't take long for the militia's formation to be broken by the green-skinned creatures.
Covered by his squires, Knight Stine pressed directly toward the goblin mage. The goblin grunts seemed to anticipate his intent and threw their bodies in his path.
Wooden clubs and crude blades struck his plated chainmail and steel helmet with dull thuds, failing to leave even a scratch. Stine swung his sword, which was infused with Life Energy, sending the blocking goblins to the ground with agonizing wails.
Seeing the human knight drawing closer, the goblin mage immediately shifted its focus, pointing its wooden staff at him. After channeling for less than a second, the tip of the staff glowed with a red light.
Knight Stine instantly pulled his squires behind him. A mist-like, pure white energy erupted from his body, rising to meet the incoming fireballs head-on.
After a series of small explosions that were barely stronger than firecrackers, the fireballs were completely neutralized, sending a wave of heat rippling outward.
Taking advantage of the moment, the goblin grunts guarding the mage brandished their blades and charged at the knight.
Roger seized this brief window of opportunity.
Nocking a second arrow, he aimed at the goblin mage and released. The whistle of the arrow slicing through the air was drowned out by the din of battle as the poisoned metal arrowhead pierced the goblin mage's shoulder.
With its face contorted in pain, the goblin mage clutched its wound and opened its mouth wide as if to scream, but blood gushed out like a fountain instead. It gripped its staff tightly, the runes on it pulsing with a green light.
Roger acted decisively, firing a common wooden arrow that pinned the hand holding the staff. The staff slipped from its grasp and rolled away. Losing its balance, the goblin mage fell to the ground, writhing in agony.
To ensure it was completely dead, Roger fired one final finishing shot.
“Points +200.”
As the arrowhead sank into the goblin mage's chest, the system's notification chimed in his mind.
The experience bar for 【Bow and Crossbow Specialization】 instantly filled up, leveling the skill up to Lv4.
Roger had no time to celebrate. He nocked another arrow and swept his gaze across the goblins surrounding the militia.
An arrow flew into the fray, striking a goblin that was about to flank a militiaman. It collapsed instantly.
The system's notification chimed again, but Roger paid it no mind. He quickly locked onto a new target and released his next arrow...
By the time he snapped out of his focus, the last goblin had fallen under Knight Stine's sword. The battle was over.
Roger opened his system panel; he had eight common arrows left.
The clearing was littered with the green-skinned corpses strewn about, and the heavy stench of blood hung thick in the air.
The group began to clean up the battlefield and tend to the wounded.
Even though they had an extraordinary warrior like Stine leading them and far superior equipment, the goblins' frenzied onslaught had still left several unfortunate souls with varying degrees of injuries.
The lucky ones got away with minor cuts, while the less fortunate were left clinging to life.
Roger leaned against a tree trunk, washing down his dry rations with water as he watched the others bustle about. With so many eyes around, he didn't scavenge the scraps to exchange for points like he had done yesterday.
Having weapons vanish into thin air right before people's eyes would be impossible to hide.
Others would likely suspect he possessed a magical item capable of storing things. While it might not necessarily attract malicious individuals, he was still too weak right now and had to remain cautious.
The staff used by the goblin mage had been claimed by Knight Stine the moment the battle ended.
However, Roger didn't leave empty-handed. When they first began clearing the field, he had picked up four bone chains from the goblin corpses.
The bone chains were small and easily concealed in his palm, allowing him to recycle them without drawing any attention.
“Not a bad haul,” Roger calculated silently in his head.
Counting the mage, Roger had personally slain ten goblins in this battle, which was a quarter of their total number.
The mage yielded 200 points, the nine grunts provided 360 points in total, and the four bone chains brought in 480 points.
Adding the remaining 16 points from before, his total points had now broken the thousand mark, reaching 1,072.
As for which skills to learn or what gear to buy next, Roger planned to take his time and think it over after returning to the village.
Near a campfire not far away, Knight Stine was frowning, closely examining some lingering purple sparks in the ashes. He held the staff in his hand, though he didn't seem to have had the chance to inspect it closely yet.
Just then, a squire ran over holding a bone chain. Stine took it, and upon seeing the patterns carved onto it, his frown deepened.
Roger took note of all of this.
While everyone else was occupied, he quietly slipped closer to the knight's position.
“Are you certain this was scavenged from a goblin?” Knight Stine asked the squire.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Only this one?” he pressed.
“I only found this one.”
“I see. Gather the others first, and ask them if they picked up any of these bone chains as well.” Stine tucked the bone chain away and watched the squire leave.
Roger saw the knight's lips move, as if murmuring to himself. He didn't linger any longer and slipped back to his original spot.
“It seems these bone chains really have some significant origin,” he thought to himself.
Before long, all the squires were summoned before Stine. Stine questioned them one by one, but everyone shook their heads.
Roger saw Knight Stine give a few more instructions. The squires dispersed and began questioning the militiamen one by one.
The questioned militiamen presented their scavenged loot for inspection. After a brief glance to confirm there were no bone chains, the squires moved on to the next person.
Before long, one of the squires approached Roger, stating his business in a professional tone:
“My lord has ordered us to inspect the loot you scavenged from this battle.”
Roger spread his hands, his tone completely natural. “I didn't pick up anything this time. You can search me if you don't believe me.”
After all, he had only picked up a few bone chains, and they had already been recycled.
“I swear it in the name of the gods,” Roger added a moment later.
The squire stared at Roger for a few seconds before walking toward the next militiaman.
Shortly after, another two or three bone chains were handed over to Knight Stine.
Once they finished resting, the group conducted a thorough sweep of the entire forest. Only after clearing out a few stray goblins did they finally call it a day and begin their return journey.
By the time the group returned to the village, dusk had already fallen.
After having dinner at the village chief's house, Roger returned to his room. Not long after he lay down, a knock sounded at the door. The village chief's daughter told him through the door that Knight Stine had sent a squire to see him again.
Roger stepped out of the house and saw the familiar face waiting by the door, holding the goblin mage's wooden staff.
Without beating around the bush, the squire handed the staff directly to Roger.
“My lord says that the credit for slaying the goblin mage belongs to you, so this staff should also be yours.”
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