Mana gathered rapidly around Arthur’s palm as the tall man’s eyes suddenly widened. It was almost as if he could sense what was coming. But before he could pull back, the [Water Arrow] had already formed as it slammed violently against his chest.

Surprisingly, there was no clean pierce this time.

The arrow splashed against the man’s [Scrap-Leather Chestpiece], and the force it carried blasted into the man like a battering ram.

Arthur watched as his opponent was hurled off his feet and thrown several meters backwards, before he crashed on the ground with a shrill, ragged scream that reverberated throughout the battlefield.

John and his opponent both froze, their heads snapping toward the origin of the sound. The shorter hunter’s eyes went wide, his guard dropping for a second under John’s looming shadow.

But John didn’t waste the opening.

The moment his opponent’s eyes darted towards his partner, John’s spear came crashing down in a merciless arc.

The fanged tip slammed against the man’s shoulder, forcing him to his knees with a deafening crunch. The shorter hunter dropped his weapon in an instant, clutching his right shoulder as his expression twisted in agony.

Arthur’s eyes remained locked on his own opponent, who was still sprawled across the gravel a few meters away from him. The man squirmed on the ground, his right hand pressed against his chest where the [Water Arrow] had struck him. His face looked pale and twisted from the agony and disbelief.

"You bastard! Was that a skill...?!" the man spat a mouthful of blood as his gaze lingered on Arthur’s left hand.

It was too bad Arthur wasn’t planning to entertain his question.

Honestly, Arthur wasn’t sure if the man would be able to get back up any time soon, but he wasn’t going to give him a chance. So he steeled his nerves and stepped forward.

He could feel his heart beating faster and faster with every step as his grip on the [Goblin’s Fang] tightened.

On the other side, John seemed to have realized what was going on, his expression finally changing. His spear still hung over his opponent’s neck like the scythe of some grim reaper, but he could see it. Arthur was determined to finish off his opponent.

John’s expression was a complicated mix, and after a moment of hesitation, he shouted,

"Hey, Arthur! ...Are you sure about this?"

Arthur turned to meet his eyes. By now his heart was about to pound its way out of his chest, but he still managed to force out a simple but determined, "Yeah."

The tall man on the ground twisted, still clutching his chest. His spear had dropped a few meters away, and right now, his eyes locked on Arthur’s as a look of panic began to settle, breaking his facade.

"W-wait!" he stammered, his voice finally breaking a bit.

"Don’t kill me! You don’t have to do this. We’re all humans, right? We’re the same! We were wrong! Forgive us! We won’t bother you again, I promise! Just... please, let us go!"

But Arthur’s expression didn’t change.

He only stared down at the man, his face blank, his eyes unreadable.

Humans?

If the roles were reversed, would this bastard and his partner have shown mercy to him and John? Would they have let them walk away with their loot? They were the ones who had picked this fight in the first place.

Arthur’s grip on the fang tightened, his knuckles turning a bit white as the blade trembled from the pressure.

And besides, if he died here, what would happen to him? Would he have to start again from level 1 like the people in the forums said? Wouldn’t he and John lose everything they’d worked so hard for? Putting aside whether his level would really drop back to 1, what about his elemental stones? And then... what would happen to him and his grandfather?

That last thought landed like a hammer blow in Arthur’s mind. His gaze hardened as he forced his breathing to steady despite the frantic beating of his heart.

And without another word... the[Goblin’s Fang] flashed in a clean arc.

Arthur’s blade drove deep into the man’s throat with a wet, tearing sound.

Gargled cries erupted as blood poured from the man’s lips, his eyes widening in shock and pure disbelief. His hands clawed weakly at Arthur’s wrist, but the strength drained almost instantly.

Arthur didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink. He just watched the man stare at him as the light slowly drained from his eyes, before his body slowly broke into motes of white light, just like the monsters he’d killed before.

By his side, a ragged sigh left John’s lips. The big guy shook his head and muttered something under his breath, then, as if to mirror Arthur, he drove his own spear into his opponent’s chest. The shorter hunter gasped, his eyes bulging, before his body went limp around the shaft.

For a moment, the only sounds left were the faint hiss of the mist and the dripping of fresh blood pattering against stone.

Arthur straightened his back, pulling his blade free from the vanishing corpse.

The tall man’s body had almost completely faded, but Arthur could still feel the moment he’d plunged the fang into his opponent’s throat. And he could still see the terror and helplessness in the man’s face before the light left his eyes.

But he didn’t regret it. What would happen if he and John let the man go, only for him and his partner to come looking for trouble later? What if they were ambushed after a hard fight, and Arthur had no mana left to defend himself?

"No! This was the right choice..." Arthur muttered, as if trying to convince himself he’d done the correct thing.

But he’d already steeled himself, and the deed was already done. There was no turning back now.

He just stared at the man’s body until the last fragments of light faded into nothing.