Colin immediately stopped in his tracks.

’He’d read that Half-Orcs and Tieflings could see clearly up to twenty meters in the dark. Now was the time to trust them.’

Kase cautiously pointed at the ground in front of Colin, then gestured upward.

Looking down, Colin saw what looked like a rope on the dark ground. He glanced up and saw a net holding several large rocks—it was a rockfall trap.

Colin nodded.

The group stepped over the rope and crept forward, hunched low.

The gradually widening tunnel eventually opened into a large chamber.

Colin hid just outside the entrance, peeking into the chamber.

A bonfire burned in the middle of the chamber. In a corner lay some filthy bedrolls and several wooden crates, the kind used by merchant caravans.

A dozen or so goblins clad in Beast Hide sat around the bonfire, twisting plant fibers into rope. Another goblin, this one in Leather Armor and carrying a small Cleaver, strutted back and forth before them, occasionally singling out a slacker to slap across the face.

Colin recalled what he’d recently read in the monster manual.

Goblins were a textbook example.

They had their own set of rules, much like a caste system. Generally, only high-caste goblins were combat-effective, and their will to fight was strong.

Rumors of goblin cowardice were spread by Adventurers who had only ever encountered the low-caste ones.

Such misinformation could easily lead to a harsh lesson for any Adventurer unfamiliar with them.

Kase, positioned on the other side of the entrance, cautiously readied his Insect Shell Shield.

Colin immediately understood his signal. He turned and whispered to Orelia, "In a moment, use that light ball of yours on the best-equipped enemy."

"Alright, Mr. Colin," Orelia whispered back. "That Divine Art is called Guiding Bolt."

Colin held up five fingers, lowering them one by one.

The moment his last finger went down, Kase dropped low, blocking the entrance with his Shield. Colin and Orelia stepped out from beside him.

As she recited the prayer, the might of the Gods manifested within the cave.

Light gathered on her Nail Head Hammer and shot out with a WHOOSH toward the goblin in Leather Armor, exploding on the tiny creature’s chest. Scattered motes of light then reconverged into a glowing orb, hovering where the Leather Armor had been blasted away.

Already prepared, Colin cast Flaming Arrow.

Empowered by his Magic Skill Level and Intelligence, the ball of fire streaked out, striking the glowing orb from the Guiding Bolt and burning a hole straight through the goblin’s chest.

Meanwhile, Kase braced his Insect Shell Shield diagonally against his thigh. Taking cover behind it, he nocked an Arrow, then abruptly leaned out and let it fly.

The Arrow pierced a goblin’s throat with perfect precision. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

The sudden fall of two of their companions threw the goblins into a panic, sending them scattering like hens in a coop when a weasel breaks in.

Then, four more goblins emerged from a passage deeper in the cave. They all clutched filthy Cleavers. Only one wore Leather Armor; the others were wrapped in untanned, rotting hides. They didn’t appear to be a particularly elite force.

As soon as they appeared, they began kicking and punching their panicked kin, barking orders in the shrill, ear-piercing Goblin Language.

Under duress from these newcomers, the low-caste goblins grabbed Stone Spears from the ground and charged toward the enemy.

Meanwhile, the four high-caste goblins scrambled for cover behind the wooden crates.

Some used Short Bows, while others picked up rocks off the ground to pelt the trio with ranged attacks.

Colin ducked behind the Insect Shell Shield.

Kase and Orelia’s Shields formed a solid defensive line. Arrows hammered against them but were completely unable to harm anyone hiding behind.

"Hold your fire. Let them get closer, and I’ll hit them with something big."

As he spoke, Colin watched the enemy intently through the gap between the Insect Shell Shield and the wall.

But the charging goblins just postured in front of the Shields, brandishing their Stone Spears or throwing rocks from a distance. They showed no intention of actually getting any closer.

The enemy’s attitude was starting to frustrate Colin.

He had never experienced such a low-intensity battle. It felt more like a game than a real fight.

"Don’t rush it, my friend," Kase said. "We’ve got plenty of Arrows. We can just pick off their leaders one by one. Easy as shooting rabbits."

TING!

Another Arrow struck the Insect Shell Shield and ricocheted away.

At that moment, Kase, who had been waiting, suddenly rose up and put an arrow right through the archer’s throat.

Losing his patience, Colin flicked a hand out from behind the shield and cast Burning Hand. Three unlucky goblins at the edge of the blast immediately fell to the ground, wailing.

The rest of the goblins scrambled back in terror.

Seeing that their opponent’s Flame only had a five-meter range, the goblins’ confidence surged. They started posturing and throwing rocks again, careful to stay just beyond the five-meter mark. They simply refused to charge.

"The leaders aren’t showing their faces anymore."

"Alright, my turn."

Colin sent a Flaming Arrow arcing toward a distant wooden crate, setting it ablaze. A dense volley of rocks pelted him in return, but aside from a stinging pain, they did no real Damage.

Seeing their cover ablaze, the high-caste goblins scrambled out into the open.

Kase seized the opportunity to rise again, putting an arrow through one of their throats.

Orelia, meanwhile, recited another prayer.

A point of light appeared behind the wooden crate. A flame-like radiance descended, and a pained shriek immediately came from behind the box.

’Come to think of it,’ Colin mused, ’that Divine Art bypassed the Jackal Wolfman’s shield last time, too.’

Colin asked, "What’s that Divine Art called?"

"Scared Flame, Mr. Colin."

"Pretty useful in a situation like this." Colin sighed as he set another wooden crate on fire. "That should do it. I doubt these guys will try to get any closer..."

*"Shan-ka!"*

A piercing shriek came from behind the crates. The last two high-caste goblins, seeing that the enemy could simply burn their cover away, brandished their Cleavers and charged. Their ugly, hook-nosed faces were twisted with something like grief and indignation.

’So they only decide to charge *after* taking casualties? Why do these guys always make the worst possible decisions...’ Colin was a little dumbfounded.

Kase leaned out again, shooting one of them dead.

A moment later, Orelia’s and Colin’s Cantrips were complete. The golden Holy Fire and a searing ball of flame brought the other one down.

*"Peli-ya! Peli-ya!"*

Just as Colin was about to continue his attack, the dozen or so remaining goblins unhesitatingly threw down their Stone Spears. They all dropped to their knees at once, muttering something in Goblin Language that Colin didn’t understand.

"That’s it?" Colin scratched the back of his head.

’In the end, these goblins’ will to fight was far lower than he’d imagined. It was a complete steamroll.’

"We had the terrain advantage, my friend," Kase said, patting the rock wall beside him. "It’s not like the old days when a pack of goblins could chase us all over the mountains."

"That’s true," Colin said. "By the way, your Curse didn’t seem as noticeable this time. Is it because we weren’t in close combat?"

"Shaky hands don’t make much of a difference when you’re shooting a target from a dozen meters."

Colin looked back at the kneeling crowd of goblins, then glanced at Orelia standing beside him.

’The mission was to kill *all* the goblins, come to think of it.’

’Followers of the Morninglord are supposed to be softies, right? She won’t have a problem with killing surrendered goblins, will she? Better ask first, just to be safe...’

Colin asked, "Orelia, about these goblins..."

The Tiefling tilted her head, thought for a moment, then smiled and patted her Nail Head Hammer.

She smiled and said, "If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, Mr. Colin, you can just guard the entrance. I’ve already said their final prayers for them. You can just come by to cut off the ears afterward."