Chapter 51 - The Test [8]
Vael relocated near the entrance of the chamber. It was the only awy inside and out of where they are camping.
So there’s no possibility of the others being ambushed or attacked by monsters unless they pass through him first.
"Hmm?"
Vael hid behind a pretty big rock, and as [Frost] was resting on his right hand, he looked around near the entrance.
He pulled his shoulders back into the cool shadow of the boulder, pressing his back against the stone while peering around the jagged edge into the wide hall.
And when he did—he saw a group of three Hobgoblin Warriors roaming near the entrance. He knows that they will not come where they are camping as per the game, but Vael doesn’t really care.
The patrol was marching lazily along the main corridor, their heavy footsteps grinding small pebbles into dust as they grunted to each other in low tones.
’Academy staff are watching us, my life is not in danger even if I fight multiple monsters at the same time.’
He thought to himself.
He knew the proctors and hidden invigilators were stationed throughout the floor’s observation points, ready to step in if a student faced true lethal danger.
So with a small smile on his face—He adjusted his fingers around the hilt of his weapon, feeling the subtle cold mana pulsing through the sheath as he prepared to step out into the open.
"There’s no better way to gain fighting experience than this."
He mumbled that under his breath.
Vael studied the three Hobgoblins as they got closer and closer; two of them are using bone swords with wooden shields, and the last one has a spear on its back.
He tracked their rhythmic marching pace, assessing the weight of their crude equipment and the slight gaps in their open defensive postures.
The Hobgoblins are several times bigger than normal goblins, they’re almost as big as an average human. The three heading near Vael were almost the size of him, and they’re muscular.
Their dark green skin was thick and scarred, their heavy upper torsos bulging with rough muscle as they carried their weapons with practiced ease.
"..."
Vael ran simulations in his head as the Hobgoblins approached.
He stood completely still behind the rock formation, narrowing his eyes as he mapped out their likely defensive reactions to a sudden frontal assault.
’The spear guy is at the back of their formation, so the two Hobgoblins will probably buy that guy some time to get its weapon and attack from a good range.’
Vael analyzed.
He calculated the exact distance between the vanguard pair and the rear guard, noting that the long reach of the spear posed the only real annoyance to his movement.
His eyes locked onto the three enemies, his focus was completely on them and his concentration was insane. Every background noise faded away as his mind hyper-focused on their stride lengths, reaction speeds, and the tiny openings between their armor pieces.
And then, finally—
The lead monster planted its heavy leather boot onto a flat stone slab right in front of the hidden alcove’s entrance.
Tap-
The three Hobgoblins stepped onto his range.
The precise line he had drawn in his head was crossed, triggering his body into immediate, explosive motion before the creatures could even register his presence.
And without missing a beat—BAM!
Vael propelled himself forward with mana coated legs!
The ground beneath his boots cracked slightly under the sheer force as a sharp burst of compressed energy launched his body straight into the air.
-KIEEEK?!
The Hobgoblins were surprised, but the two warriors with the swords reacted fast and raised their weapons.
Though... Vael already expected that.
SWIIIIIH~
Mana condensed on his feet along with ice particles. A brilliant frost aura flared around his boots, rapidly crystallizing the ambient moisture in the humid cavern air into solid blue energy.
Then after shifting his body while in the air—
FWAAAAAHHH!!!
An ice path formed under his feet and connected itself from the ground, and that path—it curved and continued forward, heading all the way behind the formation of the three Hobgoblins!
The slick, gleaming ramp of dense glacial frost manifested instantly in mid-air, extending downward in a sharp, elegant arc that looped around their left flank.
WHOOOOSH!
Verc glided through the ice at a very fast speed, and in a matter of seconds—
"Haha, it worked."
He arrived behind the spear guy who was still just trying to get its weapon from its back!
And extending his right hand—STAB!
Vael launched a single thrust straight into the head of that Hobgoblin.
The thin, frozen needle-blade pierced straight through the back of its skull before the creature could even pull the long wooden shaft over its shoulder.
-KIEEEK?!
-KIAAAA?!
The two Hobgoblin Warriors turned around when the enemy in front of them suddenly disappeared, but when they did; they could already see one of their kind falling onto the floor.
The spearman went completely limp instantly, its heavy body crashing onto the hard ground as the thin blade retracted cleanly from its head.
Their eyes widened, and in surprise; they hesitated whether to rush forward and attack, or jump back and retreat first.
And in that moment of hesitation—FWAAASH~!
A sudden wave of intense, localized freezing aura erupted from the stone floor beneath their heavy boots without warning.
Both of their feet suddenly froze all the way up to their waist!
Thick, jagged pillars of solid blue ice surged upward like snapping jaws, locking their thick legs firmly inside a heavy glacial block.
With this, whether they want to attack or retreat doesn’t matter anymore.
Their center of gravity was totally pinned to the cavern floor, leaving their entire upper torsos completely exposed to follow-up strikes.
Unless they break away from the ice immediately, they’re stuck in place!
The two Hobgoblins realized this and a bad feeling erupted inside them. They twisted their upper torsos back toward Vael, frantically raising their shields to cover their vital head points.
But as soon as they did—PHUCK!
The slender point of [Frost] found a tiny gap right above the wooden shield’s top rim before the monster could align its defense properly.
"..."
One of them was stabbed straight in the middle of their eyes. Vael’s [Frost] drove into the Hobgoblin’s brain and through it, killing the monster instantaneously.
The needle-blade retracted with a sharp hiss of cold steam, leaving the second warrior frozen dead in its tracks.
-?!!
The remaining one on the right felt chills and fear at that moment, two of its kind was killed before any of them could even do anything.
And out of pure desperation—
-KIAAAAAAAA!!!
The Hobgoblin let out a cry and swung vertically down toward Vael!
It poured every drop of its remaining strength into a wild, unrefined overhead hack, driving its heavy bone sword down with everything it had.
But Vael...
SWISH~
He didn’t even bother to raise his weapon to parry the heavy, desperate strike coming down toward his left shoulder.
He just stepped back and avoided it without even looking at the attack.
His footwork was clean and effortless, slipping back a single pace so the heavy bone blade cut through empty air right in front of his chest.
"..."
He turned to the last monster. Then while frowning—
"You’re too loud."
STAB!
Vael launched an upward thrust from below, piercing the remaining Hobgoblin Warrior under the chin, through the brain, and coming out on top of its head!
The lightning-fast thrust entered cleanly through the soft tissue beneath its jaw, locking its jawbones shut and severing its vocal cords in a split second.
The Hobgoblin’s mouth was shut closed in the process of it.
The loud, panicked screech was cut off instantly into a quiet, wet gasp as the tip of the rapier extended out from the top of its skull.
And just like that...
Vael dealt with the three monsters in a flash.
The entire engagement had taken less than half a minute from the moment he jumped out from behind his hiding spot.
*****
(Vael’s POV)
’That last Hobgoblin gave me a scare.’
I wiped a thin layer of cold steam off the blade of [Frost], flicking the weapon once before letting it rest loosely by my side.
The last monster suddenly screamed so loud as if it wants to attract other monsters in our location. It would’ve been a problem if it had succeeded.
That’s why I had to shut its mouth close to stop it.
Anyway, I looked at the three dead Hobgoblins on the ground... I didn’t feel like I was getting stronger, so I guess that wasn’t enough to level up.
There was no warm surge of mana circulating through my core like the one I had experienced after killing the floor boss earlier.
"Whatever, I can just try again and again."
I mumbled, then I looked at the ice path I used to get behind the formation of the enemies immediately.
Using and creating ice paths to slide through places is really convenient, I just copied this move from two heroes that I watched back in my old world.
It was an incredible mobility tool that allowed for instant repositioning without having to rely on expensive high-tier movement spells.
"Hmm, time to wait for more Hobgoblins."
Anyway, I said that as I headed toward the rock where I was hiding before.
I turned on my heel, stepping quietly over the damp stone as I made my way back to the comfortable shadowed spot behind the large boulder.
But when I got there to hide again—
I stopped dead in my tracks, my hand pausing right over the hilt of my sheath as my eyes widened slightly.
"Huh...?"
A familiar shadow was crouched down neatly in the dark space between the boulder and the cave wall.
It was Cordelia... she was crouching there and hiding.
Her hands were folded lightly over her knees, her stance completely still as she tucked herself into the small gap behind the stone.
"..."
She was now looking at me straight in the eyes.
She didn’t say a single word, her silent gaze locked onto mine in the quiet darkness of the alcove.