Chapter 70: Timely Rescue
“Come on then! Come at me!” Randall rasped, trying to threaten them.
Suddenly, the goblin on the far left—slightly larger than the others—let out a piercing screech, then lunged at him like a bolt of lightning, brandishing its heavily rusted dagger.
It was over! They wouldn’t be scared off!
Randall’s mind went blank, and his arms lost all strength.
He could only look on in despair as the vicious fiend, reeking of filth, decay, and excrement, barreled toward him, the rusted dagger in its hand looming ever larger in his vision!
“Whir—!”
Just at that life‑or‑death moment.
From the side, a sharply distinct, highly penetrating slicing sound ripped through the oppressive air!
“Pfft!”
A glowing blue sphere of light, moving far faster than the goblin’s strike, hammered precisely into its chest!
The sheer force and destructive impact ripped through its skin and muscle the instant they touched, tearing flesh and sinew like snapped threads.
That crude, greenish, stunted figure spun sideways in that instant and crashed into a rough tree trunk in the distance.
Its filthy body twitched twice, then went limp, sliding down the trunk to thud on the ground.
The other goblins stood frozen, stunned by the sudden attack and their companion’s gruesome death.
Their murky yellow eyes brimmed with primal fear, rooted deep in their bloodstream; their throats bobbed as their forward steps abruptly stiffened, and they slowly turned their heads to look in the direction of the attack.
Randall gasped heavily, his heart pounding so violently in his chest he thought it might burst through his throat.
The shock had blanked his mind too, but once he understood what’d happened, he snapped his gaze toward where the blue sphere had come from.
Through the sparse moonlight filtering through the canopy, a tall, well‑proportioned silhouette emerged, its outline glowing faintly silver.
It was a handsome young man.
“Good… not too late.”
Saved?
A wave of life‑after‑death relief surged in Hunter Randall’s heart.
“Watch out, there’s more,” Randall warned hoarsely once the initial joy faded, remembering to alert his rescuer.
It was nighttime and jungle goblins were far more dangerous after dark—one misstep could spell death.
“Don’t worry. I’m experienced. I won’t let them escape,” the young man replied calmly, as if Randall had misunderstood.
“I am the Goblin Slayer.”
The Goblin Slayer?
Randall stared, momentarily stunned.
Before he could respond—
The young man moved like a flash of silver through the bushes.
“Shsh!”
He flicked his wrist; his slender blade became a swift, precise serpent of steel, plunging into the neck of the nearest goblin.
On close inspection, his sword seemed to glow with a faint luminescence.
“Second one.”
The young man’s clear voice rang especially loud through the quiet forest.
A bone-tipped dagger flew at him from another direction.
“Li—”
Randall’s eyes widened as he caught the scene, but the words he began to speak died in his throat.
When the white bone dagger struck the young man’s body, it sparked with barely visible blue particles, and the force behind it vanished like raindrops into a deep pool. The dagger clattered to the ground.
Another goblin, seemingly stirred by its comrade’s boldness, rolled forward and stabbed upward with a stone dagger aimed at the young man’s ribs, near his heart.
“Whir!”
The leather armor worn by the newcomer shimmered with ripples once more.
The goblin’s strike seemed to be deflected by some mysterious force it could not comprehend.
Using the moment it was dazed, a slender sword slashed upward from below.
“Swish!!”
The spine of the sword mercilessly slit its throat, and a head flew skyward with a spray of sticky crimson blood!
“Third one.”
The calm voice spread again in the night.
But to the ears of the remaining two goblins, this seemingly calm voice was no different from a death knell.
After three of their comrades were swiftly slain, the last two goblins finally broke down.
They turned and scrambled toward the depths of the jungle, trying to flee.
The young man moved even faster—within a few strides he caught up to the goblin that had thrown the bone spear earlier and pierced its heart with his slender sword.
You think you can ambush and then run?
“Fourth one.”
Then he drew a bone wand from his waist with his left hand and aimed it at the last goblin in the distance.
A blue sphere of light quickly formed.
“Whir—!”
The blue sphere once again burst forth like a streak of light.
It slammed into the back of the fleeing goblin.
The powerful impact not only shattered its body but also pinned it firmly to the ground, thick blood gushing from the wound.
“Fifth one.”
The hunter Randall, leaning against the tree roots, was completely dumbfounded.
This young man was incredibly strong!
He had seen other powerful fighters before, but none as effortlessly composed as this one.
With each swing of his sword, he took a goblin's life.
One step, one kill, not a single wasted movement.
His strikes were as clean and efficient as slaughtering a bunch of baby chicks.
“You okay?” the young man walked to the injured middle-aged man, his emerald-green eyes glancing at the blood-soaked bandage.
It was Gauss.
“I-I’m fine!” Hunter Randall parted his pale lips. “Thank you, sir, for your help!”
Now that everything had settled, Randall’s heart brimmed with relief at having survived, and gratitude toward the handsome young man before him.
In his eyes, the one who had saved his life and his daughter Taylor’s future was nothing short of an angel.
Only after enduring one or two hours of torment and despair could one truly understand how lucky it was to still be alive.
“Let me treat your wound a bit first.”
Gauss examined the man's injury and spoke.
He took out a hemostatic bandage, medicinal powder, and other basic medical supplies.
Though he hadn’t used them until now, he always carried them when going out.
Perhaps nine times out of ten they weren’t needed, but one must always prepare for the tenth.
And now, wasn't this exactly such a case?
Gauss quickly treated the man’s wound, then hoisted him onto his back and steadily began walking toward the village.
“Don’t pass out—hang in there.”
“Got it, thank you.” Randall gritted his teeth. “Do you know the way?”
He worried the man might not know his bearings in the forest at night.
“Relax, I came from your village,” Gauss replied, putting his mind at ease.
He had accepted a temporary commission from the villagers—to search for goblins and, while at it, find the hunter who hadn’t returned from the forest.
Fortunately, he arrived in time, and both tasks converged.
The man was rescued, money was earned, and goblins were slain—a triple win.
As for returning to the village, he glanced at the map in his head, which clearly indicated the direction.
Honestly, he could walk it blindfolded and not get lost.