Geth watched from the top of the small cliff. He was prepared to step in if necessary. The man’s left arm was broken, and his shield arm seemed to be going numb again.

If it weren’t for that well-timed potion, Geth would have already intervened. He motioned to Filthy to have his bow drawn, just in case.

“Babe, why don’t you heal him? If they wait until the effects are over, they can still take on the Sub-Boss without us affecting their experience.”

Geth shook his head, “He doesn’t want me to help, but I won’t let him die.”

“If you say so,” Zolis rolled her eyes and continued swinging her legs over the cliff’s edge.

There was only one reason he hadn’t helped to this point. Geth could see the Mana swarming around the man below. 

There was only one word to describe the emotion he saw lingering there.

Defiance.

*****

Chad threw himself forward again, this time activating his Shield Bash Skill. He crashed into the closest Hobgoblin, causing it to stumble backward.

This gave him enough time to shift his shield onto his forearm. He rolled to the side, snagging his sword with his shield arm and getting back to his feet before either creature had gained their footing.

‘My shield will be next to useless like this, but at least I’m armed again.’

He glanced toward his broken arm, thinking about using his new Skill. After some time, he shook his head and decided against it.

‘The cooldown is too long. I’ll have to have it for the Boss fight.’

Chad didn’t have much time to think. The two injured Hobgoblins had regained their balance and were trudging toward him. The sight of their shaking legs gave him hope that he could hold out until his party could assist him.

The monster on his right swung its club like a baseball bat, intending to knock him out of their path to the Mage.

Chad dove under the weapon, narrowly dodging. Between the Hobgoblin’s weakened legs and the weight of the club, it couldn’t stop the momentum, and the club slammed into its partner’s gut.

The other Hobgoblin keeled over in pain, dropping its club and holding onto its stomach.

Chad wouldn’t waste this opportunity. The momentum had turned the first Goblin’s back toward him, making it an easy target.

He dashed forward, hacking at the creature’s heels three times with his sword until it collapsed to its knees. There was nothing he could do to kill it, but he could now rest easy until the Mage could help.

Chad moved himself out of range of the collapsed creatures and began pulling out potion after potion, consuming them all. Bones cracked, and arcs of pain ran up his shoulder as the broken elbow began to mend itself.

All he could do was grit his teeth and bear it. The healing process was much more painful than the initial break.

While he was downing the last of his potions, he saw ice begin to bombard the two downed Hobgoblins. Chad glanced over at the Mage, who gave him a thankful smile while upturning one of his Mana potions.

His eyes wandered from the Mage over to the third Hobgoblin, where the spearmen were swarming the creature, and Maverick had caught up to aggro it.

A sigh of relief escaped his lips, and he crashed to the ground, grateful that his teammates were so competent. This task would have been impossible alone.

‘Well… Maybe not for some people.’

He remembered how powerful Geth and his party had been the first time he’d seen them. They were barely over Level 25 at that time, but he was confident any two of them could have cleared this place.

“I wonder if we could be like that?” Chad mumbled.

His gaze wandered around his current party members. Maverick and the Mage obviously stood out, but a couple of teens amongst the spearmen appeared quite capable.

The final three Hobgoblins fell, leaving only the Sub-Boss for them to contend with. Chad motioned for everyone to have a seat and rest.

The Sub-Boss glared at them venomously, but it still wouldn’t leave its spot. That’s when he noticed a strange Formation beneath its feet.

He wasn’t very familiar with Runes or Formations. The only information that his Grimoire held about the things was their names.

Chad hopped to his feet, moving his left arm in circles and testing the maneuverability of his elbow. It was stiff, but he would be able to wield his blade.

“Alright, is everyone ready?!” He did his best to sound excited, banging the hilt of his sword to his buckler.

The others followed suit, jumping up and banging their weapons on the nearest object. A rhythmic beating soon resonated in the quarry, followed by the bellows of men charging into battle.

Maverick aggroed the Sub-Boss the moment he came within range, the whip snaking toward him, only to meet his shield.

The Spearmen raced to the colossal creature’s back, stabbing at its legs with their spears and bleeding it out. Chad glanced at the Mage, who had cast a new spell that sent a chilling gale to surround the target.

Watching the ongoing battle, he resigned himself to grabbing an aggro Skill as soon as possible.

‘It looks like saving my Skill was pointless. I won’t even have the chance to tank in this battle,’ Chad scoffed.

If he’d used it then, there would be no reason for him to have struggled as much. Without knowing why he began laughing.

It seemed that his laughter was infectious. The entire crew began to chuckle and joked around as they dodged, blocked, or stabbed at the Sub-Boss.

The men’s movements became natural, even to the extent of flowing like water. Every step they took was that of a man who lived for the thrill of the battle before them.

It wasn’t long before the creature fell, the sound of the Humans’ laughter the last thing it ever heard.