Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 31: New Phase of Biological Research

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: New Phase of Biological Research

His vision started to blur, and his limbs felt as heavy as lead.

In a moment of distraction, the rhythm of the battle shattered.

A Goblin seized the opportunity, its wooden club sweeping viciously toward his legs.

Damian managed a desperate leap to dodge, but he couldn’t block the spear flying at him from behind.

The sharp tip of the spear scraped across his cheek, kicking up a spray of blood.

The intense pain forced his fading consciousness to focus for an instant, but it was more like the final flare of a dying candle.

Watching the ugly Demons on the perimeter sneering as they tightened their encirclement, Damian’s heart sank.

The Longsword in his hand had never felt so heavy.

He knew he was really going to die here.

In this desperate moment, the boy’s mind for some reason drifted back to that morning.

"Senior Raven..."

Damian’s lips twisted into a bitter smile as blood dripped from his chin onto the white cobblestones.

"Sorry... Looks like I can’t keep my promise to you."

"I couldn’t survive after all."

CLANG!

Another heavy impact.

Damian gritted his teeth, his trembling arms barely blocking the club swung by a Barbarian Soldier.

The excruciating pain from his splitting grip nearly made him drop his sword hilt. Large black spots began to blot out his vision.

It was a sign his brain was starved of oxygen.

His arms felt as if they were weighted down by massive boulders. Even the simple act of raising his sword to block became incredibly difficult, and the blade couldn’t help but dip downward.

The cunning Goblins around him had clearly seen that their prey was at the end of his rope.

They let out excited and cruel shrieks, swinging their weapons with even greater urgency.

SMACK!

Another powerful, heavy sweep.

Damian raised his sword to block on pure instinct.

But this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The backlash from forcing his Breathing Combat Technique, combined with the immense impact, completely destroyed his last shred of balance.

The young man was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily onto the hard cobblestone ground.

Pain and dizziness assaulted him at once. His consciousness instantly plunged into darkness, and he passed out completely.

Seeing their prey fall, the surrounding Goblins erupted into a chaotic swarm, shrieking as they rushed forward, each one scrambling to be the first to cut off the human’s head.

Just in the nick of time.

WHOOSH—

A piercing whistle suddenly echoed from the dense woods to the side.

Without any warning, a Feathered Arrow shot out from the woods, whistling through the air, and pierced with pinpoint accuracy through the throat of a Goblin that was about to throw a short spear.

[System Prompt: Goblin Research Progress +1]

This sudden turn of events brought the seething horde of Goblins to a momentary standstill.

Immediately after, a figure shot out from the woods like a cheetah.

The figure didn’t even pause while running, smoothly drawing their bowstring once more.

A second arrow whistled out, pinning another spear-throwing Goblin, which had just begun to react, to the ground.

[System Prompt: Goblin Research Progress +1]

Lance’s gaze was as cold as ice, his steps astonishingly fast.

He charged at full speed toward where Damian had fallen. The moment before he entered the fray, he drew his Short Bow into a full moon.

The last arrow flew from the string, taking out the final spear-throwing Goblin on the field that posed a ranged threat.

[System Prompt: Goblin Research Progress +1]

At that moment, the Goblin Scouts on the perimeter, who had been on watch, finally snapped out of their daze.

They shrieked strangely, brandishing their Stone Spears, trying to stop this reckless human.

The distance between them was now less than five meters; the Bow and Arrow was useless.

Without any hesitation, Lance swung the sturdy Hazelwood Short Bow in his hand, viciously striking a pouncing Scout across the face.

CRACK!

The small Goblin was sent spinning through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.

Taking advantage of the opening, Lance casually tossed aside his Short Bow and smoothly slipped the Iron-Wrapped Round Shield from his back onto his left arm.

He had only one objective.

Reach Damian’s side!

Lance curled his body behind the Shield, transforming himself into a human chariot.

BAM!

The Shield slammed viciously into a Scout blocking his path.

The immense kinetic energy sent the creature flying several meters away.

An Ordinary Adventurer would be exhausted and gasping for breath after using such a full-power shield bash four or five times at most.

But Lance was an exception.

Every one of his bashes, every exertion of force, was delivered with unreserved, peak power.

The Goblin Scouts trying to stop him were like fragile scarecrows, unable to slow his advance in the slightest.

Even the sturdy Goblin Barbarian Soldiers were drawn by the commotion, turning their heads to reveal looks of shock and uncertainty.

In just a few moments, Lance had forcefully punched through the encirclement and was standing beside Damian.

He quickly glanced at the young man on the ground.

His chest was still rising and falling.

’Good, he’s just unconscious.’

Lance let out a long breath, his right hand smoothly drawing the Fine Steel Short Sword from his waist.

He stepped forward with his left leg, lowered his center of gravity, protected half his body with the Shield, and concealed the Short Sword behind it.

The standard opening stance of Castro Swordsmanship.

Four powerfully-built Goblin Barbarian Soldiers roared and surrounded him, their Nail-studded Wooden Staffs raining down like hailstones.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

A dense flurry of dull thuds echoed across the shallows.

Lance was like a reef in the crashing waves; no matter how they attacked, his Round Shield always managed to block the fatal blows from the most difficult angles.

The essence of Castro Swordsmanship lies in defense and counterattack.

But against the Goblins’ frenzied, all-out assault, one would normally need to block three or four times in a row just to find a single opening for a thrust.

This high-intensity, passive defense placed an enormous strain on the shield arm.

An ordinary person’s arm muscles would go numb and weak from the vibrations after blocking just a dozen heavy blows, causing them to drop their Shield.

But Lance had already taken nearly thirty consecutive heavy hits.

His left arm remained as steady as if it were cast from steel, without the slightest tremor.

What terrified the Goblins even more was his lethal counterattack.

With every thrust of his sword, Lance would mobilize the muscles of his entire body for an explosive burst of power.

Combined with the 5% extra Penetration Power from the Specialty he had just acquired, "Trench Rat’s Bite," his Fine Steel Short Sword became incomparably sharp.

SCHLICK!

A flash of the sword.

Another Goblin Scout fell, clutching its gushing throat.

Every one of Lance’s killing blows reaped a life.

The terrifying pressure of an enemy who never tired no matter how they attacked, who would always kill them in return no matter how they swarmed him, finally struck fear into the hearts of the unintelligent Goblins.

They shrieked and fell back a few steps, no longer daring to charge in for a direct fight. Instead, they began herding the surrounding cannon-fodder Scouts forward to wear down Lance’s stamina.

This played right into Lance’s hands.

Amidst the seamless transitions between offense and defense, he calmly stabbed another six Stone Spear-wielding Goblin Scouts to death.

’Just one more.’

’Just one more kill to unlock the next stage of Biological Research.’