Volume 1 Chapter 27 If You Get Scared, You Lose, But...
"Huh? What? Wait, partner. What are you doing, you──"
"Nooooooo!!"
Facing countless Kobolds ahead. With a shout of determination to keep my legs from trembling, I rushed forward, swinging my spear.
The Kobolds, taken aback by my sudden appearance from behind, gave me an opening. Seizing the chance, I pushed through the Kobold wall with my spear as I recklessly aimed for Silver Flash.
"Partner, this is reckless!!"
"Shut up! Just be quiet!!"
I relentlessly cut, pierce, and sweep away the Kobolds in front of me. Despite being scratched by a Kobold's claw along the way, I pressed on without hesitation.
The distance between Silver Flash and the Kobold King is almost zero now.
The Kobold King, with blood flowing from its eyes and a furious expression, glares at Silver Flash.
At first, Silver Flash looked tough and stared fiercely, but when she saw the strong arm swinging up, she suddenly relaxed her shoulders.
And then, I saw it.
A face that seemed to have given up on everything.
──Snap! Something inside of me snapped.
Before I knew it, I had broken through the enclosure of the Kobolds. With the momentum, I raised my spear high.
"Look this way, you big brute!"
The tip of the spear was sucked into its vulnerable torso as I swung my arm.
But what came back to my arm wasn't the feeling of cutting through flesh, but a hard recoil like hitting a rock.
"It's tough!"
The blade didn't penetrate the Kobold King's body, it just barely stuck into its surface.
I was surprised and unexpectedly met eyes with Silver Flash, who had fallen down.
Though different in nature, she had the same astonished expression on her face as I did.
"Don't just stand there, partner!"
"Huh!? What!?"
The powerful arm of the Kobold King, which was raised, is now directed towards me instead of Silver Flash. I avoid the approaching claws just in time, but I can't withstand the force of the strong wind that sways at close range, and my body loses balance and falls backwards.
"Don't resist! Jump and roll like that!"
Reflexively obeying the voice that sounds like a scolding, I jump back just before falling and roll on the ground, letting the momentum carry me. This not only makes me fall, but also creates distance between me and the Kobold King, and in that empty space, the powerful arm swings down again.
"Thank you, Gram!"
"Save your thanks for later! More importantly, the fact that you came forward like this means you have some kind of plan, right? Please say you have one!!"
"...What should I do?"
"Of course, you have no plan, you damn idiot!"
While Gram and I argue back and forth, the roar of the Kobold King shakes the air.
"────!"
"Partner! Now that it's come to this, if you show even a little bit of fear, we'll be completely overwhelmed! Stay strong and hold your ground!"
My legs wanted to retreat, but I somehow managed to stay firm.
The Kobold King, who didn't flinch in the face of my bravery, barked again and charged at me, swinging its arm.
Despite its huge size── or rather, because of its huge size── the charge that was unleashed with its immense strength was incredibly fast. Just as Gram had said, if I had hesitated, my reaction would have been too slow.
I dodged to the side and avoided the attack, swinging my blade as it passed. However, what came back was still a hard sensation. The blade only skimmed the surface without cutting into the flesh.
"It's too hard!"
Silver Flash's slash was able to easily cut through things before!
Frustrated, the Kobold King swung its arm recklessly. If it hit me directly, my body would instantly turn into a lifeless mass. I desperately moved my body, which was about to shrink in fear, and evaded the approaching giant arm.
In between, I attack by swinging my spear many times.
My attack can reach. This is because the spear's characteristic range is barely longer than the Kobold King's arm.
It was hard to tell from a distance, but the Kobold King's attacks were fast. I thought it was a slow movement due to its large size, but when I saw it being wielded up close, I realized that Silver Flash's martial art was elevated to a level several dozen levels above mine... If this had been a sword, it wouldn't have been so bad, but it wouldn't have been possible to counterattack.
──However, none of this makes any sense as it is blocked by the Kobold King's epidermis.
"Hey, Gram! The blade won't pass!!"
"I'm not blunddd!!"
Even though I was cursing Gram, I knew the truth.
It was thanks to the skill of the mercenary named Silver Flash that she was able to narrowly evade the Kobold King's attacks and even counterattack. That's a feat that would be impossible for someone like me, who has been a farmer all my life and only recently became a mercenary.
"Oh no! The fox girl!"
Gram shouted in a panicked voice.
When I looked over there, it was a scene where multiple Kobolds were creeping towards Silver Flash. It seemed that they saw Silver Flash as an easy prey because she was injured.
Silver Flash still couldn't stand up due to her injured leg. She tried to aim her katana at the Kobolds, but her face was filled with pain.
"Darn it, but I can't let go of this──"
"Partner! Throw the knife! Aim for the left eye!"
In an instant, I understood Gram's intention. I pulled out a knife used for dissecting prey from my waist and threw it towards the Kobold King.
If I had simply thrown it, it would have been easily brushed away with a light swipe of its arm. But the tip of the knife was aimed at the Kobold King's crushed left eye. Perhaps the Kobold King remembered the pain of having its left eye torn apart, so it deflected the approaching knife with a dramatic gesture.
"Go now, partner!"
Before Gram could speak, I started running.
Just as the Kobolds were about to pounce on Silver Flash, I intervened.
"Get out of here!"
Using the length of my spear and centrifugal force, I swiftly mowed down the approaching Kobolds.
"Are you okay, Silver Flash?"
"Oh, you──"
When I turned around, Silver Flash was kneeling, her face pale from bleeding, but still conscious.
Before I could feel relieved, the angry Kobolds, whose hunt had been interrupted, barked and charged towards me.
"Ugh, why won't they give up already!"
"Due to extreme hunger and the Kobold King's command, they can't make rational decisions anymore!"
It would be fine if they only attacked me. The problem is those who are trying to attack Silver Flash.
Silver Flash couldn't move, but her sword was swinging to fend off the approaching Kobold.
It was clear that she couldn't handle all of them at once. I tried to help her by attacking the Kobolds she couldn't deal with.
And then── my attempt to help created a fatal opening.
"Wha-?! Partner, behind you──"
Before I knew it, the huge body was right next to me. I had been too focused on Silver Flash and had completely missed the dangerous presence approaching from behind.
In the next moment, I was sent flying by the powerful arm.
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