Starting with the goblin extermination

Logan lunged at the thug on his left who was holding a longsword.

The sound of leather rubbing together was especially jarring in the forest, and silver lightning flashed silently across the sky—

[Thrust]

The thug's reaction was remarkably quick; after all, they were desperate criminals who lived on the edge.

He had already raised his longsword to try and parry.

However, with the added advantage of his "Windbreaker" specialization, Logan can unleash combat skills at an incredible speed.

The longsword mercilessly tore through the thin defenses.

puff.

The sword tip pierced the man's leather armor and sternum, splitting his heart in two.

[Proficiency +1]

[Thrust LV2 (99/100)]

Logan had no time to be stunned by his first kill, because the air above him was being torn apart and even shrieked.

The scarred orc reacted quickly; he didn't even glance at the corpse of his falling subordinate.

"You bastard! Die!"

The heavy broadsword, gleaming with an inscrutable black light, slashed down from the sky with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

【Heavy Cut】

Like [Thrust], this combat skill is also one of the prerequisites for the [Warrior] class.

This is also the only offensive combat skill that the scarred orc has mastered in his more than ten years of adventure.

The effect is simple yet practical: it concentrates power in one place, multiplying the destructive power of the strike. It is said that true high-level professionals can even split an entire mountain in two when wielding this move.

The scarred orc certainly didn't have that kind of world-destroying power. For him, mastering the [Heavy Slash] to the 'Proficient' stage was already the limit of his intelligence and resources.

But in this battle, that's enough.

If Logan dares to take that blow head-on, he and his sword will be smashed into a pile of minced meat.

Logan could certainly feel the terror of that slash.

After all, the biting wind pressure made his cheeks sting.

His intuition was screaming alarm bells.

We can't stop them!

Logan twisted his waist forcefully and rolled to the right.

boom--!

The broadsword grazed past his afterimage and slammed into the spot where Logan had been standing. Dirt and rubble exploded, stinging his face.

clang--!

The blade still grazed Logan's longsword hard.

The monstrous force traveled along the blade to Logan's wrist. He felt a heat in his hand, and half of his arm instantly went numb. The sword then slipped from his grasp, tumbled a few times in mid-air, and landed diagonally in the mud a few meters away.

"Kill him!" the scarred orc roared.

On the right, the thugs with knives pounced like hyenas that had smelled blood, their short knives aimed straight for Logan's heart.

Logan pushed off the ground with both feet, sliding backward like a fish, barely avoiding the blade.

But the scarred orc gave him no chance to catch his breath.

The broadsword swept down again.

With only a dagger, Logan could only duck, roll, and dodge in a sorry state.

His already limited strength was almost completely depleted, and every breath he took carried the smell of blood. He felt as if his chest was on fire.

As expected, Logan eventually revealed a flaw.

The moment he stood up, the knife-wielding thug seized the opportunity and viciously slashed at Logan's neck from behind with his short knife.

Logan felt a chill run down his spine. He forced himself to bend to the left, and the dagger grazed his right shoulder, shattering his leather armor and leaving a trail of blood.

Fortunately, it only broke the skin and resulted in the loss of a lock of his blonde hair.

But before he could even feel relieved, Logan was struck by a shattering pain in his abdomen.

The scarred orc's large foot, clad in iron-tipped boots, slammed into Logan's stomach.

boom!

Logan was sent flying like he'd been hit by a charging bull, his feet leaving the ground as he flew three or four meters through the air before crashing heavily into a broken tree root.

"Cough—vomit!"

Logan curled up on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

My ribs are broken.

His vision began to blur, and he could vaguely see fragments of internal organs in the bloodstains. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart.

"Run? Go ahead and keep running, you fucking bastard!"

The thug with the knife grinned maliciously as he strode closer, while the scarred orc grinned smugly, twirling his broadsword in a heavy flourish.

They didn't rush to attack; like a cat catching a mouse, they approached step by step.

Fortunately, less than half a meter to Logan's right, his longsword was quietly stuck in the soil.

Am I going to die?

This was the closest Logan ever came to death.

He could feel the fear coursing through his veins, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably.

But fear did not destroy him; instead, it drenched his nerves like ice water.

Time seemed to stretch out infinitely.

The knife-wielding thugs were already close when the scarred orc's voice came from behind him:

"I'm going to rip your guts out bit by bit, and then fuck that bitch to death right in front of you."

Logan felt the voice was very close, yet also very far away, just like his sword.

But he could still touch the longsword.

Lady Luck was ultimately on his side.

The short knife plunged down fiercely.

But Logan was faster.

He rolled over and drew his sword.

[Thrust]

This sword strike drained Logan of all his strength.

The blade sliced ​​through the thug's chest without any resistance, as if cutting through a piece of butter, and emerged through his back.

The thug's sinister grin froze on his face as blood splattered, dripping from Logan's arm to the ground.

In that instant.

The words in front of Logan flashed wildly before finally settling.

[Proficiency +1]

[Thrust] LV2 — [Thrust] LV3 (1/100)

Strength +1, Agility +1

boom!

He heard the sound of something breaking inside his body.

A surge of raw, scalding heat instantly pumped from Logan's heart, washing over his limbs like a flood bursting its banks.

He could feel his torn muscles rebuilding, and his body, which had been as heavy as lead, suddenly became light and full of explosive power.

Moreover, at this moment—

Logan's world suddenly became incredibly clear.

He could feel the slippery blood on the hilt of the sword, and the disturbance caused by the wind slicing across the blade.

The longsword in his hand seemed to melt into a part of his arm at that moment.

It was an extremely clear sense of control.

His combat technique, "Thrust," has also become part of his body.

"die!"

The broadsword struck again, accompanied by a gust of wind.

But it's very slow.

He whirled around, his longsword tracing a perfect arc, dodging the slash while simultaneously striking the scarred orc's armor.

My father's longsword was still sharp, and the iron armor was torn, but the inside did not feel as soft as flesh.

Logan felt a metallic stiffness.

Another combat technique.

The enemy in front of us had indeed mastered more than one combat technique.

But he couldn't possibly block his own thrust.

Logan took the opportunity to withdraw.

The scarred orc stared incredulously at the wound on his chest, a flicker of surprise finally crossing his arrogant eyes.

Why did the human insect, which was clearly exhausted and on its last legs, come back to life?

"Now, it's one-on-one."

Logan held his longsword, his voice hoarse.