Red Monster

Chapter 98: Missing Out

Red didn’t respond to the hobgoblin, merely staring at the hobgoblin that was half a head taller than himself. He was more impressed with the hobgoblin’s vocabulary as he heard a new word for the first time. He didn’t know what it meant, but he could tell it was not neutral, let alone complimentary.

"I will beat the shit out of you and bring you to the Chief! We will see what the Chief says!"

The Level 15 Hobgoblin approached Red with a hateful grin. His eyes kept looking at the sword. That was his goal from the first place. He didn’t care whether Red was a coward who ran from a battle.

Red was considering what he should do in the situation. From what the hobgoblin said, the Chief was still in charge. It was the same Chief, or else there was no need for the hob to bring him back to the village to meet the Chief. He knew that was just an excuse to take his sword, but that gave him a clue that the same Chief was still in charge of the village.

If it was the same Chief, then there was nothing to worry about. He was pretty confident that the Chief knew what he had done for them when they were surrounded by the kobolds. Killing one kobold from the reinforcement should not be a problem for him.

He sprang into action, tossing the sword toward the hobgoblin. The sword was spinning in the air. The hob would be cut if he was not careful, and it caught the hob off guard.

As the hob’s attention was drawn to the sword, Red took two steps backward. The bow was in his left hand, and his right hand pulled an arrow. The hobgoblin hadn’t noticed him yet as he focused on the sword.

Before the hob could catch the sword, Red already fired his first arrow. It shot through and hit the hobgoblin’s left thigh. He screamed in pain, in shock, as he was not expecting to be attacked, falling on his left knee.

The spinning sword fell in front of him, bounced off a few times before it stopped, in the hobgoblin’s reach. Yet the hob didn’t look at the sword, looking straight at where the shot was coming from.

He saw that Red had an arrow aimed at him. That was when he panicked and was about to get away. However, the distance between them was too close.

Red fired the second arrow, and it pierced through the hobgoblin’s right thigh, forcing him to kneel on both knees. There was no way for the hob to dodge the arrow when they were so close like this.

The hobgoblin grunted in pain, enduring the pain.

Red dashed forward, which made the hob panic even more. The hob tried to pull the blade mace on his waist, but Red was already in front of him.

Red’s knee hit straight on the hobgoblin’s nose. Blood spurted out from the nose as the hobgoblin fell backward, with the back of his head hitting the ground first.

Red was not over, pinning the hobgoblin with his right foot. His right foot was on the hob’s throat as he drew the arrow, aiming the hob up so close.

"S-STOP!"

The hobgoblin pleaded in his shaky voice.

Red showed no mercy as the third arrow embedded into the hob’s right shoulder. The hob’s body quivered in pain as blood seeped out. He drew the fourth and shot the hobgoblin’s left shoulder.

This time, the hob could no longer hold his scream. His loud scream echoed; he tried to struggle free, but once Red pressed on his throat, the hobgoblin stayed still. The hobgoblin received the message. His throat would be crushed if he tried to fight.

Red was not over. Putting the bow on his back, he squatted down with his right knee on the hobgoblin’s chest. He punched the hobgoblin in the face, further crushing the hob’s bloody nose. He was not satisfied with just one punch as he kept punching the hob’s face; the cheek, lips, eyes, and head.

Red lost count of how many punches he landed, and he only stopped when the hobgoblin could not utter a clear word, just whimpering in pity below him. Only then did he stop, stand up, and pick up his sword.

"IS THERE ANYONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO FIGHT ME?"

His voice was firm and filled with force. The remaining hobgoblins and goblins just stared at Red.

Red was not happy, even if he beat the hobgoblin into a pulp. If he had to choose, he would rather not beat this hob. It was a pointless fight.

He did so to vent out his frustration and anger. His frustration was because he missed out on the remaining three black-armored kobolds. He was angry that this unknown hobgoblin had the idea of taking his sword when he obtained the sword with his life on the line.

No one stepped up for the hobgoblin. He clicked his tongue and pulled the four arrows from the hobgoblin’s body. That caused the hobgoblin to whimper pitifully.

Red left the hobgoblin behind and took a large stride, heading back into the village. The gathered goblins split up to make a path for him. He was in a hurry because he had just remembered about Darla. His greed over the black-armored kobold caused him to forget about her.

With these reinforcements, these hobgoblins and goblins would try to take Darla from him. Even the hobgoblin from his village wanted her despite knowing she belonged to her.

These newly arrived hobgoblins and goblins would want to take her. They would not care whether she belonged to him or not unless he showed them the consequences of touching what belonged to him.

The village was once more in ruin, and many buildings were half destroyed. He didn’t care about them, heading straight toward his house. For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.

He didn’t even know that Tob was following him closely behind. The little guy was having a hard time keeping up with Red.

His home was not in sight yet, but he heard a scream, a familiar scream. His quick stride turned into a run, dragging the sword on the ground. That was when he saw a hobgoblin, a head taller than him, carrying Darla in his arms.

Darla was struggling, kicking and hitting back. It was just a pointless struggle, but she didn’t stop. Her eyes filled with fear; tears streamed down her cheeks.

Red sprinted and took a leap. He landed right in front of the hob, three steps away from the hob. He raised the black sword and pointed at the hob.

"She is mine! Release here now!"