"Hiss-gak!"
The filthy dark-brown wooden stick smashed down onto the surface of the iron pot, adding another small dent to the already warped bottom, which had endured countless blows in battle.
Fortunately, the wooden stick itself was made of ordinary material, and the force behind the swing was nothing special. The pot, only recently taken off the stove, still remained basically intact.
"Hold on! All of you, hold on!"
"The Adventurers from River Valley Town will be here any moment. Hold out a few more minutes, and we can all survive."
"For the village, for your wives and children—stand firm!"
The aged voice, worn deep with the traces of time, had long since turned hoarse. His clothes were soaked with sweat, and with his strength completely spent, it took everything he had just to remain standing.
But as the village chief of Emerald Creek Village, the stooped old man still stood in the most dangerous place, rousing the villagers who were fighting the Goblins.
His experience serving in the kingdom's army in his youth had taught him the importance of "morale" and "formation."
So even though the entire defensive line had already been destroyed by that Bear Goblin, allowing the Goblins to cross the trenches and traps they had prepared, the village chief still led a good number of villagers in retreating step by step, drawing away most of the goblins that had charged into the village, stalling for time and winning the other residents a chance to survive.
To be honest, the old man did not expect those passing Adventurers to fight with all their might for the safety of a strange village, nor did he believe that farmers like them, who did not even have proper equipment, could deal with an adult Bear Goblin.
In truth, just the