Ambush

Meva, shrouded in her cloak, emerged from the shade of the trees and returned quietly.

The entire process was almost silent.

"How was the reconnaissance?"

The members of the Night Owl Squad looked at her.

"Here."

Meva took out a tan-colored parchment from her embrace.

She spread it flat in the middle of the stones the group had gathered around.

On the parchment, she had used simple signs and marks to circle and draw, writing some information.

This was the benefit of having a Rogue apprentice in the team; she was both an Assassin and a scout.

Although Rogues' frontal combat capabilities couldn't compare to many other classes, and their role in a team might seem unremarkable, their specialized knowledge in many other areas was something other classes couldn't match.

For instance, they mastered various stealth and sneaking techniques.

When encountering special terrain, their nimble bodies and mobility allowed them to climb, search, and scout enemies more easily, as well as disarm and set traps, pick locks, and so on.

In combat, rather than relying on brute force, they preferred to formulate plans and strike precisely at the enemy's weak points.

It could be said that this was a class with very distinct characteristics.

Even though Meva was only a Rogue apprentice, the stealth techniques she had mastered were still indispensable to this team at the moment.

Returning to the Map.

Meva had already begun to share the intelligence she had just gathered with the others.

The parchment was simply divided into about ten squares.

Each square represented a building.

The execution site for their current mission was the ruins of an abandoned village.

A small group of Goblins had gathered on the originally desolate ruins at some point.

Because the ruins were close to the nearby Mill Village, even though the group of Green-skins didn't pose a threat to the village yet, the villagers had still posted a request with the Adventurer's Guild.

The goal was to nip the threat in the bud.

"The number of these Goblins is estimated to be between 15 and 22. Some are hiding inside buildings, so I couldn't see clearly."

"They are scattered quite a bit; the specific numbers are marked on each building."

"Most of their weapons are Stone Spears, wooden clubs, Wooden Shields, and steel knives. There are 4 Goblins using bows."

Meva described her intelligence combined with the simple map in just a few words.

"Are there any special leader-type individuals?" Leven nodded and added.

"No."

"That's good. Let's proceed according to the plan we made earlier."

"Everyone, prepare for battle. We'll ambush the enemies here on the Map. Meva, see if you can create some noise without alerting all the monsters, to lure some of the Goblins out first. This will save us some effort," Leven told everyone his deployment.

"However, it's not that important if it fails. Our combat power is sufficient to completely annihilate these Goblins in a head-on fight."

"Be careful of the Archers."

"Understood."

No one had any additional comments on his command.

One by one, they began to silently help each other put on their protective gear.

Gauss, as a newcomer temporarily joining the team, naturally had nothing to contribute.

The members of this team cooperated very well, and this mission wasn't particularly difficult.

He was mostly learning from and absorbing the experience of being an Adventurer from the others.

They had arrived nearby late last night and chosen a suitable place to camp and rest for the night.

Now, after a full night's sleep, they were full of energy.

Gauss put on his Leather Armor, handguards, and greaves, and then practiced thrusting a few times on the spot with his Rapier to warm up.

During this time, he had also often practiced some basic Sword Skill movements.

Although the effect was certainly not as good as being guided by a professional swordsman, basic movements were something you would gain some benefit from as long as you practiced.

At least his thrusts were now much more decent than when he first started.

Of course, Rapiers could also be used for slashing, parrying, and blocking, but those were auxiliary. Tactically, they primarily relied on thrusting attacks.

Rapiers required the user to have the ability to move quickly and operate flexibly.

Gauss lacked this in his normal state, but he had his cheat. As long as he activated that brain overload state, with the huge advantage brought by his 7 points of Spirit, he entered a low-budget bullet time, and the advantage perfectly matched the Rapier's specialty.

Doyle, with the help of his teammates, put on his Scale Armor before he had the chance to notice others.

Suddenly, his gaze fell upon Gauss, who was moving in small steps back and forth not far away, practicing his thrusts. A large question mark couldn't help but appear above his forehead.

What is he doing?

Although he had noticed Gauss always wore a rapier, he hadn't paid it much mind.

After all, many classes kept a melee weapon for self-defense in emergencies.

But seeing Gauss now, so focused on his warm-up.

Could it be he actually planned to get up close and personal in the fight? Was this guy really a mage?

However, he didn't have time to focus on Gauss; he himself also needed to seize the moment to warm up before the battle.

Once everyone was ready, they proceeded towards their designated ambush point.

This was the difference between a seasoned low-level adventuring party and a rookie one. Facing a group of Goblins whose frontal combat power was inferior to their own, these veterans still set up an ambush to break them down.

According to Leven, even if they had the ability to defeat the Goblins head-on, they couldn't just charge in recklessly. Such a confrontation would undoubtedly consume more of their Strength and stamina.

And in this boundless wilderness, you could never predict what enemies you might encounter next.

Even near roads carved out by humans, although the probability was lower, a group of monsters wielding clubs and sticks could still leap out.

Therefore, reasonable stamina allocation and management were essential.

Conserving even a little more stamina meant a greater chance of survival.

Before long, after a brief word with the party, Meva disappeared into the shadows and crept towards the ruins.

Her movements were as agile as an old cat's.

Everyone found their own hiding spots, silently awaiting Meva's return.

Before long, the sound of light footsteps echoed from the direction of the ruins.

It wasn't Meva's, but the sounds made by a few Green-skins, about the height of an adult's chest.

These Goblins had been lured by the commotion Meva had created.

Suddenly, one of the leading Goblins seemed to spot some Treasure and turned to "Wa wa" at its companions.

Not far ahead in a clearing, under a tree, a bleeding grey rabbit was kicking its legs, putting up its final struggle against death.

"Wa wa wa!"

"Wa wa wa wa!"

After excitedly communicating, the Goblins soon cautiously gathered together.

While warily scanning their surroundings, they approached the grey rabbit.

Goblins had low Intelligence, but cunning was in their nature.

Even faced with the temptation of fresh meat right before them, they didn't rush forward all at once.

This was the terrifying aspect of Goblins; before their ranks broke, despite being monsters, they could maintain a decent level of discipline.