Fate's Arrangement

The dagger was a bit too short. Although it successfully pierced the Goblin's nape, it didn't inflict much damage. Meanwhile, the Female Fighter had already closed in on the Goblin. She unleashed a barrage of attacks on its head, which was nearly as large as a Goblin itself.

One punch landed on the Goblin's ear, another on its nose, and a final kick to its eye. The Goblin let out a series of pained howls. In agony, it instinctively dropped its massive stone axe, covering its face with both hands, and tried to stand up. Just then, Lin Yun, recovering from the brief emptiness after casting his spell – no, something was about to leak out, hmm, that didn't sound right either, cough cough cough – finally stabilized himself. He swung his Lantern Staff at the Goblin.

"D20+2+2=7, Hit."

Lin Yun blinked as he looked at the data above. His Lantern Staff struck the Goblin. Since it was falling, its AC was reduced by 4. It wasn't wearing armor, wasn't agile, and was a large target. Hitting it was incredibly easy.

"D6+2+1=7."

The oil splashing from Lin Yun's Lantern Staff made the Goblin cry out in agony. Though its cries grew weaker, it still tried to get back on its feet.

"Whoa." The young warrior, who had impulsively jumped onto the Goblin's back to stab its nape, nearly fell as the Goblin started to rise. He instinctively plunged his dagger into the Goblin's body, trying to stabilize himself. However, because he had just stabbed the Goblin, the dagger was coated in blood and fat. The young warrior was also flustered, causing him to slip on the Goblin's back. He nearly dropped his sword and ended up sitting on the ground behind the Goblin, tears welling up from the pain in his backside.

The brawler rushed forward and threw a punch. As the Goblin was trying to stand, the punch landed squarely on its throat. It seemed to connect with the wound inflicted by the young warrior earlier, causing a gush of blood to spray from the Goblin's back. It then collapsed onto its knees, directly towards the Female Fighter, abandoning its attempt to stand.

Fortunately, Lin Yun's eyes were sharp and his hands were quick. Perhaps it was because the Female Fighter was the MVP of the fight, or perhaps because she was beautiful...

"D20-1=16, Dexterity Save, Success."

"D20+2=16, Strength Save, Success."

In Dungeons & Dragons, when an accident occurs, like a teammate stepping on a trap, if a nearby teammate succeeds a simple Dexterity check, they can grab their teammate in time. However, since the teammate has weight and might resist, a Strength check is also required.

Now, both succeeded. The numbers were just a bit... peculiar.

(Disclaimer: This was not intentional. It was all fate. My DC was set at Dexterity DC 15 and Strength DC 12, both very reasonable. If it's fate, then...)

Lin Yun grabbed the Female Fighter's hand and pulled her forcefully, preventing her from being crushed by the Goblin's falling body.

However, it seemed Lin Yun's pull was a bit too strong, as he pulled the Female Fighter right into his embrace.

"Sigh." The bewildered Female Fighter found herself in Lin Yun's arms, sensing the scent of blood from him... after all, they had just been through a rather intense battle. Looking at the helmet Lin Yun wore, a blush involuntarily spread across her face.

Just then, a scream startled them.

"Aaaah!" It was the young warrior's voice. Having failed his finishing blow and not landing gracefully, the young warrior had just gotten back on his feet. The two Goblins that hadn't been thrown aside by the giant Goblin charged at him. Unlike the previous Goblins, these two wore leather armor and wielded clearly iron weapons. Judging by the ill-fitting armor and the style of the weapons, these were likely dropped by adventurers, possibly even the players who had just died. The fact that they possessed these items suggested these two Goblins were likely special among their kind.

Perhaps. But regardless, the young warrior had been focused on the giant Goblin, and then on Lin Yun and the Female Fighter. He hadn't noticed the two Goblins charging from behind.

Wielding their weapons, one Goblin with a longsword and the other with a battle axe, swung towards the young warrior. But perhaps the young warrior's luck had peaked for the day, or perhaps these weapons weren't suited for Goblins. Theoretically, smaller creatures wielding medium-sized weapons should suffer penalties. One of the Goblins seemed drunk, unable to hold its longsword steady and nearly dropping it or hitting itself. The other, wielding a battle axe, was blocked by the shield the young warrior instinctively raised. It was a stroke of luck, at least.

While people often called shield-bearers cowards, this young warrior, at the very least, used his shield and dagger until the end, rather than just acting tough.

"Be more careful next time." Lin Yun, seeing the Goblins surrounding the young warrior, quickly let go of the Female Fighter. Speaking in a tone befitting the character Silent, he charged forward to attack the Goblin with the battle axe. Should I say, fortunately he was wearing a helmet, so no one could see the blush on his face?

This was a woman, the first young girl he had ever been this close to.

"D20+2+2=10, MISS."

It seemed the sudden flush of shyness caused Lin Yun to lose focus. His attack missed, and the Goblin with the battle axe easily dodged it.

The young warrior, now reacting, picked up his dagger and began to counterattack. He slashed at the leather armor of the Goblin with the battle axe. However, the young warrior seemed to have forgotten how he failed to hit the giant Goblin earlier. The blood and fat coating the dagger caused it to slip off the Goblin's ill-fitting leather armor, dealing no damage.

Meanwhile, the Female Fighter was still in a daze due to the bizarre events that had just transpired. She was in a trance, almost forgetting who she was. After all, she was a young maiden, always dreaming of who she might marry. Such an encounter had left her bewildered.

Seeing the Female Fighter's dazed state, the Goddess Priestess, who had grown up in a temple and didn't know much about the world, looked at her with concern. Clutching her holy symbol, she asked, "Are you alright? Do you need healing?"

"Ah... No... No, I'm fine." Asked by the Goddess Priestess, the Female Fighter finally snapped back to some semblance of reality. She subconsciously looked at Lin Yun fighting and walked towards him.

"Are you really okay?" The Goddess Priestess said worriedly, seeing that the Female Fighter clearly didn't look fine.

Meanwhile, the Goblins, seeing that the young warrior's and Lin Yun's attacks were completely ineffective, let out sharp, mocking laughter and attacked the young warrior.

The Goblin with the longsword swung its weapon and slashed at the young warrior. However, it still seemed unaccustomed to the weight of the longsword, and the attack was blocked by the young warrior's shield.

But then, while the young warrior was blocking the longsword Goblin's attack with his shield, the Goblin with the battle axe struck the young warrior's right hand. This caused severe damage, eliciting a scream from the young warrior.