Attack Is the Best Defense

Just like now!

Clang!!!

Three deafening impacts rang out almost as one, and Chris was driven back three or four steps by a hammer blow.

Then he landed hard on his backside and skidded several meters under the force of the impact. A clear dent had appeared in the iron-covered Kite Shield on his left arm.

And that was with Leia firing an arrow at the Gray Dwarf facing Chris, disrupting the attack.

It showed just how terrifyingly strong a Gray Dwarf was in its gigantic form.

In fact, against a Gray Dwarf with a challenge rating of one in its gigantic form, even a newly qualified Professional fighter would have to go all out to withstand its burst of power.

Chris had done remarkably well to hold out as he had.

Grand was in worse shape. With no bolts from Fabian to distract the Gray Dwarf facing him, it had been free to swing its hammer after growing huge.

The blow had not only knocked Grand to the ground but also bruised the soft tissue in his shield-bearing left arm.

At that moment, the only one still standing was the figure in the Bull-Horn Helmet.

One second earlier.

Rather than raise his shield to block as Chris and Grand had, Rain had pushed the muscles in his left arm to their limit, veins bulging. His Steel Shield had swept forward with a whoosh.

Rain had used the Combat Technique Shield Bash to counter the Gray Dwarf's sudden burst of power.

The instant the Gray Dwarf began to grow, Rain, his mind sharply focused, had realized that the hammer blow would be devastating with that added strength.

Cutting short the hammer's swing and reducing its power was the only effective way to withstand it.

And so he had met attack with attack.

Even so, the moment their blows met—

Sparks flew. An indescribable force surged through Rain's left arm, accompanied by a violent jolt that nearly tore the brand-new Steel Shield from his grasp.

He had to retreat a step before he could withstand the Gray Dwarf's empowered blow!

But his opponent had fared no better. Though uninjured, Sos had never expected Rain to switch from defense to attack. The Warhammer flew from the Gray Dwarf's hand, struck the rock wall, and fell to the ground.

Had Humbert been there, he would surely have praised Rain's quick thinking.

Carrying a shield did not mean he could only defend passively.

Shield Bash meant exactly that—sometimes, attack was the best defense!

But even though Rain had blocked the blow and gained a slight advantage, Chris and Grand had been overwhelmed. The Whistling Hunters' situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse!

"Grand!" Leia cried urgently from behind them.

Her Combat Technique, Aimed Shot, was powerful, but she needed nearly two seconds to draw and aim before she could use it.

While Chris and the others had held the front line, she could not get a clear shot at the shorter Gray Dwarves. By the time they had grown large enough for her to aim at, her side's line had already collapsed.

Leia had no choice but to scramble to help where she could. Her bowstring snapped again and again, buying the fallen Chris a chance to get back on his feet.

But she was not a Professional and could not support both men at once.

Fabian, meanwhile, had leaped forward to face a gigantic Gray Dwarf head-on, hoping to buy Grand time to rise.

Yet anyone could see that even for a fully qualified Rogue, facing a Gray Dwarf warrior in its gigantic form head-on was hardly wise—let alone for a Rogue apprentice.

Besides, even if Grand got up and managed to hold his shield, there was no way he could withstand hammer blows of this intensity in his current condition.

Unless they found a way to break the deadlock, the entire squad could be wiped out at any moment!

Bang!!

In a split second!

A powerful figure charged in from the side and slammed into the gigantic Gray Dwarf just as it was about to smash Grand's head. The impact drove it back several steps toward the hall's rock wall.

It was Rain, using Savage Charge in battle for the first time.

"Focus your attacks!" Rain roared.

As he shouted, he raised his Warhammer high.

At Rain's warning, both Leia and Fabian snapped out of their daze.

The Gray Dwarves, their sudden growth, and one shock after another had left even Leia, the captain, struggling to react.

But Rain knew that unless they swiftly crippled or killed one Gray Dwarf, their whole squad would fall apart!

Attack was the best defense!

The Underground River.

"My lord, those are the finest of my people. Sending them to die for nothing is..." Withered Beard pleaded, his face drawn.

"You damned fool! If the Adventurers above grow suspicious, they'll keep looking for clues."

"I told you to send eight Winged Kobolds so the next human adventuring party would think the previous one died in an ambush by Winged Kobolds!"

"With only three, they're very likely to suspect something!"

"My lord, even if they find out, what of it? Could they possibly defeat someone as mighty as you?"

"Idiot! Kill this second human adventuring party, and the Adventurers' Association will only send a stronger team!"

"(Undercommon) Damn it! Thorn, how many of your Darkforge Clan are guarding the hidden passage above?" The man in the shadows switched languages as he addressed another patch of darkness.

"(Undercommon) Same as last time. A three-man squad. Don't worry, my brother Sos is there too." The reply sounded like stone grinding against stone.

At the same time, a short, muscular figure in Silver-Gray Heavy Plate Armor emerged from the darkness.

"Then there shouldn't be a problem." The middle-aged blond man relaxed and nodded.

But a moment later, worry crossed his face. "(Undercommon) Still, we need to make sure none of them escape. Thorn, you'd better go yourself."

"(Undercommon) Aiyer, killing people for you wasn't part of our agreement. That'll cost extra." The Gray Dwarf named Thorn did not agree outright.

"Thorn, don't forget that we hired you to keep this place secure. Now someone has—"

Thorn was even stockier than an ordinary Gray Dwarf. A sly glint crossed his eyes as he said:

"(Undercommon) If they get in, naturally we'll deal with them. But right now, they haven't come down."