ITWOK Chapter 11: Battle through the night

"What the hell, the Greater Goblin is a Rank 4?" Haru muffled loudly. Thankfully, the two sides were growling at each other excessively, or they might have heard him speak human words.

In all honesty, he had expected it to be Rank 3 at most, as that was where most Greater Goblins were ranked. At Rank 4, it was as strong as seasoned C-rank or early B-rank adventurers. The fact that it was Rank 4 despite being only a Greater Goblin meant it was likely close to evolving into an even more powerful form.

Now that he had a moment to breathe, Haru realized he had likely chosen the worst two groups to enact his plan. A slip-up on either side could have spelled his doom. It was only luck that the two were relatively equal in strength; otherwise, the winner would definitely have gone after him next immediately after.

Rank was only a general classification for power levels, and individual strengths, environment, and intellect also played a role in determining the outcome of a fight. However, given everything else being equal, the Greater Ravager was likely to come out on top. It was an apex predator with higher potential than the Greater Goblin, meaning its strengths far exceeded those of the goblins.

Now that the situation had gotten back on track, Haru was perfectly satisfied to play his role from the shadows. With a smile on his face and a cruel glint in his eyes, he mused that it was time for payback.

The Greater Ravager felt the all-too-familiar sensation of its strength weakening, but it couldn't let itself be distracted, not with its rival staring it down.

The dire wolves and goblins had known of each other's presence for a long time and had kept to their own territories. A few skirmishes occasionally happened, but nothing serious. This time, however, it seemed both sides blamed the other for starting an all-out war.

A tense silence filled the night air. The two leaders roared, signaling the start of the battle.

The goblins, wielding their stone weapons, faced off against the dire wolves. The Greater Goblin lifted an iron blade from its back, likely a reward from a slain adventurer.

The Greater Goblin slashed at the Greater Ravager with all its might, but the creature easily dodged. Even with the de-buff applied by Haru, the Greater Ravager excelled in speed and was faster than the Greater Goblin.

The Greater Ravager pulled back and lunged forward at blazing speeds. The Greater Goblin attempted to block but soon found two fingers missing from its hand.

Enraged, the Greater Goblin swung wildly, felling a few trees in the process. The Greater Ravager deftly leapt back to dodge, but at that same moment, an arrow, perfectly timed, pierced its eye. The Greater Ravager roared in pain, staggering back just enough for the Greater Goblin to slice its belly, causing blood to flow out.

The Greater Ravager stared at the source of the arrow and saw Haru hiding in the shadows. Though still wearing a goblin mask, the Greater Ravager could sense Haru mocking it.

When he first arrived in Kladin, Haru was quickly placed into Lance's group and forced to use his skill constantly whenever they faced difficult monsters or demons. His skill never missed, regardless of how strong the opponent was or how weak he was.

Minus Strength was a completely broken skill, allowing Haru to dictate the flow of battle. While the 15% debuff was amazing and capable of turning the tide of battle, it was actually the sudden feeling of losing one’s strength that caused an opponent to make a mistake. Haru learned that saving the move to use when the opponent least expected it would get the best results. The only drawback was the mana consumption, which was nothing compared to its effectiveness and could be replenished with a good few mana rejuvenation potions.

If you were to ask before the regression who had the most impact in turning the heroes into a legendary party, the people would likely all point to Lance who was the fabled leader of the Summoned Heroes. In truth, every time they barely managed to slay a monster or survive by the skin of their teeth, it was due to Haru's involvement. Even against the tough demons, Lance had to give credit to Haru, who made them manageable.

The Greater Ravager's howl filled the air, causing the dire wolves to disengage from the goblin minions. It then joined forces with the dire wolves, setting their sights on the Greater Goblin.

The dire wolves moved with incredible speed and precision, seizing the Greater Goblin's limbs and immobilizing it. The Ravager lunged at the Greater Goblin's neck with a fierce snarl. It snapped down, its teeth sinking deep and tearing away a chunk of flesh.

The Greater Goblin, unable to withstand the combined assault, fell to its knees. The remaining dire wolves moved to intercept the other goblins, preventing them from aiding their leader.

Feeling triumphant, the Greater ravager suddenly sensed something amiss. The Greater Goblin's eyes glowed a menacing red.

Haru, watching the scene unfold, muttered, "You should've finished it quicker. Dire wolves aren't the only ones capable of entering a frenzy."

Frenzy was a natural passive ability possessed by most predatory creatures, triggered when they were in extreme hunger or their lives were on the line. This ability allowed them to enter a state of frenzy, granting them increased strength and ferocity.

Steam evaporated upwards from the Greater Goblin, who rose with renewed vigor. It tore the two wolves clinging to its arms away and held them in both hands. With a brutal display of strength, it smashed them together, creating a puddle of blood. The two wolves that had been restraining its legs suddenly backed away in fear.

The Greater Goblin then placed the mangled wolf remains into its mouth and chewed gruesomely. As it swallowed, the wounds on its body began to heal, at least enough to stop the flow of blood.

For the first time in its life, the Greater Ravager felt its life on the line. Years of being the top predator, it finally had to concede that the Greater Goblin in front of it was perhaps stronger. However, this only served to push it further.

It inhaled the scent of blood deeply and entered a state of frenzy as well. However, the minion goblins finally broke free from the pesky dire wolves and joined their leader, the Greater Goblin. They got into formation and aimed their weapons at the Greater Ravager as they charged forward.

The Greater Ravager disappeared from its spot, and when it reappeared a few steps away from the charging goblins, three goblin heads fell to the ground and rolled.

The Greater Goblin roared fiercely. Sparks flew as claw met iron. Despite the Ravager's impressive speed, its injuries were starting to show, and the Greater Goblin took full advantage of this. With a swift and powerful motion, the Greater Goblin caught the leg of the Ravager and swung it like a club, slamming it into the ground over and over. The Greater Ravager's once-majestic fur was now matted with blood and dirt, its fierce eyes dulled with pain.

Sensing the Ravager's life fleeting, the Greater Goblin threw it down and raised its iron blade high. He had emerged victorious and he was going to relish it.

Out of nowhere, the Greater Goblin felt the debuff skill weakening its strength. It was followed by an arrow, which he easily deflected. He could instantly sense the source of the attack coming from Haru, who still wore a goblin mask.

Enraged, the Greater Goblin roared and charged towards Haru, not realizing it had made a fatal mistake. A large claw mark tore its back, and it stumbled, falling to a knee. The Greater Ravager, though hurt, stood in front, ready to continue their battle.

The wound was deep and large enough to reveal bone. The Greater Goblin immediately realized something wasn't right. Perhaps due to its advanced rank or evolution, it put together the fact that this “Goblin” had never fought, wasn't part of its camp, and had led them to fight against their greatest enemy. Realization struck as it understood it had been played, both sides tricked into fighting each other!

If they had been humans, this would be the time to put aside their differences to deal with the common enemy. However, they were monsters and gave in to their natural instincts to fight each other to the bitter end.

Everything had finally fallen into place, and Haru could now dictate the field. There were about an equal number of goblins and dire wolves left, with the Greater Ravager and Greater Goblin taking center stage.

Their fight continued through the night, with Haru patiently dictating the field, utilizing his [Minus Strength] skill on whichever side was winning to balance both teams. All he had to do was sit back and watch as the two powerful creatures battled it out.

***

Back at the palace, right now in the princess' room, Ren was groveling on the floor, his body trembling as he spoke. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to lose him."

"Tell me, how did someone who's ranked within the top 100 strongest among all seven kingdoms lose sight of a new Summoned who doesn't even know their way around the kingdom?" Princess Reina asked.

Ren stammered, "I-I don't know. The moment I began to follow him, he had already reached the Adventurer's Guild."

"The Adventurer's Guild?"

"Yes... as we do not have jurisdiction within the grounds of the Adventurer's Guild, I decided to wait him out. However, when I saw him come out in a cloak, he was walking strangely. At the same time, I noticed another figure in the same cloak jumping from one of the rooms in secret. This figure then made a run for it. I..." Ren swallowed harshly.

Reina narrowed her eyes. "Go on."

"I thought it was a diversion and chased after the one that was running. But, it was just a mana duplicate."

"A mana duplicate?" Nuel interjected. "Are you trying to say that Summoned was able to do magic?"

Ren nodded while still facing the floor.

Nuel stroked his chin. "That shouldn't be possible. I have never heard of the Summoned having completed mana circuits prior to coming here. Even if he did, I would've picked up on it. Are you certain of what you saw?"

Ren again affirmed. "Yes! The moment I caught up, the duplicate vanished, leaving only the cloak. When I realized what had happened, I immediately returned to the spot, but the Summoned was already gone."

Silence remained in the room, causing Ren to break out in cold sweat.

Finally, the princess broke the silence. "You may raise your head."

Ren finally looked up, revealing the others. Seraphina was by the side, as was Nuel, the trusted aide of the princess. To others, what would be most surprising was that the king was also present. However, he wasn't standing but currently serving as a chair for his daughter, on all fours. The princess sat cross-legged, her usually warm demeanor now cold as a smile tugged at her lips.

"I suppose it really isn't your fault then," she said. "I was thinking perhaps you had grown soft on the Summoned and allowed him to escape."

"I would never betray you or the kingdom!" Ren replied strictly.

"That's good to know. But…" She waved her hand, and a red ring on her finger shone. An invisible force latched onto Ren and held him in the air, squeezing the breath out of him. "Your actions still reflect poorly on me. I was entrusted to handle the summoning and those summoned. Now, we have no idea what skill that Summoned has or if Freehaven will get to him first."

"No... he..." Ren tried to answer but couldn't under the forceful pressure.

"Princess," Seraphina spoke up.

Reina glanced sideways at her and asked, "What is it?"

"Ren may be an idiot, but he would never do anything to betray your trust. That Summoned got lucky and managed to escape, but in the end, he is just one man. Even if he knows magic or somehow manages to awaken his skill, he still won't be able to change anything or affect your plans. We have been faithful to you since the day you found us. Please afford Ren some leniency."

The princess thought about it for a moment and then dropped Ren, who coughed out. She smiled mischievously. "You sure are more open with your feelings nowadays. I wonder when I can expect the wedding."

Seraphina reddened slightly. "That's not what's happening!"

Reina laughed. "Alright, all is forgiven. You two may leave."

Seraphina helped Ren up, and they left after bowing slightly, the door shutting behind them.

Ren, with an arm around Seraphina, looked up and smiled. "I don't suppose that means you'll finally join me for an evening?"

"Shut up," Seraphina said, turning her head.

Back in the room, Reina had a playful smile.

"I still remember when I picked them up all those years ago. Seraphina was always protective of him but would never admit her feelings for him. And Ren grew up to be quite the looker compared to his younger days. I'm glad to see their relationship growing," Reina said with a look of approval.

"Indeed, it is because of your wisdom and foresight that we now have two capable warriors to serve the kingdom."

The princess sighed. "Drop the act please. I'm in no mood."

Nuel laughed. "Sorry. You seem tense. Is it because of that Summoned?" he asked. The atmosphere turned light as they began to talk like friends, both completely ignoring the king, who was still prostrated as simple furniture.

"If it was just about that Summoned, then I wouldn't really care. However, he just had to make that comment." She gnashed her teeth. "If he hadn't made those words about the contract, I could've influenced the others into signing."

Nuel nodded. "That Summoned complicated matters. Our carefully laid plans were revealed prematurely and some of them are beginning to doubt our intentions. That fellow, George, in particular, is a lost cause. He will not be swayed, not after that. Perhaps... it's time to make sure he doesn't become a liability. Shall we remove him from the equation, before his doubts infect the others?"

"Not yet." She rose from her seat and walked in front of a mirror. She was jostling her hair, making sure it was perfect and stared for a few moments at her complexion before continuing, "Saintess Demetria has informed me that the Summoned must all be given their skill awakening. We'll decide what to do after the skill awakening ceremony. Besides, Seraphina is right; this isn't like the last time. What can a measly Summoned do to us?"

Reina suddenly stopped what she was doing and opened up a box from the side. Immediately, the smell of rotten food and something else entirely filled the room. Maggots crawled all over the food, making it even more repulsive. The smell alone was enough to cause one to wretch in disgust and possibly knock someone unconscious.

She had a bowl in one hand and a ladle in the other as she filled up the bowl with the contents of the box.

She turned to Nuel. “Oh, did you want some?”

“N-No, if you’ll excuse me. I shall retire for the night. Good night, princess.” Nuel quickly turned to leave.

"Goodnight, Nuel," she replied.

After he left, she brought the bowl of putrid food and placed it in front of the king.

"Time to eat, father." The princess watched with a wicked grin as the king ate with a zealous expression.