Each heavy footstep was a tremor that shook the ground, and its roar was a physical force that battered the senses.
The 'Clarity' buff kept Ryan's people from scattering in mindless terror, but it couldn't erase the primal fear that seized their hearts.
This was not a creature they could fight. This was a natural disaster clad in muscle and rage.
Leo and Sam, who had been riding a high from their victory against the smaller goblins, now looked like frightened children, their heavy axes suddenly feeling like toys.
Ryan's mind was a maelstrom of panic.
The numbers didn't add up. His Level 2 spear against a Level 5 Chieftain.
His own stats, which were barely average, against a creature that could probably wrestle a bear and win.
He had a 10% damage bonus from his title, but 10% of 'not enough' was still 'not enough'.
But behind him were five people who looked to him as their Lord, their protector.
Running was not an option.
This was his territory, his home. If he abandoned it now, he would have nothing.
"Get back! Get behind the shelter!" Ryan yelled, his voice hoarse.
He planted his feet, gripping the Blood Hunter so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The predatory hum of the weapon felt less like an eager promise and more like a nervous tremor.
The Chieftain didn't waste time with strategy. It raised its colossal tree-trunk club, a weapon that looked like it could shatter a fortress wall, and brought it down with earth-shattering force.
A roar of wind preceded the blow.
Ryan, fueled by a desperate surge of adrenaline, threw himself to the side, tumbling gracelessly through the dirt.
BOOM!
The club slammed into the ground where he had been standing, pulverizing the earth and sending a shockwave that kicked up a cloud of soil and rock.
A deep, two-meter crater was all that was left.
If he had been a fraction of a second slower, he would be a red smear at the bottom of it.
The Chieftain roared in frustration, wrenching its club from the ground.
The recovery animation was slow, clumsy. This was his only chance.
Ryan scrambled to his feet, lunged forward, and thrust the Blood Hunter with all his might at the creature's thick, exposed thigh.
He put everything into the attack, expecting the same satisfying, clean piercing action he'd seen before.
Instead, the spear met with incredible resistance. It was like stabbing a wall of solid leather.
The crimson spearhead only managed to sink a few inches deep before its momentum was completely stopped.
It was a pathetic wound on such a massive creature. Ryan's heart sank.
A few drops of black blood welled up from the minor wound. It wasn't enough.
The Chieftain bellowed, not in pain, but in pure, unadulterated rage. It swatted at Ryan with its free hand, a backhand blow with a fist the size of a boulder.
Ryan was too close to dodge properly. He threw his spear shaft up to block, and the impact sent him flying. He landed hard ten meters away, a sharp, searing pain shooting through his arms and chest.
The spear had absorbed most of the blow, but he felt like he'd been hit by a car.
"My Lord!" Elara screamed.
Leo and Sam charged forward with a defiant cry, swinging their axes at the Chieftain's legs.
Their weapons bounced off the creature's thick hide with a dull thunk, not even leaving a scratch.
The Chieftain ignored them, its blazing red eyes locked on Ryan, the one who had managed to draw its blood.
It began to advance on him, its steps slow and deliberate, a predator savoring the final moments before the kill.
Ryan struggled to get up, his body screaming in protest. His vision swam.
He was out of breath, his stamina completely depleted.
The Chieftain raised its club again, a horrifying silhouette against the crimson sky.
This was it. After all his struggle, after his SSS-Rank talent had finally awakened, was he going to die here, on his first day, crushed by a giant goblin?
He closed his eyes, a bitter sense of failure washing over him.
Suddenly, a voice, sharp and clear, cut through the air from above.
"Sloppy. You're leaving yourself wide open.!"
Ryan's eyes snapped open.
A figure was descending from the sky, or rather, leaping from the high branches of the forest trees with impossible agility.
The man was clad in dark, practical leather armor, a stark contrast to Ryan's simple clothes.
He was older, perhaps in his late twenties, with short-cropped black hair and eyes as sharp and focused as a hawk's.
He landed silently between Ryan and the Goblin Chieftain, not even sparing Ryan a glance.
The Chieftain, momentarily confused by the newcomer's appearance, hesitated in its swing.
That was all the opening the man needed.
In one fluid motion, he closed the distance and slammed the palm of his hand into the side of the Chieftain's head.
There was no flashy explosion of energy, just a dull, resonant GONG! like a massive bell being struck.
The Goblin Chieftain's head snapped to the side.
It staggered back several steps, a look of pure confusion on its brutish face, its colossal club slipping from its grasp and thudding to the ground.
The devastating attack hadn't killed it, but it had dazed the beast and, more importantly, it had just saved Ryan's life.
The man turned his head slightly, his sharp eyes finally taking in Ryan, who was still struggling to sit up.
"You've got guts, kid, I'll give you that. And a nice spear," the man said, his voice calm and steady, completely out of place in the middle of a life-or-death battle.
"Fighting a Chieftain on your first day is a bold move. You must be one of my new neighbors. I'm a Lord, just like you."
Ryan stared, his mind struggling to process the sudden turn of events.
A neighbor? One of the other five Lords from his Novice Zone? He looked nothing like a rookie.
"Th-thanks," Ryan managed to choke out, his throat dry.
The man gave a curt nod, his attention still mostly on the groggy Chieftain, which was shaking its massive head to clear it.
"Don't thank me yet, it's not dead. What's your name?"
"Ryan," he answered, finally pushing himself to his feet and retrieving the Blood Hunter.
The man's eyes flickered from Ryan's face to the incredibly powerful spear in his hands, and a thoughtful, almost disappointed look crossed his face.
"Ryan, huh?" he said, a hint of steel in his voice.
"That's a shame. I was hoping to find the nameless Lord in this zone. You know, the one who got that SSS-rank gift pack. I figured he'd be the one with the skills to help me take this thing down."