"Leave it to us!" Hearing Takeru's words, Yui patted her small chest, brimming with confidence.
"Everyone, be careful. Onee-chan, your Observation Haki has a larger range, so you handle vigilance. I'll scout the surrounding area." Hearing Takeru's declaration, Ui quickly got into action.
Only Tsumugi and Shihoru looked puzzled, unsure what Observation Haki was that Ui mentioned.
As for Mio, she had seen the exchange option for Observation Haki, and it required a C-grade evaluation and five thousand points… but she wasn't clear on its specific function...
As Ui spoke, she moved ahead of the group. Since Ui was a Thief, scouting suited her perfectly.
As time passed, the group advanced slowly. Soon, two goblins appeared within Takeru's perception range. As they drew closer, Ui also noticed the goblins and quickly returned to the team to discuss...
"There are two goblins ahead. I suggest when we get within attack range, Onee-chan and Mio-nee release magic attacks together. Mugi-nee, you protect Onee-chan and Mio-nee. I'll find the right opportunity to attack from the side. Shihoru-nee stays at the back and provides healing if anyone gets injured. What do you think?"
Ui thought briefly and quickly presented her plan.
Hearing Ui's plan, the others looked at her in admiration. It was quite a perfect plan, though Ui had taken the most dangerous role for herself, which worried them a bit...
"Don't worry, I won't charge in recklessly." Seeing their concerned looks, Ui quickly added.
"Alright, Ui, protect yourself. If things look bad, don't go in. We can all attack together!" Tsumugi said earnestly to Ui.
"I understand." Hearing Tsumugi, Ui nodded, then quickly left the spot, hiding to the side...
The four others cautiously approached the two goblins, stopping when the distance seemed right.
The two goblins were still unaware of the danger, though living here long-term, they periodically showed wary glances around.
"Okay, let's get ready. We'll attack together in a moment." Yui checked Ui's position and, sensing the goblins hadn't detected them, spoke softly.
"Okay." Hearing Yui, Mio replied quietly.
"Fireball!" Yui murmured softly, a scorching fireball quickly forming in her hand.
Mio looked at Yui in surprise but soon reacted, beginning to gather an ice arrow.
"Three, two, one!" Yui counted down softly. When she said 'one', she swiftly launched the fireball. However, Mio made a slight error. Perhaps knowing she was about to kill, a flicker of hesitation caused her ice arrow to be a bit late.
The fireball soon hit one goblin. The tremendous force sent it flying, its body engulfed in flames. The other goblin, seeing its companion suddenly attacked, reacted and also spotted the belated ice arrow.
Survival instinct made the goblin leap sideways, minimizing its injury. Then, glaring hatefully at the sneak attackers Mio and Yui, it roared and charged at them, weapon in hand.
Seeing the ferocious goblin, Mio and Shihoru felt as if plunged into an ice cellar, their bodies freezing in place.
Yui noticed their abnormality. Without overthinking, she quickly gathered another fireball and attacked the charging goblin.
Sensing the fireball was dangerous, the goblin wasn't foolish enough to take it head-on and dodged. Though the fireball was too fast to avoid completely, the goblin used its rich experience to minimize the damage.
Then, raising its short sword again, it thrust at the stunned Mio. Seeing the sharp blade and feeling death's approach, Mio could only stand there dumbly.
At the critical moment, Tsumugi reacted, blocking the goblin's short sword with her greatsword and using her immense strength to knock it flying.
Meanwhile, Ui swiftly darted out, her dagger accurately slashing the still-disoriented goblin's neck, severing its carotid artery.
Feeling the intense pain in its neck and its blood rapidly draining, the goblin glared at the group with hatred before dying with an unwilling expression.
"Huff... huff..." Looking at the goblin bleeding profusely with hatred in its eyes, Mio's breathing grew increasingly rapid, and she soon started gagging.
Shihoru reacted similarly. Though she hadn't participated in the fight, the goblin's gruesome state also made her stomach churn.
Even the usually carefree young lady Tsumugi covered her mouth upon seeing this, also feeling nauseated.
As for the others' reactions, Takeru remained expressionless, still watching from his spot.
"Everyone, are you okay?" At that moment, Ui ran over, concerned.
"Just a bit uncomfortable." Hearing Ui's question, Tsumugi replied softly.
"Is that so? That's good. Oh right, the spoils!" Hearing everyone was fine, Ui sprang into action again, searching the dead goblins. She soon found one silver coin and ten copper coins...
Next was the burned goblin. Compared to the second one, the burned corpse looked even more horrifying...
As they approached, they could even smell cooked meat, making Mio and Shihoru gag again. Yui scratched her head, looking somewhat embarrassed.