Free Web NovelChapter 48: Chapter 48: Reverse Hunt
Delaford took out some small, bone components and fiddled with them on the ground. A moment later, he had assembled a trap.
It was a pit trap, covered by a layer of leaves. Once some mud was added for camouflage, it could only support a specific amount of weight. Anything larger than a very small creature—even a small humanoid like a goblin—would fall right through into the pit.
"This one is for catching them alive," Delaford said, pointing at the empty hole below. "If we wanted them dead, we’d bury some sharp things inside."
"You goblins are old hands at this, aren’t you?" Aive glanced at the goblin. He just chuckled slyly, offering no response.
"What about the Mad Frogmen who set the trap? Can you find them?" Ron asked.
"Yes. They usually don’t stay too far away."
As Delaford spoke, he released Big White, who always followed him. The increasingly strong white rat searched the ground for a bit, then pointed its head in one direction and pawed at the ground.
"Not far to the northeast." Delaford understood the meaning of the gesture and immediately explained to Ron and the others, "Boss, what’s the plan for them?" freёwebnovel.com
"Let’s kill them," Ron said after a moment’s thought. "They fancy themselves the masters of this place. If we don’t drive them off, they’ll just keep coming back."
"I like the sound of that!" Sera perked up. "Hey, goblin, any suggestions? Do we sneak over there?"
"No," Delaford shook his head. "We’d be easily spotted. Their hiding spot definitely has a clear view of this area."
"That’s why I’ll use the Cloud Mist Technique!"
Delaford had learned the names of his Magic from Ron and Lavinia. Taking cover behind the others, he immediately cast the spell. A thick cloud of mist instantly enveloped the area around the trap.
From not far away, a faint croaking sound could be heard.
’What’s going on? It’s getting foggy?’
’I don’t know. At this time of day, it should...’
Just as the two ambushing Mad Frogman Hunters were whispering to each other, a sudden scream came from within the mist.
’They fell into the trap!’
’That can’t be right. Didn’t they already spot the trap?’
’How could they see in a fog this thick? Croak! Hurry, or the others will get there first!’
’Then I claim their most valuable possession for the king!’ freewёbnoνel.com
The intelligence of Mad Frogmen was far inferior to that of goblins, only slightly higher than Lizardmen. In their haste, they couldn’t tell if it was a trick. The two Mad Frogmen immediately leaped from their hiding spot and hopped toward the mist.
However, when they finally felt their way to the side of the trap, they found it completely empty. There was nothing inside at all.
Then, from behind, the whistling sound of a powerful blow descended upon their heads.
CRACK!
The mist dissipated. Sera had one foot on the back of a Mad Frogman, forcefully pulling her great-axe out of the Hunter’s body. She had used too much force, and the axe blade had lodged itself deep in its spine, stuck fast in the bone.
Meanwhile, the other Mad Frogman had been ambushed by Aive and Victoria. They slashed its belly open with a Longsword, and its innards spilled all over the ground.
"Too bad we can’t use this method over and over," Ron said, looking at the two Mad Frogmen who hadn’t even had time to cry out. "Delaford’s Cloud Mist Technique has a limited number of uses. Clearing them out like this will take forever."
’God knows how many Mad Frogmen are out here.’
"There’s another way," the goblin said after a moment’s thought. "I’ll have Big White scout ahead. Once we confirm their exact locations, we can sneak up on them!"
Soon, a dozen or so rats, including Big White, were sent out. A short while later, the scouting rats returned and gathered at Delaford’s feet, scrambling over each other to report what they had found.
"There are about ten more nearby, all in pairs," Delaford said, looking up at Ron. "The scattered ones like these are easy to take down, but there are two pairs grouped together near our base. Their fields of vision probably overlap, which will be tricky."
"We’ll handle the tricky ones later," Ron nodded. "Let’s clear them out from the perimeter inward and deal with them last."
In the swamp, a silent counter-hunt against the Mad Frogman Hunters began.
The woods were by no means a quiet place, so even the scraping of armor was difficult to hear. As a precaution, Delaford and Sera acted as the vanguard, while Aive often played the role of bait, wandering near the traps.
The Mad Frogman Hunters’ attention was entirely focused on the "prey" about to step into their traps, completely unaware that they themselves were the ones being hunted.
By noon, almost all of the Mad Frogman Hunters had been wiped out. Only the two pairs still lying in wait remained.
"I’ll be the distraction. You guys circle around from behind. It would be best to take out both groups at the same time," Ron signaled to the others.
"That’s too dangerous!" Aive objected. "Let me do it. Even if they charge, I can hold them off for a while."
"But I have to chant spells," Ron said with a smile. "Sneak attacks aren’t my style. It’s better for me to be out in the open—alright, go get ready."
Ron stood beside one pair’s trap, then seemed to hesitate, as if considering jumping into the other pair’s trap. This indecisive behavior immediately attracted the attention of all four Mad Frogmen. After Ron saw his companions’ ready signal, he suddenly stood still, and a spark of fire lit up on his fingertip.
A Flaming Arrow shot from his hand, smashing into the muddy ground not far in front of one of the Mad Frogman pairs.
This wasn’t Ron missing his shot. It was to let them know he had spotted them. That way, they would surely charge out to hunt him down, and his teammates could...
"Shield!" A Shield Magic spell materialized beside Ron, blocking an incoming spear. As the Mad Frogmen leaped from their hiding places, ready for close-quarters combat, the leaves on a tree behind one of the pairs began to shake violently.
"RAAAARGH—" The barbarian of the Ocher Tribe leaped down from a tree behind that pair of Mad Frogmen. It was just as Ron had predicted: luring them out made the spot where they landed—just two hops forward—her perfect ambush point. She came down from the sky, her great-axe held horizontally, bringing the full weight of her muscular body crashing down on both Mad Frogmen and pinning them to the ground. One of them had its head land right next to the axe blade. The sudden guillotine took its head before it even knew what was happening.
