Green Outlaws (4)

Receiving the Goblin Shaman's mad fury, O'Connor felt a little more confident as his predictions and plans were progressing and going smoothly.

He took a defensive stance, holding his sword as he watched the Goblin Shaman increase the speed of the spell to the point where the Goblins, who had been excited by the speed, suddenly got confused because of the uncontrollable speed.

Describing O'Connor's current position, there was a large dirt pit and a crashing waterfall behind him, with the Goblin Shaman and his horde in front of him.

He was surrounded on two sides!

Instead of running away, O'Connor kicked the ground, his stance still defensive, and ran towards the goblins, who were ready to pounce on him.

*SLASH—!

As soon as the area came into attack range, O'Connor slashed at his first victim without hesitation and rolled to avoid the attack from the side.

The howling morning breeze swept lightly across the battlefield, leaving the people inside without a chance to feel it.

Along with the harmonious phenomenon of nature, O'Connor next dodged by crouching down and pulling his gaze back to the Goblin Shaman to figure out what he was doing.

As his vision filled with green creatures, he described his next move in his mind.

*BANG!

Of course, he didn't lower his guard as he struck the head of the goblin that was trying to ambush him from behind but was struck by the tip of the sword hilt.

Three seconds...

O'Connor's steps halted and his gaze turned towards the storm of dirt dust heading his way.

O'Connor's mouth curled as he watched the struggling goblins struggle to control their speed.

'Gotcha...'

When the goblins were focusing on adjusting their legs, their heads looked up to find O'Connor and instantly their expressions turned into a predatory cast.

– Kiek...!

With a sense of calm and a mind filled with the silence of the lake, O'Connor took a deep breath and clenched his teeth as hard as he could.

Under the shadow that followed, a storm of ground dust began to narrow the distance and simultaneously reflected the shadow.

O'Connor knew that his physical attacks were inadequate against the goblins as a whole backed by the Shaman's magical prowess, let alone right behind them.

If he could not resist the urge to lunge directly at the goblin horde, he would be the one to find his way to heaven. Fortunately, he was able to hold his patience to a certain extent. And chose to look for effective means and qualitative tactics.

These include luring the enemy to where he wants to be and making a situation that was unprofitable into one that is equally unprofitable. It is much better if both sides experience it together.

Accompanied by his confidence, he dodged one goblin that almost ran into him and afterwards tripped the goblin's leg to make it fall into a ravine with a waterfall wave. After that, he corrected his posture for the next attack.

It was like he was killing them indirectly.

But that was back then.

Looking at his remaining enemies about to lunge and crash into him, O'Connor repeated his earlier actions. Although there were a few of them that managed to intercept him to not let him fall, therefore, O'Connor began to slash at them or give a slight push to knock them into the waterfall.

When he found himself busy taking care of some goblins, a high-temperature heat was felt on his skin. It was as if the heat generated had almost melted his entire sweaty body.

Turning his gaze, he detected that a fireball was flying towards his and he also saw the Goblin Shaman raising high the staff equipped with a skull at the end while opening his mouth as if chanting the next incantation.

- Απόγονοι όλων των απογόνων του Προγόνου της Φωτιάς~

[Fireball!]

'Damn, that bastard is troublesome.'

O'Connor's mind triggered, he subconsciously frowned and gave some strength to his legs to avoid the oncoming fireball.

*BANG!

Within some distance, the fireball failed to hit him and eventually landed on the ground.

'Ouch, it's so hot. Thank goodness I was in time, otherwise, I would have become them.'

O'Connor slightly turned his head towards the goblins who were affected by the fireball, becoming charred and burnt to nothing.

'Dealing with a Mage higher than you is a game of death that wrings out quite a bit of mental strength. I can't be like this for long, so let's end this. Fuck you...!'

O'Connor clenched his fist which made the hilt of the sword vibrate slightly, shortly after, he channelled his enthusiasm into the sword technique to be played.

He also knew that mages needed at least some pause after using magic and he also knew that mages needed a lot of mana when they wanted to bring out their skills.

O'Connor had no intention of wasting the opening that opened up for him and unhesitatingly kicked the ground towards the Goblin Shaman.

*WOOSH-

O'Connor's point of accentuation right now was to let his enemy know that he intended to attack.

At the same time, the Goblin Shaman sensed the approaching danger, then he gave orders to the other goblins to counterattack before he took out something stone-shaped, because he realised that the amount of mana was not enough.

Soon O'Connor's eyes caught the object that the Goblin Shaman released while shortening the distance between them.

'Manastone...hmm...maybe he intends to regenerate mana since magic spells like that drain a lot of his energy. Of course, I won't let that happen...'

Immediately he wrote "Nameless Swordsmanship" on his body and slashed to decapitate the goblin to vent his frustration.

*SLASH-!

[You gain +EXP]

Zig zagging and jumping and killing goblins one after the other, so that he can reduce the duration before the Goblin Shaman manages to finish chanting his spell.

Until then—

O'Connor stood right in front of his enemy, breathing heavily.

Meanwhile, the Goblin Shaman was shocked to stare at O'Connor who was soaked in blood that stained his clothes. But the thing he was most worried about was the look in his eyes which looked at him with unimaginable killing intent.

This was the first time he was frightened by a creature called a human after he had fun killing the humans in the village.

"Die."

An icy voice pierced the Goblin Shaman's ears which made him break out in a cold sweat and daze.

But when he regained consciousness, he spontaneously swung his staff.

And before that happened—

*Thump

A pain appeared on the Goblin Shaman's cheek and saliva mixed with blood came out of that disgusted mouth.

Looking at the Goblin Shaman lying on the ground, O'Connor was about to hit him again but his body could not move as if frozen in place.

'My body has lost the energy to move. If it continues like this, I will die.'

Looking at the staggering human, Goblin Shaman took the opportunity to hug O'Connor's waist and pushed him into the ravine.

As the crisis unfolded, O'Connor couldn't help but bite his lip in an attempt to lift his sword once. He sometimes also forced his left hand to push to separate him from the green creature that was intent on dropping him in the waterfall.

Given that a Mage's physique was very weak, especially for close combat like this, it was easy to be killed. However, for O'Connor's current physical condition, it was very concerning when he was pushed without a fight.

– Kiek!

"Arghh!"

Seeing the distance narrowing, O'Connor took action to lay his body on the ground.

*Thud

The two people's bodies rolled on the ground which caused ground dust to fly up and block them from being seen.

Their positions changed in an instant where O'Connor was occupied by the Goblin Shaman who intended to strangle him but he quickly retaliated by biting the hand with his molars.

And they bit each other and in the end, showed no signs of giving up as the will to survive was overwhelming which was an eye for an eye and tooth for tooth situation.

While killing each other, they didn't realise that they were getting closer to the bottom of the waterfall which was tens of feet high.

They only realised when they couldn't feel the ground anymore and ended up falling into the waves of water.

*Splash! Splash!

"Brrfft...!"

O'Connor fought against the current and rose above the water before extending his hand to grab the bag containing the collected magic stones.

As for the state of the Goblin Shaman, O'Connor did not know whether he was dead or he still suspected the goblin was saving himself by swimming like his, he did not even want to know.

"Boah!"

O'Connor spontaneously took a breath first after his head stuck out from the water pressure.

"Huff... Huff..."

Unwilling to lose consciousness, O'Connor immediately took emergency measures as he moved closer to the edge, then grabbed the nearest rock before pulling himself out.

"Oh shit!"

Hunger overcame him so he couldn't think anymore and waited for the time he lost consciousness.

... ... ...

Thousands of streaks of soft midday sunlight broke through the leaves of the trees. Falling on the grass and withered tree trunks along the side of the road, they cast beautiful shadows that are magical and serene. Enchanting, as if observers could catch the colour of the light in the middle of the foggy forest.

A strong afternoon breeze blew the hat of an old man who was about to tie his horse so that it would not get loose.

The old man pressed his hat with one hand so that his favourite object would not be carried away by the wind.

And then stroked the horse's head gently and said.

"Heh heh, Franky boy. We finally found a place to rest and a place for you to drink water. Hahaha...!"

With a tall stature of about 182 cm, his wrinkled face is visible, and his typical elderly white hair is partly covered by a hat. A broad forehead with hair bangs on both sides. Then, the old man was wearing a brown vest made of animal skin, and a dirty brownish-white shirt that blended with his trousers. And a pair of boots he wore that featured a pose of playing with his white moustache as if in a good mood.

Raising his eyebrows while observing the carts filled with merchandise and to see if everything was safe without any obstacles. The old man once again praised his favourite horse which he called Franky boy.

"Hehe~ the more days you do a good job. If this old man becomes a rich man, I want to buy you thirteen mares for you to marry. Isn't that nice?"

- Kyehehe!

Franky just sniffed and scoffed at his employer as if to remind him to never dream too much. After that, he indiscriminately walked towards the river, leaving the old man alone.

Hearing the response from his partner, made him hurt and then laughed awkwardly while scratching his head.

"It might be too much for me to joke with a horse. Hah..."

The old man sighed quickly forgetting the insult that the horse had thrown at him.

To cut a long story short, he walked towards the wooden cart that was parked earlier, before picking up a red apple and two hard buns with a cup of tantalising red beer ready to eat.

Unable to contain his hunger, he quickly picked up the beer and brought it to his mouth.

*Gulp~ Gulp~ Gulp~

"Kyahh!"

The delicious sensation that appetises and stimulates the tongue feels like blooming, adding to his mood.

After the lips and beer cup parted, he slowly pulled out one hard bun and chewed it vigorously so that it could be swallowed.

In just ten minutes, all the food entered his stomach which spontaneously made him lick his lips to swallow the remaining food.

Immediately, he patted his stomach which fell into a happy mood. As if burping wasn't enough, he couldn't help but whistle strangely.

Despite himself, the old man immediately got up from his seat and walked around the neighbourhood and collected dry tree branches.

- Kyehehe—!

And in that quiet moment, the scream of a horse buzzed up to his ears and simultaneously made the old man and the birds jump in surprise.

Within seconds, the old man hurriedly rushed towards the source of the sound and in so many steps taken, he finally stopped with his eyes wide open.

He saw another individual lying on the riverbank with his favourite horse tugging at what looked like a black cloak.

Ignoring the fact that many years had passed since he devoted himself to delivering merchandise in various regions and seeing things like dead people in the middle of the road.

This was the first time he had seen a living person in a state of clothing that was half unfit for the wear-a form that left the fabric not quite intact as several rips exposed bruised skin.

After checking that the person he found was still breathing, the Old Man wiped the sweat beading on his forehead as he sighed.

"What is it this time..."

He didn't know whether to save him or ignore him until this person died on his own.

Even though he was an expeditioner by profession, it was too heavy for him to carry just one person.

But, for someone who serves and adheres to one of the Gods of this world. Even his virtue would be questioned.

In a short period, the Old Man pressed his hat and made a decision.

—|—

Dawn breaks and darkness falls.

With the campfire enveloping the people in it. The old man stopped poking at the burnt-out wood ash and sighed.

His mind and heart were in turmoil after the unanimous decision he made.

He didn't know why the person he saved still looked young but had a thin and pale body.

Judging from the colour of his black hair, it was very identical to the Northwesterners who were very rare to find around here.

While feeling uneasy about whether this unconscious youth was a fugitive or not, he suddenly caught the sound of rustling from somewhere.

That made him turn his head and signal his horse to stay put.

Then he put down the apple and knife he was holding earlier and switched to pulling out a sharp tool in the form of a Rake Vector, without relaxing his vigilance.

It would have been a relief to him if it was an animal, but seeing the red eyes glaring at him broke his guess in an instant.

He was no longer young, nor was he sure he could protect his merchandise and the young man he had rescued.

Because all he had spent his youth doing was working and hallucinating every day without knowing how to fight.

"This is different from the route the boss was talking about back then..."

Every time he worked to deliver trade goods, the Old Man always took the land route without any monster invasions, and without worrying about not hiring guards or adventurers.

But that was back then.

– Kiek!

A protruding shadow approached where he was.

It had pointed ears and its entire body was green with a necklace of skull bones.

The sight of the perpetrator sent chills down his spine.

"It can't be a Goblin, right?"

The Old Man just stared blankly with a look of despair.

Meanwhile, the goblin covered in wounds saw the human in front of him and rushed to pounce.

"Aahh!"

The Old Man frantically swung the tool he was holding which made it easy for the goblins to avoid him.

When the mouth filled with sharp fangs was ready to bite the Old Man.

A hand reached out and silenced the goblin's mouth. Shortly afterwards, a silver beam of light shot towards his neck.

– Kiek!

The goblin screamed in pain, but his voice was silenced by a palm aimed specifically at him.

In a matter of seconds to minutes, blood finally stopped flowing from the neck hole which signalled the goblin was dead.

The Old Man was slightly surprised to see that the one who did it was the one he saved.

"Phew, this bastard is finally dead..."

The young man with jet-black hair and blue eyes as calm as the sea looked at the corpse with a proud smile. Then his gaze turned to his which made him flinch momentarily.

Falling into an awkward silence, one of them finally spoke up.

"Who are you?"

O'Connor asked while holding his shoulder in pain.

"Me?"

The Old Man pointed at himself as if realising too late.

"Who else if not you—Ugh!"

A frown formed on his forehead as pain shot through his entire body.

Seeing the unhealthy condition, the Old Man hurriedly supported O'Connor who was about to fall.

"Please be careful, your wound hasn't healed yet."

"Yeah..."

O'Connor took a deep breath to calm his tense nerves. Then opened his eyes to stare at the Old Man and the surroundings.

"Old Man, are you alone here?"

"No, I'm with my friend. He's over there..."

- Kyhee!

The friend he was referring to was a horse and not a person. Even the word "Weird" appeared in O'Connor's mouth, but he quickly erased it.

Because he knew, everyone had different hobbies and ways of living life. He had no right to criticise and no intention of reprimanding this person.

Seeing that there was no strange look from O'Connor, the Old Man breathed a sigh of relief. Then he belatedly realised that he had forgotten to ask about something important.

"By the way, may I know what your name is?"

"You may call me whatever you like. Anyway, my name changes all the time..."

"Alright, Little Blue then, how about it? No objections, right?"

"Yeah."

O'Connor just nodded as if he didn't care. He'd hazard a guess that the nickname was derived from his unique eye colour.

The old man just smiled wryly and then continued.

"You can call me Old Man Cantona. My full name is Cantona Randall. The family surname is taken from my late father's real name."

In this world, any commoner may create and use a Surname with the permission of their ruler or the leading aristocrats. It is to enable them to distinguish any similar names among the commoners they are interested in.

However, one of the conditions that had to be adhered to was- each family when their parents were alive, they were allowed to use the original name of their deceased grandfather. However, when grandfather and father and parents die. They are required to change their Family Name by using the original name of their deceased father.

O'Connor thought something like that was very complicated, even though he had no power to negate the absurd rule.

When he finished thinking for a moment, he quietly asked.

"Are you married, Old Man Cantona?"

"Unfortunately not, and I'm just thinking of living a free life without being tied down by things like taking care of children and a wife..."

Old Man Cantona looked up at the sky with a distorted expression, after which in an instant his expression changed as if it didn't matter.

"...And I'm a believer of God of Grace Nightly, who devoutly prays at Church whenever I have free time. Little Blue, may I know what Great Existence you worship?"

"...."

O'Connor did not answer, instead, his eyes turned cold.

'As the original content knows, in this world, there are orthodox Deities that must be worshipped and non-orthodox Great Entities that are not supposed to be served and are even illegal to worship. Each church has its domains centred in different parts of the continent, specifically the two giants Caladium Empire and Arteta Empire....'

Very little information about the Seven Orthodox Gods is written in the original novel. That's because, the original content, only shows the main character's point of view regarding the conflicts that occur in each episode.

O'Connor is also a little surprised to be acquainted with other believers, other than Mother Earth believers.

Who would have thought that he would be asked about which God he served who was even very strange to him after falling into another world?