The heavily armored stranger was none other than the notorious Goblin Slayer.

  He was not an adventurer, nor did he belong to any organization.

  He lived for hunting goblins, nothing more.

  If he had to be ranked, he’d be considered epic-level—his exploits were whispered throughout the empire.

  Sisuel looked momentarily embarrassed.

  “My apologies—I failed to recognize you, sir.”

  "I’d rather stay unnoticed. As long as I can quietly keep killing goblins, that’s enough for me."

  Goblin Slayer answered evenly.

  Grul seized the chance to mock Sisuel.

  "Hahaha! Sisuel, even you didn’t recognize the Goblin Slayer? He’s the one who wiped out a goblin chieftain before."

  By the way, I heard you killed several thousand goblins in that battle. Is that true? That’s almost on par with the Sword Saint herself!"

  Several thousand?!

  Sisuel’s face filled with shock.

  That was insane! And against a goblin chieftain, no less!

  Goblin Slayer’s tone grew impatient.

  "Whether it’s true or not doesn’t matter. Even if I killed tens of thousands, there would still be more goblins left."

  Seeing his annoyance, Grul quickly got to the point.

  “We’re planning to team up and wipe out those goblins. Care to join us, Lord Goblin Slayer?”

  "Yes, yes—even the Sword Saint fell to them. Teaming up would be wise."

  Impressed by his reputation, Sisuel quickly tried to recruit him as well.

  "Team up? I’ve tried before. Unfortunately, my partners always ended up dead. I’ll pass."

  Goblin Slayer declined, his tone polite but firm.

  Sisuel frowned slightly.

  This guy was unbelievably arrogant, wasn’t he?

  To speak so confidently—even implying he was above the Sword Saint?

  Grul couldn’t hold back anymore.

  "You!"

  He crushed the cookie in his hand, his wrinkled face twitching with anger.

  "Aren’t you a little too full of yourself?! When those goblins chop off your limbs and boil you alive, don’t come crying for help!"

  He had finally lost his temper.

  In the past, anyone who dared speak to him like that would have been blasted by an explosive spell on the spot.

  Seeing the tension rise, Sisuel quickly stepped in to mediate.

  “Never mind, never mind. It’s fine if he doesn’t want to cooperate.”

  "Hmph. Just don’t come begging me to save you later."

  Goblin Slayer turned and left without a backward glance.

  Leaving the two men behind—one stunned, the other furious.

  Sisuel managed a wry smile.

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  “What a strange man.”

  "Tch, what trash. So he killed a few goblins—so what? You’d think he cleared out a high-tier dungeon or something!"

  Grul grumbled under his breath.

  The Great Tomb was the largest monster nest in the Lionheart Empire, rumored to house a Tier 12 Demon Lord.

  Even the Sword Saint had retreated before it.

  Grul rose abruptly from his seat.

  "Let’s go! What are we waiting for? Let’s clean up those worthless goblins—I'm not spending another second in this cursed place!"

  "Huh? Right now? Shouldn’t we prepare a bit more?"

  Sisuel asked cautiously. Even the Sword Saint had suffered, after all.

  Grul snorted in annoyance.

  "Prepare my ass. With the two of us, a bunch of goblins is nothing. The real problem is, if we wait too long, that guy will take all the glory!"

  "...You’re right."

  So the two gathered their teams and set out at once.

  …

  On a distant hillside outside town, a green head emerged.

  Those cold eyes grew even more chilling the longer they stared.

  Using the elves’ Keen Senses, Tian observed the three men from afar, silently calculating.

  "Goblin Slayer? Never thought someone like that existed. A specialist who only hunts goblins? What a freak."

  He already knew of twisted humans like Rodel, who enjoyed torturing the weak.

  Now there was someone devoted to exterminating goblins.

  What had goblins done to deserve this?

  Well... in truth, they probably did deserve it from everyone.

  【Goblin Slayer: Lv65

  Race: Human

  Class: None

  Titles: Goblin Slayer, Goblin Bane, Tyrant, Slaughter Incarnate, One Who Should Not Exist…

  HP: 900

  Strength: 260

  Defense: 450

  Skills: Heavy Strike, In Father’s Blood

  Equipment: Rusted Iron Heavy Armor, Rusted Iron Broadsword

  Overall: 1000~3000】

  “Hiss!”

  Looking at the Goblin Slayer’s status panel, Tian was at a loss for words.

  1,000 to 3,000 overall power?

  Was this some kind of joke?

  “System, are you broken or something?”

  Tian demanded.

  But the system responded with its usual infuriating official answer:

  “Sorry, Host. Everything is functioning normally.”

  No further explanation was given.

  Fine. He checked the other two instead.

  Sisuel—overall power about 1,300. Class: Holy Knight. Possesses anti-monster skills.

  Grul—slightly higher at 1,400. Class: Grand Mage. A wide variety of spells—troublesome.

  Watching them leave Bright Town, Tian mounted Little Huan and headed back ahead of them.

  "Those two diamond-ranks look like idiots—not a problem. But that Goblin Slayer... I need to plan carefully for him."

  …

  Riding on horseback, Sisuel and the others soon reached the ruins of the former Tian Kuang Tribe.

  Nothing remained.

  The site had been deliberately cleaned and disguised to blend in with the surroundings.

  A perfect misdirection—tricking intruders into thinking the goblins were still hiding nearby.

  "Hiss... A tribe this size should have been discovered long ago. The corrupted forest isn’t even that big."

  Grul muttered in confusion.

  Something felt off.

  Sisuel added,

  "There are plenty of old battle traces along the way. Even if they’re from a while ago, they prove the tribe was nearby."

  After a long search, they finally found something.

  “Lord Grul, look at this.”

  Sisuel picked up a single golden strand of hair.

  Grul stared at it, sniffed it, and examined it closely.

  "If I’m not mistaken... this is elf hair."

  "Elf hair? From the neutral subhuman race? No way!"

  Sisuel was stunned, suddenly realizing something.

  He quickly said,

  "Could the elves have helped the goblins hide? That’s impossible!"

  Goblins were hated by every race—public enemy number one.

  If this was true, there had to be some high-intelligence variants among them!

  "Not hiding, exactly. I’ve checked the area—no caves nearby. They probably moved with the elves’ help. Their stealth is impressive."

  Grul said gravely, deep in thought.

  Everyone knew how skilled elves were at concealment and stealth.

  Finally, Grul spoke again.

  "Find a Flower Butterfly. Those insects are drawn to the scent of elves."

  After some effort, they captured a small, flower-like butterfly glowing with vibrant colors.

  Sisuel opened the bottle and released the butterfly near the strand of hair.

  The butterfly fluttered purposefully in a single direction.

  "Follow it."

  Grul ordered.

  The group moved forward, leaving markers to track their path.

  Eventually, they reached the riverbank.

  "Damn it... they probably crossed the river. The butterfly lost the scent."

  Grul muttered darkly as he scanned the area.

  Without the butterfly’s guidance, they were like headless flies, wandering aimlessly.

  Sisuel sighed.

  "We’re finished. Almost a full day and not a single trace. Let’s wait for the Goblin Slayer to find them—then we’ll strike first."

  They couldn’t find the goblins, but Goblin Slayer probably could.

  Grul, however, still didn’t want to work with that guy—even if it meant an advantage.

  "Hmph, no need. Hm? Look—over there, at the edge of the forest across the river!"

  A Greater Goblin was wandering near the tree line.

  When it spotted Sisuel and the others, it immediately turned and fled deeper into the woods.

  "After it!"