Genius

“GRAAAAHHH”

The hobgoblin makes a wide, wild swing with its longsword.

I step back just slightly and dodge the attack. The wind pressure grazes my hair. If it had hit my face, it would have easily taken my life. Yes, it gives off a power that is easy to imagine.

A large swing brings great power but also a lot of openings. Just as I was about to close the gap, I immediately stop in my tracks.

There’s something off about the hobgoblin’s lower body. After applying the brakes, I saw a sharp slash pass right in front of me, something I never expected from the same goblin that had just attacked.

For having missed, the hobgoblin still had strength in its lower body. It must have stolen some technique from the Adventurer Leader during their fight. The attack came out sharp and controlled, with no wasted energy.

I was surprised. First, the hobgoblin made a rough attack to feint, then in the short battle, it stole the technique, and then immediately used it in real combat.

This hobgoblin is dangerous.

Its learning ability and sense are on a whole different level. I thought it could be called a genius. Had it been born a human, it might have made a name for itself.

The Adventurer Leader’s high technical skill pushed the hobgoblin to a higher level of technique. This was an unexpected development.

No one could have imagined that a goblin, after just one fight, would steal the opponent’s technique.

For some reason, I found myself smiling. I didn’t think of myself as a battle junkie, but my body was heating up. My heart was pounding, and my blood was racing.

I exhale, trying to calm my mind and body. Then, I leap into the hobgoblin’s range.

I dodge a compact diagonal slash with a step, gradually closing the distance while changing angles. Once inside my own attack range, I feint and then rush in.

I aimed for a strike to the vital point, but the hobgoblin is guarding it with a well-placed blade. If I forced the attack, I’d just injure my own fist.

Up until now, I hadn’t encountered an Adventurer who would defend with their weapon.

They weren’t used to unarmed combat and never had the time to think of a defense against it, so they were killed before they could react.

The hobgoblin, though, instantly used its weapon to block, preventing me from landing a blow. It had developed an effective defense against unarmed attacks.

At first glance, it seems simple and something anyone could think of.

But in a world where weapon attacks are the norm, to suddenly face an unarmed attacker and then come up with that defense on the fly? I doubt anyone could do that. I certainly couldn’t.

I never imagined the first genius I’d meet in another world would be a hobgoblin.

It likely has a physical level on par with Gons. The ability to steal techniques and come up with immediate countermeasures… it had the combat sense of a true genius, unlike me, an ordinary man.

But I have Earth’s martial arts, honed through years of training.

I stop my mid-level thrust and throw a low kick. This unexpected attack to the lower body hits the hobgoblin’s front knee, where it had been putting weight.

The hobgoblin’s movement halts for a moment due to the pain. I close the distance even more. At point-blank range, there was just one fist’s space between us.

Legendary Chinese martial artists are said to excel at combat at such close distances. With age, their strength and speed may fade, and they can’t beat younger opponents.

But when you close the gap drastically, the speed difference is neutralized. The further apart you are, the greater the speed advantage becomes.

Even great strength requires some distance to be fully effective.

To make the most of your strength in close quarters, you must learn specialized body movements, like grabbing your opponent or efficiently transmitting force in a clinch.

Elderly Chinese martial arts masters close the distance, using fine techniques to nullify their opponent’s strength and speed.

Against the hobgoblin, who’s adopting a more orthodox stance, I take a southpaw position. I press my knee against the hobgoblin’s from an angle, forcing it upward.

With this, it becomes impossible for the hobgoblin to move its body in the direction its knee is being pressed.

From this diagonal angle, my attacks are close-range, while its attacks are from farther away.

The hobgoblin tries to strike with the sword’s hilt. I release the pressure on its knee and sweep its ankle with a low kick.

For someone slow to react, this would knock them over. The hobgoblin responds quickly, resetting its stance. Impressive reflexes, but even so, it still leaves an opening.

I land a left uppercut, jolting its chin upward, then follow up with a right hook to knock its head back. I feel solid impact, but the hobgoblin doesn’t fall.

It’s terrifying how tough it is.

I lightly kick its shin with my foot, then grab and tear at the side of its body. I spit on its eyeballs and press my fingers into its armpit.

At point-blank range, I scatter my attacks, closing in and sticking to it. If the hobgoblin tries to force an attack, I counter with a leg sweep or neck lock to break its balance.

I focused all my nerves, not missing even the slightest hint of a preparatory motion. The hobgoblin, frustrated by my small techniques, forcefully attacked, causing it to lose its balance and create an opening.

When an opening appears, I strike with a powerful attack to inflict damage.

It may seem like cheap tricks, but using these techniques in real combat and controlling an opponent who has superior physical strength is difficult.

Small techniques, positioning, and breaking balance. By intricately combining these elements, I continue to deflect the pressure from my opponent.

At such close range, weapons become a hindrance. But if the hobgoblin were to drop its weapon and fight me with its bare hands, the difference in unarmed technique would make it an impossible fight.

Perhaps the hobgoblin realized this and was getting anxious. If it kept fighting, it would gradually be worn down.

The fact that the hobgoblin was excellent is likely the reason for its anxiety. As I sensed the hobgoblin’s unease, I too began to feel the pressure.

My stamina was almost depleted after being chased around the forest for so long.

The hobgoblin was physically strong and skilled. Continuing to deflect its pressure at close range required intense mental and physical endurance.

The hobgoblin, with its excellent adaptability, was gradually beginning to counter my smaller techniques. My bag of tricks was beginning to run out.

Frustrated, the hobgoblin let go of its bastard sword with one hand and reached for my neck. I countered by deflecting its arm with an upper block, then quickly thrusting into the exposed side.

I felt the crunch of the hobgoblin’s hard ribs breaking under my strike. In that moment, a chilling sensation ran down my spine, and I took a back step to retreat.

I heard the sound of the hobgoblin’s leg being swung. Was it planning to kick me in the groin while I was breaking its ribs…?

What amazing mental fortitude.

I had dealt damage, but I had created distance again. I would have to close the gap once more, risking my life in the process.

The exhaustion was heavy, and unpleasant sweat ran down my back.

I wanted to land another blow on the broken rib. If it punctured an organ, even the tough hobgoblin would have been slowed down.

Slowly, I inched forward. As I entered the hobgoblin’s range, it didn’t attack. It only moved, one step at a time, slowly closing the distance.

Each millimeter felt like a mile. My stomach twisted with anxiety, and my skin tingled with nerves.

The murderous intent that had been radiating from the hobgoblin had now receded.

Like a volcano on the verge of eruption, I could feel all of its energy compressing inward, preparing to unleash a powerful strike toward me.

The hobgoblin stepped in and spun once before unleashing a wide horizontal slash, like a hammer throw.

A huge, wide swing? I thought, wondering what it was planning, but I dodged with a backstep. The hobgoblin spun again and threw its bastard sword at me, like a hammer throw, with an added twist.

The sword spun toward me at high speed. It was a completely unexpected attack, and for a brief moment, I froze in place.

I couldn’t dodge it! The moment I felt death approaching, the world seemed to slow down. It was like the two times I had experienced this before, the ultimate focus, the state known as “the zone.”

The bastard sword spun slowly toward me. I couldn’t dodge in time, so I calculated its trajectory and stepped forward.

Instead of avoiding the blade, I aimed for the hilt and charged it with my shoulder. I felt the hilt dig into my shoulder with a sickening crunch. Then, I heard the sound of my left shoulder bone shattering. The world snapped back into full speed, and intense pain struck me.

“AARGHHH!”

Even though I had braced myself for it, it still hurt. I couldn’t help but scream. The hobgoblin didn’t miss this opening and quickly closed the gap.

The hobgoblin swung wildly and threw a straight punch. I managed to dodge it awkwardly with a duck, but then a left uppercut came flying at me.

It had already learned from the attacks I had thrown at it! The rough straight punch seemed to be a feint to guide my dodging direction! Panicked, I tried to defend, but my stance was poor.

I couldn’t channel my power properly and was sent flying back by its overwhelming strength.

The hobgoblin’s fist came at my face, this time much sharper than the first straight punch.

I stepped forward, and instead of dodging, I took the punch with my head, like a headbutt to its fist. I felt a strong jolt as the impact hit my forehead, the hardest part of my skull. My vision blurred.

With my vision distorted, I braced for a follow-up attack, but it never came.

The hobgoblin’s fist had shattered.

The unexpected pain caused the hobgoblin to freeze in place. It trembled as it tried to move, but it was clearly slowed down.

I lashed out at its trembling knees, trying to attack, but my vision was clouded by a red curtain.

Blood from my head had flowed down, covering my left eye and blocking my sight.