I Became the Weakest Summon of the Genius Summoner

Chapter 12. Experience Points from the Back

Lee Yeon-hee lacked judgment in these kinds of situations.

Although she had experience, I remembered that she preferred fighting in a straightforward manner, even in our past life.

In short, she disliked anything that required deep thinking. So, no one bothered her with such tasks.

Controlling and maintaining tens of summoned creatures was already an astonishing feat in itself.

Staring at her as she pondered what to do, she whispered to me.

"Sh-should we follow them too?"

I hesitated briefly, then nodded. Perhaps my agreement helped her make a decision.

"Well, I don't really want to join those people, but if we can subtly deal with the stragglers in the back..."

In the end, we decided to move toward the village too.

'I don't quite know how much I can distance myself from Lee Yeon-hee right now.'

After reaching level 3, it seemed I could walk freely within the range of my perception. That range was approximately 10 meters.

It was a woefully inadequate distance to plan anything substantial, so we decided to focus on the ones trailing behind as Yeon-hee suggested.

"There are plenty of arrows and then..."

Upon arriving near the village and finding a suitable location, she seemed somewhat dazed, clearly nervous about this large-scale combat.

'Actually, we're not the real problem here. Can thirty people handle a hundred goblins, including the Goblin Centurion?'

Thinking that she just needed to handle three or four goblins alone was a massive mistake.

Goblins grew stronger when they gathered.

Nevertheless, I believed they must have some sort of backup plan.

No matter how low of a rank someone is, human beings are intelligent creatures, aren't they?

But seeing the hunters taking a formation to surround from all sides shortly after, I got a chill up my spine.

They were charging in groups of three or four from various directions.

It seemed that the hastily formed team of thirty found it difficult to maintain a suitable formation and coordinate opinions, deciding it was better for each to fend for themselves.

They must've also thought they were preventing the goblins from gathering and becoming stronger. Yet, that was a very foolish decision.

'Doesn't this seem like a hunter exam question?'

I wondered if this was the repercussion of the notoriously lax hunter exam, which was even easier than a driving test.

"Oh, spreading out like that isn't ideal..."

Yeon-hee muttered worriedly.

'Yeah... that's the sensible thought. With a Goblin Centurion, the goblins' assist range extends wide, spreading like that is suicidal. Breaking through to the Goblin Centurion and taking it down first is the proper way.

I guess they thought they could try and back off if it got dangerous.'

Even if they couldn't take out the goblins on the outskirts, at least fifty goblins would receive buffs simultaneously.

While their lives might not be at stake, the hunt was likely to be botched.

I quickly clasped Yeon-hee's hand.

"What?! Are we running away?"

I shook my head and mimed shooting arrows.

"Yeah, let's pick off some from a distance and then retreat. Ilwol, can you give a signal when it's time?"

Nod—

We climbed a tree beside the bushes where we had hidden and perched on a branch.

'I didn't expect to use Adhesion so soon.'

Being just bones, I wasn't worried about breaking branches when on a tree. Being a skeleton had its own set of advantages.

Comforting myself that way, I surveyed the battlefield from above.

The ones who proclaimed their intent to take down the Goblin Centurion were the majority, nine to be exact. Their guild marks looked similar, suggesting they might be from the same guild.

Their equipment was decent for this level, and their solid physiques gave me a sliver of hope.

Phew, phew, phew—

'Oh? Even fire arrows? At least they're not complete amateurs.'

When the fire arrows hit the huts near the village, a fire started instantly, enveloping everything in smoke.

The goblins inside fell into a confusion and burst out, with the Goblin Centurion among them.

- Waaaaaah!

- Kill them! Take down the Goblin Centurion first!

The initial assault was a success, and teams carried out attacks from multiple directions, engaging goblins on the outskirts.

"Phew..."

Thwack—

Thwack—

Yeon-hee's arrows carved a sharp arc, inflicting steady damage on the goblins caught in confusion.

But.

'Too far. It's hard to kill them instantly in one shot.'

Yet, strategically dealing out damage and retreating would still earn valuable experience points.

Krrrreeee—

Whenever a goblin that survived the attack ran our way, I'd jump down from the tree and smash its head with 【Heavy Strike】.

Smash—

Khak?!

- You have defeated a goblin!

Thud!

Thud—!

The skirmish ensued at the village entrance, making it difficult for targets hit by Yeon-hee's arrows to accurately locate the archer.

'We picked a good spot.'

I climbed back up the tree to keep an eye on the battle progress.

The beginning phase went overwhelmingly in the hunters' favor as chaos gripped the goblins.

In most zones, other than near the Goblin Centurion, hunters broke through defenses and pushed inside the village.

However.

'They can't even approach the Goblin Centurion, can they... Wasn't their confidence based on having fought it before?'

The slight hope of victory hinged on the assumption that the nine hunters who charged at the Goblin Centurion could succeed with their well-planned and executed teamwork.

But the scene before my eyes revealed beginner hunters recklessly relying on their equipment and skills.

Thankfully, there were five warrior types in the vanguard, or they would've already been overrun and slaughtered.

'They really need to learn the hard way.'

With a non-existent tongue, I clicked and shook my head while stepping down from the tree.

I took position in front of Yeon-hee and began to deal with the goblins that strayed to the outskirts.

【Heavy Strike】

Smash! Thud, thud, thud!

'Give me that club, you bastard!'

I was comfortable engaging a single goblin alone by now, so Yeon-hee trusted me and continued to focus her shots toward the entrance.

- Oh? Where do these arrows keep coming from?

- Over there! There's a skeleton soldier! There's an archer behind us!

- There aren't any skeleton-type monsters in this dungeon, you idiot!

- No, that's a new class, summoner.

- Shut up and help over here!

- A class that controls monsters? That's ominous...

Ominous indeed.

Though I was accustomed to hearing such remarks about her, I wondered how Lee Yeon-hee felt.

"Focus- steady..."

She tried her best to block out the words, concentrating solely on shooting her arrows.

'That's good. I mean, she was the one who survived in dungeons alone for nearly half a year. This much was expected. But does she have enough arrows?'

Even in this game-like world, equipment had an unnecessary realistic aspect, and arrow supply was one of them.

She probably hadn't anticipated this situation, where she could fire arrows freely without worry.

It seemed fine for now, but I needed to watch the stock closely.

Those who had been wary of us seemed reassured once they realized I was only targeting goblins and not attacking them; they turned their attention back to the battle with the Goblin Centurion.

Leap!

A burly man, most insistent on taking down the Goblin Centurion, swung a massive axe and effortlessly slashed through the neck of one of the goblins guarding the Goblin Centurion.

Yet, the defensive perimeter around the Goblin Centurion still appeared solid. But as for myself, I was elated.

Smash! Thud!

I had already defeated three goblins, acquiring three clubs brimming with durability.

'Handling a lone goblin isn't an issue.'

The stats difference hadn't been much lately, and apart from movements, the sheer reach was a significant advantage.

With a few kicks and a swing of a club, the enemy would stagger and collapse in a clumsy dance.

Thus, five minutes passed since the combat began, and the atmosphere of the battlefield gradually changed.

Uwoooooh—

The Goblin Centurion, who had previously stood idle, observing its minions' fights, finally joined the battle wielding a cudgel twice the thickness and length of the ordinary goblins' weapons.

Around fifty goblins remained on its side.

Having lost over half of its kind in a matter of minutes, anger was etched clearly across its face.

'The cunning Goblin Centurion always waits until the hunters exhaust themselves.'

Most hunters were panting heavily by now, making the strategy a successful one.

- Hah, ugh... These things don't die easily because of their affinity!
- Damn it... Hey, Hwang Cheol, can we really take them down?!
- Shut it and keep pushing! We can definitely do this! There are fewer than fifty left now, and we still have thirty people! Even forgetting about the runes, we've got achievements on the line!"

Indeed, thinking purely by numbers, if each person took down just two goblins, it'd be over.

Even the lowest-ranked hunters could manage goblins, regardless of exhaustion.

'That big guy's name is Hwang Cheol... Sounds familiar but vaguely.'

I used to have a good memory when I was human, but since becoming a skeleton, recollections dissipated like fleeting, scattered smoke.

Thud—

Smack—

"Crkek!"

The only other archer, besides Yeon-hee, fired an arrow at the Goblin Centurion, but it was easily parried by its cudgel.

Wham! Wham!

There was nothing particularly special about the Goblin Centurion distinguishing it from regular goblins in combat skills.

It just swung its weapon wildly, but the sheer force made one reluctant to approach it and fight face-to-face.