"Ugh!" Mr. Laine had just pushed away the Kobold army that swarmed him, but more Kobolds immediately crowded around him. They were completely unconcerned with their losses, many Kobolds directly pouncing on Laine, biting and scratching.
These Kobolds' claws and teeth were certainly not enough to harm Laine, but it made it nearly impossible for him to act. He had to swing his Warhammer horizontally, once again sending a large group of Kobolds flying, and then the Warhammer, flickering with flames, slashed fiercely through the air, "Retreat! Don't fight these Kobolds in open spaces!"
Underground, he didn't dare to use overly strong combat skills. Techniques like Thunder Strike, which release energy by smashing the ground, could accidentally cause the mine tunnels to collapse, burying them alive inside.
The Spiritual Storm was also difficult to use; the Kobolds were too close to them. He himself was not afraid of the Spiritual Storm, but that didn't mean his teammates were unaffected by it. This was reality, not a game, and there was no friendly fire immunity!
Laine could only release the Spiritual Storm towards one of the Kobold's advancing directions, then led a few people in retreat while fighting.
"There are too many of them!" Estelle bent her bow and fitted an arrow. The Half-Elf felt the Kobolds were everywhere, continually assaulting the small circle of them; hastily firing a few arrows couldn't stop the Kobolds' advance. The Half-Elf wasn't adept at close combat and looked quite flustered, "What do we do?" Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveI(F)ire.net
"Retreat to the narrow passage we passed earlier where only one person can go through. I and Alfred will block the entrance; once we've killed enough, these Kobolds will automatically retreat!" Laine swung his Warhammer, consecutively smashing the heads of five Kobolds, then swept horizontally and sent another four flying. However, the Kobold numbers were truly overwhelming, especially from higher positions. Some of the smaller, short-bow-wielding Kobolds appeared in Estelle's field of vision.
"Everyone, watch out! Kobold archers! Poison arrows!" Estelle immediately shouted; it's common knowledge that Kobolds coat their arrows with poison.
The Half-Elf's reaction was still too slow.
The incoming poison arrow had limited damage. After all, the Kobolds' arm strength was limited, and the arrows were crudely made. Alfred had full plate armor, and Laine had Extraordinary Physique; these poison arrows couldn't harm them in the slightest.
The one hit was the guide, a guard with only ordinary tier strength, who got struck by poison arrows consecutively and soon collapsed in paralysis. A swarm of Kobolds gathered around and dismembered him before Laine could rescue him in time.
Ordinary Kobold miners excitedly shouted; Kobolds don't like eating the flesh of intelligent beings but take pleasure in killing them.
At the same time, the distant Kobold Shaman ordered all the Kobolds to surround and attack Weasley, the commerce director.
It had observed that this human was the weakest, while the strengths of the other three humans were too strong.
Countless Kobolds, following the Shaman's orders, charged towards Weasley, disregarding the cost. They came wave after wave; some grabbed Weasley's feet, some his legs, some yanked at his clothes. The commerce director cried out miserably, "Help me! Mr. Laine! Mr. Alfred! Help me! Ahhh!!"
One Kobold jumped onto his shoulder and bit down, spilling blood everywhere.
"Damn! If only Veronica or Teresa were here, we wouldn't be so passive!" Laine noticed the Kobold Shaman and thought that if they had a Caster ally, a single spell could obliterate the vulnerable Shaman, and their group wouldn't be so passive. The Genetic Primarch Warhammer waved, and all the Kobolds in front of him were flung away, "Estelle, attack that Kobold Shaman!"
With Laine's help, the Half-Elf gained a little breathing room. Just as he prepared his bow, he noticed many Kobolds had already encircled their Shaman protectively. The Half-Elf had to lower his longbow, "I can't hit; my arrows can't penetrate the Kobolds' bodies."
"Damn, it's Arcane Missile!" Laine noticed the Kobold Shaman had completed its spell; five beams of energy had formed – a Third Ring Magic, Fivefold Arcane Missile.
Five missiles shot directly towards Laine and his companions. Seeing this, Alfred finally used the Holy Shield Skill. Golden rings encased the Paladin's body, and he bravely stood in front of everyone, "Leave this to me, you all retreat quickly!"
The Arcane Missile was powerless against the Holy Shield Skill. The group finally retreated to the place where only one person could pass through. Alfred stood heroically, blocking the road in the center, resisting the incoming Kobold army, seeming as if he might sacrifice himself to hold the rear.
Laine thought about how outdated such rear-guard tactics were and noted that they actually could defeat these Kobolds. Thus, Laine gestured to swap places with Alfred, "I'll go in front to hold them!"
Estelle desperately pulled back Weasley's body. The commerce director was already a bloody mess all over. The Half-Elf quickly took out ointment to apply to him. Laine and Alfred each blocked the front and rear channels, preventing the Kobolds from advancing.
Especially Laine, Genetic Primarch stood alone at the narrow tunnel entrance, any Kobolds daring to approach were smashed into pulp by the Warhammer. No matter how the Kobolds tried to charge Laine, they couldn't harm him in the slightest. Time and again, they charged, leaving only rows of corpses.
Hiding behind Laine and Alfred, Estelle continuously shot feathered arrows, one by one knocking down the Kobold archers standing in high spots.