Apocalypse Healer - Path of Death-Chapter 67B1 - Kobold Nest I

As they approached the hideout, David barely batted an eye at the dozens of Kobolds waiting for them. The commotion of the earlier battle must have alerted them.

“They’ve been waiting for us,” Melach murmured to his right. “Why didn’t they charge earlier?”

“There has to be a stronger Kobold. One in charge of the Nest,” Torb added, advancing toward the entrance with a raised shield, his movements cautious and deliberate.

David noted a few Kobolds staring them down, baring their teeth whenever their eyes met. Yet, despite their tense, restless posture, the Kobolds didn’t charge out of the building. They kept their distance.

There are fewer ordinary Kobolds and more Warriors… Is that a Mage Wand? They have Mages too?

His gaze flicked to his companions, who must have noticed the longbows and Mage Wands in some Kobolds’ hands. Their expressions hardened, their postures stiffening. At last, David’s eyes fell on the creatures looming above the others—Aether Kobolds. He couldn’t see every corner of the ground floor, but the wide hall and large windows provided a clear view of the building’s interior.

A faint cracking noise interrupted his observations, sending his hair on end. His eyes snapped to the upper floors, where shattered windows revealed scaled arms clawing outward. Moments later, familiar blue glimmers—mana projectiles—and longbows appeared, aimed directly at them.

“Archers above!” David shouted, casting [Bless] on everyone. “Charge!”

Retreating might have been an option, but he doubted the Kobolds would let them flee. Not that David was one for tactical retreats, in the first place.

The corner of his lips curled upward as he heard groans from behind. A moment later, arrows rained down toward him.

Whether the archers were unskilled or simply caught off guard, most of their shots missed. Of nearly a dozen arrows, only three would have hit him—if not for [Blood Aegis] shimmering into place. One glowing blue projectile struck the crimson shield, cracking it slightly, but that was the worst of it.

David reached the building and charged inside, the Earthen Elemental thundering behind him. The ground trembled violently as the animated creature caught up, rushing past him and absorbing several [Mana Bullet] spells and arrows. David’s eyes darted to the holes and arrow shafts riddling its surface, but his attention quickly shifted to the entrance hall ahead.

“You’re good bait,” Torb commented as he arrived beside him, his plated armor and shield faintly glowing with an earthen hue.

“Less talking, more hunting!” Melach snapped, waving his Mage Wand to David’s right. Half a dozen mana projectiles sparked to life and rocketed toward the enemy masses. Three ordinary Kobolds and one of the larger, sword-wielding types collapsed to the ground with smoldering holes in their chests before they could even reach the Earthen Elemental.

Torb surged forward, smashing his heavy shield into the tiled floor as two massive projectiles hurtled through the air. David spotted them early and dodged to the side, but they weren’t aimed at him.

Melach!

Torb stepped in just in time, bracing himself between Melach and the enormous projectiles.

The projectiles struck Torb’s shield with enough force to drive him back several steps. He groaned but held his ground, their momentum spent. The missiles clattered to the ground, revealing themselves as a pair of pale arrows—thicker than a human’s arm and longer than an ordinary Kobold.

“Fuck that shit!” Torb growled while Melach muttered a faint, “Thanks.”

A chill raced down David’s spine, his hair bristling as he processed how close that had been.

His focus snapped back to the battlefield and the charging enemies. There were more than 30 ordinary Kobolds, a few dozen Kobold Warriors, and several other troublesome adversaries. The fireballs streaking toward them weren’t exactly inviting, either.

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David ducked under a fireball, the searing heat brushing against his skin. Torb intercepted most of the incoming attacks, his shield glowing brighter by the second. Something about the dwarf’s posture and the deep, earthen hue shrouding him had shifted—it grew more intense with every passing moment.

It’s about time Torb started using his Class Skills and Skill Runes!

David contemplated casting [Bless] again to overlap its effects but instead poured his energy into a double-cast of [Oasis of Harmony]. A black dove materialized above Torb and the Earthen Elemental, immediately drawing the Kobolds’ attention to them.

He heard Torb’s curse and saw him inch closer with the elemental while dashing to the least crowded side of the room. The Obsidian Blade appeared in his hand. With one swift motion, he beheaded a pair of ordinary Kobolds before they could scream or roar. Their bodies landed on the ground with a loud thud.

David felt a jolt of surprise at his display of speed, strength, and reflexes. He knew he would be faster and stronger, but to barely feel resistance when he beheaded the Kobolds sent chills down his spine. It was also hard to tell how fast he was. The Kobolds couldn’t react in time, yet David didn’t feel like he was even close to reaching top speed.

He would need more time to adapt to his body’s changes. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t give it his all right now.

David studied the charging Kobolds, ensuring none of the stronger ones noticed him before he moved. He retrieved one of the Kobolds’ spears from the spatial necklace and applied [Holy Touch] to the spear blade’s tip. Planting his foot deep into the ground, he cracked the tiles beneath him as he pulled the spear back and threw it.

A second spear appeared in his hands even before the first reached its target. He trusted his strength and aim to do the job and repeated the process. His muscles bulged as he moved. [Holy Touch] was already applied, and every ounce of his newly acquired strength was utilized as he hurled the second spear into the enemy masses.

David dismissed the idea of watching the destruction. The Kobolds’ screams and death throes were all the confirmation he needed.

Notifications flashed in the corner of his view, but his focus stayed locked on the spears and the battlefield. He repeated the attack a few more times and would have continued until all spears stored in the necklace were used, but his enemies seemed too impatient to wait that long.

His attention drifted to a few Kobold Warriors and Mages with blue spears jutting from their chests and skulls. A smug smile crossed his face as a dozen, possibly more, Kobolds charged at him. A few arrows and fireballs whistled past the Kobolds, but they never got close to David. One crimson shield was enough to block the incoming attacks.

He grasped the Obsidian Blade tightly, retrieved a shortsword from the spatial necklace, and dashed toward the Kobolds.

No Aether Kobold? Fine by me!

He jumped, conjuring a small [Blood Aegis] under his right foot, and propelled himself high into the air. He landed atop a Kobold Warrior, bent down, and slashed its neck. Kicking the screaming creature aside, he landed in the enemy masses. A pair of notifications popped up as he rammed his shortsword into the chest of an ordinary Kobold while the Obsidian Blade sliced another Kobold’s throat.

He spun around, twisting his body to evade a series of incoming attacks, severing a leg with a clean cut before his other attack pierced the monster’s eyeball and brain in one go.

David noticed a faint crimson hue radiating from his weapons, though his focus remained on the next enemy. Only after killing more than a dozen Kobolds did he notice his stirring Source. Words of Power spilled unbidden from his lips, his heart pounding wildly as they continued to flow. Each cut, stab, and slash seemed to transform into something bigger. Greater.

It didn’t even matter how deep the wounds he inflicted were. His blade ripped through the enemy and left behind wounds that were several times larger than they were supposed to be.

Blood splattered on his face, soaking his clothes and blurring his vision, but he didn’t flinch. His movements never slowed. On the contrary, as the Words of Power rolled from his lips, he felt like he was finally in full control of his newly acquired power.

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He barely noticed the dozens of carcasses piling up around him as he continued the carnage. The ground floor was almost clear. Most Kobolds had been defeated.

David pushed himself faster as he caught glimpses of the Earthen Elemental tearing through Kobolds while Melach unleashed mana projectiles nearby. Even Torb seemed to have found a suitable rhythm to kill the Kobolds systematically. Together, they swept through the ground floor.

But something felt off as the last pair of Kobolds collapsed. Blood pooled around the corpses, the air heavy with the metallic stench, but David’s focus snapped to the staircase at the other side of the room. His body tensed.

The Words of Power ceased naturally, its power leaving a heavy toll on his Source. However, David couldn’t focus on his surroundings, let alone his Source, at this moment. His eyes narrowed to tiny slits, his instincts screaming danger as his gaze locked onto the one clean spot amidst the carnage. It was the area that felt the most dangerous at this moment.