That monster. It is approaching my home turf. Whoever that monster that's been messing with my traps is a daring one, I must give that to it, but it doesn't know one thing. I always hold the advantage when it came to my ground.

I know it is near me, watching from far, behind the trees and bushes. It is waiting for the perfect opportunity. Still, it is a game two people can play. Long as it delays its attack, I can hunt more and more goblins, craft more gear, train and improve my skills on how to use the weapons of this world.

I already know how to use a knife as part of the combat training I took, and I learned some swordsmanship because of the militaristic traditions of my family. But I never used the premodern combat weapons against a real opponent before.

Now, I fight against different creatures every day to survive. My grip, the way I swung my weapons, they are getting sharper after every fight. It feels good to improve yourself over time.

*****

Night has come. Now, it is time for the infinite darkness decorated with particles of light to dominate the sky. I am waiting for it to make the first move.

"Warning! An Elite Enemy is approaching." a screen with a danger icon appeared in front of me, as Voice began repeating its words.

I waved my hand, and the screen disappeared. "For days, and days I waited for you to make the first move, now show me what you are." I got up from the ground, with both my hands holding the polehammer.

A green monster, ugly as every goblin but taller, I don't have the equipment to measure the length of the goblins I encountered, but I say the average goblin is one meter to one meter twenty centimeters tall.

This one is around thirty to forty centimeters taller than the tallest goblin I encountered before. I suppose it is a rare breed. Probably an alpha one on the group. I assume that's something to be expected.

Coming to its equipment, it isn't wearing much of things. It is even more feral than the average goblins, and I suppose it is a male.

"Voice, can I learn the name of this monster." Voice identified the snow siren before. I suppose I can use it as an almanac from time to time.

"Hobgoblin. Bigger, faster, stronger, and more primal than the average goblins, they might be shorter than average human, but the User must be careful about their strength."

Hobgoblin opened his mouth and began roaring. He was loud, but that fangs he had, at least big as one of my fingers. Even the snow siren looks cute against what this guy has.

"Keep it away, and kill it at the first chance" I directed the pole hammers tip towards the hobgoblin. I will keep that ugly thing away from myself.

Hobgoblin began running towards me. He is faster than me, but not enough to make a big difference in the battle.

I stopped him by thrusting my weapon forward, forcing him to stop moving. I raised my pole hammer and slammed forward. Hobgoblin dodged the attack by jumping to the left.

"Got him." Without lifting my weapon from the ground, I swung it towards the hobgoblin, caught him with a surprise attack, and landed a good hit towards its chest.

Hobgoblin knocked away but got up from the ground immediately and began roaring even louder.

"Did I made you angry?" I directed the tip of my weapon towards the hobgoblin once again and began moving towards him. He doesn't have reflexes sharp enough to dodge a follow-up attack.

I charged towards the hobgoblin and slammed my weapon towards him. He dodged the incoming attack. "One more time." I swung my pole hammer horizontally.

Hobgoblin dodged the follow-up attack and leaped towards me, his mouth open and ready to bite and claw me. "Like I will allow you." I stopped the hobgoblin with the handle of my pole hammer.

He is trying to bite and claw me, and I must be careful as if that happens, I might get seriously injured. I don't have any medical tools or even something to stop bleedings.

As I began struggling to keep the hobgoblin away, I dropped my weapons. Hobgoblin tried to bite me as I stopped keeping him away.

"No, you will not." I landed a job on the hobgoblin's face. I continued my punches by another jab to his face, a right hook to its jaw, and lastly, I caught him from the head and slammed him to the ground.

Hobgoblin tried to get up from the ground, but I stomped his head. "You are not going anywhere." I kept kicking its head until I heard a crack noise, and he stopped moving.

A screen appeared in front of me.

[Elite Monster terminated.

Rewards: Increased physical strength.]

"I don't care about rewards right now." I sat on the ground, next to the corpse of the hobgoblin. Hobgoblin was ugly. I saw that even though the only light source was moonlight and my campfire, now looking, he is even uglier than before.

I waited for thirty seconds or something close to that, without talking or doing anything. I was hoping for a challenging battle, but all I got was that slightly more powerful goblin.

I heard rustles coming from the trees. Something, no, things are getting closer. I got up from the ground and immediately grabbed my weapon back.

After some waiting, a horde of goblins began slowly moving out of the darkness of the trees and began approaching me. They are screeching and swinging their weapons right to left.

After days of waiting for a good fight, all I got was that stupid overgrown goblin, and now they are trying to kill me with overwhelming numbers.

I dropped my weapon and lifted the corpse of the hobgoblin to the air with one hand, showed the goblins what I did to their big version.

I only managed to make them scream even louder. "Your sounds are ANNOYING!" I yelled with anger and muted all the goblins.

"Now, if you don't fight, then don't make any more sounds. I am already disappointed, and do not make me angrier than I currently am." I opened the dead hobgoblins mouth with both hands and began tearing its jaw away from his skull.

His sharp teeth are sure a problem, but I found a way to hold them without cutting my hands. "Now, if any single one of you wants to die the same as this one, take one step forward." With one last pull, I ripped the hobgoblins jaw away from his head.

Goblins stopped screaming. "Good then, get the fuck out of my land." I threw the ripped jaw towards the goblin horde, and they began running inside towards the forest.

"Ah!" I heard a scream. I assume not every trap is disarmed.

As I almost dropped the jawless corpse to the ground, something took my interest. A silver key is on the side of the hobgoblins skirt. I grabbed the key and began moving towards my cave to sleep.

As I almost collapsed on the ground because of tiredness, a screen appeared in front of me.

[Dungeon spotted nearby. Clear it away from the monsters for a generous reward.]

"I hope I found something challenging. I am still hungry for battle." I let my body collapse to the ground and began sleeping peacefully like a horde of dangerous monsters weren't just nearby my cave.