A Middle-Aged Man Becomes the Strongest in Another World: The Physical Specialized Awakener - Chapter 16

The day of the Great Subjugation Mission.

A massive crowd had gathered in front of the gates of Tolson. Leading the force were around 200 of the local lord’s soldiers, equipped uniformly with short spears and light armor. Naturally, they were regular humans, not Awakened.

At their head stood a silver-haired, crimson-armored female knight known as Anatolia the Crimson.

Alongside the soldiers were about 50 adventurers from Tolson, a mix of D and E ranks. Kaim’s party, Silver Wheel, was among them.

Another 50 adventurers had arrived from neighboring towns. A few of those were even C-rank parties, their equipment and aura made the difference obvious. Turns out, most adventurers plateau at D-rank, and reaching C-rank means you’re already considered elite.

I stood among the adventurers, watching as Anatolia stepped forward to begin her speech.

“Adventurers, thank you for gathering today. And to the soldiers, thank you for your service. I am Anatolia, chief knight of the Barius Viscount family. Starting today, you will be tasked with exterminating a goblin nest that has formed in the forest near Tolson.”

“As you all know, goblins can become a serious threat if allowed to multiply. Eradicating them swiftly is our top priority. I expect each of you to give your utmost to see this mission through to completion.”

Her voice was calm, strong, and fitting for her striking appearance. But it also had a youthful quality, making me think she might still be in her teens. When I looked closely, there was definitely a trace of childlike innocence beneath her stern features.

Still, outward appearances can be deceiving, Anatolia was a genuine A-rank. Judging her by looks alone would be foolish.

“Daaamn… she’s really hot,” Kaim muttered under his breath, earning him a sharp pinch from Meribe that made him yelp in pain.

As the young adventurers messed around, the speech came to an end, and Anatolia gave the command to move out.

We made camp near the same village I’d visited during the last goblin subjugation, and the next day, we entered the forest.

The D-rank adventurers took the lead, tracking goblin trails, while the rest of us followed. Behind us came the soldiers, led by Anatolia.

On the second day in the forest, we finally found the goblin settlement.

A scout returned, looking tense, and whispered something to Anatolia. She listened intently, then nodded and gave quiet orders, “There’s a large goblin settlement up ahead. The scout counted at least five ‘Failed Kings’ (Pseudo Kings) that means there are probably over 2,500 goblins. There’s a high chance a true King is among them.”

“We will strike immediately and wipe them out. The King will be dealt with by either myself or the C-rank party Fortuner. No one else is to engage him. Before we charge, mages prepare a volley of earth-based projectile spells, gravel shot class.”

Everyone began double-checking their gear. The faint clinking of metal filled the forest, and the tension before battle hung heavy in the air. I checked my own equipment and waited for the next command.

“Move out,” Anatolia ordered.

We advanced through the forest. About ten minutes later, a clearing appeared ahead, bathed in sunlight. As we got closer, we saw it was roughly the size of a baseball field and packed with over a hundred makeshift goblin tents made from tree branches.

Hundreds, no, thousands, of goblins were milling about. A quick glance said there were well over a thousand. Honestly, it was a little horrifying.

We formed a line along the edge of the clearing and came to a stop.

“Mages, prepare spells,” Anatolia ordered.

The magic users raised their staves and began concentrating. When a few raised their hands, probably a signal that they were ready, Anatolia called out, “Fire!”

Assuming an average of one mage per party, and about 100 adventurers total, there were around 25 mages. And now they all launched their gravel shot spells at once.

It was spectacular.

E-rank mages like Meribe fired baseball-sized stones at high speed. D-ranks launched spear-like stone projectiles. And the C-rank mage hurled thirty stone spears from above like a rain of death.

The impact was immense. Within seconds, 400 to 500 goblins were shredded, and nearly 70% of the tents were destroyed. One of the larger goblins, a Failed King, was also taken out.

“Charge!!” Anatolia shouted.

The adventurers surged into the clearing, still grouped by party like proper professionals. The soldiers followed after, dealing with the goblins that slipped past the adventurers.

To us Awakened adventurers, goblins were just weak mobs you could handle solo. But for regular humans, they were dangerous opponents. 

I noticed Anatolia had charged ahead of her soldiers, leading from the front. She swung her longsword and unleashed a wave of light that cleaved through multiple goblins at once, a skill, no doubt. Even more terrifying was how she moved, sometimes it was like she vanished and reappeared, moving so fast she may as well have been teleporting.

Yeah, she’s not human. Not in the way she fought.

I’d wanted to see how an A-rank fought, but I couldn’t just stand around watching. I joined the fight on the edge of the adventurer line, bashing goblins left and right, more like making them explode.

This large-scale horde had some stronger goblins, armed with stone axes and spears instead of sticks, but they were still no match. Spears were a slight concern, but thanks to my Iron Body skill, they couldn’t pierce my skin.

I must’ve crushed 20 to 30 goblins before I saw another tent still intact. There were probably more inside.

I moved in to smash it down with my mace.

“GUGIGIIII!”

A loud, guttural roar and the tent burst apart from within. Standing tall was a massive goblin, about 2 meters tall, covered in muscle and holding a huge club. He was radiating fury.

Stronger than any Failed King I’d seen before. This guy, was he the King!?

“Whoa!” I ducked just in time to avoid his club slamming down at me.

The sound it made smashing into the ground was insane. Even with Iron Body, a direct hit like that would do serious damage.

“That’s the King! Get out of there, man!” I heard Kaim shout in the distance.

Right, the plan was for Anatolia or the C-rankers to handle the King.

But the King had already locked onto me. If I turned my back, I’d get crushed before I could take a single step. So I had no choice. I had to hold out until help arrived.

The King swung his club wildly. It looked sloppy, but his balance was solid, he wasn’t losing his stance at all. 

I backed up, looking for an opening. Blocking that thing with a shield would break my arm. A counterattack with the mace… Yeah, that could work.

He raised his club diagonally, he was going for a diagonal smash. I swung my mace upward at the same moment he brought his club down. My target wasn’t him, it was the weapon. My mace met his club mid-swing, and because of the material difference, my mace shattered his club.

My arms screamed from the impact, but I held on. The King staggered back a few steps.

Now’s my chance to run, but he charged. Too fast. I couldn’t react in time. His right hook slammed into my ribs. Even Iron Body couldn’t fully absorb that. I felt the shock rattle my insides. I felt like I was gonna puke up my stomach.

Damn it. Everything turned red, was it blood? No… maybe a skill?

I managed to stay standing, thanks to Stability. Then came his left straight punch. I barely dodged and smashed my forehead into his hawk-like nose. Headbutts, the ultimate close-range move.

Blood gushed from his nose as he reeled back. Still, he tried to grab me. Even while being grabbed, I raised my mace. My target? His crotch.

“GUGYAAA!”

Yeah, that hurts, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll put you out of your misery.

I grabbed the mace with both hands and slammed it down on his skull as he doubled over.

“…So, you’re saying the King just appeared in front of you and you had no choice but to fight him?”

The rest of the goblins had been cleared out, and now the soldiers were gathering magic stones from the 2,000+ goblin corpses. That seemed to be their real job. Meanwhile, I was being questioned by Anatolia.

“Yes, that’s what happened. I considered running, but he was too close. Turning my back would’ve been suicide.”

“Hmm. Witnesses said the same. I suppose it can’t be helped.” She looked up at me with a thoughtful gaze, one hand on her chin. 

Now that we were standing close, I noticed she was a full head shorter than me. Up close, she was clearly beautiful or maybe cute was a better word. Her pointed ears suggested she wasn’t human, probably an elf. That just added to her mystical charm.

To think someone with this delicate frame and appearance could fight like a literal war goddess… A-rank really is terrifying.

“By the way,” she continued, “I heard you only just became E-rank, yet you crushed a King’s skull in one hit. Forgive me, but with strength like that, I’d guess you’ve been an adventurer for years?”

“No, I only Awakened recently. I do have confidence in my strength, but I just got lucky hitting a vital spot this time.”

“I see… Luck, huh. Realistically, a King isn’t something an E-rank can handle one-on-one. If you’re truly a beginner, then yes, very lucky.”

“Yes. I failed to sense his presence ahead of time. That was my mistake, and I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Good. Remember this, violating orders during a Great Subjugation Mission carries heavy punishment. I’ll overlook it this time since your situation was exceptional.”

“I understand completely. Thank you for your leniency.”

I bowed and walked away. She watched me leave with a strange look, like I was some rare creature. Maybe because I don’t act like a typical adventurer? Well, I am from another world, after all. It can’t be helped.