‘That was easier than I expected. I thought the second frog was going to throw the spear because it has shorter arms but its intelligence seems to be limited. Or maybe they are inexperienced. So they are called bokins…’

A door opens and 3 more bokins come running out. They look at their two dead kins and then at Rin. Then they get into formation for battle. The two bokins upfront also had spears. They look just the same as the first two, at least from what Rin can tell. The one at the back, however, did not have a spear equipped. Instead, it was holding onto something that Rin can only assume is a staff.

‘Is that a mage? Snap, I might be in trouble if he starts hurling fireballs at me. Not to mention fighting multiple bokins at once won’t be as easy as the previous fight, where I was able to fight them one at a time. I think this calls for a tactical retreat...’

Before Rin could retreat, however, a wave of water appears out of thin air in front of the bokins. The 1-meter tall wave quickly reaches Rin’s location and passes him, turning the area into a muddy field.

‘What!? The field got really muddy! Was that water wave the mage’s doing? I can’t retreat now. I’ll slip if I don’t tread carefully. My feet will sink into the ground as well, hampering my movements.’

The two bokins with spears slowly make their way towards Rin. Rin notices that they are moving slowly not because they are limited by the mud, but because they are cautious of him. In fact, they seem more comfortable moving around on the mud than on dry land.

When the bokins are within 3 meters of Rin, he throws his knife toward the bokin on his left then throws the spear towards the bokin on his right. The spear shoots forward like an arrow while the knife is spinning frantically. Afterward, he picks up the spear from the second bokin he killed and charges at the bokin on his right as fast as he can without slipping.

The spear Rin threw did not pierce the bokin but it did make the bokin raise his spear horizontally to deflect it, making the incoming spear fly over his head. It’s more difficult to throw spears compared to throwing knives so the bokin was able to deflect it with relative ease.

By now, Rin had already taken a few steps towards the bokin but he was still outside the spear’s striking distance.

Rin assumes that the bokin won’t be able to make an attack with the spear raised horizontally like that, so he takes a gamble and jumps forward with his spear. The jump didn’t have as much momentum as he thought thanks to the mud, but it was enough to reach the bokin. To Rin’s surprise though, the bokin shifts his stance and slashed Rin across his left shoulder down his torso.

Luckily the cut was not deep. A spear’s main function is to thrust so the bokin’s attack wasn’t fatal. The bokin did not have the time to go for a thrust attack so he opted for the quicker slash. Still, Rin feels a stinging sensation on his body.

Rin clenches his teeth and thrusts the spear at the bokin, aiming for its throat. The strike was successful and the bokin falls to the ground. Rin takes a look at the other spear-wielding bokin.

Surprisingly, his knife managed to cut into the bokin’s right arm leaving him with only a left arm to fight with. Rin only threw that knife to distract the bokin so this was a happy surprise.

Rin walks toward the bokin with his spear ready to strike. The bokin strikes at Rin but it was obvious that its attack is a lot weaker and slower than the others.

‘This guy’s right arm must be his dominant arm’ Rin thought.

When the bokin went for another strike, Rin grabs the spear with his left hand and counter attacks with his spear, piercing the fourth bokin’s throat. Rin turns his attention to the fifth bokin only to find it frowning.

‘Strange. This guy had the chance to strike me multiple times throughout that fight.’

The bokin opens its palm and water starts to conjure above it until it reaches the size of a tennis ball. It throws the water ball toward Rin but the attack didn’t seem to be a threat, at least from what Rin can tell. The water ball wasn’t fast either. It only looked like someone had casually thrown a ball at him.

Rin slaps the water ball with his hand and it splashes on him. It was as Rin had expected, it was only regular water.

Rin takes a look at the mud and then at the bokin. Then, he made a hellish grin that made the bokin shudder. Rin makes a re-evaluation of his opponent.

‘So the bokin was a water mage. Now that I look at it again, the muddy area is pretty wide. It must have used a lot of mana to conjure that wave earlier, meaning its mana pool is nearly depleted. And based on his attempted attack just now, it’s safe to assume that I’m correct.’

After he finished with his thoughts, the bokin turns around and starts sprinting away.

“Oii!! Stop running and fight me you little s***!” Rin screams, completely forgetting that he himself was about to run when he saw the 3 bokins.

Rin grabs the spear on the 4th bokin’s body then runs after the bokin with one spear in each hand.

At first, the bokin was faster than Rin thanks to the terrain. But once they got out of the mud, Rin becomes visibly faster than the bokin.

Even though he is chasing after a living being with the intention to kill, he couldn’t help but chuckle because of how funny the bokin looks when running with its noodle-like limbs.

Rin throws a spear when he feels that he is close enough to hit it. It manages to cut the bokin’s leg, making it slow down considerably. In no time at all, he caught up with the bokin and dealt the finishing blow.

As Rin drags the bokin back towards the house along with two spears and one staff in tow, he checks the notification.

-----------------------------------------

[3 Tier 1 bokins has been slain]

[+3 exp]

[Exp: 2/5] 🠖 [Exp: 5/5]

[Level up]

[Level 1 🠖 level 2]

[+2 stat points]

[Quest complete: Awaken thy class!]

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