The Death Mage that doesn't want a fourth time

37 Can this be called clearing a Dungeon?

「Gigyaaah!」

「Gihyih?!」

Vandalieu avoided a Goblin Soldier's sword and gouged out the flesh of the side of its body with his claws. While the additional Goblin behind it was panicking, he dashed up its body, grabbed a hold of its head and twisted it, breaking the bones of its neck.

And then he continued to attack the Goblin Archers that were further behind. An arrow grazed his cheek lightly, but he wouldn't die from this. He ignored it as he charged in.

「...!」

The Goblin Archers panicked and drew their short swords to replace their bows, but Vandalieu hit them with the unarmed martial skill,【Fist Strike.】He felt the pleasant sensation of breaking their ribs and crushing their lungs through the furs they were wearing in place of armor.

Another Goblin Archer fired an arrow at him from his blind spot. Feeling it with his【Danger Sense: Death】, he used【Kicking Strike】against the ground to leap out of the way.

「Gyih?!」

And then he used【Kicking Strike】once again, charging towards the Goblin before it could ready a second arrow. It struggled humorously to draw its short sword, but Vandalieu broke the Goblin's leg with a kick and then crushed its neck with his foot as it collapsed.

「... Fuh.」(Vandalieu)

Making sure his enemy was properly finished and checking whether there were any more enemies around, Vandalieu exhaled.

And as he regained his breath, he really appreciated one fact.

「Skills are amazing things.」(Vandalieu)

He didn't feel it so much with magic-related skills, but every time he gained a new skill like【Unarmed Fighting】,【Carpentry】and【Cooking】, he realized just how amazing skills were.

Vandalieu had never received combat-related training in either of his two previous lives on Earth and in Origin. The closest thing would perhaps be the judo that he did in his physical education classes. Even in real battles, he had never fought without the assistance of magic.

But this was the result of three months of training.

His enemies were Goblin Soldiers and Goblin Archers. Both were Rank 2; they were not particularly strong enemies.

But though they didn't possess skills, they were stronger than the average human and capable of using weapons.

Vandalieu had managed to slaughter them all, sustaining only a scratch on his cheek. Yesterday, he had barely managed to kill a single Goblin, using his own arm as a shield in the process.

This was the effect that skills had.

Obtaining the skill didn't mean that he suddenly gained some mysterious power. The same applied for his【Carpentry】and【Cooking】skills. He wasn't unconsciously, half-heartedly creating things and having them turn out well-made.

Take the【Unarmed Fighting】skill as an example. When he threw a punch, he understood how to make his fist strike hard and fast and moved his body according to that understanding.

When he threw out a kick, he understood how to break the enemy's leg and moved his body according to that understanding.

How to avoid the enemy's attacks, how to evade, how he should posture himself for a counterattack.

He understood them all, and this allowed him to move his body accordingly.

In the case of【Carpentry】, he understood what he needed to do to make a good building, where he should put pillars to bear loads and how many he needed. As for【Cooking】, he instinctively, intuitively knew what he needed to do to make a more delicious meal.