Ethan had been sold out!

He clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay calm even as adrenaline surged through his veins.

The two men exchanged glances, their crude swords glinting in the faint light filtering through the trees. One of them, a burly man with a jagged scar running down his cheek, smirked and started toward Ethan.

"Well, well," Scarface said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Looks like you've got shit luck, kid. Makes our job a whole lot easier."

Ethan's mind raced as the situation escalated. Shadow let out a low growl beside him, her sleek form tensing for action. He didn't respond to Scarface's taunts, his focus locked on the situation. Every instinct screamed at him to act, but recklessness would only get him killed.

Scarface and his wiry companion advanced, their crude swords held loosely but ready. The driver remained by the other carriage, smirking as if his betrayal was already paying off.

Ethan clenched his jaw. If he wanted to survive, he needed to think quickly and fight smarter than his opponents.

Ethan's grip tightened around the stick in his hand as he quickly assessed his options. With three of his goblins dismissed and still injured, his resources were limited. Otherwise, he would have had much better odds dealing with these low lives.

Shadow was a reliable asset, but she alone wasn't enough against two armed men. Wolfie was slightly injured. And the smirking driver at the back? He was a wild card Ethan couldn't afford to ignore.

His thoughts raced, his survival instincts kicking into overdrive. The stick in his hand wasn't going to cut it when bashed against their crude swords.

Even though he couldn't tell what level these guys were, he was pretty sure they weren't level 6, unlike him. He was simply outmatched every which way.

But he had one advantage. The element of surprise. The bandits didn't know what he was capable of. He still had Snarl, who could definitely keep at least one of the armed men occupied.

It was not impossible to win in this situation. He just needed to make his move at the right time.

He adjusted his stance subtly, leaning slightly toward the wiry man, who seemed the weaker of the two. "Alright," Ethan growled, his voice steadier than he felt. "You want me? Come and get me."

Scarface sneered, "Brave for a dead man." He gestured to his wiry partner, who nodded and began circling to Ethan's side.

Shadow hissed, her sleek body lowering as she prepared to pounce. Ethan's mind raced. He needed to force them to split their attention and make them underestimate him.

He purposefully trembled, dropping his stick to the ground. The men saw this and laughed at this miserable condition.

Ethan continued to keep his head low, his hands trembling as he feigned fear. Inside, his mind worked furiously, counting on their overconfidence to buy him a few precious moments.

The wiry guy sneered, stepping forward. "Look at this guy, already giving up. Makes our job too easy." His sword gleamed as he raised it.

He reached for Ethan's shoulder, his grin widening. "Say goodbye, kid—"

Right at this moment, Ethan shouted. "Surprise motherfucker!"

The goblin brute appeared out of thin air with a screeching roar that sent birds scattering from the trees above. His overwhelming physique towered over the man, and for an instan,t the guy completely froze, stopping dead in his tracks.

His grin melted into pure terror as he stumbled backward, his sword shaking in his hands. "What the—?!"

Scarface was also equally shocked, his eyes widening as he took in the hulking form of the goblin brute. "What is that thing?!" he barked, his tone tinged with panic. "How did a goblin get all the way here?"

Ethan didn't waste the opportunity. "Shadow, now!" he shouted.

The sleek black cat launched herself at Scarface, her claws aimed at his exposed arm. She landed with precision, raking her claws across his forearm and forcing him to drop his sword.

Scarface yelped, clutching his bleeding arm as Shadow darted away, her movements fluid and predatory.

Snarl, meanwhile, charged at the wiry man with a roar. The brute's massive hands swung with bone-crushing force, sending the wiry man's sword flying as he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

The man scrambled backward, his face pale, but Snarl loomed over him like a nightmare come to life.

Using this moment, Ethan hurriedly grabbed the sword that had fallen and haphazardly struck the guy who was on the ground. He was a bit difficult to injure, considering he wore some armor, but he still managed to get some hits in. Blood splattered on the forest floor.