They came at him in waves, but it was as if Travis had entered another state of being. His movements were instinctive, almost rehearsed, as if he had fought battles like this his entire life. His mind was clear, his body moving as one with his weapon.
Despite his ferocity, the goblins’ numbers didn’t dwindle. For every one he cut down, two more seemed to take its place. Their relentless assault left him battered, wounds opening across his arms and legs, but he didn’t slow. Pain was irrelevant; survival was all that mattered.
For over an hour, the clearing was a battlefield of chaos, death, and carnage. Goblins piled at his feet, their grotesque forms twitching in the moonlight. The ground was slick with their blood, the metallic stench hanging thick in the air.
Finally, as the last goblin fell with a gurgling cry, Travis stood alone in the midst of the carnage. His chest heaved with exhaustion, his shirt torn and stained with green and red. The moon hung high in the sky, casting a cold light on his bloodied figure.
He tilted his head upward, gazing at the pale orb in the sky, his body trembling not with fear but with exhilaration. Something was happening. A surge of energy began to pulse through him, spreading from his core outward.
The wounds on his body burned, but not with pain—with power. It was as if his very essence was being rewritten, his strength multiplying with every breath. He clenched his fists, feeling the raw, unrestrained energy coursing through his veins.
Then, something else stirred within him. It wasn’t his own energy but a connection—no, a perception. He could sense the presence of life around him. Not just the faint remnants of the goblins he had slain, but the living creatures scattered in the forest beyond.
He smirked, the corners of his mouth twitching upward as he processed the newfound sensation.
"It’s like my nose just got cleared after having a cold," he thought, a quiet chuckle escaping his lips.
Despite the carnage around him, he stood taller, his eyes gleaming with determination. Whatever had changed within him, he knew it was only the beginning.
『 Name: Travis Blackthorn
Age: 17
Level: 10
Stats:
Strength: 8/10
Speed: 9/10
Flexibility: 9/10
Stamina: 9/10
Luck: 1/10
Mana: 400/ 1000 』
'' Damn, well I had already leveled up from killing all the other goblins before. But this one added 7 whole levels. But what''s up with my luck? He thought.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
But Travis shrugged it off, dismissing the strange sensations as fatigue. However, as he turned to leave the battlefield, he froze in place, his body stiffening as an oppressive wave of dread washed over him. His gaze was drawn, almost against his will, to the largest tent at the far end of the village.
It loomed ominously, bathed in the cold glow of the moonlight, its shadow stretching across the clearing like a foreboding omen. From within, Travis could feel it—a pulse of immense power radiating outward, heavier and more menacing than anything he had ever encountered. His breathing quickened, his instincts screaming at him to flee, but his legs refused to move.
Inside the tent, the Goblin King stirred. The towering creature sat upright, its eyes snapping open, glowing faintly in the dim light. Its massive chest rose and fell steadily, but its sharp, jagged features betrayed no tranquility. It had felt something—a mana force unfamiliar and threatening.
With deliberate movements, the Goblin King rose to its full height, its hulking frame casting long shadows against the walls of the tent. It reached to the side, grabbing its massive wooden club, a weapon that seemed almost too large to wield, yet it handled it with ease. The club was adorned with crude carvings and splinters, its gnarled surface a testament to countless battles.
From the darkness of the tent emerged the creature’s silhouette. As it stepped into the clearing, the moonlight revealed its grotesque form in full. Its green skin glistened unnaturally, veins bulging and pulsating with latent power. The bone crown atop its head gave it a regal yet savage appearance, and its piercing yellow eyes scanned the carnage with a slow, deliberate rage.
The Goblin King''s gaze fell upon the lifeless bodies of its fallen kin strewn across the ground. For a brief moment, its monstrous face contorted with grief, its eyes shimmering with unshed tears. But that fleeting sorrow was quickly consumed by something far more primal—rage.
The creature’s muscles tensed, its massive hand curling into a fist around its weapon. With a guttural roar that shook the earth, the Goblin King raised its head to the sky and unleashed an ear-splitting screech:
"KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
The sound was deafening, a primal cry of fury and pain that resonated through the night. The force of the scream sent a shockwave ripping through the village, toppling smaller tents and scattering loose debris. The wind whipped violently, tearing through the trees and nearly knocking Travis off his feet.
Travis’s ears rang violently, blood trickling from them as the Goblin King’s deafening roar rendered him unable to hear anything but the pounding of his heartbeat. The world around him seemed muted.
His gaze was locked on the towering figure of the Goblin King as it approached with slow, deliberate steps. The massive wooden club dragged behind it, carving a trail into the earth, the sound of its weightless scrape lost to him. Every step shook the ground slightly, the sheer presence of the beast an oppressive force that crushed any semblance of courage he had left.
Travis tried to move, to force his body into action, but it was frozen in terror. His mind screamed at him to run, but his limbs refused to obey, locked in the grip of primal fear. By the time he regained control, it was far too late.
*Brak!*
The Goblin King’s club slammed into his stomach with an earth-shattering impact, the force sending him rocketing through the air. His body folded over the weapon like a rag doll, the breath exploding from his lungs as pain overwhelmed him.
The world became a blur of motion and agony as he crashed into a tree, the bark splintering beneath the force. His momentum carried him into another, then another, each collision stealing more air from his chest until he finally crumpled to the ground.
Travis lay there, gasping for breath, his vision swimming as he struggled to remain conscious. His ribs ached with every shallow inhale, his body screaming in protest as he tried to push himself up. Blood dripped from his mouth, staining the grass below him as he looked up at the advancing monster.
The Goblin King was relentless, each step deliberate and unhurried. Its glowing green eyes bore into him with a predatory focus, and the weight of its presence was suffocating.
Travis’s mind raced as he lay there, helpless. The pain and fear twisted his thoughts into a spiral of regret, the enormity of his mistake crashing down on him.
“Why did I come here?” he whispered hoarsely, his voice cracking.
Visions of all the ways this could have gone differently flashed before him, torturing his already shattered spirit. The regret consumed him, each passing second adding to the overwhelming despair.
Why? Why? Why? Why? his mind chanted, the words growing louder and faster until they became a roar inside his head.
'' WHY THE FUCK DID I COME HERE?! ''
The Goblin King stopped just before him, its massive frame casting a shadow that swallowed Travis whole. Its glowing eyes narrowed, its lips curling into a snarl that exposed its sharp, jagged teeth. Slowly, it raised its colossal club high above its head, the weapon blotting out the moonlight as it prepared to deliver the final blow.
Travis stared up at the towering monster, his body too broken to resist, his mind too frayed to think. He squeezed his eyes shut, his fists clenching the bloodied dirt beneath him.
This was it.
The air grew still for a moment, the Goblin King’s growl the only sound in the silent forest.
Then—
*Thud.*
TO BE CONTINUED