Ackster could already see multiple of the ones left to try for just that. He could also sense and hear a couple of goblins behind him inhale and charge up their attacks as well.
Ackster could cover most of his head with his arms, but it didn't take a genius to realize that it wasn't the solution to his current predicament. If he decided to block, he would end up in an impossible-to-escape cycle of repeatedly trying not to get his head smashed in.
He could feel time slowing down as the goblins' clubs approached. It gave him more time to look for a way out. Unfortunately, it also meant his body slowed down, unlike what his thoughts did.
But he had already gotten used to his body not being as reflexive and agile as he wanted it to be.
Ackster quickly found an opening among the goblins crowding around him with their clubs poised.
With his training equipment, he could probably force his way through regardless of what he did. But he risked getting whacked if he did that. And since he already felt warm blood trickle down his hair and neck, he decided now was as good a time as any to try and train his dodging skills.
Ackster dove forward, adamant not to let his training equipment drag him down. He aimed for a gap between two goblins, which was slightly bigger than the gaps between the other goblins.
If things went according to his imagination, he would pass through with ease, maybe even to a roll, and stand up in one smooth motion before turning around and turning the tables on the goblins.
He used the leg whose knee was already touching the ground to push off and dart forward, already taking his next step while bending down until he was practically parallel with the ground.
Within one and a half steps, he had already shot forward into a dive that would propel him out of the encirclement. He saw the ground where he would land on his shoulder and roll, and he could feel the goblins begin to commit to their swings behind him.
The feeling of his senses going into overdrive and analyzing everything around him before compressing it and telling him what happened before it happened was surreal. However, Ackster had no spare time to indulge in or think about it since the view of his escape disappeared from his eyes as it was replaced by a goblin leg.
One of the two goblins that Ackster planned to dive between reacted almost as quickly as Ackster was thinking, and Ackster, who was already in the air, couldn't do anything about the leg that impeded his escape. He also didn't have any time to ponder on how the goblin had reacted so quickly.
Ackster's body cleaved through the air, and the goblin's efforts at trying to stop him were valiant.
However, Ackster was muscular and decently tall for his age, so he alone weighed a significant amount. And he was also wearing a suit of weighted armor that added several times his body weight.
When combined with the momentum of his dive, the outcome of the goblin's feeble leg trying to block him was predictable. It broke.
But it had succeeded in canceling Ackster's dive, roll, and table-turning as he crashed on the leg almost face first and then collided with the ground like a meteor.
'Tastes better than goblin.'
Ackster spat out the mouthful of dirt and crawled forward to escape the goblin encirclement. At least he had managed to incapacitate one by completely crushing and pulverizing its leg with his and his armor's weight.
The goblin crumpled to the ground, almost falling onto Ackster. It would have if Ackster hadn't shrugged and brushed it to the side before crawling forward and standing up to rush out of the encroaching encirclement of goblins.
He slipped a little on the crushed goblin leg but eventually made it out without his head taking another blow.
Ackster turned around as soon as he took two steps since that was enough to distance himself from the goblins and let him turn around and let him face his opponents without risking blocking another club with his head.
However, he had to raise his leaden arms as soon as he turned around since goblin clubs were already flying for his face. Fortunately, they didn't do anything, thanks to his armored training equipment.
After blocking a couple of attacks from the goblins who had gotten close while he scraped to his feet after escaping the encirclement, Ackster realized that his muscles were quickly growing too tired to fight a drawn-out battle. Well, he knew he wasn't going to fight for an extended period of time, even before he started fighting, but he was nearing his limits, and there were still a whole group of seven goblins left.
If he just continued taking hits with raised arms, it wouldn't take long until he could no longer keep his arms up since they would be exhausted beyond their limits. Even if he forced himself, he would still eventually end up in a position like just before, where the goblins encircle him and manage to sneak in one or two attacks to his only real weak spot.
And unlike a broken leg, Ackster doubted he would be able to heal a broken skull. And that was only an option if he somehow managed to defeat the goblins and could be left to heal in peace.
Ackster had to finish this fight before it was too late. He was in a precarious situation where his body was so heavy that even taking a step was a task, much less defeating seven goblins, all of whom were stronger, larger, and more agile than the goblins he had fought previously. But he couldn't stop a cold grin from shaping his face.
This kind of situation, where he could see a way out, even if it was like walking on the wire between two mountains, was exactly what he wanted. If he wasn't careful, he might die. He might die even if he was careful.
The only way he could survive was by pushing himself to his limits, whether it be in raw physical strength or in terms of senses, both physical and combat. And if he survived, he would come out on the other side a stronger, more capable person.
He had almost died a couple of times looking for this balance, but considering he had lived, maybe it wasn't so bad. At least he had found it now, and if he could replicate it, he would shoot through the ranks and acquire multiple death-defying skills.
Eyes shining with determination, Ackster dove into the fray.