In any case, the situation wasn't favoring me: my body was marked by wounds, and my stamina was almost depleted. Although there were only a few monsters left, I had no idea how I would defeat the Misty Goblin.
In the end, I needed to calm my mind. In situations like this, it's common to give in to despair, but I have a kind of insurance that helps me maintain a relative calm. Of course, the idea of dying still terrifies me, and I'll do everything possible to avoid it. However, that doesn't change the fact that today will be a battle of life or death, and either I or these monsters won't leave here alive.
After catching my breath, I opened my eyes. In front of me, there were only the remaining monsters. The Misty Goblin was probably thinking the same as me: one of us wouldn't survive this battle. Everything would be decided now, in this final confrontation. I gripped my sword as tightly as I could, noticing that the Misty Goblin was doing the same with his staff. It was time to decide the fate of our combat.
With my skills [Ecopulsation], [Etheric Pumping], and [Infusion] all active, I advanced without hesitation towards the wave of monsters. There wasn't a clear sign that the battle had begun; I simply started running. In response, the Goblins didn't stand still either, wielding swords, daggers, bows, and spears, they advanced towards me with determination.
The first blood spilled came from the Goblins when my sword pierced the chest of one of them, making his green blood splash over my clothes. At this point, I hardly cared about it; my appearance certainly wasn't the best.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 16] Experience gained.
I ignored the translucent screen and kept moving forward. A Goblin came from behind wielding a spear. In a swift movement, I spun my body and grabbed his spear, pulling it forward and making it pierce the skull of another Goblin, while simultaneously cutting the Goblin from the spear in half.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 14] Experience gained.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 17] Experience gained.
Suddenly, my [Ecopulsation] triggered a danger alert, but I was slower than the Goblin. Before I could react, his dagger found my arm. Despite the excruciating pain, I didn't stop; in a surge of pure determination, I grabbed the Goblin's head and violently slammed it against the ground, using all the strength my sore body could gather.
Driven by [Etheric Pumping], the Goblin's head practically exploded upon hitting the ground, its brains and blood sprayed over me, painting my body with a grotesque rain.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 11] Experience gained.
This battle was far from pleasant. We, the monsters and I, were mere living creatures fighting for survival. We needed to eliminate our enemies to ensure our own existence. There was no nobility in it, just the pursuit of life. The spilled blood, whether mine or theirs, was a testament to that - proof that we were willing to do whatever it took to keep on living.
The next attack came in the form of an arrow that cut through the air towards me. Thanks to my heightened senses, I could easily dodge it. Without wasting time, I advanced again towards the Goblins. At this point, I wasn't counting the deaths anymore. I simply eliminated anything that dared to move in front of me.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 19] Experience gained.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 20] Experience gained.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 18] Experience gained.
You leveled up [20] -> [21] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 20] Experience gained.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 17] Experience gained.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 19] Experience gained.
As I continued to slaughter the Goblins, the notification screens kept flashing, but I completely ignored them. A mounted Goblin tried to attack me, but I easily dodged. As he prepared for a second charge, I threw a dagger I had taken from one of the fallen Goblins, hitting the rider squarely. Amidst the chaos, his mount, directionless, was also easily slain as I dealt a fatal blow, separating its head from its body.
You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 21] Experience gained.
Although mounted Goblins are difficult to eliminate due to their speed, they are also predictable. If you take down the rider, the wolf becomes disoriented, as it loses direction without its driver's commands.
Before I could react, only I and the Misty Goblin remained amidst that sea of bodies. As my eyes met his, he began trembling visibly. In the blink of an eye, he raised his staff and, in an instant, disappeared without a trace. Then, a series of cuts appeared on my arm, neck, and cheek, without me even being able to perceive his approach.
With every new cut that appeared on my body, the Goblin's laughter echoed through the air, but despite not being able to see him, it didn't mean I couldn't fight back. Closing my eyes, I focused all my senses, ramping up my [Ecopulsation] to the maximum. In an instant, another cut appeared, this time on my leg.
Once again, the Goblin's sick laughter echoed, and this time, a strange sensation rippled through the air, as if a rift suddenly opened. Without hesitation, I thrust my hand toward the rift, with no time to fully comprehend what was happening. I grabbed the void with all the strength I could muster, feeling something tangible in my hand. I pulled with all my might.
Opening my eyes, I found the Misty Goblin in front of me. Its awkward body swayed from side to side as it struggled, trying to free itself from my grasp, from the clutches of its predator.
I harbored no feelings toward it. My hand firmly held the Goblin's head, and I simply began to squeeze. The Goblin thrashed frantically, realizing too late what was happening. At one point, one of its eyes popped out, and then its head turned into a shapeless mass, with blood and brains scattered. Its death meant my survival, and the opposite could be said as well.
You have defeated [Misty Goblin - Lvl - 26] Experience gained.
You leveled up [20] -> [21] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.
You leveled up [21] -> [22] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.
After the battle ended, I let myself fall back on the ground, exhausted. Looking at the translucent screen, I was confused to see that the Misty Goblin was at level 26. Had it leveled up during the fight? The idea briefly crossed my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
Honestly, although perhaps I could obtain useful information if I tried to understand how this place works, I would probably go insane before even getting anything relevant.
After a few minutes of rest, I rose and started walking toward where the bus was parked. My body throbbed with pain, and I limped due to the cut on my leg. However, the journey back proceeded smoothly, despite the various monster bodies scattered around.
No living monsters were in sight, and I continued on without thinking much of it. At one point, I noticed that the sun, once bright, had now turned into a black sphere. However, unlike the previous red sun, this new sun emanated a comforting feeling, as if signaling that everything had ended, at least for now.
Emerging from the forest, I was struck by a disturbing sight: the ground was littered with monster corpses, a scene that could easily be mistaken for a depiction of hell. Looking around, I identified some survivors, all exhausted and wounded. I spotted Ellen sitting in front of the bus, her back against it.
Examining Ellen, she seemed unharmed. However, as I swept the area with my gaze, a bitter feeling washed over me. Corpses of some people who were with us lay beside us. I confess I didn't experience great sorrow witnessing that scene.
There weren't strong enough ties with those individuals to feel deep pain, and I acknowledge it's an inevitability in situations like this. However, it's undeniable that this will have a negative impact on our combat capability.
We can probably anticipate that this scenario will unfold over the next six days. If we rely solely on the bus passengers, we'll likely face inevitable defeat. Passing by Leo, I was met with his usual irritating glare, but he completely ignored me, as if I were irrelevant to him. His face bore deep scratches, and his shirt was practically in tatters. I wondered who he fought against to end up in such a state.
As I approached Ellen, our eyes met for a moment before I sat down beside her. Ellen was also in bad shape, her clothes torn, and she had cuts here and there. However, honestly, I was in much worse condition.