CRACK!!!

"ARRRGGG!!!"

Pain exploded through my entire body. For a second my vision went white before returning to normal.

In an instant, my ankle and my hand were both broken. I couldn’t believe how painful it was.

"ARRRGHH!!"

The goblin’s face twisted into a wider grin, as if it was enjoying hearing my scream.

"Kekekeke..."

Its yellow eyes narrowed. Then it pulled me, and my body was dragged across the cracked ground.

"GHH—!"

Sharp stones tore through not only my clothes but my skin too. Blood smeared across the earth behind me as the creature lifted me and threw me against a tree.

Thwack!

My back clashed with the tree, and I hit the ground afterward.

"Urrrrg,"

The goblin wasn’t trying to kill me immediately. It was playing with me. It knew I couldn’t run anymore. It knew I was helpless, and therefore it was enjoying my miserable state.

"Krrrk..."

The monster slowly began closing the distance between us again. Instinctively, I grabbed whatever was on the ground and threw it at it.

But it was no use.

Its massive, stitched hand reached me and tightened around my ruined ankle.

CRACK.

Once again, fresh agony shot through my leg and my scream echoed throughout the dead forest.

"AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

Witnessing my pain, the goblin laughed. It wasn’t the mindless laughter from before. This one sounded more mocking and cruel.

"Urrrgg.... Huff... Huff... Urrrgg..."

My breathing was becoming ragged, and it was getting harder to let the air into my lungs.

Think.

Think.

THINK!

Panicking wouldn’t help. I have to think of something... Something that can save me from getting more injured.

Running wasn’t possible anymore, and my dagger was still dangling in the goblin’s wounded hand.

The problem was that I couldn’t even grip with one of my hands properly anymore. Even after trying, only blood dripped from my fingertips where the nails had also cracked.

The goblin noticed it and laughed even harder. Its disgusting breath washed over my face. The smell of rotten meat, burnt flesh, and dried-up blood somehow went into my blood-covered nose, and I almost threw up.

Then, the creature tried to reach for my face but froze mid-air as its head tilted slightly. Like it heard or sensed something far away.

BOOOOM!

A distant explosion shook the entire forest and made the ground tremble. For a brief second, the goblin’s attention shifted.

Only for a second. But a second was enough. My body moved before my brain did.

I grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it directly at its eyes.

"KRRRAAAHHH!"

The goblin recoiled and its grip loosened. Not completely, but enough for me to twist my foot slightly and gain some momentum.

Ignoring the pain, ignoring the broken bones, and ignoring everything, I pulled out the dagger from its palm, and then I stabbed.

THRUST!

The dagger plunged into one of the smaller eyes stitched along its neck. Black blood erupted outward and the creature released my leg.

Immediately, I rolled away from it. Every movement I made felt like someone was hammering nails into my hand and ankle.

But I couldn’t stop. I needed to distance myself from it and get time to think ahead.

I crawled toward the nearest tree and hid myself behind it while leaning against it.

The goblin ripped the dagger out of itself. The wounded eyeball was also pulled out alongside the blade, and its chest was completely streamed down by the black fluid.

The monster looked around itself to find me, but to its surprise, I was nowhere near him.

"Krreerreer..."

Now it wasn’t laughing, nor did it have a grin on its face. What was left was only pure hatred. And somehow... that was scarier.

Behind the tree, I clutched my ankle as hard as I could to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, I only had one usable hand, which I could only use to cover my other hand or my foot.

’I know it was for Viora... But seriously... Why? Why did I come here? I must choose my next Gates cautiously.’

I tore off the sleeve of my shirt and, after making it into two parts, I wrapped them around both my hand and foot.

"Ha...."

"Phew...."

"Ha...."

"Phew..."

Taking in and letting out air, I calmed myself. If I want to live, then I have to kill this thing before it kills me and hangs my corpse as some trophy.

’That is the only thing left.’

Placing one hand on the trunk and by using the tree as my support, I stood up from the ground.

"Urrrgg,"

Except for intense pain, I couldn’t feel my foot stepping on the ground. Yet, this pain didn’t feel like it was anything close to what Viora had gone through, or what she was going to go through in the near future.

Limping, I moved away from the tree and stood still until the goblin’s eyes fell on me.

"Kreee..."

As soon as he noticed me, he grinned but didn’t dash toward me. Instead, it looked around the ground and picked up the dagger, before throwing it in front of me.

’What is he doing?’

I thought as I looked at the blade placed in front of my feet, and then I looked at the goblin.

"Kreee..."

The goblin pointed toward the dagger first and then raised his head toward the sky, and just like before, it began to cut its neck with its claw.

I immediately understood what it meant. It wanted a deathmatch between us, and it wanted to kill me while I had something to defend myself with so that it can feel more enjoyment destroying me.

"I don’t understand where this intelligence was coming from, but I accept this challenge. Because refusing wouldn’t save me anyway."

I know the chances of me winning aren’t low—they are non-existent. I wasn’t stronger or faster than this thing, but I was at least smarter than this.

THUMP.

THUMP.

THUMP.

My heartbeat was pounding. My instincts were screaming and my body barely responded. Everything was reaching its limits.

However, after thinking about Viora, a whole new determination had filled me. I don’t know about my mind or my body, but my heart wants to go back to Viora as quickly as possible so...

’I will fight for myself and... For VIORA.’