With one hand, I pulled up the paper bag I was wearing. After that, I limped forward and picked up the dagger from the ground.

The moment my fingers wrapped around the handle, pain shot through my broken hand again.

"Urrgh..."

Just like the blood dripping from my ankle and hand, sweat also rolled down my forehead. Alongside that, my vision was already becoming blurry.

But despite all of that... I smiled, and witnessing it, the goblin’s grin faltered slightly.

The world around me seemed strangely quiet. The trees, the wind, the blood, and everything else didn’t exist in the view of my mind. Only the goblin remained.

In this moment, nothing else mattered more than surviving using any means necessary. Only the enemy standing before me mattered.

We both didn’t attack each other instantly. Rather, we looked into each other’s eyes first and waited for the other to move.

.

.

.

But time was of the essence. Because the more I stretched this out, the more disadvantage I would be at. So, forcing my body, I started limping toward it.

"KRRRAAAAHHHH!!!"

The goblin just needed me to move and, in response, it suddenly exploded forward.

WHOOSH!

Its claw was raised high above my head as it aimed for my face. However, I made my feet slip on the ground and, by falling, I missed the attack.

Not only did I dodge, but I also carved my dagger across its ribs. Black liquid sprayed into the air and splashed on my face.

The dagger was so deep in its skin, yet instead of screaming, the goblin laughed.

"KEKEKEKE!"

Its massive arm swung sideways and the attack struck my shoulder.

CRASH!

The world spun around my eyes and I felt my feet leave the ground before my body crashed down and rolled a few times.

"Urrrgg,"

My shoulder instantly went numb and I could barely move my left arm anymore. Also, I couldn’t make big pained screams or cry anymore because my face also felt dull.

"Urg,"

Placing my hands on the earth, I tried to pull my body up but couldn’t do it as I fell again.

Step.

Step.

Step.

The goblin slowly approached me like an executioner. Its eyes stared directly into mine.

I knew I was dying. I knew I was exhausted. I knew victory didn’t belong to me no matter what I did.

And somehow... that expression irritated me more than the pain I was feeling, or the fear I had.

"Tch..."

Once again, I tried to push myself upright. I can’t just stay down and wait for my doom.

As I managed to stand up, my broken ankle shot pain through my whole body, but it wasn’t enough to shake me.

Step.

The creature stopped in its walk and tilted its head. It was confused, almost curious.

It must be wondering: Why wasn’t I staying down?

Honestly... I didn’t know either. Maybe because I had already died once. Maybe because I didn’t want to die again. Or maybe... because someone was waiting for me.

A blind girl sitting alone inside a villa. Someone who smiled when hearing my voice.

Viora.

The image of her face flashed through my mind. And suddenly... my trembling leg stopped and my heartbeat steadied. Not because I had become stronger, but because I remembered exactly why I couldn’t afford to lose.

"I have to go back."

Once again, I looked straight into the goblin’s eyes and after hearing me, it pulled the dagger from its ribs and threw it in front of me again.

"Kree..."

Then, it began to make some weird signs with its hand. First, it pointed toward me and then it showed one finger before slicing its neck again with its claw.

’Is it giving me one last chance?’

Just as I lifted the dagger from the ground, the goblin didn’t waste a single second and rushed forward again.

This time I rushed forward too. Both of us simultaneously went in and the distance vanished instantly.

Its claw descended and instead of moving back, I stepped inside its range. The claw ripped through my side and blood exploded outward.

Yet I didn’t stop and thrust the blade deep into its neck from the side.

"KRRRAAAAHHHH!!!"

The creature roared as I twisted the blade and it fell onto its knees. Then I pulled the dagger out and stabbed again, still in its neck but this time on a different side.

Again.

Again.

And again.

I kept stabbing it above the shoulders.

THRUST!

THRUST!

THRUST!

Even with all those wounds, the goblin wasn’t going to let itself fall that easily. It went in for one final attack and slashed my chest.

Fortunately, it could only leave a few marks because it couldn’t muster enough strength to wound me deeply.

I took this chance and for one last time, I stabbed the dagger inside its ear, which went through its skull and damaged its brain.

"Kraaa...."

With one final cry, the goblin fell on its back and went motionless as the last bit of life left its body.

I also stumbled back and fell on my butt.

Huff.

Huff.

Huff.

I was breathing so heavily that I had to clutch my chest as tightly as I could, but as my breathing slowed down, the breaths soon turned into chuckles which suddenly turned into laughs.

"Hahahaha!!!"

I had fought a goblin and won. Not any goblin, but a mutated and merged goblin, one far stronger than normal ones. And I had made it fall.

For one brief moment... I felt like I could do anything, only until my vision grew darker and my surroundings became blurry.

Then, for some reason, the last thing I thought about wasn’t death, goblins, or the Gate.

It was Viora.

Waiting for me to come home.

"...sorry..."

The word barely escaped my lips as my back hit the ground with a thud. My eyelids finally became too heavy for me to keep them opened and the darkness swallowed everything.

At last... I fell unconscious.

Ding!

[Condition Fulfilled.]

[The Host fought despite overwhelming odds.]

[The Host continued fighting despite severe injuries.]

[The Host fought to go back to his wife.]

[Evaluation Complete...]

[...]

[Hidden Condition Achieved.]

Ding!

[Reward Granted.]

[Skill Unlocked: Shared Evolution]

[Skill Description: A portion of the Host’s wife’s mutations may now be used by the Host for a certain amount of time.]

[Skill Rank: Rare]