Goblin Slayer
It took every ounce of focus to retrace his way in the midst of the panicked run, taking sharp turns around each corner while keeping the slumbering girl held carefully. Through enough desperate turns, he found it again: the room claimed by nature.
'...There!' He thought.
He didn't hesitate to run straight for the flower-covered hut, coming in without any warning. The many mandragoras chirped at him, raising their small limbs in clear hostility at the sudden intrusion.
The threat of the plants was ignored as he found that the nymph was still there, nurturing a bed of flowers with her hands. She looked up in slight surprise at the arrival of the panicked man, seeing the girl in his arms.
"Basil! Can you help her?!" He pleaded.
The nymph walked over, passing the mandragoras that she calmed with a gentle wave of her hand, "Set her down, young human." Basil softly asked of him.
He carefully placed the slumbering girl down, watching as the woman of mystical origin kneel down to check on her. All the while, the curious plants did the same, chirping at the confusing situation.
"She's been afflicted by the Strand," Basil told him, running her hand over the wounded leg of the girl.
"The Strand?" He repeated, feeling his stomach sink at such a daunting name.
"It's a disease that the goblins living in this mountain carry. A lethal affliction if not snuffed out with haste," Basil explained, "Fortunately, I am capable of tending such pests."
"You can heal her–?" Blake said.
"I can, but you see…your arrival here has dragged along some uninvited guests. I'll need you to handle them while I tend to your friend here," Basil told him.
"Alright, I can do that," he nodded his head.
The labored breaths of his unconscious companion left him worried as he touched her head before standing himself back up, entrusting her wellbeing to the hospitable nymph.
As he took his leave from the hut, he heard the nuisances described by the keeper of the garden; the growls of goblins drew near.
'I can do this. I wasn't brought to this world just to die a loser again–I'm here to be somebody greater,' the resolve steeled itself in his mind as he drew his sword.
He decided it'd be best to confront the fiends before they could reach the chamber, bringing himself into the corridor of old stone. As soon as he walked into the hall, he was immediately met with the sight of no less than a dozen of the savages.
"Kraaa!"
"Ke-ke-ke!"
The goblins pumped their weapons into the air, sticking their tongues out and jumping as if all too excited to tear apart the lonesome adventurer.
Blake stayed calm, reaching into his pocket as he brought something out, revealing it to the eyes of the curious fiends: a fiery sphere.
"Firana!" He invoked.
What he expected was a grand manifestation of fire roaring through the corridor, though what came out was merely a wisp, no greater than a single ember.
"Huh–?" Blake let out.
The fluttering flame sputtered out in front of the force of goblins, who broke out into heinous laughter at the miserable display of magic.
'That chick totally scammed me?!' Blake realized, tossing the useless orb aside.
There was no getting around the fact that he was going to have to handle the approaching goblins directly. Though their number was greater than any he'd faced, and it was his first time doing so alone, he held confidence in the fact that he had bested the creatures before.
As he watched the first set of the green-skinned savages approach, he drew in a focused breath, expelling it in a command to himself:
"Become a master of slaying goblins."
[Hypnosis successful.]
Both in body and mind, the command altered him as untouched experience inlaid itself upon him.
"Graaa—!" A shout came from the foremost goblin as it leapt towards the adventurer, wildly swinging its club.
SQUELCH
In a single flick of his blade, he split the fiend from its groin to its head.
[Valley Goblin defeated.]
[EXP: +20]
[Level Up!] [4 -> 5] [2/150]
<Base Strength Increased>
<Base Agility Increased>
There was sheer focus left in his gaze as he didn't pay any mind to the downpour of blood that fell upon him. The goblins right behind the one so efficiently split in two were shocked at the sight, leaving them unready for the human's assault.
He quickly rushed in, slashing at the rightmost goblin's neck as he flung its head from its shoulders.
[EXP: +20] [22/150]
At the same time, the fiend to his left finally lashed out, wildly thrusting its spear.
The narrow corridor left little room for error, letting the young man who embodied a goblin slaying savant catch the spear.
"Guu?!" The yellow-eyed goblin reacted as its weapon was caught.
Before it could let go, Blake tugged the spear to drag the fiend straight into the swing of his sword. With merciless strength, the blade split through the goblin into a bloody mess that painted the stone wall.
[EXP: +20] [42/150]
There wasn't a moment of hesitation as he spun back around, finding another pair of goblins coming his way through the narrow corridor. Thinking of ways to combat and kill the fiends came to his mind with lightning quickness, embodying the persona he convinced himself as.
He glanced over, quickly picking up the spear wielded by the slain one beside him before tossing it forward.
It was thrown with perfect precision, striking the left fiend straight through its eye and piercing through the back of its head.
"Kaaa!" The goblin yelled in pain, falling onto its back.
[EXP: +20] [62/150]
The kin beside the impaled monster stopped for a moment to look at its comrade, though that split second allowed the young man to close in.
"Ku–?" The goblin let out as a shadow cast itself over it.
There was no hesitation as the man brought his sword over his head before bringing it down, splitting the skull of the fiend before him.
[EXP: +20] [82/150]
The swift, calculated brutality came from the trance he placed himself in. From self-hypnosis, what came as a result of his command wasn't apparent to him before he hypnotized himself. He wasn't aware of how effective it would be, granting him the focus and skill of a goblin slayer.