10 7. Something to Live For

RR-REE-RAUGH!!!

The gargantuan brutish creature let out a booming cry, echoing throughout the city. It glared at me upon my entrance with its gleaming yellow eyes. It lifted its shield and began swinging its gigantic iron flail.

Piles of lifeless human corpses were flung across the floor like rag dolls, and the few that were still alive were crouched in the corner, trying to hide.

Above the creature's head was a name, with four health bars rolling down on the side.

[]

Kurngzeli, the Hobgoblin King

[]

Well, you've killed enough for today.

"Alright, Est, I'm going to check this guy's movement. To start, we're going for the usual - I'll debuff and aggro him, you try to get in some damage."

"Got it."

[] Skill: [Omni Boost] activated! []

[] Skill: [DEF Breaker] activated! []

A moment before my skill landed, the monster blocked the attack with its shield. Despite its size, it was incredibly fast. However, while it blocked my attack, it left him open for Est's strike.

[] Skill: [Rough Divide] activated by player Kentaros! []

Est was able to land her attack upon its left arm, but the beast simply grunted and swung its flail at us as if nothing happened.

It's no use. I knew this guy would be tough, but this speed and bulk is just overwhelming. Yeah, we're definitely not strong enough for this guy yet…

Which just means I'll just have to rely on my items again. It doesn't matter what game it is, the whales will always have the upper hand.

"Est! Distract it!"

I twisted the ring on my index finger, and once the gem studded on it was facing inwards, my vision became murky, as if I was underwater. The monster seemed startled, and started scanning around the area I was at.

[]

Ring of Gyges

Trinket

The wearer can turn the ring's gem inwards in order to become invisible for a maximum of 20 seconds, after which the ring automatically turns outward again. This ability can be used up to 3 times within 24 hours.

[]

A simple yet powerful effect, this is an Item that definitely deserves its Legendary rating. Makes sense why the stringy-haired boy decided to transfer it.

To be honest, we're lucky that this hobgoblin boss relies a lot on sight. The fact he was able to block my attack but couldn't avoid Est's hit is enough to show that he mainly reacts to what he can see, and isn't quite quick enough to block two consecutive attacks when the second attack comes from his blindspot.

Which also means that if we cannot be seen by him, we should have a decent chance of whittling it down.

Est was throwing light blows at the monster now, keeping it busy. This is my chance.

[] Skill: [DEF Break] activated! []

[] Skill: [DEF Break] activated! []

[] Skill: [DEF Break] activated! []

[] Skill: [DEF Break] activated! []

[] Skill: [DEF Break] activated! []

[] Foe's DEF can't go any lower! []

Five consecutive hits from behind landed perfectly on its left leg. The focused attack on one spot caused the beast to startle, and the DEF debuffs were now in effect.

My vision returned to normal, and I removed the ring and threw it to Est.

"Two uses left!"

Est snatched the ring from the air, inserted it into her finger, then blinked out of existence.

The monster stood back up and turned towards me.

Needless to say, it was pretty pissed.

Its flail hurled towards me, too fast for me to dodge completely.

[] Skill: [Pinwheel Strike] activated! []

I spun Ascalon and tried to use it as a shield to deflect the blow.

It wasn't perfect, and I was still blown away by the hit, but I was able to soften the blow… by at least a little bit, I think.

I was now lying in the corner of the tent as the savage behemoth stomped towards me.

However, one of those menacing stomps were interrupted by a fuzzy, dark-blue mist manifesting in the air, which formed into a horde of countless hazy swords that instantly sliced through its nape.

[] Skill: [Phantom Fogblades] activated by Player Est! []

The monster shuddered, then its neck burst out violent streams of scarlet blood.

I quickly launched myself upward to its neck.

[] Skill: [Pinwheel Strike] activated! []

My spinning spear sliced through its neck like a buzz saw. The furious glow in its eyes began to fade.

It fell to its knees and the head simply rolled off.

[]

Congratulations!

You defeated [Kurngzeli, the Hobgoblin King]! Gained 1500000 EXP! You reached Level 47!

Drops: Skill Ticket: King's Battlecry Lv. 1, Hobgoblin Ear (x45), Mark of the Hunter.

Final Hit Reward: Crown of the Hobgoblin King.

[]

Damn, we won? Just like that?!

"Damn, we won? Just like that?!" I exclaimed as Est blinked back into sight.

"What was that??" I asked her, perhaps a little over-enthusiastically.

"Fogblades, you know… the thing I got from that Sword Skills event."

Ah, that's right. That takes me back. Back when more people played Orpheon, there were more of these competitive events where high-ranking players with the most event points would get exclusive rewards, including limited Skills and Items.

kentaros09 made it into the Top 20 for that event somehow, and got Phantom Fogblades. It was the only Legendary Skill he - uh, she - ever got, but it was honestly not as useful as we hoped. The Skill itself was definitely insanely powerful and destructive, but the 15-second activation time paired with the fact that during the activation, you would constantly be Taunting - that is, aggro-ing - foes was an atrocious cost that made it almost impossible to use.

Still, it makes sense she would transfer the only Legendary Skill she had. Fortunately, it turns out the Ring of Gyges was a perfect match for this, so it wasn't a waste to transfer it.

"Know what, Est? You should keep that ring."

"Huh?"

"The ring. I'm giving it to you."

She seemed to blush, which was honestly quite confusing. Is she that embarrassed that I'm giving her an Item? It only makes sense, since I kind of stole the last hit on this boss. Speaking of which, Est must've gotten something for dealing the most damage.

"Hey, Est, did you get like a… Most Damage Dealt Reward kind of thing?"

"…Huh? Oh, yeah. Pendant of the Hobgoblin King."

"Nice. I got the Crown for the last hit. We should see which is better for each of us later."

"Makes sense."

We walked out of the tent, and my parents were waiting outside the camp. Looks like the barrier really disappeared once we beat the leader.

Once my parents saw us, my mom ran over and hugged me.

"Soren! Welcome back! You all right?" my dad asked.

"Yeah, couldn't be better. I did get launched once, but it didn't really do anything."

"That's my son. Let's get back."

We all started walking back to the motel. Everyone was talking about the whole crazy experience, but I didn't say much because there was one thing was still bugging me.

The panicked guy from the camp said that someone was taking out a bunch of hobgoblins alone. Maybe that person was just farming, but would someone who could defeat Hobgoblins so easily need to farm there, of all places, where the leader will be summoned after a set amount of kills?

Could it have been, you know… on purpose?

I'm not really sure yet, but I hope if's not the case.

"What's the deal, Soren? You haven't said anything."

Est was looking at me. I was so lost in thought that I hadn't noticed my parents had already walked ahead.

"Sorry, it's nothing."

"Really now."

"I mean, well… Nah, I don't think it's anything."

"You're just making me curious. What, having some dirty thoughts or something? After all that? You just can't get out of your old NEET habits, can you?"

"Shut up man, it's about the guy who was taking out the hobgoblins alone!"

"Ah, yeah. I see. I remember what the zany old dude said."

"Well, yeah. Hopefully it's nothing bad, but he's just pretty suspicious, you know?"

"Eh… Probably nothing too bad. Come on! We won today! Smile! Be happy!"

That moment, I thought that I was grateful that I was here, and that I had people like Est and my parents with me. People who care about my safety, who ask if I'm alright. I don't want a single one of them to ever leave my life.

Back in the day, I always thought about dying. What if I was just gone, I thought. Nothing would happen. Maybe my parents would be happy about the parasite in their basement finally being dead! But now, for the sake of these people, in order to keep being with these people, for the first time since I was a child, I was afraid of dying.

I won't die, and I won't let any of them die. That's just what I thought.