Chapter 21: Victory Over the Mini-Boss

My mana was running out, and fatigue was gripping my body. However, there was no time to rest; I needed to find a place where I could catch my breath and recover my health and mana. While the birds had distracted the goblin, I had a moment to recuperate.

Finally, I spotted a small hill about 40-50 meters away from the battle site. I had only a limited amount of mana left, but it should be enough for me to teleport there.

"Shadow Leap," I muttered towards the hill.

At that moment, I realized that my battle was far from over. I felt weak, my legs trembling, and my mana was nearly depleted. I sighed heavily, knowing that victory was not yet secured. My body felt heavy, and I sank to my knees, drained and exhausted. The battle had left a mark on my soul, and the physical exhaustion was palpable.

The spot where the goblin's blow had landed throbbed unbearably. Overcoming the pain, I opened my information window.

Information Panel: Health: 50.85 (99) (regeneration 0.44 + 0.25 per second) Mana: 9 (70) (regeneration 0.40 per second) Armor: 1.35 + 1 Physical Resistance: 25% Magical Resistance: 25% Damage: 25

Things were worse than I had thought. One of his blows had taken at least 50 points of my health. If he managed to land a second hit, I would be dead. Fear engulfed me, my hands clenched into fists, and my nails dug into my flesh, causing a slight pain in my hands. I sighed heavily and gathered all my willpower.

"If I die, does it all end here?" I asked Ever.

"Yes, death awaits you. There won't be a second chance," she replied calmly.

"So, I won't return," I said, disheartened.

"Unfortunately, with your death, the death of your main body will follow," she said.

"I have no chance against him," I said, still disheartened.

"Even an ant has a chance to defeat an elephant," she said in a reassuring tone.

"But I'm not an ant," I said, still with the same disheartened tone.

Alright, no matter how much I complain about all of this, I can't change the situation. I have only one task, and that is to kill this goblin. Beyond this point, I'll likely encounter more of the same goblins, and possibly even someone scarier and more dangerous than this one.

I checked my mana and health. My mana had recovered just over 50 points, and my health was fully restored. I needed to wait a little longer before attempting to attack him again. But while I was lost in thought, I felt someone approaching. My mana was suddenly reduced by 6 points, and I instinctively turned my head toward the battlefield.

The goblin, with all his might, was struggling to break free from another "earthly trap" while the red arrow attacked him. I realized that he had grown tired of fighting the birds and decided to end the battle with me. And then I remembered all those traps that the blue arrow had set in the forest. There were at least ten of them, possibly even more.

Inspired by a somewhat reasonable plan, I dashed toward the forest from where I had come about half an hour ago. The green arrow should lead me to the location of the traps, and I would try to attack the goblin while he attempted to escape them. If I was lucky, I might be able to deal with him in a few attempts.

Faith in this plan instilled courage in me, and I rushed into the heart of the forest, guided by the green arrow. The red arrow continued to prevent the goblin from catching up with me, occasionally attacking him. As for the blue arrow, I had sent it ahead in case I needed to set up more traps if I couldn't lure him into the existing ones.

Fortunately, the goblin didn't suspect the trap that awaited him, or rather, the traps. I kept running, maintaining a certain distance between us—neither too far nor too close. About ten minutes passed before we encountered the first trap on our path. Unfortunately, he managed to avoid it. It was a pity, of course, but we pressed on. Ahead of us, there were at least nine more traps waiting for their moment.

I had been running for over 10 minutes, yet I felt no fatigue. Instead, a sense of regret—or rather, disappointment—filled me as the goblin had managed to evade three traps already. The farther we ran, the more anxiety gripped me. What if he continued to avoid every trap? In my thoughts, I silently prayed to anyone who would listen, hoping that this goblin would finally fall into a trap.

And then, at long last, the moment arrived when the "earthly trap" sprang into action. The fifth, for crying out loud! Swiftly turning towards the goblin, I noticed that he was likely expecting the same attack I had used before. But not this time. My aim was to strike him unexpectedly.

"Shadow Leap!" I shouted in the goblin's direction.

In mere seconds, I found myself beside him. My dagger, imbued with the power of the "striking blow," was aimed at his knee. The blow carried 250 units of damage. Upon impact, a small hole formed in his knee, and blood began to trickle. Unfortunately, the goblin didn't fall to the ground. Instead, as if enraged, he struck at the shackles binding his legs and directed the next attack towards me.

Without waiting for his attack, I employed the "Shadow Leap" and swiftly retreated several meters away from him. His strike hit the air, and despite his limp, the goblin continued chasing me. Apparently, the damage he had sustained was not enough to deter him. However, the next trap would cost him either his other knee or a foot.

And so, we sprinted past the next trap, which was positioned just inches away from his feet. It would have been great if he had fallen into it. But then, a miracle happened. He stumbled into the following trap, which was set immediately after the previous one. I promptly prepared for an attack, and this time, he couldn't avoid it.

"Shadow Leap!" I roared in his direction. In the blink of an eye, I was beside him. Just as before, I swiftly employed my abilities and poised my hand for an attack. However, he anticipated my strike towards his side and raised his axe, hoping to shield his other leg. Unfortunately for him, I aimed for his ankle. My dagger, charged with the "striking blow," homed in on his ankle. The strike hit its mark, and a hole appeared in his ankle, much like the one in his knee.

The goblin fell to his knee, but his gaze was filled with fury. Blood seeped from his leg, pooling slowly beneath him. He uttered something, and then, he retrieved something from behind his back and hurled it towards me. It all happened so quickly that I couldn't dodge the flying object, only slightly altering my body's position. Fortunately, it was a stone that struck me in the ribcage.

The pain was intense, so intense that I coughed up dark-red blood. The goblin, however, smiled upon witnessing this spectacle. His eyes revealed the pleasure he derived from the moment. But unfortunately for him, my birds were just as impulsive as he was. The red arrow, taking precise aim, struck him directly in the eye, while the blue arrow conjured a new "earthly trap" beneath him, violently pulling him down to the ground.

Caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events, he was disoriented. I, overcoming the pain, imbued both of my daggers with the "striking blow" and, utilizing the "Shadow Leap," appeared directly above his head. I delivered two simultaneous blows to his sizable head.

At the moment of impact, the daggers piercing his head resembled the way one might thrust a knife into a ripe watermelon. His head couldn't withstand the entirety of the damage that had surged into it at that moment, and it burst apart, drenching me in his blood. The adrenaline that had fueled me throughout this encounter seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving me alone with myself.

Finally, I realized that my battle had concluded, and I felt the weight of exhaustion mixed with a sense of victory. The sensation of weakness caused my legs to tremble, and I slowly sank to the ground. As I finally felt support beneath me, I let out a heavy sigh, realizing that victory had been achieved at a steep cost. My body felt heavy, and, drained and exhausted, I leaned against a tree stump nearby and fell asleep, unaware that the remaining goblins had already learned about my presence.

System Notification:

+20 Experience Points

+100 Experience Points

Your level has increased!