Cage Fight With Monsters, Could Be Graphic [Pt 1]

"KRRRRRRRIIIII…"

The grating growl of the wild monster caused the atmosphere to be extremely tense and filled with anticipation. The entire hall was deathly still as everyone was frozen in their seats waiting for the fight to begin.

Anyone who paid heed to their surroundings would notice this in a heartbeat—Gu was no exception.

However, his whole focus was on the creature that had already made its appearance.

'Goblin, uh? I expected as much.' The barbarian man thought to himself.

The monster before him had a slimy green body, along with a short, stout frame resembling a child.

However, seasoned veterans knew not to underestimate monsters based on appearances.

There were a lot of parameters to consider when classifying a monster. Even with all that, Gu was right not to think too highly of the sniveling creature that was slowly approaching.

'A Goblin is indeed an E Rank Monster… its small stature and limited intelligence doesn't make it too much of a threat…'

Of course, there were more dangerous variants like Hobgoblins—evolved variants that were even capable of using Magic and Skills.

Compared to those, this one in front of him was only capable of quick attacks by using its claws and sharp jaws to assault prey.

'No problem for me!'

Gu tensed his muscles and readied his body. In as much as he refused to utilize his Trump Card early on, he refused to waste time on small fry.

'One hit!'

Effecting his resolve, Gu lunged at the fast-approaching Goblin with untamed ferocity.

>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<

Utilizing his clenched fist, he made contact with the green creature's cheek, causing its infant-like head to spin.

A 'snap' echoed across the caged platform, the sound was the Goblin's neck snapping.

"Yesssss" Gu straightened his pose, rubbing his clenched fist with his other hand as the dead Goblin collapsed.

>THUD<

Just like that—with a single hit—one opponent was down.

"Next." He smiled, now more confident of his ability to slay even more than the initial estimate.

'Can I make it to 20? Thirty will be a close call, but I should be able to!'

If things proceeded at their current pace, Gu was guaranteed a very high score. The very thought of this made the bulky man giddy with excitement.

Unfortunately—

"KRRRRRRRIIIII…"

"KRRRRRRRIIIII…"

"KRRRRRRRIIIII…"

—Things don't always go as planned.

"Three at once?!" Gu exclaimed, looking at the three Goblins that now appeared.

Facing one opponent was one thing, but having to consider multiple targets was a different ball game entirely.

Gu could feel his confidence waning.

Perhaps it was simply his imagination, but he felt like the new batch of Goblins were stronger than the one he defeated with one blow.

'No! Don't lose heart! Focus, Gu!'

Gritting his teeth and narrowing his gaze, the man encouraged himself and decided to give his all despite the sudden change.

"Let's do this!"

>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<

Once again, pouring strength into his legs, Gu sped across the stage to deliver a fatal hit to one of the Goblins.

As he brought his unavoidable strike close to one of them, the two others jumped out of the way and aimed for his flanks.

'I expected this!' Gu grinned, spurring himself into action the moment his blow crushed the one in front of him.

"RARRRRRRR!!!" The angry, yet desperate, cries of the monsters rang in his ears as they both charged at him with murder in their eyes.

'I won't allow it!'

Relaxing his tense muscles, Gu increased his flexibility and made his way to the ground, successfully evading the joint assaults of his opponents.

"… A-arh—?!" The dumbfounded expressions of the two green critters showed just how surprised they were by the unexpected move Gu made.

However, before they could think of much else, the mass of muscles tensed in his body once more and sprang from the ground.

>BOOOMM!<

Raising his two legs, Gu landed clean kicks on them as he returned to his feet.

Thanks to the sheer difference in weight, both green monsters were blown away by the impact.

The shock would have sent them beyond the bounds of the stage, but the cage prevented anyone from leaving.

As a result, their backs met only strong resistance, causing them to cough out in shock.

"GUARRRKK!!!"

Gu didn't waste this chance, leaping into action faster than they could recover from the recoil.

Once again steadying his steps and clenching his fist, he pounded them with his full strength, causing their faces to be pummeled and their necks dislocated.

"Haaa…" Gu heaved another heavy breath, successfully killing a total of four monsters.

He wasn't arrogant enough to expect something relatively easier from the next round.

The way he saw it, the incoming wave would pose a much bigger threat than the three he just killed.

'I better ready myself…'

He didn't want to recklessly use his Trump Card, but with the way the fight was going, Gu surmised that the time for going all out would soon arrive.

"Haaa… Alright, then. Next!"

****************************************

It was just as he suspected.

The next round brought forth Goblins that had weapons equipped.

The one after that produced Goblins with armor on.

The difficulty rose the more he fought, and Gu was eventually forced to use his Warrior Skill: [Overdrive]

In short, this Skill allowed Gu to surpass his limits as a warrior.

He would burn his inner energy and stamina, producing a Mana Coat, thus elevating both his offense and defense.

This Skill made him extremely exhausted afterward, but the effects were worth it in the short run.

Thanks to [Overdrive]'s effects, his skin was tougher than what the Goblins could handle, and a single blow knocked them out—armor or not.

Gu was able to pummel his foes with extreme ease, but the clock was ticking and he was always aware that time was of the essence.

Eventually… after subduing 19 Goblins, Gu went down in exhaustion.

He would have been able to defeat way more, but their teamwork, nimble movements, and the limited time he had, made his kill count smaller than expected.

Still…

'I did it! I did my best and fought to the end!'

… Gu was still happy that he killed more than he had initially bargained for.

That was enough to put a smile on his face as he passed out.