Chapter 23 - Blood moon [5]

I pushed my feet to the limit and, with a burst, reached the ogre's eye level. Even though his eyes caught my movements seconds later, those seconds were all I needed. I thrust my sword into the ogre's eye, and as he thrashed about, I pulled my sword from his eye.

Right after, with [Infusion] activated, I hurled it towards the ogre's skull. The sword was being powered by [Etheric Pumping], so instead of just piercing, it went through the ogre's skull and embedded itself in the tree behind him.

You defeated [Ogre – Lvl - 24] Experience gained.

The other ogre wasted no time and charged towards me with a war cry. My sword was still stuck in the tree, so as he approached, I observed his movements. I realized he would try to crush me with his arms, so I leaped to the side, successfully avoiding his attack.

At times like these, I wish I had magic to retrieve my weapons, or better yet, maybe I should stop throwing them like that. They're not like daggers that I can carry in heaps. Also, I wish for weapons with more cutting power instead of piercing or slashing.

Again, I managed to dodge the ogre's attack. However, this time, after dodging, I ran towards the tree. Looking up, I spotted my sword stuck. Suddenly, the ground shook. Looking forward, I saw the ogre approaching again. Interestingly, the other monsters were just watching us. I silently thanked for that, as I'd probably be dead if they came in a group.

As the ogre raised his arm and threw it towards me, I leaped to the side, escaping his attack. Though it may not seem like it, these brutes have extreme difficulty adjusting their blows once launched. This was something I noticed while fighting them. So, I knew he wouldn't be able to divert his hand from the tree.

Looking back, I noticed the state of the tree that occupied the place where I was: a huge hole, with the ogre stuck with his hand inside. As predicted, the tree had no more strength to stand, as the ogre practically destroyed it. Slowly, the tree began to tilt towards the ogre, who couldn't withdraw his hand in time, resulting in the tree falling on him.

Walking to my sword, I pulled it from the trunk and then drove it into the ogre's skull, who was temporarily unconscious due to the tree. A few seconds later, the translucent screen appeared, indicating his death.

You defeated [Ogre – Lvl - 22] Experience gained.

You leveled up [17] -> [18] and Gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

The monsters were still distracted, engaged in conversation among themselves about what had happened. Honestly, I wasn't sure if they had their own language or not. Sometimes, it seemed like they couldn't even understand themselves, resorting to body gestures to complement their words.

Anyway, I decided to take advantage of the moment while they were distracted to improve some of my stats. Twenty points are not something I can simply ignore, especially when the fight promises to get even tougher in a few minutes.

Ether: 35 -> Ether: 40

Constitution: 25 -> Constitution: 30

Perception: 5 -> Perception: 15

By the way, these are my current stats.

Strength: 2

Constitution: 30

Agility: 9

Perception: 15

Intelligence: 16

Ether: 40

Honestly, these were good attributes for someone with my skills. Although I consider perception somewhat redundant, given the presence of my [Ecopulsation], you never know; enhancing this skill might end up saving my life in the future.

Anyway, all these changes provided a deeper understanding of how some of them work. Although I also had plans to increase the level of some skills, it seems I won't have time for that now.

My body reacted instinctively, moving my head a few inches to the left. I felt the wind brush my cheek as an arrow whizzed by and embedded itself in a tree behind me.

Looking ahead, I observed several Goblins armed with bows, spears, swords, and daggers approaching me. Among them, stood out a Hobgoblin, visibly larger than the Goblins, moving while occasionally pushing his comrades aside.

At that moment, my eyes were fixed on the Hazy Goblin. He was positioned behind the entire army, shouting loudly and jumping. Although I wasn't sure, it seemed to me that he was apprehensive, as his actions contrasted with his usual behavior when he's happy.

I didn't hesitate and activated my [Ecopulsation], wanting to be prepared for any sneaky attack. Although this Goblin's magical ability could be considered cowardly, I must admit I feel a twinge of envy. Just imagine, being able to turn invisible and reappear at will. However, I have no intention of eliminating him because of this envy. My priority is to neutralize him because he represents a formidable threat that could cause us problems later.

The army of Goblins and I exchanged glances for a few seconds, until the first one to move was a Goblin wielding a spear. I don't know if he found an opening or simply acted on impulse, but he began to run in my direction. His attacks were slow and predictable, and with a precise stroke of my sword, his head was separated from his body.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 16] Experience was gained.

As the green blood of the Goblin spurted, the other Goblins quickly advanced towards me. I also launched myself towards them, my sword fueled by [Infusion] and my strength boosted by [Etheric Pumping], cutting through the Goblins with ease, as if they were butter.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 19] Experience was gained.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 18] Experience was gained.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 16] Experience was gained.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 19] Experience was gained.

You leveled up [18] -> [19] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 15] Experience was gained.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 16] Experience was gained.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 13] Experience was gained.

Several translucent screens appeared as I eliminated the Goblins, but I didn't have time to look at them. I continued cutting down anything that came into my field of vision, focused. From time to time, my [Ecopulsation] beeped, warning of an imminent sneak attack from the Sneaky Goblin.

At this point, I already had a rough idea of where the attack would come from. Quickly, I raised my sword over my head to intercept the attack from a Goblin wielding a dagger. However, contrary to what I imagined, a sudden pain in my back struck me. Looking back, I was confronted with another Goblin, whose ugly face displayed a macabre grin, revealing his broken teeth.

Resisting the pain while gritting my teeth, I delivered a swift blow, cutting down the Goblin that was on top of me with precision, piercing his skull. Then, I directed my attack towards the Sneaky Goblin.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 18] Experience was gained.

You defeated [Goblin – Lvl - 19] Experience was gained.

Surprisingly, neither of them seemed interested in fleeing. It was as if only the opportunity to see me injured excited them, even if it meant their own death shortly after.

The Hobgoblin finally approached moments after that. Honestly, with me injured the way I was, I worried if I could dodge his next blows or not. However, there wasn't much choice: not dodging would mean being crushed.

Probably the only reason I could still stand was my relatively high constitution, combined with the fact that I had [Etheric Pumping] activated, which amplified my natural healing abilities.

Seeing the Hobgoblin swing his fist to the ground, I rolled to the side and quickly ran towards his arm, thrusting my sword into it. He cried out in pain, giving me a few precious seconds. I took the opportunity to grab the daggers from the Goblins I had just eliminated and, without hesitation, threw one of them straight into his eye. The Hobgoblin let out a scream of agony upon being hit.

Next, I advanced towards the Hobgoblin's arm and, with a leap, reached for my sword. In a swift motion, I delivered a blow, cutting off his limb. Then, seizing the moment, I jumped again, this time aiming for his last intact eye. With precision, I plunged my sword into it. The Hobgoblin writhed and struggled, but when I twisted my blade inside his eye, his movements abruptly ceased.

You defeated [Hobgoblin – Lvl - 21] Experience was gained.

You leveled up [19] -> [20] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

I breathed deeply as I watched the remaining monsters. They all seemed frightened, and I don't blame them. My body was completely drenched in the blood of their fallen comrades, and they must have realized they wouldn't easily kill me.