Chapter 6: Fun

It took a whole week for my skills to reach level twenty-four. I had no idea when they would hit a limit, so instead of aiming to max them out, my goal for now was to bring them up to level twenty-five and then fight the chief.

General Skills: Identify lvl 13, Mana Circulation lvl 25, Demon's Fighting Instincts lvl 25, Spear Mastery lvl 25

And that day was today.

Yesterday was the first time no skill level-ups had occurred. I was planning to stop anyway because if the skills did not level up for two days, they were probably maxed out, and if they did level up, it would likely take a long time to reach another level.

I had also taken a shield from a shield goblin and tied it to my back using the scarce amount of clothing I had left. After testing it out and cutting away parts that hindered my movements, I had an oval-shaped shield on my back, which could protect me if I couldn't react in time.

Now, it was time to fight, hopefully, the last boss.

"This is a problem."

The goblins in the settlement—they were the problem I was talking about. If the chief was to fight and die here, the other goblins wouldn't just stand by and watch as their leader was killed in front of them.

Thus began the process of clearing out the settlement. Every goblin that left the village never returned, and it seemed that even the other inhabitants didn't care.

But something felt strange.

The chief knew something was up, yet he continued to send the goblins out. On the second day, the frequency of goblins leaving doubled, and by the third day, only the chief remained in the village. The task that should have taken five days was completed in two.

He stood in the center of the village with his giant axe, looking around. The chief knew someone was coming, and he was ready.

I took a deep breath and walked out. The chief turned towards me and—

"Hah, this fucking bitch."

He smiled. The chief was strong; he had the right to feel at ease against a weak opponent, but—

"It's infuriating, being looked down upon by a goblin."

He growled, "Finally. Kill. Human. Zarz. Free."

"Hoh, it speaks."

It didn't feel like the goblin spoke a language I knew, yet I could still understand what he was saying.

"You. Weak."

He dashed and swung the giant axe, intending to cut me in half, but I could see it. The trajectory, the speed, the strength. My body reacted before I could think, thanks to hours and hours of training, both above the transparent pond memorizing combat patterns and in the forest perfecting those moves.

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I sidestepped, dodging the giant axe while my spear drew a perfect arc, slashing the goblin's neck.

But he wasn't a chief for no reason.

His body bent back the moment he saw me dodge, surprised that I could avoid and counterattack. He became wary and much more serious after that attack, but he still couldn't hit me, and I continued to draw blood.

Even though they were small scratches, they were all at vital points: the neck, chest, calf, groin. Fatigue accumulated as his movements slowed; he was getting tired.

Maybe it was overconfidence or carelessness, but I was caught off guard.

The chief's attack speed tripled, and his strength doubled. The axe struck me, drawing a deep gash on my side, and I crashed into a tree. The wound was a couple of inches deep; hopefully, my bones weren't cut or broken just yet.

"I really need a healing skill."

If I had fought him before the upgrade, I would be dead by now. Any sane person would have run. But was I sane? No, I was not.

The time I had spent in this 'Trial Tower' had slowly consumed my sanity. I, who was once afraid to hurt others, had learned to kill and was learning to kill more effectively. I was not sane.

"He-hehe," I started to laugh. I could feel the adrenaline in my blood, and the mana in my body began to move on its own, gathering towards the open wound to stop the bleeding while also strengthening my entire body.

I grabbed the shield and threw it at the chief, who easily blocked it. But that wasn't the goal; the shield was only there to distract him.

The chief saw a small axe moving toward his neck, and it was too late to dodge or block with his weapon. The shield wasn't the only thing I had looted. The chief dropped his giant axe and covered his neck to protect it.

But if one hidden attack failed, I had to use another one.

"GRAAAHHHH!!!"

The goblin screamed. A spear had pierced his right leg, but he didn't fall.

"Looks like you aren't sane either."

The goblin broke the shaft sticking out of his leg and punched the wound, stopping the bleeding, but he wouldn't be able to use that leg anymore. I had lost my weapon, and the chief had lost a leg. I was at an advantage, but not entirely.

The chief's body was tough.

If I had so many scratches and cuts on my body, the blood loss alone would have killed me. But the chief stood tall.

"Come. Fight."

"Ha hahaha," I laughed. I didn't have a weapon, but I still ran towards the chief. [Spear Mastery] wasn't my only combat skill.

The goblin swung his giant axe but couldn't put enough strength behind the attack.

Swinging an axe requires a firm grip on the ground, a stable stance, and good balance. Some of the moves were pretty similar to a spear's.

I let [Demon's Fighting Instincts] guide me. I dodged, kicked the injured leg, and punched the goblin's wrist. He dropped the giant axe and staggered, pain clearly visible on his face.

But he hadn't given up yet.

The chief used his skill again. He laughed and punched the wound on his leg.

This was his final struggle.

He didn't try to pick up the fallen axe or attempt anything fancy.

A straight-up brawl, that's what he wanted.

I could run away, wait for his berserk skill to run out, and come back later. The wound wouldn't heal in a day or two, and I had plenty of weapons from the dead goblin corpses. Retreating was the correct option.

But,

"But it isn't fun."

I dodged a punch and hit back.

The chief tanked it and tried to counter but failed.

I could feel every attack coming towards me, literally. A slight prick where the attack would land, I felt it in my bones.

The brawl wasn't long.

The longer we fought, the less I feared losing and dying. The excitement of living on the edge consumed me.

A single punch to my head or back, and it would be over.

But,

"Its fun."

The chief's leg gave out before me, and he fell.

I stood there for a few seconds before walking towards the goblin's giant axe.

[Killed a Warrior Goblin Chief. Experience gained]

[Bonus experience for killing an entity two tiers above you]

[Bonus experience for being in a Trial Tower]

A large amount of mana entered me as the axe fell, separating the goblin's head from his body.

[Quest Completed]

"I survived. Now it's time to find the exit."