The horse's hooves struck the earth, thudding in a steady, relentless rhythm. The ground trembled beneath its weight. Faster. The wind whipped past its mane, turning it into a wild, streaming banner.

The muscles rippled beneath its sleek coat, every stride long and powerful. Each breath was a puff of white in the crisp morning air. The world blurred around them—the trees, the grass,

the sky—all vanished in the rush of speed. Hoof after hoof after hoof. It was all sound, motion, force. And the rider held tight, feeling the thunder of the beast beneath, becoming one with the rhythm of the gallop. Faster.

Then, in a moment, they broke free, soaring over the rise. Airborne, weightless, and then—down again. Hooves pounding the earth, the gallop surging forward, unstoppable. Power. Speed. Freedom.

"Are we close to any monsters, Lisa?"

The forest lay shrouded in darkness, silent but alive, bathed in cold moonlight. Shadows twisted beneath the trees,

where monsters lurked, waiting. The air was still, thick with tension, as if even the wind feared to move. Lisa’s eyes swept the forest—left, right, up, down.

Her breath steady, her body tense. She listened. Every rustle, every crack of a branch. Nothing. Just the whisper of leaves in the night.

“There’s none,” she said, her voice low, her gaze still searching. “None that I can see or hear.”

“Stop the horse, Lisa.”

Up ahead, a campfire flickered, casting shadows over a group of goblins, gnawing on chunks of monster meat.

“Think these goblins could break a bone or two of mine, Lisa?” I asked, eyeing the small, ugly creatures.

“Probably not,” she said, her tone calm. “More like ogres would.”

“Ogres?”

“I guess the prince isn’t familiar with ogres,” she said with a smirk. “They’re ten times bigger, stronger, and uglier than the goblins in front of us. The first time I fought one, it broke a few of my ribs. You’ll know an ogre when you see one—you can’t mistake them for anything else.”

I looked ahead. Two goblins stood on guard, barely three feet tall, while three more huddled around the campfire—two of them eating, one fast asleep.

“How would you like to approach this, Prince?” Lisa asked, her voice steady, eyes sharp.

“We’ll take out the guards with bows and arrows,” I said, formulating a plan. “Once we get the attention of the two eating by the fire, we’ll finish them off with swords. I’ll take the one on the left, you handle the one on the right. Then we wait for the last one to wake up and follow him—hopefully, he’ll lead us straight to an ogre.”

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Lisa nodded, a glint of approval in her eyes. “Solid plan, Prince.”

We hopped off the horse and moved into position, crouching low in the bushes, close enough to the goblin guards to ensure we wouldn't miss. I gave Lisa the signal—a quick wink—and in an instant, our arrows flew, whistling through the air and sinking into the skulls of the goblins with a soft thud.

The two goblins by the fire noticed their fallen comrades and shuffled over to investigate. I nodded to Lisa. In sync, we rushed from our hiding spots, swords drawn, and with swift, clean strikes, we sliced their heads off.

Just then, the last goblin stirred, jolting awake. It bolted, darting into the forest. We followed, silent and swift, our steps barely a whisper in the night.

After about 30 minutes of following the goblin, we came across their base—a ragtag camp of tents, treasure plundered from expeditions, and 20 goblins, all under the command of a massive king ogre.

"Is that an ogre, Lisa?"

"Yes, but not just any ogre—a king ogre. Its intellect is sharper, and it can control the goblins through sheer size and power."

"I think we should stop here, Prince. This is a job for the soldiers."

"No need, Lisa. I'm way stronger than you think." I had broken so many bones and gained so many powers from the time god that I’d lost count. Time to call him again to see which powers had become permanent. "TT."

Time froze, and the time god appeared without a sound.

"It scares me every time you pop up like that. Anyway, which powers have you made permanent?"

"I'm still listing them out. Is there one you need specifically?"

"What about super speed?"

"Done. Bye now!"

Time resumed, and I smirked. "Alright, Lisa, just sit back and watch. I’ll handle the goblins. You can take care of the king ogre after it breaks a bone or two of mine, right?"

"Of course, Prince."

In just a few seconds, I sped through the camp, taking out all 20 goblins with ease. That left only the king ogre.

"Just you and me, ugly monster."

The king ogre roared, enraged at the sight of its minions falling. It swung a massive fist at me, and though I tried to block with my body-strengthening ability, my arm snapped.

"Ah! That hurts more than my broken ankle!"

Before I could even blink, Lisa had already dealt with the ogre. I turned to see her standing atop its corpse, sword buried deep in its skull.

"Are you okay, Prince?" she asked, avoiding eye contact. "Umm… sorry, I just can't look you in the face right now."

"What? Why?"

"You might want to check your reflection."

I grabbed a sword to look at my reflection and gasped.

New power unlocked: Super Duper Ugly Face.

"What kind of power is this? Super Duper Ugly Face? Seriously? This can't be real!"

"Lisa, I'm still beautiful to you, right?" I asked, desperately clinging to hope.

"Of course, Prince," she replied, but her voice wavered.

"Look me in the face when you respond!" I demanded, stepping closer.

She flinched, gaze darting anywhere but at me. "I... I'm sorry, Prince. I tried, but I... I can't. Truly, I can't. I'm so sorry."

I froze, horror setting in. "No... my beautiful face... where did it go?"