As the daggers fell, Lan covered his head just before he felt pain eat into his shoulder and back. One dagger skidded off his shield while the last grazed his ear before catching on his armour.

[Hp 50 – 45]

[Hp 45 – 40]

[Hp 40 – 35]

Lan gritted his teeth and tried to push back, but the goblin behind pushed against him. Even still, he was spared more pain. For now that their prey had been cornered after a long chase, individual bloodlust won over the hive mentality that had brought it to them.

Looking to end him quickly, one of the four around him raised its dagger before it was pulled out of the way by another, trying to be the one to kill him.

More goblins threw themselves over the closest ones, grabbing and pulling Lan’s hair and clothes as others fought to take their place. One even started to pull Lan’s sword from its sheath before two others tried to take it from him even though it had been freed from its housing.

The goblins crowded him, entombing him in the wave of green. Lan felt one try to cut his armour free, stabbing him in the arm instead when it couldn’t find the strap.

[Hp 35 – 30]

Despite all this, Lan found nothing but calm focus in his mind and iron in his heart.

The greatest weapon for monsters was the fear they instilled in the minds and hearts of men. It was what allowed barely trained, undisciplined monsters like these goblins to kill even trained soldiers. The freezing he had felt the first time seeing the Razerwolvs was more than just because of their number, although it played a part. Ordinary men were taken by an all-in-encompassing fear upon seeing a monster. Why Lan did not know.

Realising he was grinning, Lan knew one thing. He was not an ordinary man, and he was not afraid.

Moving his shield to cover his face, Lan brought his other bracer forward, dragging the mana shard over it as he did.

Blood red light filled the hollow a heartbeat after blue sparks from the mana stone caught the silk, heralding a cyclone of Crimson flames that roared to life as the silk burned and uncoiled from his bracer.

Cali had not exaggerated when she said, burn through almost anything because the two goblins closest were engulfed in flames the moment the fire found them before scorching those around them. But even as the blood-red flames culminated with a sharp hiss and sizzle, the hollow was bathed in orange light and smoke as the burning goblins lit the clothing and hair of those behind them.

The screams of bloodlust and victory were replaced with those of pain as the burning goblins tried to flee back up the hollow, trying to escape what had made the flames while those far back enough not to know what was happening pushed against them, still driven by the promise of blood.

Not waiting to see which side would win, Lan broke his sword free from the hand of the charred corpse still holding it and ran it through the goblin holding on to him.

The moment the blade bit into the green skin, the wound burst into flames, and the goblin dropped motionless.

Lan looked at his sword as he drew it from the goblin. From the hilt up to the halfway point of the Odd steel, it had changed. Where it had once been clean silver now shone with red glowing Runica down the middle third of the blade.

Before he could process what he was looking at, a goblin managed to push past the burning mass and struck at him. Lan moved back and slashed at its face, but it kept coming at him without care until it ran into his sword. The moment it did, smoke shot from its mouth and nose before it slumped over.

Lan pushed it away and looked at his sword again. He could feel the heat coming from it, but it did not feel hot enough to scald, let alone burn. Also, it seemed like only the part with the runes had this effect, as the slash had done nothing.

Lan blocked and slashed another goblin, making sure to use the bottom half of the blade. This time, the wound exploded with fire before the goblin dropped to the ground.

Looking up, Lan watched the fire slowly descend the tunnel before those who hadn’t been badly affected came at him. But without the momentum of numbers and the feeling of invincibility it had given them, the goblins fell quickly to the Odd Steel, especially after Lan began to feel confident with a sword.

[New Skill acquired: Sword wielding]

After gaining the skill, Lan felt the sword seem to answer to him faster, turning easier without him losing the edge.

Lan started to strike down the goblins as they came for him, slashing, kicking and punching. His mind fell into a state of nothing but reaction and retaliation, seeing the answer to every attack only in his few strengths, even letting an attack through as two goblins charged simultaneously; one of them wielding his mace. Allowing the one without it to stab him under the metal chest plate, Lan took the head off the thief before ramming his knee into the goblin’s gut and pinning it to the ground with an explosion of fire.

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[Hp 30 – 25]

One of the goblins seemingly still had a rock on them as Lan’s vision flashed, making him stumble and trip on something.

[Hp 25 – 24]

[Status effect: Stunned]

As his sight cleared, Lan found a goblin running at him. With his mind still fuzzy, Lan reached over, picked up his mace and threw it.

Somehow the mace found its mark, making the goblin momentarily run in mid-air as its body kept moving forward while its head was pulled back by the mace spinning once through the air in then fell still.

Shaking his head, Lan looked down the hollow. The fire had done wonders leaving the floor covered in charred bodies. Even still, around five goblins left were crawling to their feet.

Lan groaned and took a deep breath before pushing himself off the ground.

The first goblin reached Lan just as he stood. Lan blocked its attack but was slow to activate, so the shield was still opening when it connected with the dagger, ripping it from the goblin's hand and sending it into the wall.

Lan and the goblin looked at the rattling blade before Lan slashed the goblin, finishing it with an explosion of fire. Seeing the next two coming. Lan ran to meet them, booting the first before bashing the second into the side of the hollow. Swinging his sword, Lan ended the two before fending off another rock. Lan blocked a third as he walked forward and ran the goblin who had thrown it through.

As he did so, a screech ripped through the hollow, forcing Lan to cover his ears before realising that he recognised it.

When he Looked up, Lan found the last goblin radiating a red aura; before it charged him at an incredible speed. Practically growing in size as it crashed into Lan, lifting him off the ground and out the other end of the hollow before slamming him into the dirt.

With air still escaping his lungs Lan looked up at the goblin that had changed to look just like a knight as it roared in his face before smoke erupted from its nose and mouth and dropped on top of him.

‘Ouch…’ Lan groaned and pushed the goblin off him drawing his sword free in the same motion.

After a moment of looking up at the darkening sky through the trees, Lan sat up and watched the hollow tree come to life with golden light. He watched the motes of experience float up before pulling into strands of light and drew towards him before flowing into his tag.

[Kill log]

Goblin x 10 – Level 5 = 500 exp

[Goblin x 17 – Level 6 = 935 exp]

[Exp 3500 > 4000. Level up]

The heat built in Lan’s chest once again before it burst, and he was washed in the golden light.

[Level 5 > 6]

[Exp 1035 / 4000]

[Attributes.]

[Strength: 16 > 18]

Body: 8 > 10

Mind: 8 > 10

Dexterity: 25 > 28

Perception: 8 > 10

[Charisma: 1> 4]

The moment Lan felt the effects of his attributes change, he almost felt, like being sick instead of feeling better. Although his reactions were near instantaneous, his mind felt sluggish, and his body was both heavy and light. He felt like giving up but could not articulate why. Lan squeezed his eyes shut and fell back. With the goblins to focus on, he had been able to ignore it, but now it was unbearable.

[Sixth configuration complete]

[Strength: 18 > 13]

Body: 10 > 13

Mind: 10 > 13

Dexterity: 28 > 13

Perception: 10 > 13

[Charisma: 4 > 13]

[Hp 60 > 80]

The moment The Voice spoke, Lan felt his equilibrium return. Like the moment before hadn’t happened, he couldn’t even remember the feeling. Blinking, Lan sat up again. Now the only thing bothering him was the permanent smell of smoke that had infused itself into his clothes. Luckily it could have been worse looking back at the hollow tree, or he just couldn’t smell the burnt goblin's smell.

Standing, Lan opened his tome. Having all his stats return to what they were, seemed like he had taken a step back, even if he had gained a level. But Art had said that it would take a few jobs before it would work. Lan frowned, spotting something else that had changed.

[Mana accumulation complete]

[Mana 80]

[Ability Gained: Mana control.]

[Requirements met: Ability Unlocked – Gifts of the other World God.]

[Ability Evolution: Gifts of the other World God – Removed]

[Ability Gained: Eyes of the Other World.]

[Ability Gained: The Other World Chest.]

Lan blinked, not believing what the Voice had said as he looked at his Abilities; as the Voice had said, one of his hidden abilities had disappeared and had been replaced with two new ones.

Lan crouched down on his feet and breathed into his flattened hands. After so long, after giving up on ever knowing, Art had brought back some hope, but Lan had never really believed that he would find it.

But here he was, looking at a part of his tome that had not changed in his whole life, and it had changed.

Lan let out a short laugh. After so long of letting his soul be ripped away, it only took him risking his life to feel like he had gained some of it back. Lan laughed more until his eyes welled up, and he blinked hard before any tears could form and stood. Ready to learn the Ability he had gained from his father.

Looking at it again, Lan frowned; he had never heard of an Ability turning into two before.

And the name…

‘The Other World God…’ Lan said out loud. He, of course, knew the word. Not only as a part of many turns of phrase. But The Forebearers of the Lords of Light were Gods, and he knew that some of the other Lands called their representation of the Lords or what they believed in Gods.

But Other World God. Something about it sounded wrong. It was also the reason why he knew it was one of the Abilities he gained from his father and why he wouldn’t talk about it. If he wasn’t looking at it, Lan would have said anyone that told him was trying to make fun of him or just crazy.

What was meant by Other Worlds? The other Planes? Like the realm of the Lord of Light or was it really trying to tell him that there were other worlds and that its god had given his family a gift.

Instead of wondering, Lan turned to the Voice.

‘What can you tell me about this… Other World God’

[The Other World God…]

Lan waited for a moment, and just as he was about to say something…

[Drawing all information on The Other World God… Found. The Other World God is… The Other World God is… Is. Is. Is… t-th-ht. the…ahhhhhh!]

Before Lan could ask what was happening, the Voice’s shattering pain-filled scream filled his mind, and then before he could think about what to do, there was nothing as Lan’s mind went quiet.

‘Voice?... Voice!’ Lan shouted, feeling panic replace the part of his mind where the Voice had been. Enough that he didn’t even notice that he had spoken to the Voice as if it were a person.

Ever since the day he gained his tome, the Voice had been the only constant in his life, and now… what If it never came back. And the scream… the very idea that something like the Voice could feel pain, brought up questions Lan did not want to ask and dreaded the idea of finding the answer. It was like learning the sky could bleed, or the suns could be killed. It was an unravelling of reality.

[Hello Lan.]