The time had finally come.

The goblins had finished building the bridge and were waiting for me to keep my end of the bargain.

As a reminder, we'd made a deal that once the bridge was complete, I was to leave the scarlet core on the island and escape to the other side, Using one of the two bridges built

I took a deep breath and placed the core on the ground.

The wary goblins stepped forward cautiously, while I took a few steps back. Not all of them had come to retrieve the core; some remained hidden, ready to attack me if I didn't respect our agreement.

Finally, I left my little island. The goblins tasked with retrieving the core rushed in with great enthusiasm. After days of struggling to get hold of it, they howled with joy.

Even those who had remained hidden couldn't contain their excitement and came out of hiding to celebrate.

Then suddenly...

*Click*

A mechanism was triggered, releasing the animals trapped in the cages. The hungry wolves, having not smelled fresh meat for days, pounced on the nearest goblin, the one holding the core.

My plan was working as planned.

I had intentionally manipulated the animals' cages while the goblins were building the bridge.

Faced with this sudden attack, the goblins on the island struggled to defend themselves, being outnumbered.

All the goblins came to the rescue, even the hidden archers put down their bows and each picked up a hand-to-hand weapon so as not to injure their companions.

The scene was chaotic: cries of pain, wolf howls and orders shouted in confusion.

Meanwhile, I took the opportunity to discreetly set fire to the bridge linking the island to the other side.

Thanks to the potion I'd consumed earlier, I was in top physical condition, enabling me to act quickly and efficiently.

*Yaahh*

A goblin noticed my intentions and warned his companions, but it was already too late. I'd already set fire to the two bridges, preventing them from attacking me.

In any case, they were more concerned about the wolves than about me.

After ten minutes of intense fighting, the goblins finally triumphed over the wolves.

Despite their victory, no one was in a good mood. They were now all stranded on the island with no means of escape.

Swimming across the river was impossible because of the crocodiles I'd unleashed earlier.

"Hey hey, now the roles are reversed," I muttered, a cruel smile on my lips.

Now it was they who were trapped on the island, at my mercy.

I picked up the bow a goblin had left behind and began firing.

*Shooting

But alas, it went completely off course.

"Gnak gnak gnak."

The goblins laugh at my poor performance, reassured that they're safe with someone as lame as me.

"Damn it!"

I start again and again, but nothing.

"Gnak gnak gnak!"

It sounds so easy when William does it.

On Earth, apart from writing, William regularly practices archery.

He's good at other things too, like martial arts, shooting firearms, sword fighting, daggers, spears, you name it.

But it's archery that I'm used to seeing him practice.

*Shooting

*Shooting

After two consecutive hours of string-pulling, I still can't hit the goblins.

The goblins have even taken the liberty of setting up a barbecue as if I posed no threat to them.

"Damn it!!!"

From my brief experience with archery, I've learned two essential things.

The first is the physical strength that allows you to pull the string hard enough to propel the arrow and have it hit the target.

But I'm only 8 years old in this crappy body, and even though I'm seeing my stats increase, it's not going as fast as I'd hoped.

And secondly, it's serenity. Staying calm has a huge impact on accuracy.

However, if I don't have the Scarlet Core in my possession for a while, I'll die because of the penalty.

In fact, each Shrine event has a different penalty:

The first is to be consumed by the flames if you are unable to climb to the top of the rope.

The second is to die of poisoning if you dare to eat the forbidden dishes.

And the third, the one I'm currently in...

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"No, better not to think about it."

Whining isn't going to get me out of this one.

"I know !!!"

With all the resources the goblins left behind, I can easily create a weapon that anyone can handle, even a child.

* * *

Just as they're cooking the wolf meat obtained from their previous battle, the human child who keeps shooting arrows at them stops and runs into the forest, grabbing their stuff.

"Waaa!!!"

"Haaa!!!"

But the goblins couldn't care less, for they've taken this action as a sign of abandonment and shout in unison to express their joy.

The group's leader even makes a speech about how the war is over with their victory, and honors their fallen brothers-in-arms.

After a few days of mourning, the goblins decide it's time to leave the island.

Unfortunately for them, the crocodiles stationed in the lake prevent them from doing so. So they decide to kill the crocodiles one by one, baiting them with wolf meat and slaughtering them on land.

*Shooting

Just as they're about to eliminate the last remaining crocodile, an arrow pierces a goblin's skull.

The goblin keeps his eyes open, as if he doesn't believe he's dead.

Instinctively, the other goblins turn their heads in the direction of the shot and see the human child, whom they had thought to have abandoned, return with crossbow in hand.

Panic-stricken, all the goblins panic at the sudden death of their companion.

The human child, watching from the other side, lets out a wry smile.

*Shoot

*Shoot

*Shoot

One by one, all the goblins fall instantly.

* * *

If I'd left them any longer, they'd have already left the island with the core and no chance of getting it back.

Because I lacked the strength to handle a bow, I decided to build a crossbow.

However, building a crossbow was no easy task; indeed, I had made several crossbows, but all were failures.

But with this weapon, I've solved the problem of strength and accuracy.

I approach the lake and shoot the last crocodile still alive.

After hitting it, I swim to the other side to reach the island.

Once there, I search the goblin corpses and recover the scarlet core.

I search the goblins again and grab all the potions they had.

*Appearance

In the middle of the search, a door emerges from the ground with the number 4 inscribed on it.

"At last!" I exclaim.

According to my memory, I still had two tests to pass, and they were easier than this one.

"At least physically."

Enough discussion, it's time for me to go through that door if I want to regain my freedom.

* * *

William's point of view

"Will I finally be set free?"

It's been a whole month since I got stuck on the second trial and suddenly a door appears leading me straight to the next trial.

At first I thought it was going to be as intense as the previous trials, but no.

This time, the sign told me to survive in the forest and protect some kind of stone until the end of the trial.

"And when you say forest, you say animal, and when you say animal, you say meat".

I absolutely had to get the taste of this mushroom off my taste buds.

My tongue bled from eating it.

I was so excited at the idea of being able to eat fresh meat that I started jumping up and down.

After a full day, I set up a campfire and managed to catch a fish by the streams.

I was originally supposed to hunt game, but land animals were impossible to get without tools.

I'm really lucky to have found a flint, thanks to which lighting a fire has never been so easy.

"Yaaaa!!!"

Just as I was about to take a bite out of the pulpit, a greenish creature suddenly emerges from the bushes and, without warning, swings a huge axe at me.

Taken by surprise, I reacted instinctively and took a few steps back to dodge the attack.

However, his blade still manages to hit me, inflicting a wound on my shoulder.

"A goblin !?" I exclaim, surprised.

Then I remember that I'm no longer in my home world, but in a place where monsters are commonplace. Yet there's something wrong with this goblin.

Why is he so imposing ?

According to my knowledge, goblins are generally small, no more than 1.40 m tall, with frail bodies.

But this one defies all my expectations. Not only is he twice as tall as normal, but he also boasts an imposing musculature, worthy of a bodybuilder.

His axe is impressively large, almost as big as me, and looks even more menacing in his powerful hands.

Hot air escapes from his nostrils, betraying his frustration at having seen his blow dodged.

His eyes shine with a malevolent gleam, and I realize I'm facing a far more fearsome version of the creature I knew.

"You bastard !!! Luca what have you done !?"

As I'm cursing Luca for creating this monster, a voice brings me back to my senses.

"Bastard ? Luca ? Goblin ?" What are you singing to me and then I'm an orc don't confuse me with those inferior beings" exclaimed the creature.

"An orc you say, well I'm sorry".

"And what's more, you understand me," said the orc, looking surprised, before adding:

"Tell me, kid, don't you use an artifact or something to be able to communicate?" he asked, trying to find a rational explanation.

I shook my head, trying to gather my thoughts.

"No, I don't have anything like that. I... I don't even understand how I got here."

The orc frowned, scrutinizing my face as if searching for an answer.

"It's strange. Humans aren't supposed to understand our language."

Wait, since when do humans understand monster languages? Could it be that...

[Analysis]

As co-author of this character-creation world, you have the right to consult the profile of any life form and communicate with it, if it has a sufficient degree of intelligence.

{Profile}

Name : Gall

Race : Orc

Agility : 25

Dexterity : 19

Strength : 50

Talent: axe-wielding

Now I understand why I can communicate with him.

However

What's with the crazy stats, this orc is clearly superior to me on every level.

Should I run away ? But how ?

"Hey ! Don't try to run away or you'll regret it."

"Y-you've got it all wrong, at no point did it cross my mind."

"Don't bullshit me. Even if your body stays calm, the little gestures you make here and there give you away."

"..."

"Don't be so surprised, I'm a warrior after all. What's more, I have to admit I'm having a hard time figuring out your intentions. You're not like the other orcs in my village. Are all humans like you ?"

Damn! So the option of running away was no longer valid.

"Today I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you live if you hand over the core."

"The core ? You mean this stone around my neck?"

"Yes, that core was in our home, but it mysteriously disappeared. At first, I thought you'd stolen it, but with your silhouette, there's no way you could have infiltrated the village undetected."

"I'd love to give it back to you, but it's essential to my survival."

"Explain yourself."

"Even if I explained, you wouldn't believe me," I said, scratching the back of my head.

How am I supposed to tell him that I'm currently undergoing an ordeal whose purpose is to protect this stone? He'd never believe that story.

"So you choose not to hand it over to me, is that it?"

"..."

"In that case, die."

"W-w-wait!"

*Jump

At that instant, the orc leaps up and reduces the distance between us in the blink of an eye.

"Yaaa!!!"

The orc swivels his upper body, bringing fearsome power to his already deadly attack.

Fortunately, I'm already out of the way before his axe falls on me. But I still don't understand how an axe can create a hole of such magnitude.

"Did you dodge that too?"

Of course I see his attack coming. Despite his speed, his axe, which looks like it weighs a ton, reduces his speed considerably.

Without even time to breathe, the orc follows up with a flurry of attacks.

"Stop dodging and fight like a man !

"Sorry, but I have no desire to die this way."

Just as I thought he was going to attack again with his axe, he uses his hand to catch me off guard.

"Damn ! Impossible to dodge."

Nevertheless, I move in the direction of his blow to reduce the damage.

"Ahgg !"

His surprise attack, aimed at my abdomen, throws me into the air until a rock stops me.

I force myself to stay conscious and get up as quickly as possible.

However, just as I'm about to stand, I feel a rib break.

"This isn't good."

It's bad enough I'm having trouble dodging his attacks, now it's going to be hard to keep this up.

"Hey, kid! You still alive ?"

Just as he's about to walk towards me, he stops dead in his tracks and looks down at his arm. Blood begins to trickle from a small cut.

"Did you do this to me ?"

"Obviously," I say with a wry smile on my lips.

Before his punch hit me, I managed to wound him with a sharp stone I'd previously carved.

"That's surprising of you, but you'd have to land a hundred, maybe even thousands of blows like that to even hope to beat me."

"Care to wager ?"