As his eyes adjusted to the dim interior, they widened in shock. "Oh, shit!" he exclaimed, taken aback by what he saw before him.

A split second later, a powerful punch was launched at his chest, sending him flying across the village center. The sheer force of the impact made it feel as if a giant's fist had collided with his body.

Adam tumbled through the air for several meters before hitting the ground and rolling to a stop. Dirt and debris clouded the air around him, and he groaned, the breath knocked out of him. He struggled to regain his footing, his body aching from the unexpected blow.

The force of the punch left a deep, throbbing bruise on his chest, and Adam could feel the painful tightness with every breath. He gritted his teeth, knowing he couldn't let the pain distract him from the fight ahead.

“Urghh. *Cough* Shit that hurts.” The intense pain radiated through his chest, making each breath a laborious effort. Adam quickly glanced at his health bar noticing a chunk was now missing from the ambush.

Despite the pain, Adam's injuries were momentarily forgotten as he looked up to see the figure that had emerged from the chieftain's house. Skab, the goblin chieftain, stood before him, his form surrounded by a ghostly projection of blue chains that made him appear larger than life. It was as if the spirit of a massive, ethereal boar had engulfed the chieftain, enhancing his size and power.

The chains seemed to originate from Steelhoof's tusks, who was perched atop the projection, looking weak and visibly poisoned. It was clear that this bizarre transformation was the result of a talent that Steelhoof possessed. Adam knew that talents could be generic and boring, and others could be weird and wonderful, but this was beyond what he expected.

Adam gasped, "What... what is this?!"

The sight was so strange and weird that even the other goblins stared in shock, their fear momentarily forgotten. They whispered among themselves, exchanging glances and speculating about the origins of this new, fearsome form their chieftain had assumed. A mixture of awe and terror filled the air, the goblins torn between their loyalty to Skab and the instinctive fear they felt in the presence of such raw, otherworldly power.

One goblin stuttered, "Skab... Skab become mighty beast?"

Another goblin chimed in, "It be magic, I tell ya! Dark magic!"

Adam stared at the spectacle before him, dumbfounded. Skab, now resembling a massive boar due to the projection, snorted menacingly, the chains clanking and shimmering as they moved. The blue, ghostly light reflected in his eyes, giving him an even more menacing appearance.

With a guttural growl, Skab shouted, "Who dares attack us goblins?! Who set me village on fire?!"

The only goblins that didn't seem affected by the sight were the group of mute, robotic goblins, who stood expressionless. They watched the scene unfold with an eerie detachment, their blank faces revealing nothing of their thoughts or emotions. It was as if they were simply waiting for a command, ready to follow orders without question.

As the initial shock began to fade, Adam forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He had to defeat Skab, regardless of this strange transformation. He couldn't afford to be intimidated by the chieftain's new appearance – he had come too far and fought too hard to back down now.

Slowly, Adam got to his feet, ignoring the protests of his bruised and battered body.

Adam gnashed his teeth as he stared at his enemy, his anger boiling over. "Skab!" he shouted. "I've come to take your head!"

Skab snorted in response, his voice echoing through the ghostly chains that surrounded him. "No wonder da description of da ghost of three days sounded familiar. You've terrorized me subjects long enough. I've killed ya once, boy, and I can kill ya again."

“Stop with the bullshit we both know you don’t care about the other goblins.” Adam couldn't help but ask the question that had been nagging at him. "Why isn't it you who awakened, Skab? Why is it Steelhoof? Also why the hell is Steelhoof the one who is poisoned?"

Skab's face twisted with humiliation, his anger flaring. "Shut up!" he roared, clearly enraged by the topic.

Adam's expression changed to one of understanding, and he sneered at the goblin chieftain. "Ah, I see now. Steelhoof must have killed the awakened creature instead. No wonder you're so furious." He laughed, the sound unkind and mocking. "Steelhoof turned you into his mount! Hahaha, how the tables have turned. You're a slave to Steelhoof! The chains look good on you Skab."

The other goblins looked shocked at Adam's accusation, their eyes darting between Skab and Steelhoof. Skab wanted to deny the claim, but a sharp tug on the chains from Steelhoof caused him to grimace in pain.

Adam continued to taunt him. "No wonder you told the goblins to treat the boars like royalty. It was really Steelhoof pulling your chains, you’re nothing but a puppet chieftain. In fact Steelhoof must be eating your food aswell, that’s why he is poisoned and you aren’t."

Some of the goblins in the crowd appeared visibly angry at Skab, their loyalty wavering in the face of this revelation. Whispers of dissent spread through the crowd, and some goblins began to openly question Skab's leadership. Their once-fearful expressions were replaced by a mix of anger, confusion, and betrayal.

"Skab be not our true leader, it be Steelhoof pullin' his strings," one goblin hissed.

"Dat's right! He's been lyin' to us all along! He fed them boars instead of us!" another goblin added, its voice filled with resentment.

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"Maybe we be better off without Skab as chieftain!" a third goblin chimed in, emboldened by the others' defiance.

Skab screamed, his rage reaching its peak. "Enough, ya fools! Prepare to die, kid!"

Adam stood his ground, his confidence unwavering. "You can try, Skab. But this time, things will be different."

He gripped his spear tightly, his knuckles turning white with the effort, and assumed a battle stance. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for the fight ahead.

In response, Skab let out a deep, guttural growl, the sound echoing throughout the village square. He lowered his head, the ghostly chains around him pulsating with energy, and fixed his gaze on Adam. The air crackled with tension as the two adversaries prepared for their inevitable clash.

Adam decided to inspect his two opponents.

*[Skab Ratbite, Goblin Chieftain, level 9 (Tier 0)]*

*[Steelhoof, Domi-Hog, Level 10 (Tier 1)]*

The remaining goblins, sensing the impending battle, retreated to a safe distance, their eyes darting between Adam and Skab with a mix of fear and anticipation. Even the mute, robotic goblins seemed to sense the danger, their bodies tensing as they stood at attention.

Adam's heart raced in his chest, his adrenaline surging as he prepared to face off against the transformed Skab. He knew that this would be the most challenging battle he had faced in the Dreamverse thus far. Despite the pain, he felt a strange thrill – the thrill of facing a powerful opponent and testing his own limits.

With a roar, Skab charged at Adam, the ghostly chains whipping around him like tendrils of pure power. His speed was incredible, and it seemed as if he had become an unstoppable force.

Adam braced himself, his muscles tense and ready for action. As Skab closed the distance, Adam sidestepped the chieftain's charge, narrowly avoiding the deadly chains. He countered with a swift thrust of his spear, aiming for a weak spot in Skab's defenses.

The spear connected with the ghostly projection, causing it to flicker momentarily. But instead of piercing through, it seemed to be absorbed by the ethereal form. The chains hissed and crackled, as if mocking Adam's futile attack.

Adam's teeth gnashed together seeing how futile his attacks were without skills. He couldn’t continue to save his resources, it was time to use everything if he was to have any hope of winning this fight. He had stacked the odds in his favor as much as he could and now it was time to end this once and for all.

With his spear at the ready, Adam lunged forward, executing a precise [Stab] aimed at Skab's exposed side. The goblin chieftain deftly parried the blow with a manifested hoof, countering with a swift strike of his own. Adam barely managed to sidestep the attack, feeling the wind from the near-miss brush against his cheek.

Adam continued his assault, focusing on speed and precision. He swung his spear in a wide arc, attempting a [Cleave] aimed at the manifested boar's legs. The goblin chieftain, however, anticipated the attack, leaping over the strike and retaliating with a vicious overhead blow.

Though the battle was intense, Adam noticed that Steelhoof, in his poisoned state, was unable to use any abilities. He couldn't help but think that if Steelhoof were at full strength, he would have already lost the fight.

Adam let out a mighty [Battle Cry], attempting to rally his own strength and intimidate his opponent. Skab, unfazed, continued his relentless assault. The goblin chieftain's ghostly chains struck him repeatedly, sending him flying through the air and causing his health to drop with each devastating blow.

Desperate to gain some momentum, Adam executed a [Charge] attack, hoping to catch Skab off guard. The goblin chieftain reacted quickly, sidestepping the attack and seizing the opportunity to land a powerful shove with the manifestation’s tusks that sent Adam flying once again.

After being sent flying yet again, Skab paused the fight and taunted Adam. "Weren't ya with that bug elf thing when I killed ya? The one whose head I removed? Hmm, maybe I'll do da same to you."

Anger flared within Adam at the mention of Lancer, but he forced himself to push it down. Instead, he sneered, "Mount. Mount Skab. Slave Skab."

Adam knew his response was childish but seeing Skab lose control of his rage and scream brought glee to him, resuming the fight with renewed ferocity. Adam continued to lose ground, his health dropping dangerously low. Desperate, he thought, 'I'm losing too much Hp too fast. I need to use my trump card or I'll lose this.'

He shouted, "Go! Attack him now!" At his command, the expressionless and robotic goblins leaped into the fray to help Adam, attacking Skab with surprising ferocity. Skab and the other group of goblins were shocked by the sudden turn of events. Their movements were eerily precise and synchronized, as if they were all controlled by a single mind. Despite their lack of emotion, their attacks were vicious and relentless, giving Skab no chance to recover.

"Traitorous Gits! How dare ya betray me!" Skab screamed.

As Skab focused on defending himself against the unexpected attackers, Adam used the opportunity to catch his breath and look for weak points in the ghostly projection. He ignored the goblin figures that were being killed by Skab, knowing that they would follow his orders even if it led to their demise.

He noticed that Steelhoof was growing visibly weaker and realized that the boar might be the key to disrupting the manifestation. 'If I can just hold out a little longer,' Adam thought, 'I might be able to turn the tide of this battle. I can't let Lancer down.'

‘I need to destroy those chains, it’s most likely what’s giving Skab access to this form.’ Adam noticed the ghostly chains originated from the boar's tusks.

“Go for the Steelhoof, destroy the chains coming from the tusks!” Adam roared, The attacking goblins still expressionless all simultaneously looked at Steelhoof slightly unnerving the beast and started to climb the ghostly chains in sync.

Gathering his strength, Adam unleashed a [Whirlwind] attack, spinning his spear around him in a deadly cyclone. Skab was caught off guard and struck by the powerful attack, giving Adam the opening he needed.

Adam, skillfully combining his agility and strength, scaled the towering manifested giant boar. Skab, caught off guard, attempted to intercept him but was too preoccupied with the goblin traitors to react in time.

Adam delivered a powerful strike at the chains connecting Steelhoof to Skab, intent on breaking their bond. The two chains linked to Steelhoof's tusks flickered under the force of his blow but remained unbroken.

"Is dat all you've got?" Skab taunted.

Despite this, the impact seemed to weaken the connection between the two. Steelhoof emitted a pained squeal, and the chains binding him to Skab started to fade. Sensing an opportunity, Adam pressed his advantage, unleashing a barrage of swift, precise strikes at the chains.

As the battle raged on, both Adam and Skab began to show signs of exhaustion. Yet, with each strike, the chains weakened further, and the ghostly projection around Skab wavered. At last, with a determined, forceful blow, Adam severed the chains, freeing Steelhoof from their unnatural bond.

The instant the chains were severed, the remaining links disintegrated, the ghostly projection dissipated into brilliant blue lights, and everyone who had been atop the manifestation, including Skab and Steelhoof, plummeted to the ground. Although the manifestation had ended abruptly, the battle was far from over.

"You'll pay for dat! I don’t need dat stupid beast's talent to finish ya off," Skab snarled.

"We'll see," Adam retorted, aiming his spear at Skab, prepared to end him now that he couldn't rely on Steelhoof's talent.