[The next stage begins.]

[Wave 4 : Goblin Warrior]

A warrior? So, a stronger version of the goblins?

The chill in the air prickled the surface of my skin as I observed the blinding fog with a persistent set of eyes. Sure enough, it didn’t take long before I saw the silhouette of the new enemy; From a glance, I knew in an instant that the warrior title wasn’t there for no reason.

While it wasn’t that much bigger than its normal counterparts, lanky simply did not fit how I would describe it. Its hard, bulging muscles were one thing; its torso was covered by a thick fur vest that protected all of its vitals. And that wasn’t all, it also came packed with a shield that was paired with an axe.

Imposing. But, not… overwhelming.

Just one look alone was enough for me to determine that this goblin was a legitimate fighter.

Its ugly face aside, the intense, hostile gaze that it displayed was telling of its battling experience. That alone would make this fight trickier, as simply outmaneuvering it would prove a significant challenge. If I had an advantage, it would be its relatively short stature, meaning its reach was limited at best.

I grabbed a handful of dirt below, then abused its poor vision and snaked my way to its behind. It seemed to be none the wiser, as I tip-toed my way closer — akin to how I fought the first goblin — hoping that I could deal a massive blow from a backstab through the gaps in its armor.

Of course, that was just a plan. Executing it was paramount for my success.

The goblin kept a constant watch on the direction I was last at, never once it even bothered to look away. If it did, it would’ve seen my figure crouching right behind his back. I didn’t make the same mistake of stepping on a wet patch of dirt this time, so things were going swimmingly up until this point.

But at that one threshold where I was a few breaths away from it, it snapped around and struck me with a horizontal swing from its axe. As the gust of wind nearly chopped my head off, I recoiled backwards, stumbling, yet managing to keep myself upright.

It knew what I was planning. All that idleness was a lure to draw me into its striking range.

Then, sensing its momentum, it stormed forth, shields up high, and the distance between us shrank in an instant. The advantage that I had; which was non-existent in the first place, was the sole thing that I had any confidence in, and with that out of the picture…

What else can I do?

Each one of its swings was fatal on its own, and unlike the goblin before, it kept its pace to not waste all of its stamina for nothing. It was faster and more agile than me, and its melee experience was leagues beyond mine. Am I doomed? Is this it for me?

Wait, The wall.

I repositioned myself so that my back was facing where the wall was, and retreated, maintaining a distance close enough that it was incentivized to strike, but not so far that it wouldn’t chase after me. The tight balance of distance was kept, which ended when the back of my shoulder almost thumped against the wall.

Its eyes gaped in delight when it witnessed the distance shrinking. I was now within a radius where its swing would be nigh impossible to dodge, and it reigned the opportunity with its axe, cleaving the right side of my chest. Well, that was what it thought would happen, had the wall not been behind me.

A loud clank exploded, and sparks resulting from the sudden friction lit the left side of my face. Its axe bounced off the wall, causing a massive recoil on itself, but it retained the grip of its weapon. I groaned, wishing that it would be careless for once. But that wasn’t the sole outcome that I hoped for, no, it was the opening that I yearned for.

Its head tilted upwards from the feedback of its axe, just far enough that if I was accurate with my stab, it would destroy the veins under its green skin. Yeah, maybe it wouldn’t die right away, but I could wait it out after, keep my distance, and wait for the blood loss to do its magic. With a roar and a grunt — and with a dash of miracle and experience — my blade pierced through its neck, resulting in a gush of crimson pouring out from the hole I just made.

Pushing myself off the wall behind me, we twisted and tumbled on the ground as I grappled onto its neck with my dagger stuck inside of its bloodstream, The white outfit I wore had turned scarlet from all the damage it took, and it wasn’t long before the warrior lost the strength of its grip, succumbing to the chill clutches of death.

I pulled my dagger out as it gargled, choking on its own blood, then sat far, far away from it. As much as I would love to stand, my legs wobbled from the adrenaline and the tension, and no matter how long I’d rested, my breath was still as ragged as before. Too close… Too damn close. If the wall wasn’t there to back me up again, the chances of me winning this fight would be null.

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[The next wave will begin in 5 minutes.]

Laying on the dirt floor while gazing at the foggy skies above, I idled while waiting for the timer to run out. The way the fights were lined up, I had no chance of beating whatever came next even when I was abusing the wall.

This is it…

Curling up and resting both my arms on my knees, I opened my eyes and appreciated the calm scene, despite my stained suit and my scarlet-tinted dagger, and thought about my fate. None of the things I did in my life before prepared me for this moment; I could’ve kept my shape up after leaving the army, and maybe then I would stand a chance against the next encounter. That’s a hard maybe, but a little bit of hope is better than none at all.

[The next wave will begin in 10 seconds.]

“Okay, Okay…”

I relaxed, feeling the tension of the muscles between my joints easing away. At this point — no, even since a long time ago — I always imagined how peaceful dying would be. No more worries, no more pain, no more suffering. Perhaps this would be the grand exit I dreamt about whenever the going gets tough, a goodbye from my sad life by trying my hardest one last time.

The timer stopped. The next enemy appeared.

It wasn’t a goblin this time, no, it was something far larger and… scalier. It was humanoid by design, from how its limbs were positioned and how it stood with its two hind legs, but as far as its similarity to humans went, that was as far as it got.

A snake? No, A lizard…

[Lvl 5. Lizard Spearman]

Hiss.

Its tongue lashed out as if it was tasting the air, locating where I was by the aroma of blood alone.

I shuddered. My arms struggled to maintain its calm. My legs felt like jelly as I forced myself to retreat. No way I’m winning against that… thing. It wasn’t blood that was running through my bulging veins right now, no, it was utter fear and despair. Do my best? What nonsense am I talking about?

Then, as if it was glaring me straight in the eyes, its head snapped right at me; Right at where I was about to run away from. My limbs froze as if I was struck by a bolt of cold lightning, my eyes widening as it leaped high, reducing the supposed distance between us before I could even blink.

I couldn’t muster any defense — No, there is no defense — Its spear ripped my left shoulder like it was a soft butter, splitting the bones underneath, ripping the muscle tissue apart, and drawing blood from my shattered shoulder. The force pushed me away from the initial strike, my jelly of a foot couldn’t keep my body straight up and I fell ass first on the ground.

This guy… is impossible.

No amount of miracle would save me here. Anyone with two brain cells could figure out the odds of me winning with just a glance.

The well of frustration and despair burst forth from my very core, resulting in a tear drooping down my eyelids, combining with my sweat. Salty.

What had I done in the past that warranted pity even from myself? What had I accomplished so far in my life?

Nothing.

All the motivation I had from before was mute, All that talk was nonsense; their sole purpose was to keep my body up and running. To survive, which was looking like a dream at this moment.

It raised its spear and cocked its head to the side. Was it shocked by how weak I was? Was it surprising that one stab was enough to break my will?

The inaction gave me time to reflect. It wasn’t the prospect of death that saddened me so; It was how worthless my existence was, how barren my future looked, and no matter how hard I tried, I wouldn’t be anybody, ever.

It didn’t finish me off, instead, all it did was stare.

There were no signs of hostility in its eyes anymore, no, what was reflected was pity and disdain. But of course, that mercy was a fleeting moment, it must’ve been programmed to kill me regardless of how it felt.

During this infinitesimal fabric of time, my past resurged, filling the image displayed in my eyes with the moment I was shot through the skull.

A clean stab through my temples. My life as I knew it was over.

[You failed stage five. Since you have passed the first three tests, you will be restored to full health.]

[Error: Death conflict with %$#$%. Prioritizing healing protocol…]

[Aptitude test completed. Bonus aptitude score: 68. Total points earned: 168 pts.]

The same sensation when I reached my first checkpoint filled me with vitality as I found myself yelling in anguish on the empty field.

I… lived?

The sheer emptiness that I felt lingered, no, it didn’t just linger, it was visceral. Even after I stumbled on the floor and slammed head first on the floor, projectile vomiting my stomach inside out, my mind still hadn’t recovered from what happened prior. The pain on my forehead didn’t go away; a reminder of the shameful, pathetic moment.

I was dead. Again. And What’s with the error message? Am I just seeing things?

Frantically, I patted myself on the head to check for the hole the spearman had given me. No holes in my head. Good, Good…. I recalled receiving a message about having failed the stage, but the test itself was otherwise, completed.

That spearman… It was so fast and overwhelming that I’d find it hard to believe that most of us would be able to handle it. Maybe if you were a trained fighter, you could, but I didn’t have the appropriate skills to deal with such a creature. From my short stint in the army, all we learned was hand-to-hand combat skills against humans, and the rest of our time was spent on using guns instead. None of those skills were applicable here.

And I went through all of that just to get 168 points. Was it a lot? Or was it below average?

To be frank, I didn’t see the majority of us beating that lizard even with the aid of a sufficient weapon. Its speed and strength were one thing, but the sheer reach of its spear, combined with its already lengthy limbs alone was more than enough to take us down. Even if I was a foot taller and fit as hell, I still couldn’t see a way to beat it reliably.

But at least, it was over.

[You will now be teleported to the Trial waiting room.]

Hold o- My vision darkened, and I stepped foot in another room.