Without allowing myself to show a hint of fear, I constantly blocked their fierce attacks. With courage born of desperation, I launched my own thrusts, meticulously seeking openings in their defense.
It's just bigger in size! Look carefully, don't close your eyes!
The hobgoblin's monstrous strength, enhanced by stellar energy, was undeniably a deadly threat.
A single direct hit would be fatal, and even the slightest graze left my body partially paralyzed. Its destructive power was such that it needed only one hit to finish me off.
However, I clung to a fundamental truth: an attack, no matter how deadly, can only kill if it connects. The great axe, with all its devastating power, was nothing more than decoration if it couldn't reach me. My vision had achieved unprecedented clarity.
My blue eyes saw beyond the fierce expression of the armed hobgoblin. Every muscle contraction, every subtle movement under its black armor, was vital information that my mind processed instantly. Its massive body, though intimidating, was like an open book to my sharpened senses.
Its movements, though powerful, were predictable. Every violent turn of its body, every swelling of its muscles under the black armor, revealed crucial information about the timing and direction of its attacks. Its actions were clumsy and transparent, allowing me to anticipate every movement.
When I faced the approaching great axe, I aimed to the side to deflect it. My movement managed to alter the trajectory of the attack that had almost cornered me, allowing my body to escape through the smallest gaps.
I could hear the hobgoblin's labored breathing, clearly frustrated because I had managed to slip from between its arms. I briefly fell to the ground and rolled to dodge the next attack from its axe.
As expected from a creature of its level, the hobgoblin immediately followed me, preparing to crush me. I took advantage of my natural speed to perform an emergency escape while trying to pierce its body with my bone spear.
The metallic sound resonated when my attack was blocked again by its great axe. I couldn't prevent anxiety from showing on my face—this enemy was extremely skilled in defense.
The evidence was there: its nearly two-meter-tall body was covered in scars and spear cuts, but none were serious wounds.
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I found myself trapped once again in a defensive battle as the threatening hobgoblin rushed toward me.
The reality of my situation was clear and frustrating: no matter how desperately I fought, if I couldn't land an effective blow, victory would never come. Even when I aimed at its chest seeking a mortal blow, the excess armor blocked my attempts.
The hobgoblin's roar resonated as it concentrated all its strength in a fierce downward strike with its axe. The earth split in two when I managed to avoid the cut by a hair's breadth, and I felt my face hardening at the display of power.
The brute force of the attack was so overwhelming that it created a small crater. I was forced to cover my face with my right hand that held the spear while the shockwave sent me flying.
I floated in the air for a brief moment before falling to the ground. We stared at each other, monster and human, separated by approximately five meters.
Our breathing stopped while the surrounding air tensed to its limits.
The monster chief let out a particularly fierce roar. Its feet sank into the ground with a crash before jumping upward, rotating the great axe in what seemed to be the preparation for a devastating attack.
Completely forgetting my own safety, I gathered as much energy as possible in my feet and launched myself forward like a bullet. My instinct screamed that I had to interrupt its attack before it could complete it.
I held my spear close to my right shoulder while my left leg struggled to separate from the ground. My entire body felt the pressure of acceleration as I rose as if I had been fired from a cannon.
The bone spear in my right hand glowed subtly, while the hobgoblin's axe, which had just reached the highest point of its trajectory, was tinged with an intense crimson.
With a swift movement of my right hand, the tip of my spear traced a long arc and pierced the left side of its waist.
The roar that followed was immediate, and I saw how the hobgoblin's body tilted to one side before hitting the ground. Its attack had been interrupted before it could begin.
—!!!Gurrr!!!
The chief roared, trying to get up, but its limbs were visibly shaking.
I made a forced landing and faced the monster's fangs directly. The distance between us shortened in an instant, and I could see how its figure grew larger before my eyes. I raised my spear above my right shoulder just as its axe was spinning toward my shoulder.
Our attacks were almost simultaneous, his descending, mine ascending. In an instant came the final blow. The iron helmet flew off after my spear struck it, and I watched as the hobgoblin began to stagger like a drunk as it fell to the ground, with more than half of its head destroyed.
After a brief moment, my own body gave in and I fell backward to the ground. The cut on my right shoulder was a reminder that I was still alive.
It's over... Right?
I closed my eyes, finally allowing the pain and fatigue I had been containing to flood my mind. The Tower system's voices sounded distorted and distant in my ears:
[Congratulations. You have cleared the first floor of the Paradise Tower.]
[You have received an 'innate ability'.]
[You have received '10 Soul Fragments'.]
[Innate ability unlocked]
[The innate ability: 'Eyes of the Successor (SS)' has been imprinted on the user]
[Conditions are met.]
[The first seal is broken.]
[The innate ability: Eyes of the Successor has been activated.]