The goblin king raised its foot before stomping on Gerard's head. It gave a surprised shriek before stepping back.
In a split-second decision, Gerard gripped the blade and handle of his sword and used it as a shield against the king's attack.
Blood dripped from his left hand. The blade cut halfway through his bone.
*Can you focus my mana on healing my wounds?*
Gerard's cuts and scrapes slowly faded from his body as he dodged a punch from the goblin king.
[Done. You have 330 MP left.]
Gerard jumped to his feet, and a stone spike erupted from the ground, grazing his chin. He turned to see the goblin mage dancing joyfully.
*Die already. Stone Spike!*
Directly between the goblin's legs, a stone skewered the goblin with the end of the spike poking out of its skull.
[You've received 7,675 experience. 28,785 experience until your next level.]
Gerard fell to the ground. When he tried to stand back up, he couldn't use his right leg. The king held Gerard's sword in its hand and swung it around; it was covered in red blood, not the purple blood from the goblins.
*My blood...*
Gerard's leg ended at the knee, the rest lying on the ground next to him.
"That sword is too good for scum like you."
*Severed my nerves, maybe? Shock? No wonder I can't feel the pain. Can I heal?*
[You'll use all of your remaining mana if you do.]
*HP?*
[742.]
*Then I can manage without it for now. Water shot!*
Water pooled in front of Gerard, forming from the moisture in the air. The water condensed itself before rapidly flying through the air and hit the king's chest. Immediate bruising appeared, but the king showed no sign of discomfort.
*Tornado strike!*
The wind before Gerard's hands visibly twisted and turned, pulling small sticks and leaves into it. That, too, flew forward. The strike knocked the king backward, but it laughed it off.
"Fine. Let's see what happens first; either you'll die, or my mana will deplete."
*Hellfire!*
Fire erupted beneath the king, and a horrific scream ensued. It took one step after another, but Gerard readjusted the spell's area of effect.
From within the flames, Gerard's sword swung towards the ground, slashing deeply into Gerard's chest.
The surge of pain from the wound broke the effect of the spell.
*Shit, that must be the half-human side of me. Sprite, heal me enough to dull the pain!*
[Got it.]
First, Gerard's writhed in agony as his injuries knitted themselves together, but then the sensation lifted.
*Hellfire!*
Again, the king was enveloped in flames. The sword swung down again but missed Gerard. The king's movements slowed.
*I've got this!*
Gerard pushed with his left leg, sliding his body away from the king. It swung the sword around violently in a desperate attempt to kill Gerard. The sword carved through the ground where Gerard escaped from.
Suddenly, Gerard's body seized up. The fires stopped, and a splash of water hit the goblin king.
Another goblin with a staff appeared. Burns covered half of its body.
*Hellfire!*
Gerard vomited blood. The spell failed.
[You're suffering from mana depletion.]
*But I was so close.*
The goblin king, covered in burns deep enough to touch his organs, shakily stumbled forward.
*Just die. Die. Die. Die. Please die!*
The goblin king slid Gerard's sword into his chest, narrowly missing his heart. Gerard felt his body regain some strength.
[You have reached level 16. Your base stats have increased. 94,662 experience until you level up.]
*Huh?*
[Over a thousand goblins have died in the nest.]
*Oh! MP?*
[71/906.]
*Stone Spike!*
The spike impacted the goblin mage behind the king.
[You've received 8,125 experience. 84,537 experience until your next level.]
*Stone Spike!*
The second spike pierced the goblin king's chest. The king slumped forward.
*Stone Spike!*
The third spike pierced its head.
[You've received 57,930 experience. 26,607 experience until your next level.]
*Finally...*
Gerard attempted to remove the sword from his chest, but it was futile. The goblin king pushed the blade deeply into the ground, pinning Gerard.
Gerard's vision faded.
---
[You've reached level 17. Your base stats have increased. 99,972 experience until you level up. You've acquired the world title 'Goblin's Nemesis'. Goblins will now inherently fear you.]
*I'm alive?*
[Every goblin in their nest suffocated to death after the last entrance caved in.]
Gerard desperately gasped for air and quickly removed the sword from his body. He crawled to the king's corpse, grabbed his severed leg, and held it in place while he bit into the corpse's leg. The blood that slowly oozed into his mouth had coagulated slightly and tasted foul.
Before he could finish his meal, Sprite spoke up.
[You cannot gain any more mana from this. The body is too decomposed.]
*Decomposed? How long was I out?*
[Almost twelve hours.]
He looked at his leg, now firmly attached to his body. His chest still showed exterior wounds, but the interior felt okay.
*Status Screen.*
[Gerard Blythe - Level 17 Dhampir]
[HP: 366/1475]
[MP: 201/1015]
[Strength: 32]
[Dexterity: 38]
[Defense: 24]
[Resistance: 195]
[Mana Conductivity: 850]
[Resistances: Sleep, Intoxication]
[Weaknesses: Fire, Holy Magic (Lesser)]
[Immunities: Poison, Disease, Fear, Paralysis, Decay, Confusion, Blindness]
[Skills: System Access, Evolutionary Tree, Mind's Eye, Leech, Blood Frenzy, Vampyre Regeneration, Acquisition]
[Spells: Compulsion, Divine Ray, Transference, Fires of Hell, Water Shot, Tornado Strike, Stone Spike, Fireball.]
"I've got enough! I can give you a body now."
Gerard coughed. There was discomfort in his chest after all.
[You'll have to restore your mana first.]
*Of course.*
Gerard picked up his sword and headed in a random direction. He used his stone spike spell to kill the creatures of the forest before he drained their blood. Rabbits provided less mana than he spent to use the spell, but anything larger netted gains.
His hunting spree left dozens of the forest's inhabitants dead. Blood dripped from his chin as he stood over a deer's lifeless body. The wounds on his body had healed.
*MP?*
[1,015.]
*Perfect.*
He reached the edge of the forest before he smelled it. His body reeked of blood, body odour, and other excretions.
*Cleanse.*
The filth disappeared from his body, and he sighed.
*It might be efficient, but I never feel like I'm actually clean. I'd love a shower, or even a bath at this point. I know hygiene isn't very important to people in this world, but surely there are people with baths. Maybe I can commission someone to make me a bath. Between Water Shot and Hellfire, maybe I could bathe daily by giving up a little mana.*
With that, Gerard headed back towards the village.