A green fist came crashing down, slamming into Jihoon's stomach, and tossing his body through the air. Jihoon rolled a couple of meters before jumping back to his feet using the momentum of the punch. Back on his feet, he stood there, looking across the distance.
Inside a small clearing with dirt on the ground, surrounded by a lush green forest, two groups were having a standoff. As the tension between them became palpable, no eye left the other's body.
"Fuck…"
Jihoon said between breaths as he looked at himself.
His breath was ragged.
His body was battered.
Every bone, and every muscle hurt with the slightest movement, yet he still decided to fight. His scarred fingers gripped the handle of his long silver sword as his eyes focused on the group before him.
A group of five green monsters stood a small distance away from him. The odor their bodies gave off made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. Their sharp, jagged under-teeth stuck out like a sore thumb as drool ran down the sides of their mouths.
Fucking Goblins…
Jihoon thought as he looked at the two dead ones on their side. By now, they had already been looted by the ones without any weapons. His face morphed into a dissatisfied frown as he considered his possibilities, with thousands of thoughts running through his mind.
I should kill the one with the shield first… also I can't forget about the dirt.
With newfound courage and willpower, Jihoon lunged at the sword-and-shield-wielding Goblin, which happened to be the nearest. His sword struck out like a snake that had just seen its prey. It whispered through the air as the sword made its way toward its goal—the Goblin's throat.
Surprised by his sudden attack, the Goblin's eyes widened in fear as it quickly raised its shield. Unfortunately for it, it overshot, and the shield blocked the Goblin's vision for a split moment. However, that split moment was all Jihoon needed.
Stupid monster…
Jihoon thought as a smirk appeared on his face. He quickly changed the angle of his sword. It stabbed the monster through the hip, completely breaking it and rendering the Goblin immobile. Jihoon quickly jumped back as another sword whooshed past his head.
That was close.
He thought, now realizing how hard the fight was really going to be.
Four remaining… that's going to be hard.
His chest heaved up and down. Some of it was exhaustion, while the rest was nervousness. He quickly calmed his breath and refocused on the enemy. They were snarling at each other as they pointed their fingers at him.
But if I win here… I will catch up.
He thought as he ignored their fighting and arguing.
By now, the Mana of the dead Goblins had already filled his Mana Paths and traveled toward the Mana Circle across his heart. Now he only needed to refine the Mana to make it his. So, without hesitation, Jihoon launched his body across the distance as he made his way forward toward the Goblins.
However, the Goblins had the same idea, as two of them met him head-on. He blocked the slash from the first one by angling his sword slightly. Just as he was about to counterattack, the dagger of the other Goblin stabbed toward his right eye. Abandoning his attack, he leaned back, making the Goblin miss while simultaneously kicking it in the chest, sending it flying away.
Shit!
He thought, searching for another opening. Nevertheless, there was no time to dwell on things, as the other two Goblins flanked him on both sides. Luckily for Jihoon, he saw them through his peripheral vision.
I can't dodge this!
He knew he could not dodge this.
So knew Goblins.
But he knew that they knew.
Every sane person would try to minimize the damage by only taking one attack and blocking the other. Unfortunately for them, Jihoon was not quite the prime example of a sane person. He gritted his teeth and mentally prepared himself for the oncoming attacks. Then, as the attacks were about to commence, he slightly tilted his body in a way that made the attacks miss his vital areas.
Metal cut through his flesh as a burning sensation traveled through his body. Even though he was prepared for the pain, he could not but let out a groan of pain. He knew he was not going to bleed out, but this was going to impact the future of the fight.
So he quickly capitalized on the moment. He ignored the pain and quickly turned around, slashing the Goblin's throat. It dropped its dagger as its hands clutched its neck, trying to stop the bleeding. Then, without any hesitation, he turned to the other Goblin and swung his blade. However, by now, it had already taken out its dagger and was about to stab him again.
The dagger made its way downward, but Jihoon's blade was faster. He slashed the Goblin's dagger-wielding arm as it shrieked in pain. Just as he was about to use the moment, the other two Goblins tried to slash his back from behind. They were ready to sacrifice their comrade if it meant killing Jihoon.
Unfortunately for them, Jihoon saw it coming, as he had studied their desperate tendencies in school. So he jumped back and created enough distance between all of them.
Two alive, another two useless. I can do this. Now is a good time to use my Mana Skill…
He thought grimly. Goblins, all at the same rank as him. Yet here he was, struggling.
Everyone at the top has already cleared this dungeon, and they are at the same rank as me.
He was dissatisfied, a frown on his face.
What Jihoon did not know was that even though they were at the same rank, they had been awakened longer than him and were one minor rank above him when they challenged this dungeon. So standing here as somebody who practically just awakened three days ago, and was just at the beginning of F-Rank, was a death sentence.
However, even if he had known that he would still have done the same.
I need to catch up… some have been awakened for months!
Both groups stared at each other as nobody wanted to make the first move. By now, the Mana of the third dead Goblin had traveled toward his Mana Heart and was ready for refinement.
If I kill all of them, I will advance to Mid F-Rank…
So, without further ado, he took a green vial hanging on his belt and unscrewed it. This was the only healing potion he could afford after spending all his money on his F-Rank sword. As he drank the potion, the wounds on his body slowly started to close. The blood stopped leaking, and all the bacteria that could infect the wound were killed. However, while his wounds were healed, his exhaustion remained.
While he was healing, the Goblins formed a formation. The two uninjured Goblins stood in the front while the one that was injured stood behind them. Their hatred-filled eyes stared into his as they slowly closed the distance.
Time to use the Seven Star Strengthening Skill we got taught…
The moment the Goblins came into his range, he activated his Skill. The Mana from his Mana Circle stirred; it traveled across his Pathways toward rotating stars inside his legs. The moment the Mana touched the stars, Jihoon's body shot forward. He stabbed his sword forward. The Goblin was barely able to defend its neck, so Jihoon's sword instead stabbed its shoulder.
Fuck… only one more use.
Jihoon thought after realizing that he had not killed the Goblin. Nevertheless, he had a plan. The other Goblin utilized this chance to attack, as Jihoon had not jumped back to safety. He ducked the Goblin's sword as a cover-up before picking up dirt from the ground. He quickly moved to the side, and the injured Goblin followed.
Got you!
He slashed toward the Goblin and at the same time threw dirt into its eyes. The monster quickly blocked the dirt, but by the time it looked again, Jihoon was gone. He stood before both of the injured ones as his sword had already made its way forward. It cut through their necks like tofu, but unfortunately for him, the distracted Goblin was already behind him. Just as he killed the second Goblin, his body was slammed and tossed through the air, landing where the fight had begun.
"Argh…"
Jihoon groaned before quickly standing up. He looked at the Goblin that was running toward him, yelling with hate. Then he looked down at the immobile Goblin its eyes a mixture of hate and sadness. An evil smirk appeared on his face. He fought through the pain of his body and killed the last injured Goblin. By now, the last Goblin was close. Its breath was ragged, and red streaks of lightning shone across its eyes as its snarl, filled with hatred, echoed across the woods.
"Goblin's Rage!"
Jihoon exclaimed and was about to activate his Skill. However, it was too late. The Goblin's fist slammed into his face and his body flew a couple of meters before getting stopped by a tree.
"AHHH!"
He yelled in pain. Everything hurt. The grip on his sword loosened as blood started to flow from his mouth. The Goblin stood before him, snickering, clearly enjoying his suffering.
His teeth were broken.
His nose caved in.
He could barely breathe as he swallowed blood and teeth with every breath he took. The taste of iron filled his mouth, and his smile had faded by now.
Is this the end? Is this as far as I can come? IS THIS WHAT I AMOUNT TO? DID MY FAMILY DIE JUST FOR ME TO GIVE UP?
He screamed inside his mind as the deaths of his parents and sister kept replaying. His Mana was barely enough to keep going. However, he had one last chance.
One last attack.
No matter what… I WILL NOT GIVE UP!
He slowly stood up, his battered body barely allowing him. Blood kept seeping from his body, slowly forming a puddle around him. His wounds had reopened. Jihoon fought through pain, fear of death, and insecurity just to stand up.
One last attack, even if I die.
He put his mind to it, he was ready.
Suddenly, a deep and cryptic voice echoed through the dungeon, yet Jihoon did not notice it.
"Finally, somebody worthy has appeared… Oh, young one, I am sorry for the responsibility I am about to bestow upon you."
He picked up the sword and gripped it with anger. He looked at the Goblin as it stood there, laughing at his miserable state. Without any hesitation, he lunged at the Goblin as he activated his Mana. He was barely able to move, but he ignored it and just kept going. Just as the moment that decided everything was about to commence, Jihoon's vision turned black.
In a black space surrounded by nothing, Jihoon's screams echoed through the void. His body was slowly deconstructed and reconstructed, and a golden tattoo appeared on his back. The golden tattoo started to hum in a golden color before slowly disappearing into his body.
A second later, Jihoon's body disappeared in black smoke.