The Hobgoblin braced itself, daggers spinning in one final flourish before the charge. Its muscles coiled, ready to leap at Hiro.
It never moved.
In an instant—so fast Cassian barely tracked it with her eyes—Hiro closed the distance.
His knee slammed into the Hobgoblin's abdomen with a dull, sickening thud.
WHOMP.
"GAAAH!"
The goblin was literally hurled across the chamber, its body smashing into the stone wall hard enough to spiderweb cracks through the rock.
The Hobgoblin staggered to its feet, spitting blood. Its yellow eyes were wide with shock.
"Impossible..."
Its hand dove into its belt, pulling out a handful of small blades. It flung them all at once, aiming at Hiro in a pattern impossible to dodge.
Hiro ran.
The blades missed—not by much, but enough. He zigzagged, pivoted, his body moving with grace.
They met in the middle of the chamber, blades clashing in a metallic frenzy. Sparks flew with every impact.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG.
The Hobgoblin retreated, daggers crossed defensively in front of it.
Then it snapped them open.
Hidden blades shot from the handles in every direction—eight, no, twelve—connected by nearly invisible wires. They wove a deadly net, closing on Hiro like a cage.
"DIE!"
Hiro dodged the first wire, parried the first blade. Then the second. The third.
One blade grazed him, tearing his sleeve. But he kept moving, anticipating every trajectory.
Almost perfect. Almost.
The Hobgoblin seized the moment of distraction, leaping at Hiro with its main daggers raised.
Mistake.
Hiro pivoted, sweeping the goblin's legs. The creature crashed to the ground.
Before it could react, Hiro was on it, sword raised for the killing blow.
"NO!"
The Hobgoblin hurled its main dagger—not at Hiro, but at the ceiling.
A decoy.
Mid-flight, the handle exploded. A swarm of tiny needles—dozens—burst in all directions like shrapnel.
Hiro leaped backward instantly. No, not just backward—he jumped high, easily four meters, landing against the far wall.
The needles struck the floor where he'd stood, each producing a sinister little tink.
Poisoned. They're all poisoned.
Then, before the needles even finished falling, Hiro pushed off the wall.
He crossed the chamber in a flash, covering the distance in a second.
The Hobgoblin looked up, shocked. "How did you..."
Hiro's fingers closed around its throat.
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WHAM.
He slammed it into the ground. Once. Twice. Three times. The goblin's skull bounced off the stone with nauseating cracks.
"Stop... stop..."
Hiro didn't stop. He grabbed the Hobgoblin's arm—the one still holding a dagger. Placed his foot on the creature's head.
And pulled.
Hiro's sword swung in a clean arc.
SHLICK.
The arm severed from the body, bone offering no resistance to the blade.
The Hobgoblin's scream echoed through the entire cave.
"BROOOOOOOK!"
Brok? What's Brok?
A few seconds of silence.
Then the ground exploded.
Hiro leaped just in time, landing against the wall as a massive maw erupted from the floor. Teeth like knives.
And behind the teeth, an entire creature hauled itself out of the ground.
What the hell IS that thing?!
It was massive. Easily the size of an average house. Dense, ashen fur covered its rounded, bloated body. Short but incredibly sturdy legs supported its bulk. And its maw...
It could've swallowed me whole.
The Hobgoblin—clutching its bloody stump—crawled out of the maw and climbed onto the creature's head.
"Brok! Kill him! KILL HIM!"
The creature—Brok—roared, and Cassian felt the vibrations even through her paralysis.
Brok charged.
Hiro dodged, but the Hobgoblin was now throwing blades from its perch. It used invisible wires to rebound, gaining speed, becoming a second projectile.
The fight turned chaotic. Hiro moved between Brok's attacks and the Hobgoblin's blades. Parrying. Dodging. Counterattacking when he could.
They ascended. Through tunnels. Cavities. The ceiling collapsed at one point, revealing the sky.
The surface.
Brok shook its fur violently. A cloud of dust—no, not just dust, something thicker, like spores—exploded in every direction.
A smoke screen.
But Hiro didn't slow. He charged straight into the cloud, his sword glowing.
SHLICK. SHLICK. SHLICK.
Red lines appeared across Brok's body. One. Two. Five. Ten. Deep slashes cutting through fur, flesh, organs.
Brok staggered. Fell.
And didn't get up.
The Hobgoblin, still perched on its dying creature's head, stared in horror.
Then it jumped, trying to flee.
A hand caught it mid-air.
Hiro yanked it down with brutal force.
CRASH.
The Hobgoblin slammed into the rocky ground, bones cracking audibly. It coughed blood, trying to stand.
"No..." Its voice was weak. Broken. "This isn't... this can't be real."
It forced itself to its knees, clutching its bloody stump to its chest.
"I still have so much to accomplish. I... I'm not meant to die today. The world needs to know my name." It spread its arms—or arm. "I am..."
Hiro's sword severed both its legs.
"I SU..."
The head rolled, separating from the body.
Silence.
The Hobgoblin's body collapsed, limp.
---
Cassian, still paralyzed in the cave below, hadn't seen the end. But she'd heard it. The screams. The impacts. Then... silence.
Is it over? Did Hiro win?
---
Hiro stood over the bodies, panting. Then...
DING!
A floating window appeared in front of him. His eyes widened.
[Level Up!]
This was so worth it.
Two red-marked enemies. He'd beaten them. Thanks to...
[Heroic Fury]
Cost: Skill points (user's choice)
Effect: Gain power equivalent to points consumed for 5 minutes
Cooldown: 1 month
He'd consumed half his Charisma points. Thirty points. Not a combat stat, so the logical choice.
Without it, things could've gone badly.
His passive—Steel Hero—multiplied his physical abilities by four while wielding a sword. Already strong. But against a trained Hobgoblin and a boss-level creature?
I would've needed a lot of help.
A new notification appeared.
[Skill: Heroic Fury]
[Upgrade conditions met]
[Upgrade? Cost: 33% EXP]
Hiro didn't hesitate. He accepted.
[Heroic Fury – Level 2]
Cooldown: 1 month → 29 days 23 hours
Hiro stared at the screen.
Blinked.
Stared again.
"...One hour." His voice was flat. "The cooldown decreased by ONE HOUR."
What does that even change over a MONTH?!
He closed the window with more force than necessary.
---
He descended back into the cave, finding Cassian exactly where he'd left her. Still paralyzed, her eyes tracking his movements.
"Hey." He knelt. "You hurt?"
She couldn't answer. Her eyes shifted to her thigh—the cut.
"Okay. I'll get you out of here."
He gently lifted her into his arms. Cassian wanted to protest—I can walk myself, asshole—but her body wouldn't cooperate.
Embarrassing. So embarrassing.
Footsteps echoed. Hiro turned, ready to fight.
Lena and Lucia emerged from a side tunnel, out of breath.
"Hiro!" Lena ran to him. "We heard massive fighting sounds and..." She stopped, seeing Cassian in his arms. "...why are you carrying Cassian?"
"She's paralyzed," Hiro explained briefly.
Lucia approached immediately, hands glowing with golden light. She examined the cut on Cassian's thigh.
"I can heal the physical wound, but not the paralysis." She gently placed her hands, warmth spreading. The cut closed, leaving no scar. "Healing magic fixes bodily injuries, not ailments or status alterations. Sorry."
Too bad.
"It'll probably wear off soon," Lucia added with an encouraging smile. "It's temporary."
Soon. What does "soon" mean?
Lena watched Hiro with a strange expression. "You... you seem different. Less... impressive?"
Lucia nodded. "Yeah. Something changed."
Hiro tilted his head. "Really?"
In Hiro's arms, Cassian could only watch and listen. At least I didn't wake up in this world as a goblin. That would've been SO much worse.
If I'd been a goblin and met Hiro...
Yeah. I'd be dead. Instantly. Logically.
She glanced at Hiro's profile. He's strong. Really strong. It's an advantage having him around.
I'll use him to get out of these Cursed Lands. Then I'll ditch him.
---
They finally emerged from the cave, the suns welcoming them.
In the distance, a figure walked slowly. A man—an adventurer, by his gear—dragging a gigantic sack behind him. And the sack was overflowing with...
"No way," Lena whispered.
Summer's Tears. Hundreds. Maybe thousands.
The man took a step. His foot twisted on a rock.
"Ah!"
He toppled.
Straight toward a ravine none of them had noticed.
"OH NO!"
He vanished into the void, his screams fading quickly.
The group ran to the edge, peering down.
Black. They couldn't even see the bottom.
"...Hell of a fall," Hiro said finally.
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then all eyes turned to the abandoned sack. Still full. Overflowing with Summer's Tears.
Hiro looked at Lena. Lena looked at Lucia. Lucia looked at Cassian (who couldn't respond). Cassian would've rolled her eyes if she could.
No one said a word.
"...We take them," Hiro decided finally.
He began transferring the plants into the storage ring. Handful after handful. The ring glowed with each addition.
Then he stopped, trying to add more. Nothing happened.
"It's full."
They looked at the sack. Still half full.
"This guy..." Lena whistled softly. "He was trying to strip the whole mountain. How long did it take him to gather all this?"
"Weeks?" Lucia suggested. "Months?"
Hiro closed the ring. "We can't take it all. Sorry, dead stranger. Your efforts won't be fully honored."
They started walking away, Hiro still carrying Cassian.
"At least the quest is done," Lucia said cheerfully. "We can go home!"
BANG.
Something slammed into Lucia from behind. She rolled on the ground, standing with a look of pure shock.
A goat stood there. The goat. The one they'd followed.
Lucia's face shifted from surprise to pure anger.
"That GOAT."
"IT'S DEAD," Lena declared, drawing her sword.
Hiro gently set Cassian against a rock. "Wait here."
Then he charged with the girls.
The goat, realizing it had made a terrible mistake, ran.
