Suddenly, a chilling wind swept past me. In that instant, a shard of ice formed mid-air and trapped the spiked club, just a few centimeters from smashing my face into oblivion. I froze in disbelief and collapsed onto the ground, stunned.
"Are you alright, Alan?" Evelyn rushed over with Bob close behind.
"Dude, you're not hit, right?" Bob asked, patting my face all over as if to make sure my eyes, nose, and mouth were still in place.
"I'm fine," I said, brushing his hands away and trying to stand up.
Just then, Maya appeared in front of me.
"Watch yourself during battle," she said coldly, her eyes fixed sternly on me. "This time, consider yourself lucky. But one day, your party members won't always be there to save you."
"I-I get it," I stammered, finally managing to stand.
Is it wrong to avoid fighting? I thought to myself. Since arriving in this world, I believed I could survive by staying close to Bob and steering clear of danger. But now… it seemed I might need to rethink that.
"Guys, we still have the Elite to take care of," William said as he turned back toward the towering goblin.
Evelyn and Bob quickly regrouped with him.
"Thanks, Maya, I owe you one" I muttered, brushing dirt off my pants.
"Hmph." Maya didn't even look at me, just turned and walked off.
The Elite Goblin roared in frustration. It stomped around, then, to everyone's horror, ripped a whole tree out of the ground like it was pulling a weed.
"Okay, uh... he's getting emotional," I said, backing up a little.
"Be careful, everyone. He's gone vegan," Bob said as he readied his sword, Hero Grace skill already on standby.
Then the goblin yanked out another tree, eyes wild, muscles bulging, and very clearly staring at me. Why me?! I didn't even do anything! I didn't even want to be here!
"Oh no! I totally forgot something!" Evelyn suddenly blurted.
We all turned to her. Even the Elite Goblin paused slightly, like he wanted to know.
"What?" William asked.
"I read this adventurer's report once… Elite Goblins can smell the weakest member of the group, and they go after them first."
...…
There was silence.
"WHY don't you just tell us after I get smashed to bits by that monster?!" I sarcastically yelled, panic rising in my throat. "That seems very relevant to my continued existence!"
"Teehee," Evelyn giggled, tapping her head like an anime sidekick. "My bad."
Maya sighed, "This is why I told you not to bring them.
William just nodded. "Well, at least now we know who it's targeting."
I tried to ignore whatever suspicious plans were brewing in their minds, even though I knew exactly what they were thinking. Still, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"You'll be the bait," William said casually, like he was volunteering to protect me from a bunch of stray cats. "Don't worry, I'll protect you while the others kite it."
The elite goblin suddenly charged straight at us, or more accurately, straight at me.
"Disperse!" William shouted.
The goblin swung the tree trunk it held like a club, and it slammed into the exact spot we were standing just three seconds ago.
Evelyn leapt into the air with the grace of a jungle cat. Bob zipped sideways with his Dash Slash, looking way too cool for the situation. Maya darted in the opposite direction, her robes fluttering like a flag. William raised his axe, deflecting the flying tree debris.
And me? I panicked. I jumped, tripped over nothing, and tumbled face-first into a tree.
"Don't go too far, Alan!" William yelled.
I turned my head, and the goblin's massive left arm was already mid-swing. I ducked instinctively, and the gust of wind from the blow nearly gave me a new haircut. A beam of sunlight warmed the top of my head… because the tree I was next to was now a stump. The rest had vanished.
The goblin raised both of its massive hands, clumping them together like it was about to turn me into a pancake.
"Tch," Maya clicked her tongue. "Firebolt!"
A ball of flame shot from her staff and struck the goblin in the back, causing it to stumble forward with a grunt.
I didn't wait any longer. I sprinted as fast as my legs would allow, I dove behind the ice-covered spiked club, hoping that the goblin would not found me.
Bob activated Hero Grace, dashing in and slashing at the goblin's legs. Evelyn zipped in with her own flurry of attacks, gracefully landing shots on its thick hide. Unfortunately, the goblin's skin was so tough that their combined efforts barely left more than a few burns and scratches.
It roared in anger and began retaliating. First, it tried to grab Evelyn, but she was too quick as she leaping out of reach like a squirrel. Then it swung a hefty kick at Bob, clearly mistaking him for a particularly annoying cockroach. William, as steady as ever, used his Taunt skill, drawing its attention back with a loud shout.
For a moment, it worked. The goblin glared at him with burning rage… but only for a moment.
Then it started looking around.
Oh no.
I knew exactly what it was searching for.
Its eyes locked onto mine.
And then, it charged.
Have you ever seen a five-meter-tall goblin rush toward you like a freight train? No? Lucky you.
I screamed. I screamed like a woman in a horror movie who just opened the wrong closet.
William intervened at the last possible moment, activating Defensive Stance and ramming the goblin sideways with his axe. The impact was strong enough to push the goblin off balance, though William himself tumbled back a few steps. He was really becoming the MVP of this battle.
Now the goblin looked very angry.
"Why were you screaming like a little girl?" Bob asked casually as he appeared beside me.
"Easy for you to say," I shot back, still catching my breath. "I'm just a normal guy in this insane boss fight. One hit and I'm a goner."
Bob gave me a side glance. Then he looked at the iced spiked club. Then back at me. Slowly, a grin spread across his face like a cat who just spotted an unattended roast chicken.
"I've got a great idea," he said, eyes sparkling with mischief.
Oh no. No no no. My heart couldn't take any more "great ideas." Not after almost becoming human jam.
"Maya! Evelyn! Gather at me!" Bob shouted, suddenly taking on the role of a vice captain while the captain was busy.
"Why are you calling me? I'm trying to keep William from getting flattened here!" Maya barked as she stormed over, fire already forming at her ornate staff.
"What is it, Bob? Please tell me you have a plan." Evelyn said, dropping down from a branch.
"Yup!" Bob replied proudly. He adjusted his glasses with a single finger, making them sparkle dramatically.
"And it's gonna be a big one."