William was panting heavily. Holding off this five-meter-tall monster on his own was no joke. The beast kept swinging its massive arms, and each time, William deflected the blows with gritted teeth and raw strength.
What are they doing? He thought, irritation bubbling beneath his focus. It had been a while since any of them attacked the goblin. He wanted to glance over and see what ridiculous idea they were cooking up, but he couldn't afford even a second of distraction. One slip, one careless moment, and it was game over.
That was a lesson hard-earned over ten long years of adventuring.
He had long since lost count of how many adventurers had died to monsters throughout his career. That was why he made himself a promise, with this team, he would do everything in his power to keep them alive.
But the goblin's attacks were growing more vicious, more relentless. Each strike that William deflected felt heavier than the last, forcing him to dig deeper just to hold his ground. Sweat soaked through his inner shirt, dripping down his back.
As he stepped back to create space, his foot caught on a tree root.
Damn! I was careless!
He stumbled and fell hard onto his backside. His eyes widened as the goblin raised its massive arm to finish him off.
But before the blow could land—
FWOOOSH!
A blazing firebolt exploded against the goblin's face, halting its strike and making it recoil with a shriek.
"RRRAAAARRR!"
The goblin roared, enraged. It was beyond annoyed. Every time it tried to land a fatal blow, someone would jump in at the last second to stop it. Now, it turned its head to the side and spotted the culprit: a woman with a staff, smoke rising from its tip, glaring daggers at him.
"Charged Shot!"
WHAM!
A powerful bow blast struck its right leg, throwing it off balance. Before it could recover, that infuriating cockroach (Bob) kept hacking away at its legs. The relentless assault finally brought the goblin crashing to the ground with a thunderous thud.
Furious, the goblin went into a frenzy. These pests weren't just a threat, they were an insult. Killing them wouldn't be enough. No. It would wipe out the entire nearby town after it was done here, just to make a point.
Screaming like a beast, it forced itself to stand back up, its massive body trembling with rage. Its wild eyes scanned the group of adventurers, but something felt off. They weren't attacking. They were just… waiting.
And that cockroach Bob? He was grinning. Grinning like he'd already won.
Then, it hit the goblin. Someone was missing.
Yes. The weakest one.
That pathetic human.
Gone.
"AAARGGHHH!"
A sudden scream rang out above its head.
The goblin looked up and froze.
There, in mid-air, was the weak human. The useless one.
But behind him....something massive.
The goblin's eyes widened as it realized what the human was holding.
Its spiked club.
The same club that had crushed walls, shattered armies, and soaked in the blood of thousands, both human and monster alike. The symbol of its might. The weapon that had made it feared across lands.
And now… that very club was raised high, the man's back bent to store every ounce of strength his frail body could muster.
The goblin barely had time to process the insult.
Then...
WHAM!
The club came crashing down onto its head, smashing it so hard that its neck practically vanished, like its head had been planted into its shoulders. Broken teeth scattered like pebbles, and a spray of green blood burst into the air. Its conscious then vanished...forever.
---
I swung the club with everything I had, like I was back at the mall, playing one of those strength-testing arcade games.
Sure, I never got even one-tenth of the high score back then...
But this time?
This time, I was certain I hit the maximum.
The massive spiked club embedded itself into the elite goblin's skull.
It stood there for a moment, like it didn't even realize it was dead yet...
Then finally, it collapsed with a loud thud.
A heavy silence fell over the area.
I stood there, frozen, staring at the fallen giant goblin, completely in disbelief at what I had just done.
Slowly, I turned around to face the others.
"We did it!" Evelyn and Bob rushed toward me and tackled me into a hug.
"YEAHHHHH!" I screamed, pumping my fists in the air.
It felt like I had just scored a last-minute winning goal in the World Cup Final.
Yeah. That's exactly what it felt like.
Pure chaos. Pure triumph. Pure…me not dying.
William finally let out a deep breath and smiled. He lowered his axe and rested it beside him.This was a tough battle, even though he'd faced more dangerous ones in the past.
Still, watching the trio celebrate, he couldn't help but reminisce about his own first big quest. The excitement, the disbelief, the raw joy of surviving something that was supposed to kill you… Yeah, it brought back memories of his early days with his seniors.
Thump!
He felt a light bump against his left side. Glancing over, he saw Maya standing beside him, casually tapping him with her staff.
"Good job, leader," she said, offering him a rare smile.
William grinned and gave her a thumbs up, looking like he'd just walked out of a Colgate ad.
We were still enjoying our victory when Maya walked over, her arms crossed, staff in one hand, and eyes cold as ice.
"To use my Wind Blast skill just to launch a person… that's completely unacceptable," she said, glaring at Bob like he committed a crime against magic itself.
Evelyn looped her arm around Maya's shoulder with a bright smile.
"Take it easy, sis. Thanks to you, our plan actually worked."
"Yeah!" Bob added enthusiastically, making a rocket-launch gesture. "That Wind Blast was epic! One hit and, whoosh! This guy was flying like a firework on New Year's!"
I scratched my head, remembering the moment in question.
Initially, Maya and I refused the idea outright. What did Bob think I was? A human cannonball? He tried to reassure me by saying he'd heal me if I broke any bones. And for free, he added. Yeah, thanks for that motivational support.
As for Maya, she was just as skeptical. But after Evelyn promised to buy her a strawberry cake once they returned to the capital, she reluctantly agreed.
So she can be bribed, huh?
While Bob and Evelyn distracted the monster, Maya removed the ice binding from the spiked club. I gripped it like it was just a wooden bat, never mind the fact that it was twice my size and weight. Then, she cast a gust of wind that struck me in the back, launching me forward like a human missile. Another blast came midair, shooting me high above the battlefield.
I swear, my face must've looked like one of those astronauts in a G-force simulator, completely distorted by the wind.
For a few seconds, I floated.
From up there, I could see everything, the endless forest stretching into the horizon, the distant rooftops of Lily Town, a few scattered villages…
It was peaceful. Serene.
But only for a moment.
Gravity then did its work.
I fell downward at a tremendous speed so fast it was hard to see anything clearly. My mouth hung open, and saliva flew in all directions. But I was determined, I had to make sure that, no matter what, this club must planted into that monster's head.
Recalling that experience made me shiver. I really hoped I wouldn't have another crazy moment like that again.
While we were celebrating, catching our breath and soaking in the victory…
Suddenly, we heard a voice.
"Well, well… what do we have here?"
The cheerful air froze instantly.