[Goblin Scout POV]
The forest was wrong, even the air felt uneasy.
A group of goblins moved carefully through the dense trees, weapons raised while their sharp eyes scanned every direction.
There were more than twenty of them in total Goblin Scouts, Goblin Warriors and several Elite Goblins.
And leading them—
A massive Goblin General clad in dark armor made from monster bones is one of the strongest goblins capable of existing naturally. The Goblin General growled lowly a deep, irritated sound, too many had disappeared recently.
Goblin nests ogre territory even powerful monsters that normally ruled parts of the forest.
Gone or maybe dead, vanished without explanation. The goblins muttered nervously among themselves, their rough language filled with unease.
"Dragon?"
One scout whispered shakily, another snarled back immediately.
"No dragon scent."
"Humans?"
The Elite Goblin carrying a massive axe shook its head.
"Humans weak."
Then what?
Nothing in this forest should have been capable of causing this much destruction unnoticed. Not even the stronger monsters nearby the Goblin General suddenly stopped walking.
Its sharp yellow eyes narrowed something felt wrong; the forest had become too quiet. No insects, no birds, no movement, one of the scouts near the back turned suddenly.
"…?"
Nothing.
The goblin frowned.
Then—
A shadow moved.
SHHKK!!
Blood sprayed across the trees and the goblin's head vanished instantly.
"…!"
The others froze, no scream and no warning.
Just—
Gone.
The group erupted into panicked growls, weapons rising immediately. The Elite Goblins spread out defensively but they saw nothing.
Only trees, darkness, silence, another scout stepped backward nervously. Its breathing quickened.
Then—
THRASH!!
Something flashed through the forest and the goblin beside him split apart instantly blood painted the ground.
Still—
No enemy.
Fear spread through the group rapidly now even the Goblin Warriors began tightening their grips nervously. The Goblin General roared violently, shaking the trees around them demanding the hidden attacker reveal itself.
No response.
Then—
A body dropped from above one of the scouts or what remained of him. The corpse hit the ground with a wet crunch and several goblins panicked immediately.
Breaking formation looking everywhere desperately that mistake killed them and a blur moved between the trees.
SHHHK!
THRASH!
BOOM!
One goblin lost its arm, another was pierced cleanly through the chest. A third disappeared entirely as something smashed through him with overwhelming force. The attacks came endlessly, fast, precisely and silent.
The forest itself had become the enemy; the Goblin General's instincts screamed danger. Not predator, not monster, something worse.
Then—
The attacks stopped, silence returned once more the surviving goblins breathed heavily, terrified eyes darting through the darkness. Only a few remained now, two Elite Goblins and the Goblin General.
And several badly injured warriors.
Then—
Footsteps.
Slow, calm and deliberate a figure emerged from the trees.
Human.
Black hair, metallic gray eyes, a spear resting casually over his shoulder the goblins froze.
Confused.
This?
This human had done all of that?
Yuuya stared at them calmly, almost curiously.
"…Huh."
He glanced around at the bodies scattered across the forest floor.
"…Guess I got a little carried away."
The Goblin General roared furiously as the pressure exploding from its body shook nearby trees violently. The remaining Elite Goblins rushed forward immediately Yuuya sighed softly.
"…Alright."
The Absolute Spear spun once in his hand, his stance lowered slightly.
Then—
His eyes sharpened.
"…Let's do this properly."
The moment the remaining goblins charged—
Yuuya moved.
[Ding]
You have acquired the skill: [Dodge]
[Dodge]:: Instinctively improves evasive movement during combat.
[Ding]
You have acquired the skill: [Detect Weakness]
[Detect Weakness]:: Allows the user to identify weak points in enemies and objects.
"…Useful."
The first Elite Goblin swung its massive blade downward and Yuuya disappeared.
[Flash Step]
The goblin's attack smashed into empty ground.
Before it could react—
Yuuya appeared behind it and the Absolute Spear pierced forward instantly.
THRASH!!
The strike punched directly through the weak point in its neck and the massive creature collapsed before it even understood what happened. The remaining warriors panicked immediately, their formation completely shattered.
Yuuya vanished again.
This time—
Even the Goblin General lost sight of him.
[Stealth]
[Stealth]:: Conceals presence and suppresses detection.
The forest grew silent once more.
Then—
Screams.
One goblin suddenly split apart as something flashed through the darkness, another was dragged violently into the trees. Blood sprayed across bark and leaves the survivors swung wildly into empty space.
Terrified and confused Yuuya moved through them like a phantom, appearing to disappear and kill then vanishing again.
One goblin turned too slowly—
The Omni-Sword removed its arm instantly.
Another lunged desperately—
Yuuya sidestepped effortlessly before the blade flashed upward cleanly through its chest.
Then—
The weapon changed again, the sword vanished a black whip appeared in Yuuya's hand.
"…Let's try this."
The whip cracked through the air violently.
CRAAAACK!!
A goblin warrior's body exploded apart from the impact. Another was wrapped around the neck before being slammed hard enough into a tree to shatter the trunk entirely.
"…Okay."
Yuuya blinked.
"…That's terrifying."
Within moments—
The forest became quiet again, bodies littered the battlefield, blood stained the ground. Broken weapons scattered everywhere, only one remained standing.
The Goblin General.
The massive creature glared at Yuuya with murderous rage, its body trembling from overwhelming killing intent.
Unlike the others—
I wasn't afraid anymore, I understand now.
This human—
Was the monster.
Yuuya slowly exhaled.
Then—
The whip disappeared, a massive axe materialized in his hands, heavy, brutal and perfectly balanced.
"…Alright."
His stance shifted again naturally through [True Martial Art].
"…You look tough."
The Goblin General roared thunderously as dark energy exploded around its body and the ground cracked beneath its feet.
Yuuya smiled slightly.
"…Good."
The Goblin General's massive body shook the forest with every step it took dark energy poured from its frame as it raised an enormous battle axe covered in dried blood.
Yuuya activated [Appraisal] instantly.
[Goblin General]
Level: 200
Magic: 1000
Attack: 9000
Defense: 3000
Agility: 500
Intelligence: 500
Luck: 100
"…Nine thousand attack?"
Yuuya raised an eyebrow.
"…Yeah, getting hit by that probably isn't a good idea."
The Goblin General roared violently—
And charged.
The ground exploded beneath its feet despite its massive size, the creature moved surprisingly fast. Its axe came crashing downward toward Yuuya's head.
But—
Yuuya vanished.
[Flash Step]
The attack shattered the earth where he'd been standing moments earlier.
Before the Goblin General could recover—
Yuuya appeared at its side and the massive axe in his hands swung instantly.
BOOM!!
The strike slammed directly into the monster's ribs; the impact launched the Goblin General sideways through multiple trees.
But Yuuya didn't stop, he accelerated again immediately.
Another strike then another fast attack mixed with slow, devastating blows designed to crush through defense completely.
The Goblin General barely had time to recover between attacks.
Every opening—
Yuuya was exploited instantly.
A horizontal slash tore across its chest and a heavy overhead smash cracked its shoulder armor.
Then—
A sudden kick to the abdomen sent the monster skidding backward again.
"…Good."
Yuuya adjusted his stance.
"…You're actually surviving this."
Truthfully—
He could probably end the fight already but he didn't want to yet this was a valuable experience. A real battle against a powerful enemy.
The longer the fight continued—
The more Yuuya learned the Goblin General roared furiously and swung again.
This time—
Yuuya dodged beneath the strike effortlessly.
[Dodge] constantly remaining passive.
He flowed around the attack like water before burying the axe into the creature's side.
Blood exploded outward and the Goblin General staggered breathing heavily now. Its movements are slower and more desperate.
Meanwhile—
Yuuya was adapting rapidly and his weapon control improved with every exchange and every movement smoother than the last.
About a minute into the battle—
Something clicked, a violent surge of understanding rushed through him the combination of momentum. Power, weapon weight, body rotation a new technique formed instinctively inside his mind.
[Hellish Act Slam] :: A destructive martial technique that channels overwhelming force into a single crushing blow.
"…Oh?"
Yuuya's eyes widened slightly.
Then—
He smiled.
"…Let's test it."
The Goblin General charged recklessly toward him one final time its axe raised high killing intent exploding outward. Yuuya lowered his stance and the massive axe tightened in both hands power surged through his muscles violently.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
Then—
He moved.
BOOOOOM!!!
Yuuya launched upward with terrifying force before bringing the axe down in a devastating arc.
"HELLISH CLEAV!"
The impact shook the entire forest.
End of the chapter 8