I picked up the rusty spear and resumed my advance, hoping to encounter weaker adversaries on my path.
Time passed inexorably.
It was impossible to determine exactly how many hours had elapsed, so I continued my march with extreme caution. I wanted to avoid the physical exhaustion I had experienced earlier, but I couldn't afford the luxury of resting in that hostile environment.
Unlike my previous life, I was willing to sacrifice anything to keep breathing.
I had already experienced death once. It was cold and terrifying. Losing the sensation of existence was an indescribably horrific experience.
I didn't want to die again. I longed to live. I wanted to live at any cost and by any means possible.
I hunted and eliminated five more goblins; I now possessed eight soul fragments. It was meticulous progress, but not without considerable risks.
I realized the inadequacy of my imagination, despite having believed I was "prepared" to face this challenge.
What a ridiculous notion!
I simply couldn't have conceived the raw reality of the predators' screams and roars I had to eliminate, the putrid stench emanating from the goblins' bodies, the metallic smell of their thick blood, or the terrifying speed at which these creatures moved.
I shuddered at the goblins' unrestrained fury and insatiable hunger, horrified by their frenzy to rip open my abdomen and feast on my pulsating entrails. This wasn't an epic battle between good and evil; the Tower was a relentless war for survival.
The chamber stretching beyond teemed with monsters, and my mental preparations proved utterly useless against such a panorama.
The screams and savage ferocity of the creatures eager to tear me apart were my personal hell. And in this hell, instead of eternal fire, an asphyxiating darkness reigned, and the monsters howled instead of sinners. Bloodied bodies of beasts, still writhing in their agony, piled up before me as a macabre reminder of my struggle.
Nothing was easy. Yet, that didn't mean I wasn't progressing toward my goal.
I only needed two more goblins to complete my awakening and receive its transformative benefits.
But simultaneously, anxiety grew within me. Some goblins had a higher level of existence, and there was a chance I might encounter one significantly more powerful than the others.
I had to hunt all goblins with extreme caution unless I knew their level beforehand.
As I silently slipped through a new corridor, I spotted my next prey.
Goblins were clumsy creatures. They had extraordinarily sharp hearing but seemed to lack other developed senses. They lacked the so-called sixth sense, the intuitive perception of danger. A weakness I could exploit to my advantage.
This specimen carried no weapons and was considerably smaller than the other goblins I had faced. Better yet, it was fast asleep, oblivious to the threat approaching.
Sleep wasn't a sin. Unless you possessed a special ability that infinitely restored your stamina, drowsiness affected all creatures, weak or powerful.
I had found numerous goblins hiding while asleep, and with a calculated coldness that was becoming increasingly natural to me, I had annihilated them all without hesitation.
I crept closer and drove the tip of my spear into its exposed throat. It was enough to pierce the sleeping opponent's neck, which didn't even have time to register its own end.
That simple.
After extracting the spear with a fluid motion, I meticulously surveyed the surroundings to ensure no danger lurked, as had become my habit. Confirming no threat was near, I approached to absorb the soul fragment floating ethereally above the monster's corpse.
[Soul fragments: 9/10]
After incorporating the soul into my being, I turned with the intention of continuing my path. To my absolute horror, standing before me was an extraordinarily anomalous-looking goblin, staring at me with a piercing gaze.
My heart seemed to stop abruptly. The goblin wielded a knife in its right hand. It was a crude, rusty instrument, but a deadly weapon nonetheless.
Its skin had an unusually vibrant green hue, its body displayed defined muscles and a height similar to mine, complemented by enormous yellowish fangs and red eyes gleaming with malice in the dim light.
The goblin let out a guttural laugh. Its confident demeanor instantly made my heart shrink.
"Perfect, just what I needed," I thought with bitter sarcasm.
Damn it, I could truly sense the vast difference between Hell mode and other difficulties just by looking at this monster.
Until that moment, I had only fought goblins under 100 centimeters tall. Without a doubt, this creature was infinitely stronger than me, far more powerful than any previous opponent.
An icy shiver ran down my spine. I was breathing seemingly normally, but my heart pounded violently against my ribs. My throat felt so dry and rough that I feared it would tear at any moment.
Without thinking twice, I hurled the spear at the monster with all my strength and took off in a frantic sprint, desperately hoping my attack would buy me a few vital seconds.
I had no viable alternative. If I didn't use the spear as a distraction, the monster would catch me in seconds and tear me apart without mercy.
I ran with desperation, like never before.
To my momentary relief, the distance between the knife-wielding goblin and me began to gradually increase.
However, quickly learning from my tactics, the goblin threw its knife at me with murderous intent. It was a relatively clumsy gesture, but the blade aimed at me with terrifying precision.
The inevitable happened.
It was a genuine miracle that, in my desperate flight, I partially dodged the knife thrown by an enemy whose physical capabilities far surpassed mine.
I felt a stabbing pain as the blade lodged in my right thigh. It didn't penetrate too deeply, but I couldn't stop to remove it, and each step sent waves of agony through my injured leg.
A searing sensation radiated from my thigh, as if a burning flame were devouring my flesh from within. I felt my strength ebbing and that I might collapse at any moment.
But what would happen if I fell? The answer was obvious: I would die. That creature would annihilate me without hesitation, just as I had eliminated all the other goblins. It was the ruthless nature of the food chain.
If I collapsed, my life would end. Would I have survived hell only to perish again in a more pathetic way than when I was an adult in my previous life?
I hated this situation with every fiber of my being. I deeply regretted believing naively that I could challenge Hell mode's difficulty without succumbing in the attempt. I felt foolish beyond measure.
The more I critically analyzed my decisions, the more idiotic I considered myself.
The wrong choices I had made were finally catching up with me, and I nearly lost my life due to my arrogance. In truth, the mere fact of returning alive and relatively intact would already be an extraordinary miracle.
A pain I had never experienced before tormented every inch of my battered body.
I was aware that I could have stopped and accepted a quick death. Why, then, did I voluntarily subject myself to such suffering?
I knew perfectly well: greed had completely blinded me.
During my frantic race to survive, I hadn't even paused to carefully consider what kind of environment I might find myself in after the initial teleportation.
Deep down, I was pathetically weak. I literally lacked resources, and my existence was insignificant in this realm of predators.
I yearned for more. I wanted to find a solid pillar to lean on, a safe haven to turn to.
I wanted to fully trust in my own abilities. I longed to fervently believe that I could transform into something greater than I had ever been in my previous existence.
More than anything in the world, I desired to stop being weak and insignificant.
A single experience had been enough to make me understand that I never wanted to feel that unbearable impotence that had overwhelmed me on that fateful day again.
If my current suffering granted me the strength I so desperately craved, then I would endure as much as my battered body could withstand.
Ultimately, my own mind was the true culprit. I pretended to stay calm when I was terrified inside. I feigned not harboring excessive confidence. My mind, my insatiable greed, blinded me with the urgent need to grow stronger as quickly as possible, no matter the cost.
Despite everything… I didn't want to die. I had to survive, I needed to keep existing in this cruel world.
I had to live, no matter the cost.