The goblin horde pressed forward, two hundred strong, yet Airen no longer felt the weight of numbers. Every crude blade, every jagged spear, every snarling, cube-shaped goblin was just noise. He stood at the center, calm, unshaken, radiating power that no mortal—or monster—could deny.
Even with Lirra loosing arrows from the shadows, it wasn't her presence that drew fear. The horde, despite their instincts and bravado, knew the truth: the real threat was Airen.
The goblins' subconscious screamed in terror, yet they surged forward anyway, driven by the primal instinct that if they didn't strike, they would die. Some whimpered mid-step. Others pressed on, their faces pale beneath twisted, blocky jaws. Their golden eyes darted toward Airen, wide with a mixture of awe and dread.
The Goblin Chief, standing behind his horde, froze. Crimson eyes flicked from Airen's stance to the shattered corpses of his strongest guards. His jaw tightened, pride clashing with fear. For the first time, he realized this human was no ordinary fighter. Even with hundreds at his back, he was powerless.
With a grunt of determination, the Chief began preparing his final assault. Ice magic swirled around his hands, coalescing into a massive, jagged spear, far larger than before. Its tip glowed with deadly energy. Around it, the earth itself trembled as undead-like zombie goblins began crawling forward, swarming toward Airen like waves of death.
But Airen didn't flinch. Not a muscle twitched. Not a thought of fear crossed his mind. He could feel his power pulsing—the culmination of every fight, every level gained, every heartbeat of battle.
Level up…
A flash of light surged through him. In an instant, he achieved three-star mastery, his aura expanding outward like molten light. Energy coiled around him, reshaping his body, sharpening his senses, and igniting the ground beneath his feet. The air itself seemed to bend around his presence.
With a single thought, he formed a new star, the symbol of power blazing in the sky for a fleeting moment—a mark of absolute dominance.
Before the Chief's spear could reach him, Lirra fired six arrows, slicing through the air like silver streaks. But Airen didn't need them to strike. He extended his aura to its peak, his body glowing like a living weapon. With a single motion, a shockwave ripped through the advancing goblins.
Bones shattered. Flesh and cubic forms crumbled. The horde fell apart, screams swallowed in the roar of Airen's unleashed aura. Even the zombie-like goblins were pulverized, reduced to nothing more than debris beneath his overwhelming might.
Calm as ever, Airen stooped, grabbed one of the fallen spears, and hurled it with precision at the Goblin Chief.
The Chief reacted instantly, summoning his massive ice spear, shoving it forward to block.
Clang!
Metal, magic, and sheer force collided. The ice shattered like glass under Airen's spear, which didn't slow—cutting clean through the shattered shards and driving forward with unstoppable momentum.
It struck the Chief directly, piercing his armor and flesh in one devastating blow. Crimson blood sprayed as the Chief gasped, eyes wide in disbelief. His final scream echoed for a heartbeat before he crumpled, broken.
Silence followed.
The goblins that remained stared in shock, their faces frozen in fear and disbelief. Every life in the square had ended in seconds, crushed under the might of a single human. Lirra's arrows lay lodged in the corpses around him, a testament to her precision, but Airen alone had ended the battle.
Standing tall amidst the carnage, black hair whipping in the wind, sword and aura still glowing faintly, Airen exhaled calmly. The predator had struck—and no one remained to challenge him.
The Goblin Village lay in ruins, and at its center, a star now shone brighter than ever.
Airen. The absolute predator.
A panel appeared before him:
[Experience Gained: 100,000,000]
[Points Earned: 1,000,000,000]
Level Up! Current Level: 61
Airen's eyes flicked across the numbers. "Wow… 100 million EXP.
[20m from the two elite guards, 30m from the Village Chief, and 50m from the rest of the goblins…"]
He frowned, his mind already calculating. "But… why hasn't the dungeon disappeared yet? I've killed everyone."
[There is one left.]
From a distance, Lirra approached, her steps light yet deliberate. Airen's eyes narrowed, instinctively tightening his grip on his sword. "Looks like I know who's left," he thought.
Her face carried a mixture of curiosity and awe, eyebrows raised, eyes wide, lips slightly parted, and a faint blush dusting her cheeks—her expression a mix of admiration, caution, and the thrill of seeing the strongest warrior in action.
Airen tensed, ready to strike—but then Lirra stopped and held up a treasure chest, glimmering from the hole in the Village Chief's house.
He paused in thought. "System… if I kill her, will the treasure disappear too?"
[Yes.]
Airen didn't loosen his grip. His hands remained firm on his sword, unwavering.
Without a word, Lirra leapt forward, wrapping her arms around him. "You're so strong… you even defeated the Village Chief's Tier 3 magic!" she exclaimed, her voice a mixture of excitement and awe.
Airen's eyes flickered in thought. "You said the Chief is a Tier 2 magician… and his last attack was Tier 3."
"So… I can now defeat a Tier 3 magician in one hit?"
[No. He forced himself to cast Tier 3 magic. It was incomplete, weak compared to a true Tier 3 spell.]
Airen's lips pressed into a thin line. "Ah… that's what it was."
Lirra, realizing she had suddenly hugged him, flushed crimson, embarrassment blooming across her cheeks. Airen said nothing, silently moving past her, his steps measured and calm.
He approached the Village Chief's body, eyes scanning the broken figure. With a careful hand, he lifted the shattered sword hilt—the only piece remaining intact—and stored it in his inventory. One by one, he gathered the bodies of the goblins, including the Chief, each vanishing into his storage.
Lirra tilted her head, curiosity bright in her voice. "Why are you taking all the bodies?"
Airen didn't look at her. "No need to know."
He turned his gaze toward the treasure, shimmering faintly in the moonlight.
"I'll go first," Lirra said playfully, skipping ahead, her voice lilting with excitement. "It looks so beautiful… and thanks for killing everyone."
Airen followed, silent, his expression unyielding. His face was a study in shadow, every feature consumed by darkness as if dipped in ink. Only his eyes and mouth offered any light, a stark, chilling contrast.
His eyes were narrow, slits of cold, white light, sharp and predatory, devoid of warmth or hesitation. Below, a terrifyingly wide grin stretched across his face, teeth gleaming like polished white bars, stretched taut by the intensity of his amusement. It wasn't a smile of joy—it was the simple, awful happiness of a predator who had cornered its prey.
Every step Airen took was a statement of dominance. Even behind Lirra's playful chatter, his aura radiated power and menace, a reminder that he was no mere human—he was the absolute predator, and everything around him belonged to him now.