He charged.
The earth cracked beneath his boots as he accelerated like a missile, closing the gap in a heartbeat. The first goblin barely had time to screech before Robert's fist slammed into its chest. The impact detonated with a thunderous boom, the creature's body vaporizing into a red mist.
More goblins swarmed him, stabbing with jagged spears and rusted blades. Robert stood his ground, letting one spear drive straight into his chest. Snap! The weapon shattered into splinters on contact, the broken shaft dangling uselessly in the goblin's stunned grip.
Robert grinned. "Invulnerable, huh? Not bad."
He grabbed the goblin by the throat, spun in a tight circle, and hurled it skyward. The creature's shriek faded into nothing before a sonic crack ripped across the forest—the goblin's body breaking the sound barrier. A second later, it vanished beyond the clouds.
The rest of the horde faltered, their yellow eyes flickering with fear.
"Don't stop now!" Robert taunted, flexing his fists. He dashed forward, moving so fast the ground exploded in his wake. His punches turned goblins into paste, each strike leaving only smears of gore on the grass. He grabbed one by the legs, swung it like a club, and smashed three others into pulp.
Blood painted the clearing, limbs scattering as though a monster—not a man—was tearing through them.
Then Robert felt a new heat searing behind his eyes. Curious, he focused on the sensation—and twin beams of crimson light erupted from his gaze.
Fwoooosh!
The lasers swept across the horde like a divine blade, carving goblins into ash. Their bodies evaporated where the beams passed, leaving behind nothing but charred earth and the stench of burning flesh.
"Holy shit…" Robert muttered, cutting off the power. "I actually have laser eyes."
The girl behind him gawked, her staff slipping from her trembling hands. Her lips parted, words failing as she watched him tear through monsters that had moments ago nearly killed her.
Robert, however, wasn't done. He blitzed through the last cluster, his fists pounding so fast they blurred, reducing the creatures into vaporized chunks. When the final goblin fell, the forest grew eerily silent.
[Power timer remaining: 06 seconds]
Robert exhaled, rolling his shoulders as his glow dimmed slightly. Blood dripped from his knuckles—not his own, but the remains of those he'd obliterated.
He turned to the girl, his grin cocky, feral, and triumphant. "See? Told you."
She stared, her face pale, her golden eyes wide with disbelief. "Y-you… you massacred them. Alone."
Robert wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and chuckled. "Not bad for my first test run. Wonder what else I can do when I get a longer timer."
And with that, the last of his glow faded. His strength drained, the warmth evaporating from his veins, and he stumbled slightly as his body returned to normal.
The girl rushed forward, instinctively catching his arm. "Are you okay?"
Robert smirked faintly, though his breathing was heavier now. "Yeah. Just… ran out of juice. Do you believe me now?"
"Uhm…yes," the girl replied.
"Good."
***
They walked far away from the scene and found a river. Robert washed himself, removing the blood that had clung to him during the earlier encounter.
"Now what were you doing that led you to get chased by goblins?"
"My party members were on a mission to scout the goblin's lair. We went inside and found out that all of the goblins in the area were inside that cave and…"
She paused, remembering the grim memories where her party members got trapped.
"There were six of us, four were men and two were women, including me. The men were killed but the girl, my friend, Claire, got captured."
"Claire?" Robert repeated. "Oh, I haven't asked for your name? I'm Robert."
"Alice," she replied. "So, they chase me. I don't know whether to kill or capture me. She might be alive if they had taken her hostage. Mister…please help me save her."
Robert had anticipated that she would ask that, and since he needed information about this world and she seemed to be a reliable source of it, helping her would be a good choice.
However,
"I can help you but as you have witnessed earlier, my powers are based on intimacy. And the more intense the intimacy is, the longer the duration of my powers," he explained.
"You mean kiss? I can let you kiss me if that's what it takes to save my friend."
Robert nodded. "How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen," she replied. "Why are you asking me that?"
"For legal purposes. And is that age considered an adult in this world?"
"Once you turn 15, you are an adult," she said.
"That means you are now legal," Robert said. "Look, I'm going to say this bluntly. You want me to break through that cave filled with an army of goblins. One minute is not going to cut it."
"What do you mean?"
"A kiss won't be enough. I want you to have sex with me."