The dark goblin that had been standing in front of me a moment ago had vanished without making a sound, as if it had only been part of my imagination, as if it had never existed.
I looked around frantically, but there was no trace of him. With the sunset, it was impossible to see into the distance, and there was no evidence that he had been here nearby.
"It must be the effect of the [Smooth Movement] skill."
It had been at least an hour since I had done the experiments with [Pulse], so it was to be expected that I would have recovered some magic, right?
With this amount of magic, I could only use [Pulse] once with simple force or once with a little more force. The flaw of this skill is that it only works in the direction I point my hand, and judging from past attempts, it doesn't reach more than 10 meters with simple use.
I was watching from the first entrance, so it's impossible that he could have left that way. That left the option that he had left through the back exit or was lurking inside.
"It's more dangerous to stay out here. I'll have to go in and find out."
I took my sword in both hands and walked with fear in my heart. I could feel my legs trembling with every step I took. The little light that filtered in no longer completely illuminated some areas, and there were many dark spots perfect for a dark-skinned goblin.
With trembling steps, I walked through the cave from entrance to entrance without finding any sign of it, so I decided to go and look at the room at the back, even with good vision that path was not easy to see.
When I arrived, I could only see the silhouette of the entrance, a completely black hole with a small ray of light at the back where the front entrance was. The dim light from the holes in the hallway illuminated the entrance like a star in the darkness.
Not trusting the dim light, I reached out my hand and said the name of my ability in my mind.
"Pulse."
The wave traveled through the darkness that enveloped the place, and that's when I confirmed my suspicions. He... was here. It hadn't been a figment of my imagination. This bastard was really here, pointing his sharp dagger, hidden in the darkness of the shadow cast by the light from the entrance.
The distance between us was no more and no less than that of the room, a short 5 meters between him and me.
I waited with my sword ready, trembling but firm, watching for any anomalies that might arise. A few minutes passed that seemed like hours in the depths of the abyss as I waited...
The moment the magic point rose, I raised my sword, preparing an attack with one hand open, looking forward to launch [Pulse] with determination.
The wave traveled a fraction of a second, connecting with him, showing that even in the darkness he noticed me, turning toward me as if his scarlet eyes could see me in this darkness.
Due to the lack of light, my sword connected with the cave wall, scraping it and releasing sparks before connecting with his left shoulder. The sparks covered in blood allowed us to exchange glances for an instant.
With that brief glance, I launched a second, lower cut that missed. His speed was incredible. With no other options, I ran toward the hallway where there was still a little light, falling to the ground due to magical fatigue.
-Aaagh, damn it.
I turned around immediately to see him jump with his dagger and bury it in my left calf, destroying my skin and causing a sharp pain as he looked at me with a malicious smile.
-Aaaaahhhhhgggg!!!
"That bastard!"
Filled with hysteria, I used my other leg to kick him with as much force as possible, sending him at least a meter away, leaving his dagger stuck in my skin.
The kick, although strong, did not seem to do much damage. He got up and looked in my direction, his face reflecting amusement, intelligence, and evil cunning. His eyes looked like fire in the darkness, sending a chill through my being. Before I could do anything, he simply withdrew, escaping through the back exit.
Not only had I failed to catch him, I had been injured, and in such a vital place as my legs, the option of fleeing was completely eliminated.
Enduring the pain in my leg, I refused to remove the dagger and, using the wall for support, I walked to where I had left the wood and returned with it to the cave room.
Because I couldn't leave the sword and the wound, I had to make several trips, ending up exhausted and collapsed from just carrying the load.
"This situation is really bad."
It was time to make a fire to keep myself warm and see something. I had never made one before, but I knew the theory: a few branches, leaves, and twigs to capture the fire and a lot of persistence.
I have no idea how long I spent building the fire, but once it was lit, the worst part was still to come: removing the dagger and treating my wound. Thanks to not removing the dagger, it still hurt, but there was no significant bleeding.
I opened the small waist pack that contained the survival kit and used the system's analyze function to quickly see what it contained.
{Canteen}
{Dried meat}
{Hunting knife}
{Whistle}
{First aid kit}
Like any good survival kit, it had a first aid kit that, although simple, was vital at this moment. It contained gauze, bandages, adhesive bandages, antiseptics, disinfectant, and small scissors.
With fear and burning pain, I removed the dagger from my leg and immediately applied pressure to stop the bleeding. The goblin's dagger was thin, so the wound was not wide, but it was deep.
"What a day..."
Just a day ago, I was at home worrying about things that would now seem like a joke, and now I'm in the corner of a cave in a different world full of monsters, fighting to keep myself in one piece.
I got up and scattered a few spare branches around the room with the intention of alerting me to anything if necessary.
"I need to sleep, even if it's just a little."
Accompanied by the warmth of the fire that lit up the room, I returned to the past once again, a memory surfaced in my dream, a bad memory.
-Hey... Sofia, are you serious? Are you leaving me like this?
-I'm sorry, Levy, but let's just leave it here, okay?
-What are you talking about? We've been dating for two whole years and now you're breaking up with me just like that, just like that?
-It wasn't just like that... I've been... I've been seeing someone else for a few weeks and...
-...
-And? ... No, you know what? I understand, I understand...
Sofia was a beautiful girl I met when I was in college. Due to a family accident, my family could no longer afford my tuition, so I was forced to take a job at the supermarket.
With less time to see each other and no money to ask her out, things started to sour. When I least expected it, she broke up with me and I found out she was dating a wealthy guy from a political family she met on a trip.
***
The crackling of branches brought me back to my senses. I had fallen asleep without even noticing. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard the crackling of branches around me again, not allowing me to relax for a moment.
"It's the campfire, it's the campfire, relax, let's get some sleep."
A few seconds after repeating to myself that it was the campfire, I heard the reason behind it all. Deep down, I knew, but I decided to deny it for my sanity's sake. He had returned.
-Kehh he haa
-I knew it was you, you damn goblin.
It wasn't hallucinations, nor the campfire. That bastard was here watching me from a distance, preventing me from falling asleep, making noise every time I tried.
"His abilities are much better than the other goblin's, and his cunning is on a different level from the ogre's."
I could feel my strength leaving my body, the fear of uncertainty mixed with sleep was draining my resistance.
"How long has it been? Minutes? Hours? He doesn't seem tired. His stamina was greater than mine, if I remember correctly, but this is too much."
-Let's end this, you bastard!
-Kehh hah hah.
I grabbed my sword and made a poor attempt to stand up. The bastard just watched me, laughing, enjoying my weakened state.
I managed to stand up and take a firm step, which resulted in a sad collapse. I fell on top of the branches, reopening the wound on my leg and having to press it with both hands. The sword that had fallen at his feet quickly began to ring.
The sound of cold steel scraping the sand as it was lifted by a small being. I concentrated as hard as I could on that sound, as I had planned, and the moment the sword stopped ringing, I opened my right hand.
-Pulse!
Using the 6 units of magic and my physical strength, I thrust my arm from my leg to grab his as he approached to deliver the final blow.
-I've got you... you bastard...
The goblin, clearly surprised, launched his attack at my neck, missing due to my grip and burying himself in the flesh of my shoulder, causing me to bleed even more.
-Ahhhhhhhhg! Damn it!
Let out a scream, I grabbed the hunting knife from my waist and buried it in his free foot, knocking him down instantly.
-Hiiiiiik!
His scream echoed in the darkness of the night. As he fell, I quickly pulled out the knife and stabbed him again in the abdomen, using it as an anchor to propel myself with all my weight on top of him.
His body lay bleeding in front of me with a look of horror on his face. Now... I was the hunter.
I pulled the knife, which was burning from the blood in his abdomen, and slashed his neck again. He tried unsuccessfully to avoid it, but the knife cut perfectly, slicing his throat completely and covering my weapon in crimson.
"Wow, this would be great if I weren't dying..."
Although the goblin was dead, my situation was not far from his. Before I lost consciousness, a dark blue light like the sea sprouted from the body of the goblin I had just eliminated.
-Yes...
After confirming the absorption of the skill, my mind went blank. I couldn't hear anything or read anything.