**Day 23 – Morning – Deep in the Forest**
This isn't even "intense practice" anymore. Sorry for getting cocky earlier. Actually, maybe it's thanks to that—my MP is completely full, so you could call me a master of conservation. Plus, finally being able to use "Illusion-Reality" is a solid result. I've taken the same long-distance acceleration charge I used to do and compressed it into short-range movement—not crashing into things, but converting the impact into a slashing motion. Turning instantaneous acceleration into attack power. To do that, I had to explosively build up force in my body, transfer it without loss into a single advancing cut, control my body so perfectly there's zero waste, refine it, polish it—and finally hit Lv 10. I even gained "Illusion-Reality Lv1." It had meaning. It produced results. The ending just sucked.
But does that mean if I think of something, create it, and actually use it, it becomes a martial art or skill? It's real—"Illusion-Reality Lv1," name and all. But nothing like that ever happened before. Was it coincidence? Some restriction? No—considering everything I've done up till now, it's probably a good thing nothing turned into martial arts or skills or titles before. "Human Cannon Martial Art," "Human Missile Martial Art," "Human Body Accident Skill"—those would be way too awful.
Thank god they didn't appear. From now on I'd better be careful about casually inventing techniques. They might actually become skills. Inferno (Bald Burn Hell) is sealed forever. "Magic: Bald Burn Hell" would be unbearable. No way. Sealed is sealed. But maybe I should give "Super-High-Speed Collision Accident" a cooler name beforehand?
Since I'm gonna crash into things anyway… Just not "Mass Wolf Body Accident." Too lame. What should I call it… Wait, this isn't the time to be thinking about that…
Finally—finally—Lv 10. Probably killed close to four digits of monsters in the meantime? If everyone needed to kill a thousand monsters to reach Lv 10, monsters would be extinct by now. Definitely. Probably not just quantity—quality matters too. Maybe the Goblin Kings pushed me over the edge? Both, most likely. It took forever. And yet I barely had time to glance at my status.
Finally hit Lv 10 and I only peeked for a second. No time to look. Or rather—no time to celebrate. Because right after I leveled up and was happy about it… there was still one deeper in. Not a King. A Goblin Emperor. Of course Kings were popping up everywhere—it wasn't a king game after all. Emperor. Emperor. I finally hit Lv 10 and was rejoicing, and it's Lv 50. Not just a bucket of sweat, I was full-on drenched. The moment I crossed one level wall, there's one four times higher. Hyperinflation. Lv 10 just crashed in value. I was happy. I was celebrating… Read the damn room.
So yeah, I've just been purely evading ever since.
Its power is so insane that even a graze would probably blow me apart. Seriously.
So yeah, I've just been purely dodging.
Cutting, striking—doesn't feel like it's doing anything.
It's swinging a club, but so fast and no openings. Like a pinball—the club bounces around right in front of my face. No time to run. Can't even make distance.
So yeah, I've just been purely evading.
So yeah, I've just been purely dodging.
Well—while constantly dodging and evading, I've been trying to attack, but no effect. Can't even slow its momentum.
Also constantly freezing and burning it, but it doesn't stop. Its head was… already bald from the start.
**Goblin Emperor**
AGE: 32
Lv: 50
HP: 256
MP: 97
ViT: 317
PoW: 353
SpE: 94
DeX: 38
MiN: 19
InT: 11
Luｋ: 41
**Martial Arts**
"Hammer Arts MAX" "Heavy Blow MAX" "Body Tackle MAX" "Iron Wall Lv8" "Crush Lv7" "Rapid Strikes Lv7"
**Skills**
"Sexual Dominance MAX" "Hardening Lv9" "Intimidation MAX" "Terror Lv7" "Recovery Lv5" "Magic Resistance Lv5"
**Equipment**
"Club"
A goblin with SpE almost matching mine? That's cheating. Totally unfair. And it has Recovery too… No wonder my attacks weren't sticking. I was hoping to at least build up damage over time, but it's healing.
This is attrition. I'm definitely going to run out of MP first. Even if Magic Wrap is fuel-efficient, I'm using more than my recovery rate. Throwing in occasional magic attacks is slowly draining me.
If only Ice Magic could freeze its feet, or Lightning could paralyze it—then I'd have options. But nope. Not working at all.
If I hadn't bought that "Evader's Cloak – SpE +20%, Evasion Up (Small)" from the shady shop, I'd be dead already. So yeah… giving up on pheromones and favorability was worth it. It had to be…
Uwaaa, it grazed my hair! Grazed it! Smells burnt! What if I go bald?! I've been watching—constantly watching—while dodging and evading this whole time.
There is an opening. I just can't enter it. Can't decide the fight without trading blows.
It's almost lunchtime already… While dodging I pull out dried mushrooms, chew while evading. No time to add soy sauce.
This is the endgame.
I can't even deflect its finishing club swings.
Can't meet them head-on.
So instead—I don't meet the passing club swing. I chase it.
Evade, then counter-attack the club that just went past.
Dodge while chasing.
Again and again and again and again and again—until it lands.
A few times it almost connects, but I can't break its stance.
Not just striking—half-step in, strike, disrupt its balance, create a single instant opening.
Illusion-Reality.
One hit won't finish it. One hit won't even deep-wound it. It'll recover eventually.
**Goblin Emperor**
HP: 182/256
MP: 56/97
My MP is below half too. Need consecutive hits to kill. So move smaller, faster—chain Illusion-Reality.
Prioritize speed over power. Dodge, step in, cut. Dodge, step in, cut. Keep cutting…
It's all luck now. Probably only surviving by sheer luck. One-in-a-hundred shot I'd still be alive. One-in-a-thousand and I'd be dead. Sorry Luck-san—you're working overtime. Beyond strong luck—mega luck. Luｋ Max (Limit Break) is actually doing its job. So then… why do I always get yelled at by everyone even though I'm not doing anything wrong? Mystery deepens.
Finally the Goblin Emperor stopped moving. Wouldn't be surprised if I died a hundred times today alone.
How much time passed? Lost all sense of it. Long? Short? Soon I'll even forget I ate lunch.
But not yet. Still more. Next is kobolds. Even if I come a thousand deaths close, ten thousand—still not done. My arm isn't torn off. My leg isn't crushed. My eye isn't gouged. My stomach has no hole. So still not done. Not even close…