"Find… that human…"
The Emperor Goblin raised a finger, slow and deliberate.
Its blood-red eyes narrowed, full of murderous rage.
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward.
Trees ripped out of the ground, trunks snapped and splintered.
Long cracks tore open the earth.
Grass, just moments ago lush and green, turned instantly to mud.
The air vibrated, almost ready to split apart.
Then it started—
Pale blue portals bloomed everywhere.
One.
Another.
Ten.
Twenty.
Dozens.
Glowing gates dotted the whole forest.
Goblins poured through, clutching stone daggers in their fists.
Hunger burned in their eyes.
A suffocating pressure settled over everything.
Birds tumbled out of the sky.
Beasts dropped, froth on their lips, eyes rolling back.
Torches flickered to life. Goblins hurled them into the trees, cackling wildly.
Fire caught.
Branches, grass, dry leaves, all went up in a flash.
In moments—
The forest fell silent.
Only the fire was still alive.
Ash drifted slowly through the burning air.
The Emperor Goblin bent down, skulls rattling on its necklace.
From the ashes, it pulled a half-burned scrap of clothing.
It held the fabric to its nose.
Sniffed.
Every muscle tightened.
Its pupils shrank as blood vessels burst across its eyes, turning them an even deeper red.
It recognized the scent.
It was him.
The human who had dared to enrage it.
"Follow… this… scent…"
ROAAARR!!!!
The roar hit like a storm, shaking the burning forest.
The goblin swarm rushed forward, flooding the burning woods like a nest of furious hornets.
And the hunt began.
*****
"Hey. Wake up."
The voice hit Chen Guang right by the ear—out of place, yet somehow familiar all the same.
He kept his eyes shut.
A sweet smell slipped into his nose.
Fruit, maybe...
That fleeting thought barely settled in when ice-cold water hit his face.
Water rushed up his nose, down his throat.
He jerked upright, coughing and sputtering hard, like someone had dunked his head in a full bathtub.
He hacked up mouthfuls of water.
"Oh? Still alive?"
That voice giggled.
A little innocent.
A little dangerous.
"Lucky you. I almost let you drown just now."
She finally released his neck and wandered off to sit on a nearby rock.
Still catching his breath, Chen Guang tried to focus on that voice.
"Mimi... you... you're awake...?"
He sounded wrecked, drawn in and out of consciousness.
"Mimi?"
She hesitated, just for a second.
Then a crooked smile stretched across her lips.
"You think I'm Mimi?"
She closed in on him, getting so close he could feel her breath—only five centimeters away.
His pulse spiked so hard it hurt.
One move and their faces would touch.
"Y-you're... not Mimi."
He recoiled, cheeks blazing.
"Tsk. Acting all shy."
She looked exactly like Mimi, but her laugh came sharp and mocking.
Chen Guang went quiet, shoulders locking up.
She only laughed harder, delighted by the tension.
Weird. I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time.
He dusted off his pants and got to his feet, giving her a once-over as she kept giggling.
He finally let out a breath.
"You're not Mimi."
"I've just met her, but I know one thing."
"No one changes like that overnight."
"So there's only one explanation—"
"You're using her body."
She cut her laughter immediately.
She stood tall and stretched, almost lazily.
"And you're so sure because...?"
Her eyes, suddenly sharp, raked across him.
Chen Guang swallowed, nerves jangling under that gaze.
His whole skin buzzed like it was full of needles.
The world just seemed to stop—no air, no time—nothing but that gaze.
Chen Guang took a deep breath, filling his lungs, and let it out slowly.
The weight pressing down on him started to lift.
"Only Mimi and I—well, you, inside Mimi's body—came through the Portal."
"When I first met Mimi, she was pretty shy. But the minute we got here, everything flipped. She was like a different person."
He paused, searching for the right words.
"People just… don't change that much, not all of a sudden."
He shrugged, a little unsure.
"And honestly, it was just a hunch. Gut feeling."
A nervous smile tugged at his lips.
Sweat pricked his forehead.
It wasn't panic.
Talking with a girl for the first time… damn, so much pressure.
"You're interesting."
The girl said, her lips curling up in a secretive little smile.
"Most people in the Vanguard world? They think you're a joke."
She tilted her head, meeting his eyes.
"But you were right. I'm Linlin."
"Mimi's twin sister."
She paused for a heartbeat.
"And… I'm already dead."
Her words hit Chen Guang like lightning.
He froze, his mind racing with questions.
Then the ground started to tremble.
Even the waterfall nearby shivered in response.
But Chen Guang didn't even register it.
He couldn't. Not with everything spinning in his head.
"Dead?"
He managed to choke out.
"What do you mean?"
Sweat gathered on his forehead again.
Another tremor rolled through the forest, closer than before.
Somewhere far off, shouts and screams floated through the air.
Trees crashed down, one after another.
Fire burst through the woods, devouring everything in its path.
"If you really want answers…"
Linlin turned, fixing her hair out of her face.
Wait—was that dagger made of pure mana crystal?
Chen Guang stared at the dagger in her hand.
Linlin slashed through part of her dress, ripping off anything that might slow her down.
A neat slice at her shirt—
Both sleeves tumbled to the ground.
She rolled her shoulders, warming up.
"Then survive."
She said, flashing a grin.
She glanced over at the horde of goblins tearing toward them, wild and hungry.
Her face barely changed.
She looked for all the world like a real hunter—who'd just found her prey.
"Watch out—!"
Chen Guang lunged forward as a goblin charged straight at Linlin.
The creature gripped a stone dagger tightly, its eyes locked entirely on her throat.
Suddenly—
A goblin face filled Chen Guang's vision.
Twisted.
Bloodthirsty.
Thud—
The goblin's head rolled to a stop at his feet.
Its expression hadn't even changed.
Chen Guang lifted his gaze.
Dozens of goblins lost their heads in the same instant.
Their severed heads shot into the air together, like some grotesque juggling act.
The expressions on their faces remained the same—still twisted with madness and bloodlust.
They hadn't even realized they were dead yet.
Chen Guang looked toward Linlin.
She moved like a dancer on a perfectly choreographed stage.
Every slash of her blade was unbelievably precise.
Clean.
Effortless.
One strike, a head flew.
Before Chen Guang's eyes, dozens, even hundreds, of heads launched into the air, like balloons rising at a carnival he remembered from childhood.
"Damn."
"She's dancing."
A swarm of goblins surrounded her.
With a single elegant spin, several dozen more heads flew into the sky.
Chen Guang couldn't even follow Linlin's movements.
With one light step, she glided past a line of nearly ten goblins.
The next second—
Ten heads dropped to the ground with wet thuds, blood flooding the earth.
At that moment, several goblins shifted their attention toward Chen Guang.
They shrieked madly and charged straight at him.
Chen Guang crouched down, grabbing a sharp stone.
With all his strength, he hurled it forward.
SHRIIK—
The stone pierced straight through three goblins in a row, leaving massive holes in their chests.
"Yeah! Come at me, you bastards!!!"
He snapped off a nearby tree branch and swung it at a goblin trying to ambush Linlin.
CRACK—
Its head exploded.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.
The metallic stench of blood filled the air.
"Seriously."
"Can't you kill them a little cleaner?"
Linlin called out while continuing her graceful slaughter.
She moved like a dancer, cutting down every goblin that rushed her.
"Sorry."
"But I'm not as delicate as you."
Chen Guang gritted his teeth and swung again.
Five goblins burst apart one after another.
Blood and chunks of flesh splattered across his body, sticky and warm.
[SIDE QUEST: ELIMINATE AS MANY GOBLINS AS POSSIBLE]
[REWARD INCREASES BASED ON TOTAL KILLS]
The system notification only fueled him further.
Fine then—I'd kill as many as possible.
A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
Like a raging storm, Chen Guang charged straight into the middle of dozens of goblins.
Anything that could kill—he used it.
His fists.
His legs.
His knees.
He even smashed his forehead straight into them.
Several goblins leapt onto him, biting down on his arms and legs.
Others lunged straight for his throat.
CLANG—
A sharp metallic sound rang out.
The goblins froze in confusion.
Their teeth had shattered.
Before they could react—
Holes suddenly punched through their skulls.
Their eyes rolled back white.
"That guy's brutal."
Linlin glanced over, a thrilled smile spreading across her face.
"Are we sure he's really an F-rank Vanguard?"
*****
"How long… has it been?"
"Why are there still so many of them?"
Chen Guang panted heavily. Sweat mixed with blood, soaking his entire body.
"No idea."
"But these things… are stubborn as hell."
Linlin wasn't in much better shape either.
Several fresh wounds had appeared across her body.
Hundreds of goblins surged forward again—like a flood breaking through a dam.
They screeched madly as they charged toward the two of them.
[KILLS: 632]
"We've already killed over six hundred…"
"And there are still this many?"
"How do you know?"
"I guessed."
He casually flicked three stones forward.
Thwip—
Three goblins beside him had their foreheads pierced instantly.
"This won't work."
"Cover me."
"What are you planning?"
Chen Guang's eyes were heavy with exhaustion. His breathing grew shorter and faster.
"Buy me thirty seconds."
"Can you do that?"
"I'll give you a full minute."
Linlin stepped back and began performing a strange motion.
Only one thing mattered.
Kill.
Chen Guang roared and swung wildly, crushing the skull of any goblin that came close.
Wave after wave rushed toward him.
They trampled over the corpses of their own kind to advance.
Madness burned in their eyes—like a suicidal army.
One minute… felt like an eternity.
Goblin after goblin clung to Chen Guang's body.
They tried to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.
"Done! Move away!!!"
Linlin's voice rang through the sky.
"Do what you need to do."
"Don't worry about me."
Chen Guang's voice disappeared beneath the mountain of goblins piling on top of him.
CLANG— CLANG—
Harsh metallic sounds rang out.
The goblins repeatedly stabbed Chen Guang with their crude stone daggers.
He had to endure.
The attacks barely injured him, but the relentless stabbing pushed his nerves to the brink.
Then suddenly—
The daggers in their hands trembled.
One by one, they flew out of the goblins' grasp.
Floating in midair.
And then—
A storm of daggers rained down.
They pierced through throats.
Through skulls.
Through entire bodies.
In an instant—
Hundreds of goblins that had been screaming moments ago… fell silent.
Only lifeless corpses remained.
Thud.
Linlin collapsed to her knees.
Her breathing was ragged and unstable.
Her entire body burned with heat.
"Linlin!"
"Are you alright?"
Chen Guang shoved aside piles of goblin corpses and rushed toward her.
"I'm fine…"
"I just pushed my ability a little too far…"
"I'll recover after resting."
Leaning against a nearby rock, Linlin spoke weakly.
A single attack that wiped out hundreds of goblins.
She was terrifyingly powerful.
Chen Guang glanced back at the battlefield behind them, unable to hide his admiration.
When he looked back at Linlin, her eyes were already closed.
Her breathing had gradually stabilized.
Then—
"I found… you."
A voice echoed across the sky.
Chen Guang's body reacted before his mind could process it.
He pulled Linlin behind him and stepped forward.
Shielding her.
His legs trembled uncontrollably.
Sweat poured down his face.
A violent chill shot down his spine.
Every nerve in his body screamed the same warning.
RUN.
NOW.
His instincts roared in unison.
From the darkness, a creature with blood-red skin stepped forward.
Each of its footsteps cracked the earth beneath it.
The skulls hanging from its necklace clattered together with a chilling sound.
"Human…"
The Emperor Goblin stared directly at Chen Guang.
Countless blood vessels spread across its eyes.
Killing intent flooded from its body like a suffocating fog.
Slowly, a cruel smile appeared on its face.
"You… must die."
ROOOAAARR!!!!
The roar shook the heavens and earth.
Chen Guang dropped to one knee.
Pfft—
A mouthful of blood burst from his lips.
Just its pressure alone was already this overwhelming.
[KILLS: 905]
[DO YOU WISH TO CLAIM YOUR REWARD?]
Almost unconsciously, he pressed the blue button.
[CALCULATING REWARD]
[BASED ON TOTAL GOBLINS ELIMINATED]
[REWARD GRANTED: ONE CHANCE TO USE MAXIMUM POWER BURST]
[DURATION: 1 MINUTE]
One minute.
To bring down an emperor.