The two ran as fast as they could, desperately trying to put some distance between themselves and the goblins. However, the rain had grown so heavy that even running in a straight line had become a challenge. Water poured from the sky, drenching their clothes and turning the ground beneath their feet into slippery mud.
After struggling through the downpour for some time, they finally reached the forest. The dense trees offered some protection from the rain, but the tangled roots and muddy ground made moving through the woods even more difficult. Behind them, the goblins continued their pursuit, their cries echoing through the trees.
"Hah, hah... Damn it. Why are there so many? I was never told there would be this many," Aksibilian said, struggling to catch his breath.
"What... what do you mean you weren’t told? Did we come here just because you wanted to, without any proper preparation?" Macarius asked. He was confused and frightened, barely understanding what was happening.
"No, it’s not like that. It’s just that we weren’t told there would be this many goblins in a cave on the first floor. That’s why I’m confused," Aksibilian explained.
Before Macarius could respond, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder. They turned around and saw the goblins emerging from the rain, still rushing toward them with rusted iron swords and wooden clubs in their hands.
"What?! Why are they still following us?!" Aksibilian shouted.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?! You were the one who said you had a great idea, and look how that turned out!" Macarius shouted back.
"Okay, okay... There’s no benefit in standing here chatting. But I do have a great idea," Aksibilian said.
"Another one like before?" Macarius asked, looking at him with disbelief.
"This one will work. If it doesn’t, we’ll actually die," Aksibilian answered. "We should split up in the forest and hunt them one by one. Otherwise, we’ll die here!"
"Split up?! I can’t fight alone!" Macarius protested.
"If you don’t, we’ll die!"
Without waiting for another response, Aksibilian turned and ran deeper into the forest. Macarius stared at his departing figure in disbelief.
’He actually left me here?’
A goblin’s shriek came from behind him.
"Damn it!"
Macarius hurried in the opposite direction, his boots slipping against the muddy ground. He stumbled over a root, caught himself against a tree, and continued running. The rain had soaked him completely, and his clothes clung heavily to his body. Every breath came harder than the last, while his legs felt increasingly sluggish.
He glanced over his shoulder.
Several goblins were following him, their rusted swords held tightly in their hands. Their numbers were difficult to judge through the rain, but there were enough to make fighting them head-on a terrible idea.
T’hink, Macarius. Think! Running around until I collapse isn’t a plan!’
He tried to increase his pace, but his foot slid across a patch of mud. He fell hard onto the ground, pain shooting through his palms and knees.
"Shit!"
He pushed himself up, only to hear hurried footsteps approaching. Three goblins emerged between the trees. Each carried a rusted iron sword. Macarius’s eyes widened.
’Why do they all have weapons?! What kind of first-floor monsters are these?!’
The nearest goblin charged before he could think any further.
Macarius barely managed to raise his weapon in time. The rusted sword struck against it with a sharp clang, and the impact forced him backward. His arms trembled as he struggled to hold his ground.
The goblin attacked again. He tried to dodge, but his foot sank into the mud. The blade cut across his upper arm, tearing through his soaked sleeve and opening a wound.
"ARGH!"
Macarius stumbled away, clutching his injured arm for a moment before forcing himself to raise his weapon again. Pain. Fear. Exhaustion. Everything was telling him to run. But the goblin was already coming toward him.
’I can’t just keep running. If I trip again, I’m dead.’
He watched the goblin’s movements carefully. Its sword was rusty, its stance awkward, and its attacks were reckless. Yet a single clean strike from that weapon could leave him seriously injured. He couldn’t afford to underestimate it. When the goblin swung again, Macarius stepped aside. The blade passed close to his chest, and he countered with a desperate strike. The goblin staggered, giving him enough time to attack once more. It fell into the mud.
Macarius stood there, panting, staring at the motionless body.
One.
He barely had time to register the kill before the second goblin approached.
"Can’t you give me a damn minute?!"
The creature thrust its sword toward him. Macarius twisted away, but the blade grazed his side, sending another sharp burst of pain through his body. He gritted his teeth and retreated toward a thick tree trunk.
The trees. The roots. The mud. Use them.
Rather than meeting the goblin in open ground, he moved around the tree, forcing it to follow him through the narrow space. The goblin swung at him, but its sword struck the trunk instead. Macarius seized the opening and attacked. The second goblin collapsed.
Two.
The third rushed him immediately.
Macarius tried to block its attack, but his tired arms failed to absorb the impact properly. His weapon was knocked aside, leaving him exposed. The goblin’s rusted sword struck his forearm, and he cried out as blood mixed with the rainwater running down his skin. He stumbled backward. For one terrible moment, he couldn’t move. His heart pounded, his hands shook, and the goblin’s approaching figure seemed to fill his entire field of vision.
’I...I..am I going to die?’
The thought came so plainly that he almost hated himself for it.
’I’m exhausted, I’m bleeding, and I don’t know how to fight properly. So what am I supposed to do?’
The goblin raised its sword. Macarius threw himself sideways. The blade plunged into the mud, and the creature struggled to pull it free. He didn’t hesitate this time. He struck the goblin with everything he had left.
It fell. Macarius backed away, breathing heavily, his injured arm hanging painfully at his side.
Three.
He wiped the rain from his eyes, though it was pointless. More water immediately streamed down his face. He needed to move before more goblins found him. But as he looked around, he noticed something.
The goblins were struggling with the same terrain that had made his escape so miserable. Their feet slipped in the mud, their movements were obstructed by the trees, and their rusted swords sometimes caught against branches when they swung too widely.
The forest wasn’t just an obstacle. It could also help him survive.
Macarius swallowed, tightened his grip on his weapon, and moved farther between the trees. He tried to remain aware of everything around him, listening for approaching footsteps while searching for places where the goblins would have difficulty moving. He was still frightened. He was still exhausted. Every wound reminded him how close he had come to being killed.
Yet, as another goblin emerged from behind a tree, he found himself reacting a little faster than before. He let it approach, watched its footing, and moved at the moment it committed to its attack. The goblin stumbled against an exposed root. Macarius struck it down.
Four.
He didn’t stop to celebrate. He couldn’t afford to. Another goblin appeared moments later, wielding a rusted sword of its own. Macarius cursed under his breath and raised his weapon.
By the time the fifth goblin fell, his breathing was ragged, his body was aching, and blood was running from several injuries. He had nearly fallen more times than he could count, and he had survived some of those encounters through little more than desperation and luck.
Still, he was beginning to understand how to use the forest to his advantage. He wasn’t becoming fearless, nor was he suddenly turning into a skilled swordsman. He was simply learning, one frightening encounter at a time, what he could do to avoid getting killed.
And for now, that had to be enough. Or that was what he thought. As he was standing barely breathing one goblin suddenly came out between the bushes and it struck him from back. From sudden pain Macarius felt from his back he fall to his knees while cryiong from it. Then he fall to the mud and looked at back to see the goblin. And that moment goblin was just standing here, even if’s face was disgustingly ugly it was obvious that goblin was enjoying and smiling. with nothing more than pain and feat of death Macarius started to crawl on the ground.
"Aghhh"
He shouted from unbearable pain as he was keep crawling.
"Damn you all...That damn life of yours. That damn tower of yours" he keep talking while crawling on the ground.
Then he remembered something after he saw the system window messages popping out without stopping.
[Your achievements are being calculated...]
[Congratulaions!]
[You have killed x7 Normal Goblin lvl 5]
[Congratulations!]
[You have killed x7 Fighter Goblin lvl 7]
[EXP gained 1040]
[Congratulations!]
[You reached level 6]
[You have received 3 Free Stat Points for each level gained.]
[Total Free Stat Points received: 3.]
[Adaptive Regeneration activated.]
[Severe tissue damage detected.]
[Damage Type: Normal Sword attack.]
[Adaptation process initiated.]
[Required successful regeneration cycles for complete adaptation: 50.]
[Current Progress: 7/50.]
Seein the system messages Macarius didn’t even thought for longer. He put all of his three stat points to the Endurance, as he thought it will help him to endure more pain. Then suddenly the curse started doing it’s work.
The injuries started healing and the pain started to spread to his body. But this time the pain he was feeling wasn’t as great as it was with rabbits and then he looked at the goblin. Goblins face changed after seeing how Macarius’s body regenerated. goblin looked terrified. Seeing it Macarius smiled like a crazy and said
"You motherfucker. It’s my time now to enjoy seeing your scared faces making expressions from the pain you are gonna feel"