Kenji looked back and saw her lying lifeless on the ground. The goblin kept chasing after them, not even paying attention to the one on the ground. Their faces filled with excitement as they enjoyed chasing their prey.
The narrow hallway seemed to end. As Kenji and his companion turned right, they saw a horrifying sight. A group of goblins blocked the right hallway passage, student bodies on the floors, their claws outstretched and eager for blood. The student ahead, panic in his eyes, grabbed his companion and hurled him toward the goblins, desperately buying himself a moment to escape.
The student bolted in the opposite direction, shoving another student hastily aside.
"Run!" Kenji shouted, instinctively grabbing the chubby student, who had lost his balance, and pulling him along. They sprinted after the one ahead, the terrified screams of the student tossed over to the goblin echoing through the hallway. The chubby student's heart sank at the sound, but he knew they couldn't dwell on it. Survival had to be their priority.
Kenji replayed the moment over and over in his head: why had he risked himself to pull the chubby student before he lost his balance at the last second? He couldn't pin it on kindness. The answer came cold and practical. "I don't know where the bunker is, he thought. I need him, for now."
He watched the student ahead with a hard, calculating gaze. It wasn't guilt of what this student did that made Kenji wary; it was self-preservation. He didn't want to be the next scapegoat. Kenji looked at him with killing intent. Better to keep him close for now, and get rid of him when the time comes, he told himself, and pushed forward.
As they sprinted, Kenji risked a glance over his shoulder. The goblins were distracted, momentarily torn between their prey. That split second was all they needed, but the more goblin chasing wouldn't be favourable for them.
Goblins soon emerged, dashing toward them with relentless speed. Kenji's pulse quickened as he and his companion ran faster, the sound of the creatures' snarls echoing behind them. They had to find a way out.
As they continued running, Kenji thought, "Right now, I feel like a rabbit fleeing from wolves." The familiar sensation of being prey washed over him, a mix of adrenaline and dread. His heart raced, each beat a reminder of his vulnerability. The air felt thick with fear, and every sound amplified his anxiety: the rustle of footsteps behind him, the guttural growls of the goblins closing in.
At that moment, he remembered what it felt like to be hunted, the chilling realization that survival depended on his speed and instincts. An instinctual terror gripped him, a primal awareness that he was the target, the weak link in the chain. He could almost feel the hot breath of the predators on his back, the sharpness of their fangs imagined in the corners of his mind.
But then a thought struck him: "Predators die, too." The idea sparked a flicker of defiance. They were not invincible; every hunter could become the hunted. Fueled by this realisation, he pushed himself harder, determined not to be caught. Survival was not just a matter of speed; it was a fight, and he was ready to embrace it like he did in the forest when he was on the brink of dying.
They pushed forward, turning left, and suddenly, a glimmer of hope appeared: the staircase loomed ahead. As they raced toward it, Kenji's heart surged with determination.
"It isn't time to face these creatures, and I haven't even practiced in years; I need to recollect my mind. When ready, I will kill you all brutally," Kenji thought.
But just as they were about to reach the stairway, another group of goblins emerged ahead, two brandishing crossbows, their eyes gleaming with malice.
As the goblins spotted Kenji and his group, sinister smiles spread across their faces, revealing sharp teeth. They began reloading their crossbows, the sound of metal clinking ominously in the air. The malicious glee in their eyes sent a chill down Kenji's companion's spine.
"Shit."Kenji thought, his heart pounding as he glanced back at the goblins still in pursuit.
"The goblins ahead will shoot any time now," he realized, panic rising. This route was straightforward; there was no corner to turn to, all they could do was keep running forward while the goblin behind kept chasing.
Desperation clawed at him as he racked his brain for a way out of this tight spot. Just as hope began to fade, he noticed something.
The student ahead slowed down, casting a malicious glance at Kenji. At that moment, Kenji understood his intentions: he was planning to use him as a meat shield to block the arrows so he could escape. Without hesitation, Kenji shot him a warning look, a silent promise that he wouldn't let that happen.
He turned to his other companion, who looked utterly exhausted, struggling to keep up. Surprisingly, he managed to move that chubby body quickly, especially under such pressure.
"I'll use him as my shield."
The student ahead thought, a twisted grin creeping across his face. Kenji could sense the danger radiating from him and knew what he was about to do.
The student ahead got closer to the chubby, the time the archer goblin ahead. Archer goblins soon aimed at Kenji and his companion, who ran towards them. As they were about to fire
"Yes, it's now or never." He intended to use his chubby companion as a shield.
The archers were spooked, and their attention suddenly fixed on Kenji. In a split second, he dashed ahead, his speed making him a target as they locked their aim on him. Kenji felt the rush of adrenaline coursing through him, his instincts kicking in as he sprinted forward. He glanced back at the student with ill intentions, who looked baffled and uncertain. Why would Kenji expose himself like this?
"He's trying to sacrifice himself for us." That's stupid of him," the student thought.
"Well, that's for the best. I would be able to survive this." He stopped with his original plan and stood at the back of Kenji, waiting for him to get the hit and create an opening.
Kenji focused all his attention on the archer goblins, sensing the tension in the air as they readied their crossbows. In that critical moment, he performed a technique from judo—"Koshi Guruma." {"hip wheel."}
He quickly lowered his centre of gravity, pivoting on his foot as he closed the distance to the malicious student. He swiftly and fluidly wrapped his arm around the student's waist, using his hip to leverage its weight. In one decisive movement, he threw the student off balance. Send him forward.
"Huh."
The malicious student was shocked; he hadn't expected such skilled movement from Kenji.
Before he could trash down, the two arrows hit his back, and as he crashed to the ground, the arrows went through him completely.
He died on the spot. The chubby student was choked and fell to the ground, witnessing this event unfold. Kenji grabbed the arrow from his body and dashed forward aggressively. He was already close to the archer goblins in three steps, who were busy reloading their crossbow.
As they looked forward to finishing off the other student, Kenji stabbed the archer in the right eye; the archer was in pain as he dropped his crossbow on the ground and held the arrow, preventing it from getting further into his brain.
Kenji grabbed the head of the archer goblin with his two hands, dragged it down, and used his knee to hit it. The arrow went straight through. The goblin fell flat on the floor.
[Congratulations, you have killed an F-class archer goblin]
[You have acquired four low-rank manastonese]
An alert popped out on the same blue screen as before, but Kenji ignored it, removing a dagger from the archer goblin's body.
The other wanted to make a 90-degree turn to shoot Kenji. Immediately, Kenji closed the distance between them, stabbing the goblin with his right hand and using his left hand to direct the crossbow away from his body. He hit the archer goblin on the walls of the narrow hallway.
Kenji stabbed the goblin right in the chest; the worn-out leather Armour protected the goblin, not allowing the blade to go any deeper to cause a direct fatal injury.
The archer immediately reached for the dagger at his waist, its eyes wide with fury as it prepared to retaliate. Kenji sensed the shift in the air and had no intention of allowing the goblin to react.
Kenji immediately removed the dagger from the goblin's chest and stabbed it in the neck, then delivered the final blow by pushing the dagger deeper.
[Congratulations, you have killed an archer goblin]
[You have acquired five low-rank mana stones]
Kenji grabbed the crossbow and aimed at the student who was trying to get up after getting his glasses off the floor his glasses and continued moving forward.
"Get down. "Kenji said. Ready to fire.
The student did, and Kenji shot the pursuing goblin, aiming right at the head. The goblin fell to the ground.
[Congratulations, you have killed a goblin.]
[You have levelled up.]
[You have acquired one state point.]
[You have acquired five low-rank mana stones]
Immediately grabbing the second crossbow on the floor, he shot again, killing another.
[Congratulations, you have killed an archer goblin]
[You have acquired five low-rank mana stones]
Now, only one goblin remained, fear evident in its eyes as it realised it no longer had the power of numbers. Sensing the danger, it turned to flee, bolting down the hallway in a desperate attempt to escape Kenji. But Kenji didn't have any intentions of letting him go. With a heist, he reloaded the crossbow from the dead archer goblin, quivered, and shot the goblin in the back.
The arrow went in through, and the goblin fell instantly.
[Congratulations, you have killed a goblin.]
[Congratulations, you have acquired a low-rank crossbow.]
Kenji's gaze where cold as ice; they could be killed, and now he had weapons to defend himself.