The crude gate loomed ahead, casting jagged shadows that cut across the forest floor. Made of sharpened logs lashed together with crude rope, it was a monument to savagery, crowned with skulls mounted like trophies. Some were cracked, others half-rotted, their toothy grins mocking any who dared approach. The air here felt heavy, foul with the stench of rot and smoke.
Two hobgoblins stood guard at the entrance. Each was a hulking slab of muscle and malice, taller than Yukio by a head. Sweat glistened across their leathery green skin, tusks jutting from snarling mouths. Their massive axes leaned against the gate, but even in their lax stances, they radiated the promise of violence.
Michibiki crouched low behind a tree trunk, her silver hair catching stray streaks of sunlight as her keen eyes studied the enemy. Her calm presence only made the atmosphere feel more oppressive; where Yukio's heartbeat thundered in his ears, her breathing remained slow, even, controlled.
"We need to find a way in,"
She murmured, her voice steady but firm.
"Aside from those two, it looks like they didn't bother posting more guards."
Yukio clenched the hilt of his sword, trying to swallow the dryness in his throat. Up close, the hobgoblins didn't just look bigger—they looked wrong. Their shoulders were as broad as doors, their fingers tipped with nails more like claws.
"How do you even know they're hobgoblins?"
He muttered.
"Sure, they're bigger, but—"
"Appraise,"
Michibiki interrupted, her tone clipped.
"Focus on one. Think it."
Skeptical, Yukio obeyed. He fixed his eyes on the nearest brute, narrowing his focus until suddenly a shimmer of light appeared in the corner of his vision.
Monster: Hobgoblin.
Level: 8.
He blinked.
"Whoa. That's like an actual RPG stat screen. This starter pack is crazy. I'm guessing I'm the only one who has it?"
Michibiki's lips curved slightly, almost like she was amused by his awe, but her tone stayed cool.
"Yes. It's a gift to keep you alive. Now hush. We're not here for sightseeing."
Yukio swallowed and nodded, forcing his nerves down.
They crept forward, branches snapping softly underfoot. The hobgoblins barely stirred, unaware of the danger slinking toward them. Michibiki lifted a hand, mana shimmering across her fingers.
"Light Spell: Dreamfall."
Two radiant glyphs materialized above the guards' heads. In an instant, their eyes glazed over, bodies sagging before they crashed to the dirt, snoring with guttural snores that shook their chests.
Yukio exhaled in disbelief.
"Scary strong,"
He muttered.
"When do I get to—"
"Later,"
She said firmly. Her voice cut through his thoughts, eyes gleaming.
"For now… finish them."
Yukio froze. His fingers tightened around his sword until his knuckles whitened. Finish them? His stomach lurched. These things weren't threatening him now, they were asleep. It felt wrong. Back home, he'd fought dirty, sure—gambling dens, alley brawls—but this?
"Don't hesitate,"
Michibiki's voice was colder this time, her gaze sharp enough to cut.
"Hesitation will get you killed in this world."
His throat tightened. He knew she was right. But that didn't make it easier.
With a sharp inhale, he stepped forward. His sword felt heavier than it ever had. He raised it high, closed his eyes for a heartbeat, then drove it down. Steel pierced flesh with a sickening crunch. Warmth splashed his hands. His stomach churned, and for a moment, he thought he might vomit.
He forced himself through a second strike. By the time he stepped back, the hobgoblins were nothing but ash and loot on the ground.
Michibiki swept her hand, and the remains vanished into her spatial storage.
"Move."
Before he could even wipe his shaking hands clean, she cast another spell. Light shimmered and bent around them, cloaking them in near-invisibility.
"Light Spell: Phantom Veil."
Yukio blinked as his arms faded to air.
"We're invisible?"
"Correct. Stay close."
Together, they slipped through the gate.
Inside, the goblin camp was a hive of filth and chaos. Dozens of small green bodies bustled about. Some gathered around fires, tearing into charred meat with jagged teeth. Others hammered crude weapons on stone anvils, sparks rising into the smoke-choked sky. The air was foul—sweat, blood, grease, and something rotten all mixed together.
Yukio wrinkled his nose.
"Smells like the trash pits behind a pachinko parlor."
"Focus,"
Michibiki whispered sharply. Yet Yukio caught the faintest quirk of her lips before she turned away.
Her hand rose, light condensing into a blazing orb.
"Fire Spell: Sizzling Combustion!"
The orb streaked into the camp and detonated. A thunderous blast of fire rolled outward, consuming goblins, huts, and weapons alike. Fifteen creatures shrieked as flames devoured them, dissolving into ash before they could even run. A second blast followed, doubling the carnage.
Yukio stared, wide-eyed.
"…Yeah, scary strong."
But he wasn't going to be overshadowed.
He charged into the fray, blade flashing. Each swing cut down goblins, their bodies bursting into dust. His lungs burned, his arms screamed, but something primal lit inside him—the gambler's high, the rush of dancing on the edge. For the first time in this world, he felt alive.
Minutes later, the camp was a ruin. Fires crackled through splintered huts, smoke curling into the sky. Yukio stood amid the wreckage, chest heaving.
Then—
A shrill chant split the silence.
From the flames, a goblin shaman emerged, its staff glowing red, eyes burning with unnatural light. Two hobgoblins flanked it, their growls vibrating the air.
The shaman's voice rose in a spell. Yukio felt the veil of invisibility tearing, the world focusing in on them.
"Damn,"
Michibiki muttered.
Too late—the shaman had seen them.
But Yukio moved before he thought. His body blurred, sword flashing across the shaman's throat. The chant cut off as blood sprayed.
The two hobgoblins roared, voices shaking the forest.
Skill: Battle Cry!
The shockwave shattered what remained of the veil, forcing Yukio and Michibiki into the open.
The beasts charged.
---
The first slammed into Michibiki's barrier, fists cracking against a translucent wall of blue light. She didn't flinch. Calm as ever, she clenched her fist, golden mana blazing.
"Sacred Arts: Divine Impact!"
Her punch blasted into its gut like a cannon. The hobgoblin lifted from the ground, folding unnaturally before slamming down. She followed with a spinning kick, her heel blazing with divine light. The monster's skull shattered into dust, loot scattering across the dirt.
She dusted ash from her sleeve.
"Your turn, chop chop now."
Yukio gritted his teeth as the second hobgoblin barreled toward him. Its fist came like a sledgehammer. He dodged, barely, the ground exploding where he'd stood. The shockwave rattled his bones.
"Too fast… too strong—!"
He hissed, rolling aside as another punch nearly clipped him.
The monster swung again, its fist clipping his ribs. Pain burst through him, white-hot, his breath torn from his lungs. He staggered, coughing blood. His armor cracked, his chest screaming with every inhale.
The hobgoblin didn't let up. Its fists came like a storm, each blow heavy enough to shatter stone. Yukio ducked one, slashed its thigh, but it hardly slowed. A fist grazed his shoulder, spinning him sideways. Another caught his arm—bones jolted, his sword nearly slipping free.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it—!" His vision blurred, sweat and blood stinging his eyes.
He collapsed to one knee, lungs heaving.
I can't… win.
The thought cut him deeper than any wound. His whole life, he'd lived on the edge—gambling, fighting, clawing for survival. He never backed down. He never lost.
The fire surged back into him.
He spat blood, glaring up at the beast.
"I'M NOT LOSING!"
The hobgoblin roared, swinging another colossal fist. Yukio parried with everything he had. The impact rattled through his bones, pain screaming in his arms—but he held. He twisted, blade carving upward, splitting its stomach open.
The beast howled, staggering back.
Yukio lunged, stabbing into its knee. Bone cracked. It dropped to one leg.
His chest burned, his vision doubled, but his gambler's grin split through the blood.
"Not… losing… to you."
With a roar, he raised his sword high and drove it down into the hobgoblin's chest. The steel pierced deep. The monster's roar cut off into a choking gasp—then its body burst into glowing motes, scattering into the night.
Yukio collapsed to one knee, panting, drenched in blood and sweat. His hands trembled around the hilt. Every muscle screamed.
Michibiki stepped closer, her eyes softening almost imperceptibly.
"Not bad. Rough, reckless… but you didn't break."
Yukio forced himself upright, swaying, his chest heaving. He glared at her through exhaustion, blood on his lips.
"I told you…"
He rasped.
"…I don't lose."
For a moment, the only sound was the crackle of flames. Then, from deeper in the forest, a roar boomed. Low, guttural, and far larger than anything they'd faced yet.
The real fight was only beginning.