"Idiot!!" I screamed as I watched Ponier fall on his head after flipping from the force of the fall.
How could he not dodge such an obvious attack? I swear, this guy is even weaker than Penny. How did he even become a Bronze-ranked adventurer? God, what's happening in this world? Everything I experience is illogical and contradictory. In that moment, Miro was sitting down, struggling with his wound. Penny had fallen and seemed to have fainted, and Ponier had gotten up again, but he looked like he had taken heavy damage, making him practically useless.
Then, Daemon ignored everyone around him and locked eyes with me… It was a terrifying stare, the scariest look I had ever seen in my life. His expression radiated immense fury. Slowly, he left the others behind and stepped toward me—the only one still standing in the battlefield. In his right hand, he gripped his dagger, while with his other hand, he dusted off his black cloak. He looked as if he was silently saying: "It's your turn."
At this moment, I stood firm, gripping my sword with both hands. I felt a shiver of fear. No… not just a shiver… A massive wave of terror crashed over me, making me regret my decision to escape from that palace. Fuck, will someone get up and help me? There's no way I can defeat this thing alone. Suddenly, he sprinted toward me. I reacted instinctively, swinging my sword and chanting: "Cold Spikes!!"
One by one, my projectiles shot toward Daemon, but he leaped swiftly and dodged them, continuing his charge toward me. Alright… I guess this is the end for me. I had never faced a monster with this kind of speed before. I thought I was strong… but it seems the monsters I had been killing were just weak… No, not weak—they simply never stood a chance against the Astral sword. But this goblin can dodge and run.
"My will is to kill this goblin… Move, my will and desire! Ignite, my heart, with magic… because all I want right now is to kill this goblin… Fotsios!!!!!" Ponier suddenly shouted from behind.
A fireball struck Daemon's back, causing him to crash face-first into the ground. Oh my god… this is my chance!! In that moment, I aimed the blade of the Cold Needle directly at Daemon's fallen back. And with speed… with fear… with excitement, I stared at his body on the ground and chanted:
"Cold Spiral!!!"
As soon as I shouted those words, a spiral of water wrapped around my blade and surged forward, ready to crush the fallen enemy. But… as expected, things never go as I plan. I know my luck too well. That fucking goblin managed to move quickly, so instead of hitting his back as intended, my attack only struck his shoulder.
"Nice one, Laos!!" Ponier suddenly shouted.
Daemon, as usual, retreated and ran up one of the higher grounds. Oh my god… I survived… We did it. And I was the one who dealt him the most damage. But to be honest… if Ponier hadn't cast that midspell, we wouldn't have gotten this far… This is it… The party!
"He's escaping!" Miro called out as he stood up, gripping his shoulder.
"Oh no, he doesn't!!" Grell shouted as he pulled back his bowstring, an arrow already in place, his eye locked onto Daemon as he crawled away. As I watched, the arrow soared through the air at incredible speed. I don't know what came over me, but at this moment, all I wanted was for that arrow to hit Daemon. Yes, goddess… not just the goddess, but all of the gods, I don't want this fucker to escape again and come back after healing... Hah... So this is how the boss in a game feels when you run away to restore your HP… What a disgusting feeling.
"That's in!!" I screamed with excitement as I saw Grell's arrow closing in on Daemon's back.
And then, the moment I had been waiting for… the arrow pierced into Daemon's back. Amazing! Yes! After what felt like years of watching that fucking arrow fly… We did it!! We're not just any party that got slaughtered by this goblin. We are strong… What a new feeling… the feeling of victory!!
Suddenly, Daemon stopped running and ripped the arrow from his back. Then, he pulled out another dagger… He has an unlimited supply of these fucking daggers! Then, with both his weapons drawn, he suddenly rushed straight at me! Oh my god, why me?! Ponier and Miro dashed toward me as well. Looks like we've really pissed him off. I couldn't hold back any longer, so I fired a barrage of Cold Spikes.
"Laos! Miro and Ponier will stall him! Stay with them, and when I tell you to drop, drop immediately!" Grell shouted.
I saw Penny get up, and Grell tossed her a potion to recover. At this moment, Daemon finally reached us, and his daggers clashed with Ponier's and Miro's weapons. Then, he suddenly jumped back and threw a dagger straight at Miro's face! But that big guy was fast—he raised his shield in time to block it. And in a terrifying sight, the dagger stuck into the shield as if it was about to pierce right through… Oh my god… What if Miro hadn't raised his shield in time?!
While we were still shaken by Daemon's sheer strength, he suddenly kicked Ponier's chest, sending him flying backward. I knew then that my turn had come. And as always… I'm not about to let someone take me down so easily… Yes, this is it. The perfect moment for another attack.
"Cold sp—"
"Laos, drop!!" Grell suddenly yelled just as I was about to cast my spell.
Damn it! I couldn't react properly. My brain only processed the simplest command, so I dropped onto my knees as if I was kneeling before this fucking goblin and begging for mercy. Then, I heard the sound of the wind slicing… A body cutting through the air, making a fierce noise… It's an arrow… Another arrow from Grell.
I waited for the sound of it piercing flesh… but it was delayed. So I lifted my head and saw something terrifying. Daemon was standing there, holding Grell's arrow in his empty hand. Fuck! He was staring straight at Grell, as if silently saying, "Is this all you've got?" He was so focused on Grell that he completely ignored the kneeling NPC in front of him…
Damn it!! Suddenly, Daemon rushed toward Grell, leaving the rest of us behind. Looks like the archer is the one annoying him the most in this party. God, can Grell even do anything to protect himself?! At this moment, Daemon was getting closer and closer to the archer, preparing his daggers to strike. Then, we saw sparks of fire erupting—like the collision of rock against rock.
At that moment, Daemon stopped as if he had collided with a solid wall. But what he had actually hit wasn't a wall—it was a short girl, about his height, with long ears covered in white fur. She stood bravely, blocking the goblin's dagger with her twin daggers. It seemed she had managed to protect Grell.
"Penny!!" I suddenly shouted.
But the moment of relief didn't last. Daemon quickly got rid of her, kicking her hard in the stomach. Now, only the archer was left. Miro then charged toward Daemon, raising his axe high. As he got close, he hurled his axe with full force while shouting: "Eat this!!"
Fuck! He dodged!! The axe missed Daemon and instead flew toward the person behind him—Grell. In a split second, it rushed toward Grell's leg, and though he managed to see it and lift his foot just in time, the impact still struck hard below his knee.
"AAAAAAGGGHHHH!!!!" Grell screamed as he collapsed to the ground.
I turned to look at Miro's dumb face, wondering what kind of idiotic idea he just pulled. But when I saw his expression, it was filled with shock and horror, completely pale—like a dead man. His clouded eyes trembled, and his lips struggled to form words. He looked as if he had killed someone or witnessed his mother die before his eyes. What the hell is wrong with you guys??!! What's happening here?! We were doing fine, so why did everything suddenly flip upside down?
"He's just a goblin…" I muttered, feeling helpless and weak.
"Damn it, we're going to die!!" Ponier suddenly screamed, slamming his hand against the ground.
At that moment, Daemon left Grell and Penny and started advancing toward me. Yes… this is my end… the end of an NPC in another world. Fuck, all of this is because of them… Yes! They made stupid mistakes! I was the only one who didn't screw up. And that fucking Grell—he told me to drop to the ground when I was about to unleash a fatal attack on Daemon. Fuck you!! Fuck all of you!! I'm going to die because of you screwheads!!!
Suddenly, the sound of something being sliced echoed in the air, followed by the thud of limbs hitting the ground. Then came a loud, unbearable scream… a scream so painful that it made my ears ache. When I looked in front of me—there was Daemon, with his arms and legs severed. Oh my god… how did he end up like this?!
He was on the ground, writhing and screaming in agony. That's when I saw the figure standing behind him. The one who had cut off Daemon's limbs. It was a slim, feminine figure wearing simple clothes, with several swords strapped to her waist. Her skin was pale, and she had stunning heterochromatic eyes—one blue, the other yellow. Her short black hair swayed slightly, and atop her head were black wolf ears.
"Etomi…" I muttered, feeling like my heart was about to explode.
"Finish him," Etomi said coldly, her gaze emotionless as she gestured toward the dying Daemon.
My steps trembled as I walked forward. A powerful urge to kill surged within me. No… it wasn't just an urge—it was an overwhelming flood of energy and fury. Suddenly, I started stabbing Daemon over and over again, screaming as I did. Again and again. Until he was dead. A massive amount of blood poured out, and he died with his eyes wide open. But I didn't stop. I kept stabbing his corpse. Rage consumed me.
I felt warm tears splatter against my face, my vision blurring, but I kept going. Stabbing, stabbing, stabbing. My entire being burned with anger. I screamed like a madman. And then—finally—I felt an immense sense of relief and euphoria before I collapsed, leaving the Astral sword embedded in Daemon's lifeless body.
"It's always the beginner adventurers…" Etomi muttered coldly.
"A bunch of lucky, useless fools… Look at your pathetic fate. Aren't you ashamed of yourselves? What if I hadn't decided to take a job in this area? I wouldn't have found you, and that goblin would have killed you all."
"A single goblin? And you'd let your families cry and mourn over your deaths? Your lives are nothing but a waste. Your only real contribution is getting your names written in the records of the dead. Why? I've lived long enough to realize that the thing I despise most in this world… is people like you—the weak."
"Worthless… Useless… Powerless… Your existence in society is nothing but a burden. You can't do anything meaningful for others. The only thing you excel at is dying in pathetic quests like this. And when you do survive, it's purely by luck. Being weak isn't a sin… but staying weak is. We were all weak once, but unlike you, I refused to remain that way. Because I realized something—this world runs on power. Nothing else. Power is everything…"
"From this day on, if you stay like this, then I hope you die. Don't make me regret saving you, you bunch of failures. Miserable, worthless weaklings… From here on, you need to start a new life and chase the ultimate goal—power."
With those words, Etomi turned and left, abandoning us with Daemon's corpse in this dark, disgusting place. In that moment, I saw myself like I had never seen before. I saw flaws so clear that I had failed to notice them before. I saw truths I had been blind to. Power… Is that really what drives this world?
That idea might be useful for someone like me—someone from another world. But… what the hell was that condescending speech, you fucking slave?! I should feel happy that I survived, but all I feel right now is overwhelming disappointment.
God damn it!
"Etomi Sleva… wait for me at the peak of the adventurers… because I'm coming to knock you down from it."