Blacksmith Assassin

Forest of Trials IV

Out of nowhere, and in a speed that sliced through thin air, Zeke got assaulted. He got assaulted and now his shoulder is pierced right through with a projectile that he can’t even take out. Not without his flesh suffering through more. A sting came soon after, the same that he’s felt from all other projectile inflicted wounds that he has on his body.

Even with the pain, as soon as this hit, Zeke moved his body and dashed towards the opposite direction where the arrow came from. Sure enough, other arrows flied towards this and, towards him to be exact. Arrows continued being fired as Zeke made a run for his life.

The screams of the goblins got stronger by the second. This can only mean that they’re closing in as well. Another thing that Zeke doesn’t want to face at the moment. Yet this isn’t something he can control. All he can do is keep on moving across the forest as fast as he could and try to find a spot where he can hide, rest and, hopefully, heal.

Then another arrow hit his leg.

This brought Zeke down. For the first time since he arrived there, he is brought to the ground. Shoved to it by forces he does not yet understand. Then came a barrage of arrows that are spread around him. As if telling the human that it’s pointless to try and run. That, no matter which route he takes, he will be hunted down by the arrows.

That’s probably why he stayed on the ground. Zeke slowly got back to his feet and, with this came the arrival of the other goblins – the ones that are trying to chase him down.

Without even half an hour passing by, Zeke is once again placed to the same situation he initially found himself in earlier. He found himself stuck, with his back against a gigantic tree. With goblins spread around him. All of which are making sounds that, Zeke can easily deduce to be ones made out of glee.

“You’re happy that I’m cornered huh.” Zeke murmured. “That’s fair I guess. Seeing as you lot decided to gang up on me.”

There is no hope in this situation. With the kind of skills that Zeke has and, with the current number of enemies, as well as the wounds on his body, it would take nothing less than a miracle for him to survive. But, Zeke doesn’t need something like this. Not at all. The only thing he needs is himself.

Five goblins ran up to him all at once, aiming to cut him down from every possible angle. And as soon as they reached striking range, Zeke grabbed on to one of them.

The human dashed forward and went towards the nearest goblin. The weapon of the small monster stabbed through his body yet Zeke still held on. For a couple of seconds until he locked his hands on the head of the monster and forcibly spun it. Breaking the neck and killing the monster.

He then threw the remaining daggers that he has on the two others that are fast approaching, hitting one right at the head while the other is stuck on the shoulder. Zeke then took out the daggers that are stabbed on his sides and used them now as his primary weapons.

He dashed towards the remainder of the goblins that are attacking him. The frenzied state that he seems to be in caught them by surprise as well. They aren’t able to do anything to counter Zeke’s wild movements. They bore victims to this state of the human that has continued in the same rampant state.

The other goblins that watched this are simply left unable to comprehend what’s happening. All of a sudden, their prey seem to have changed. No. That’s not it at all.

In the blink of an eye…

In the snap of a finger…

They are the ones that have turned prey.

“Come at me you bastards.” Zeke said as he ran past them. He razed through the group of goblins, attacking any that is within striking range.

He stabbed, sliced, hit, kicked, punched, swung, stabbed, and bit. He did every attack that is humanly possible and as he did this, he took out the arrows from his flesh. The pain from it only dwindled by the adrenaline that’s pumping him up in this fight against the unrelenting goblins.

Zeke doesn’t care though. He continued attacking them. Each time he killed one goblin, he took whatever weapon is on the bastard’s hands and used it as his own. He then attacked with the stolen weapon to kill and steal again. Repeating this cycle over and over again.

It may seem that what he’s doing is nothing more than a suicide attack. A last-minute effort for him to survive. But in truth, Zeke actually thought about this. Right as he’s shot with the second arrow and, right as he’s surrounded, the idea came to the top of his head.

It doesn’t matter how much damage he takes. It doesn’t matter if he’s left near death’s doorsteps…as long as he levels up…all of these things will be healed.

“KEEP COMING YOU BASTARDS!” Zeke shouted as the fight raged on.

He leveled up once, healing through the arrow and stab wounds. Then he leveled up again shortly after this. In the process of continuous leveling up, he didn’t stop attacking. Zeke stacked up as many of the corpses as he could and, as soon as he reached a total of fifty, the fight came to a sudden halt.

There is nobody attacking him anymore. All of it ceased. The only reason this can ever happen is because, all of his opponents are dead. But that cannot be further from the truth.

[Goblins Killed – 50/100]

That is what his [System] windows say. Other than this, he can also see some of the goblins that are running away from the battle, all of them moving towards a single direction. Then came arrows that are fired towards Zeke again, as if to stop him from chasing after the remainder of the goblins.

But he didn’t stop.

Zeke ran towards the direction of these goblins. The bastards that are running away from him aren’t going to be able to do so easily. He made sure of this as he allowed two of the arrows to hit his body. Purposefully letting them stab through the parts of his flesh that wouldn’t cause his movements to slow down.

There is a beast-like grin on his face that continued stretching out as he reached the first retreating goblin. Stabbing it on the neck that’s declare as a weak spot. Creating a critical strike that resulted in the instant death of the monster.

As he did this, the arrows kept flying towards him. But now that Zeke’s turned into this state the monster seems to have begun to fear him. That is what it felt like because the arrows are flying to him with less lethality and killing intent. As if they came from shaking hands and trembling fingers.

Zeke didn’t pass on this opportunity to destroy the remainder of the goblins that re running away form him. All five of them which gave him another boost of healing.

[You leveled up.]

This is all that Zeke needed to see for him to continue. He ran forward because he knows th9at this is where the archers would be. As sure as he is with the arrows still coming from a straight line towards where he is running. And, without a doubt, in less than five minutes, he reached the archers.

Not only them. Zeke reached the other goblins that are preparing to engage him as well. All of the remainder that’s now less than a half. And not even stopping for half a second, he went to the closest one he can attack. Stabbing the goblin through the top of its head without any regards for his own defense.

This resulted in the quick death of the monster as Zeke took the blunt axes of the creature. He is then struck with five more arrows. But now he’s gotten accustomed to the sound of these projectiles when they’re approaching him. Allowing him to duck as low to the ground as possible in order to dodge.

As soon as he did, he jumped back up and swung an axe before releasing it towards the archers. Making it fly in a spinning motion until it finally reached the intended targets. A poor goblin archer got the weapon cutting its body and staying there. The weapon’s stuck, unable to be taken out.

He then used the other axe on his other hand and threw it as well – making use of the passive [Sure Hit] that guaranteed his weapon to land right at the skull of another archer.

“More!” Zeke shouted to the goblins. “I need more!”

This brute like scream that he made simply placed the goblins into a more cowering position than they were in earlier. Now the creatures can’t event attack properly. In fact, some are even hesitating to approach Zeke now. And as soon as this happened, it became clear who is the winner of this fight.

After this, Zeke easily went through the remainder of the ranks of the goblins. It didn’t take as much difficulty and effort as it did earlier anymore. With him realizing how he can win and, with him figuring out how he can supply his lack of weaponry, there is nothing stopping him.

Adding all of this up with the fact that the goblins are now in a state of fear is just an icing on top of a perfect desert. And Zeke devoured it whole. He killed and killed until, there’s nothing to kill anymore.

Half a day’s time has passed and, with the striking of the noontime sun, comes the declaration of the system.

[You have finished the quest.]