Lilya struggled to stand upright, but she forced herself to focus on what lay before her.
The air around her felt heavier—not just from exhaustion or the poison eating away at her body, but from the pressure emanating from the enemies ahead.
Ten pairs of yellow eyes stared at her without blinking.
"Three hobgoblins... their levels are already dangerous enough," she thought, her instincts immediately marking them as the primary threat.
Her gaze shifted to the other goblins surrounding them. There were more of them, and their levels were higher than the ones she had faced before—but they still couldn't compare to the pressure radiating from those three.
Strangely, none of them moved.
They simply stood there, silent, watching with narrowed yellow eyes—as if the figure before them was no longer something that required urgency.
No shouting. No reckless attacks.
Just a stillness filled with certainty.
Like hunters who already knew their prey had nowhere to run.
One of the hobgoblins—the tallest—stepped forward.
Its shoulders were broad, its body dense like a living slab of stone. Its skin was darker than the others, marked with old scars that carved across its chest—wounds that hadn't killed him, but had shaped him.
In its hand, he held a short axe.
Its blade was dull, but heavy—its weight could be felt even from several steps away. And the way he held it—effortlessly—made it seem like a natural extension of its body.
Its stopped.
And stared at Lilya.
Deep.
Sharp.
There was no wild emotion like the lesser goblins.
No agitation.
Only cold calculation—like someone deciding how long their prey would last.
Then—
"Grrrk."
A low growl escaped its throat.
Short.
Heavy.
And enough.
In an instant, the silence shattered.
The goblins surrounding her began to move—not to attack, but to spread out, their steps light yet quick as they formed a tightening circle around Lilya.
Their laughter broke out one by one—raspy, broken, mocking—echoing through the trees and torn tents.
"Gik—gik—gik!"
They weren't rushing.
They weren't panicking.
They were enjoying this.
The three hobgoblins remained in front—not advancing quickly, only shifting slightly, maintaining distance and sealing off the most obvious escape routes.
Their positioning wasn't random.
They were the wall.
The executioners.
Meanwhile, the regular goblins formed the outer ring—closing in, shrinking Lilya's space with each step.
Lilya stood at the center.
"A hunting formation?" she thought as she slowly stepped back, her heel dragging against the damp ground.
The circle tightened.
Slowly.
Inevitably.
The tallest hobgoblin lowered its chin slightly—
Then growled again, deeper.
"Grrr—"
A signal.
Without another cue, three goblins behind Lilya moved at once.
Fast.
A spear and a sword struck from two directions—one aimed at her back, the other sweeping low at
her legs.
Too fast for a normal reaction.
But Lilya's body had already moved.
[Quick Step]
In a brief, near-silent burst, she vanished from that spot—shifting half a step to the side.
The spear pierced empty air.
The sword slammed into the ground, splattering mud.
But—
It wasn't over.
Two more goblins rushed in from the front.
Each carried a crude wooden shield in one hand and a short sword in the other.
Without hesitation—
BAM!
Their shields slammed into her shoulders at the same time.
"—GH!"
Her body was thrown backward. The impact was heavy and blunt, enough to shatter her balance. Her shoulder felt crushed, her breath cut off mid-inhale.
Before she could recover—
A third goblin lunged.
Its sword came down straight toward her neck.
Instinct moved.
[Precision Cut]
The branch in Lilya's hand rose.
A short swing.
Perfect.
—CRACK.
The sword shattered mid-strike.
Splintered like rotten wood struck too hard.
The goblin froze.
Its eyes widened.
It didn't understand.
It never got the chance to.
Lilya stepped forward.
Her eyes narrowed—sharp, cold.
"Move!"
She swung her left arm and struck the goblin with all her strength.
Its small body flew several meters before slamming into a tree with a loud crash and collapsing, unmoving.
Silence fell for a moment.
The circle—
Stopped.
Even the goblins' laughter died.
Their yellow eyes now looked at Lilya with something different.
Not mockery.
But—
Caution.
In front of her, the tall hobgoblin narrowed its eyes.
Its smile slowly faded.
It saw.
It understood.
This prey—
Would not die easily.
And for a creature like it—
That only made things more interesting.
"Grrrk..."
Then something changed.
Not in Lilya.
In them.
The goblins in the outer ring glanced at each other, letting out short hisses and restless movements.
Not because they feared Lilya—
But because of what stood before them.
The hobgoblin.
The tallest one didn't move.
But its presence shifted—an invisible pressure strong enough to tense the shoulders of the lesser goblins.
Their jaws clenched.
The hands gripping their weapons trembled slightly.
No command had been given.
But the threat was clear.
Those who hesitated—
Would die first.
"Gik..."
One goblin stepped back.
A mistake.
The hobgoblin merely shifted its gaze toward it.
No movement.
No sound.
But it was enough.
The goblin flinched, its body stiffening—then it turned back to Lilya with a panicked scream.
"GIIK!!"
Like a trigger.
The formation broke.
They attacked.
No longer organized.
No longer restrained.
Brutal.
Wild.
Desperate.
Two goblins lunged from the left, one leapt from behind with a spear aimed at her back. Another swept low, trying to knock out her already weakened legs.
Lilya moved.
Not because she was brave.
Because she had to.
[Quick Step]
Her body shifted—
Half a second too slow.
The spear still grazed her side.
"—gh!"
Heat flashed—
Then cold.
Poison.
She spun.
[Chain Strike]
The branch struck the nearest goblin's wrist.
Crack.
Bone snapped.
It screamed—cut off as Lilya swung again.
[Sword Slash]
A faint blue light flashed.
The goblin's body split.
Blood sprayed.
But there was no time.
Two more were already there.
One thrust.
One slashed.
[Battle Instinct]
Angles read.
Movements predicted.
She stepped into the narrow space between them—
But—
Her leg responded too late.
The thrust pierced her abdomen—shallow, but enough to knock the breath from her.
"—AH!"
The poison spread again.
Faster this time.
Deeper.
But her hand still moved.
[Precision Cut]
The spear split apart.
She stepped forward—
And drove her elbow into the goblin's face.
Bone cracked.
It collapsed.
Not dead—
But out of the fight.
The other tried to retreat.
Too late.
The branch flashed again.
Its head came off.
Two.
Lilya staggered.
Her breathing grew heavy.
Her vision trembled.
"...not yet..."
Footsteps pounded.
Three more goblins charged at once.
No gaps.
No rhythm.
Only chaotic, forced attacks.
One leapt from the side—blade aimed at her neck.
She ducked.
Still—
It cut her cheek.
Warm blood ran.
Another slammed into her from behind.
THUD!
She dropped to one knee.
Pain shot through her shoulder—old wounds reopening.
The poison surged—
Spreading faster.
Colder.
"...damn..."
But she didn't stop.
She couldn't.
The goblin in front raised its weapon—
Too close.
No room.
Lilya thrust her branch—
Straight into its throat.
It froze—
Then fell.
Three.
The one behind tried to grab her hair—
She twisted.
[Chain Strike]
Two short hits.
One to the jaw.
One to the neck.
It collapsed—
Convulsed—
Then went still.
Four.
But—
Another blade pierced her thigh.
"—AAH!"
Her body shook violently.
Her leg nearly gave out completely.
The poison—
Now wild.
Cold spread up to her waist.
Her hands grew heavy.
Her movements—
Slowed.
Yet one last goblin in that wave remained.
It hesitated.
But behind it—
The hobgoblin growled.
"Grrr."
Enough.
The goblin screamed—
And charged.
Lilya looked at it.
Her vision blurred—
But it was enough.
"...come."
She stepped forward.
One step.
Unstable.
But enough.
[Sword Slash]
The blue light fell once more.
Silence.
The goblin split apart.
Five.
Lilya staggered.
But one that had only fallen—
Tried to rise.
She saw it.
Without a word—
She raised her branch—
And brought it down.
Six.
Silence returned.
Lilya's breathing was ragged.
Heavy.
Unstable.
Her body trembled.
Wounds in her shoulder.
Her abdomen.
Her thigh.
Her back.
All open.
All screaming.
And the poison—
No longer creeping.
It flowed.
Fast.
Deep.
Her legs—
Barely moved.
Her hands trembled violently.
The branch in her grip nearly slipped.
"...hah..."
She inhaled—
But it felt shallow.
Cold spread to her chest.
Yet she remained standing.
Before her—
Three hobgoblins.
Still unmoving.
Still watching.
No smiles now.
No mockery.
Only—
Acknowledgment.
And killing intent far more real than before.
Lilya swallowed.
Her eyes locked onto them.
But beyond them—
The narrow path through the brush.
Cecilia.
Still there.
She had to be.
"...I'm not done yet."
Her breath dragged, short—as if each inhale had to be torn from something crushing her from within.
The poison had spread too far.
She could feel it now—not just cold in her wounds, but a weight pressing into her muscles, slowing her body's own signals.
And yet—
She remained standing.
In front of her, the tallest hobgoblin stepped forward.
Not rushing.
Not hesitating.
Each step was heavy, striking the ground with dull force that Lilya could feel in her bones.
The distance between them shrank.
And the closer it got—
The clearer the pressure became.
This was different.
Not like the goblins before.
This...
Was raw strength.
The creature stopped in front of her.
Close.
Close enough that Lilya could feel its overwhelming presence.
No warning.
No signal.
The hobgoblin moved.
Its axe rose—
Then fell with brutal speed, cleaving straight toward her.
[Quick Step]
Lilya's body jerked backward in a forced burst. Her nearly unresponsive leg was pushed beyond its limit.
The blade barely missed her chest—the wind alone knocked the breath from her lungs.
She avoided it.
But—
Something felt wrong.
A shadow moved behind her.
Too late.
As if it had emerged from a blind spot she never noticed—
The second hobgoblin was already there.
Bigger.
Heavier.
In its hands—
A massive hammer, absurdly large for its size.
And that hammer—
Was already swinging.
"—GH—!"
The impact struck Lilya's back with devastating force.
Her bones rattled.
The air exploded out of her lungs.
Blood burst from her mouth.
Her body lifted—
Thrown into the air like a rag doll caught in a storm.
Her eyes rolled back.
Her consciousness—
Shattered.
[Alert]
[Fatal Threat Detected]
[Activating: Damage Reduction – 35%]
[Poison Effects Suppressed]