—It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.—
Ever since becoming a Vanguard, death had always lingered at the back of my mind.
It wasn't dying itself that scared me.
It was everything I hadn't lived for yet.
Ling.
I want to live.
Just once, I want to live a quiet, peaceful life.
But have I… ever truly lived?
Or was I just drifting through this world—barely surviving one day after another?
Weak.
Powerless.
Just a joke in everyone else's eyes.
And yet, I still fear death.
More accurately, I'm simply not ready for it.
They say it's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep for a lifetime.
If that's the choice…
Then I'll remain the sheep.
Ling.
No matter what it costs,
I will return to you.
Chen Guang clenched his fist.
"Activate Maximum Power Burst."
His eyes burned crimson.
His entire body tightened like a bowstring drawn to its absolute limit.
Veins bulged across his skin as if molten heat were surging through them.
Thin streams of white steam curled from his skin.
Sharp cracking sounds echoed as his bones and joints ground against one another.
The price for his final hope.
[CHANCE OF MAXIMUM POWER BURST CONSUMED]
[STRENGTH OF THE FORMICIDAE — LIMIT REMOVED]
[CURRENT STRENGTH INCREASED BY 30 TIMES]
[CURRENT STRENGTH VALUE: 10.5]
[EXOSKELETON — LIMIT REMOVED]
[GAIN ONE MORE LAYER]
[OVERALL BODY DURABILITY INCREASED]
Chen Guang's body glowed like metal fresh from a furnace.
Heat rippled off him in waves.
Bones and muscle fibers were destroyed and rebuilt at an astonishing speed.
The pain lasted only a thousandth of a second—so fast that even his nerves and brain failed to process it.
His skin gradually became smoother, gleaming brilliantly, reflecting the raging flames around him.
His gaze overflowed with killing intent.
Bloodshot veins spread from those pitch-black pupils like spiderwebs.
[TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES 59 SECONDS]
[TAKE CARE]
[SURVIVE]
He exploded forward, shooting straight toward the Emperor Goblin.
A speed he had never imagined possible.
Every cell in his body screamed.
Every muscle fiber tightened to the brink of snapping.
His fist clenched tight, like a spring pushed to its limit.
Then he drove it forward with everything he had—straight into the Emperor Goblin's face.
The monster was twice his size.
"You—!"
It roared as its massive body crashed to the ground, blood spilling from its mouth.
[TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES 57 SECONDS]
I won't give it a chance.
Chen Guang roared, battle intent surging within his chest.
His fists rained down on the Emperor Goblin's face, strike after strike.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Each punch slammed down hard enough to make the ground tremble.
Dirt and dust erupted, swirling through the forest.
Chen Guang didn't stop.
Every blow carried his desperation to survive.
He gritted his teeth so hard that blood seeped from his gums.
Thud—
His fist was suddenly caught mid-swing.
A massive hand clamped around it.
Crack—
The crack of bone echoed sharply.
A sharp jolt shot down his spine.
Blinding pain tore him out of his bloodlust.
No damage?
His pupils shrank.
A wave of dread surged through his chest.
The Emperor Goblin grabbed his arm and hurled him away like a broken toy.
His body carved a trench dozens of meters long across the ground.
He slammed hard into the trunk of a half-burning tree.
Blood burst from Chen Guang's mouth.
His breathing turned ragged.
Cold sweat drenched his body.
Not giving him even a second to recover, the Emperor Goblin charged straight at him.
Even faster than Chen Guang.
It clasped both hands together, then slammed them down on Chen Guang's back.
Chen Guang's eyes rolled white.
Blood spilled from his mouth once more.
He clenched his teeth.
With the last of his strength, he rolled aside to dodge the monster's crushing stomp.
BOOM.
Dust exploded into the air.
The ground collapsed inward, forming a crater dozens of meters wide.
Rocks shattered and scattered everywhere.
Exoskeleton gained another layer… yet it still hurt.
He gasped for breath, brow furrowed, teeth biting deep into his lip.
[TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES 50 SECONDS]
It felt like… facing an entire mountain.
He wiped the sweat that blurred his vision.
Every nerve in his body was stretched to the limit.
A glint flashed in the Emperor Goblin's eyes.
Its enormous fist suddenly appeared right in front of his face.
When did it?
The shriek of wind tore through the air.
His pupils widened in terror.
Instinctively, he raised both arms to shield his head.
CLANG—
A sharp metallic impact rang out.
Like two slabs of steel colliding.
Chen Guang's entire body went numb.
His body was forced backward.
Deep footprints carved into the ground beneath him.
His breathing came faster and faster.
I don't even have a chance.
Three punches came crashing down in succession.
BOOM.
Like a sledgehammer blow, his body shuddered.
BOOM.
His feet sank deeper into the ground.
BOOM.
The pressure rattled his bones.
"AAAAARGHHHH!!"
Chen Guang roared.
He twisted his body aside, the punch missing his face by less than a centimeter.
Then he poured every ounce of strength into his arm.
BOOM.
His fist slammed straight into the Emperor Goblin's abdomen.
Its massive body slid back a step.
Surprise flashed across its face.
Chen Guang followed with another strike.
BAM—
His fist collided directly with the Emperor Goblin's.
A shockwave burst outward.
Rocks shattered and scattered everywhere.
The remaining trees nearby were ripped from the ground, toppled like broken sticks.
"Human… impressive."
The Emperor Goblin's voice echoed out.
Chen Guang quickly retreated.
Fear was plain on his face.
It… was smiling?
The atmosphere suddenly shifted.
The world seemed to darken.
Its eyes burned with a deep crimson light.
BOOM—
Without warning.
Before he could even react.
Its leg swept across Chen Guang's abdomen.
His body skidded violently across the ground.
"Kgh—!"
He rolled several times across the dirt.
Blood sprayed from his mouth, and from his nose.
His entire body was drenched in blood.
[TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES 30 SECONDS]
Is there really no way?
His hands clawed desperately into the ground.
His breath hadn't even left his mouth yet.
BOOM—
Another kick slammed straight into his stomach.
Chen Guang was blasted dozens of meters across the ground.
Blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering across the Emperor Goblin's body.
[WARNING: DAMAGE APPROACHING BODY LIMIT]
[RECOMMENDATION: PRESERVE HOST'S LIFE]
"SHUT UP!!"
Chen Guang staggered to his feet.
He wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
A fierce light ignited in his eyes.
The air went still.
For a moment, even time seemed to freeze.
SLASH—
Chen Guang's fist appeared before the Emperor Goblin in an instant.
Its massive body jerked in shock.
A jagged stone had been driven deep into its shoulder.
"GRRRRHHHH!!!"
The Emperor Goblin's roar shook the heavens and the earth.
"Not enough!"
Chen Guang roared.
His legs moved as if this were the last moment he would ever live.
Dozens of sharp stones slammed into the monster's body.
"Still not enough!!!"
His speed grew faster and faster.
More jagged stones pierced deep into the Emperor Goblin's flesh.
Blood began to seep from the wounds.
"DAMN IT!!!!"
Chen Guang screamed, his voice hoarse but overflowing with killing intent.
His entire body burned red, steam pouring off him.
[TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES 10 SECONDS]
Sharp stones.
Broken branches.
Fists.
Kicks.
Every last ounce of strength he had left was poured into this final assault.
"GET… AWAY…"
The Emperor Goblin roared in fury.
The shockwave from its roar blasted Chen Guang backward across the ground.
It forced itself upright.
Its body, once crimson like blood, was now truly drenched in it.
Jagged stones were embedded all over its flesh.
The fang it once took pride in had snapped clean in half.
Hatred burned in its eyes.
So this… is the end.
Chen Guang lay on the ground, barely breathing.
His entire body had gone limp.
Waves of unbearable pain flooded through him.
But no matter how much it hurt.
It no longer mattered.
[TIME REMAINING: 0 MINUTES 0 SECONDS]
[MAXIMUM POWER BURST EFFECT HAS ENDED]
His fading consciousness stared at the flickering notification window.
The images before his eyes blurred.
Ling...
With the last trace of strength he had left, Chen Guang reached into the empty air.
"Die… human."
The Emperor Goblin stepped closer.
It pulled the sharpened wooden stake from its chest.
The very stake Chen Guang had poured every last ounce of strength into—trying to drive it straight through the monster's heart.
Its arm slowly rose.
Its gaze settled on Chen Guang's chest.
Where his heart was still beating faintly.
[ACTIVATING: MONARCH PHEROMONE]
The notification appeared at the very brink of death.
"YOUR MAJESTY!!!!!!!"
Faint sounds rang in Chen Guang's ears.
Countless voices crowded into his mind.
Through his heavy eyelids, he saw a sight that, if he survived, he would never forget.
Thousands.
Tens of thousands of ants.
Swarming over the Emperor Goblin's body.
From a crack beneath the earth, they surged out like a flood.
Shock flashed across the Emperor Goblin's face.
It began thrashing wildly.
"GET… OFF… ME…!"
The more it struggled, the tighter the ants clung.
They crawled up its legs.
Up its body.
And then—
They slipped into its wounds.
"YOUR MAJESTY!!!"
"YOUR MAJESTY, YOU MUST LIVE!!!"
Thousands of voices crashed into Chen Guang's mind like a waterfall.
"Brother!"
The image of a small, innocent girl appeared in his mind.
"Will you come back to me? You promised."
Ling...
"We pinky promised. You can't break it."
The little girl smiled brightly, full of life.
I promised...
Chen Guang's eyes suddenly snapped open.
Pain surged through his entire body.
Every inch of him ached.
He couldn't move a single muscle.
But—
"Kill it."
His voice rang out, cold and resolute.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
The voices answered in perfect unison.
One by one, the ants burrowed deeper into the wounds.
Tearing through flesh.
Through the muscle.
One.
Ten.
Hundreds.
The Emperor Goblin began thrashing in panic.
It pounded at its own chest.
It dug its hands into its wounds.
Tore at its own flesh.
"AAARGHHHHH!!!"
Its agonized screams echoed through the desolate forest.
The army ants...are this terrifying?
A painful smile tugged at Chen Guang's lips.
Thousands of ants were crushed and torn apart by the Emperor Goblin.
Yet they were endless.
Wave after wave surged forward.
The monster's screams continued without end.
"Go straight for its brain."
Chen Guang ordered coldly.
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Swarm after swarm surged forward.
They crawled into its nose.
Slipped through its blood vessels.
Climbed across its eyeball.
Terrifying.
Chen Guang thought to himself as he watched a black mass moving across the Emperor Goblin's pupil.
The itching and agony drove it mad.
It gouged its own eye out.
Its fingers clawed into its throat, its nose.
It tore open its own body.
Blood and mucus poured out in thick streams.
Its desperate screams echoed across the forest.
One remaining eye rolled toward Chen Guang.
Brain matter leaked from its nose.
"YOU… MUST… DIE…"
Gathering the last of its strength, it lifted the wooden stake.
Chen Guang lay there, powerless.
The Emperor Goblin's will, its bloodthirst, drove its final movement.
A worthy opponent deserves respect.
Chen Guang smiled and closed his eyes.
Waiting for the final moment.
Slash—
The sharpened tip of the stake stopped less than half an inch from his chest.
A warm liquid suddenly sprayed across his face.
Thud—
Chen Guang opened his eyes.
The Emperor Goblin's head had fallen onto his chest.
Its bloodshot eye stared directly at him.
Its body was still frozen in the same posture.
Its killing intent had not yet faded.
Blood burst from its neck like rain.
"Phew, that was close. Almost died there, huh?"
A familiar voice echoed nearby.
At this moment, that voice felt like salvation.
Chen Guang smiled, as if a heavy weight had finally been lifted.
Then darkness swallowed his vision.
Ting.
A dry metallic sound rang out.
[SUB-MISSION COMPLETED: DEFEAT THE BOSS]
[WARNING: EXIT BEFORE THE PORTAL CLOSES]
[REWARD—]
Before he could see the rest, Chen Guang's consciousness sank into darkness.
"Alright."
A girl's voice spoke.
"Come on. I'll take you back."
She hoisted Chen Guang up, as if he weighed nothing more than a sack of cotton.
This guy is pretty interesting.
A faint smile curved at the corner of her lips as she carried him toward the flickering blue portal.