Kenji tilted his head briefly, narrowly evading most of the blades. But one of them grazed his cheek, leaving a sharp sting and a deep, bloody mark. The pain surged through him, but he forced it aside, driven by sheer determination.
With adrenaline coursing through his veins, Kenji dashed toward the other side of the display shelf, which seemed to divide the store like a barricade. He felt the rush of wind as another projectile whizzed past him, narrowly missing his shoulder. The sharp clang of metal against metal echoed behind him.
As he dodged, Kenji sprinted to the far corner of the store. The shield-wielding goblin quickly cut him off, rushing to block his escape route. Not far behind, the sickle-bearer mirrored his movements, their faces leaping with excitement.
They believed they had trapped Kenji and were convinced this was his end. The store walls closed in, Neither of them realized they had fallen into Kenji's trap. The shield-bearer, eager to cut off Kenji's escape, charged right into the centre of the long, rectangular iron shelf that divided the room.
As the shield-bearer crossed the threshold, Kenji seized the moment. He gripped the edge of the shelf with all his strength and pushed downward. The metal shelf, firmly anchored to the ground, gave way with a loud crack.
In an instant, it collapsed, pinning the shield-bearer beneath its weight. The goblin released a startled yelp, trapped and struggling to free himself. Kenji felt a surge of triumph as he realized he had turned the tide of the battle.
More projectiles hurtled toward Kenji, forcing him to react quickly. He snatched a broken shield from his inventory, raising it just in time to deflect the incoming blades. The shield rattled under the impact, but it held firm.
Without wasting a second, the sickle goblin charged forward, eyes gleaming with intent to strike. Kenji braced himself, gripping the shield tightly as the goblin closed the distance.
The sickle goblin leapt into the air, his body arcing above Kenji, poised to deliver a deadly horizontal strike. The wicked curve of the blade glinted in the dim light, aimed straight for Kenji's midsection.
In that split second, Kenji reacted instinctively. He raised the broken shield, bracing for impact.
The sickle goblin's strike collided with the broken shield, sending a jarring shock through Kenji's arm. The lights flickered again, casting erratic shadows across the room. At that moment, the goblin realized the truth: the shield had been merely tossed by Kenji, and Kenji was still just out of reach.
Kenji seized his opportunity as the sickle goblin hung in the air just after delivering a strike. He lunged forward with a sudden burst of energy, channelling all his strength into a powerful uppercut.
Kenji's blade sliced through the air, its razor-sharp edge glinting in the dim light. In one swift motion, it plunged into the sickle goblin's chin. It pierced his brain and ended his life. The goblin's eyes froze in shock, his weapon slipping from his grasp as his body went limp. Kenji didn't hesitate and rushed to retrieve the fallen blade in mid-air. A projectile hurtled toward him. He sprang into action, leaping onto a nearby shelf to avoid it.
["You have killed a goblin, you have acquired 10 mana stone,"]
As Kenji dashed forward, he jumped on the falling shelf, crushing the shield goblin beneath him. The impact reverberated in the store room. Wide-eyed and trembling, the dagger goblin struggled to grasp the swift turn of events. Moments ago, victory had seemed within its grasp, but now chaos reigned.
Fear gripped him as he fumbled to pull out more daggers, his hands shaking. The confidence he once had evaporated, replaced by a desperate urge to survive. Kenji was closing in. With a swift move from below, Kenji made a horizontal slash, splitting the dagger goblin in half.
["You have killed a goblin, you have acquired 11 mana stone,"] the system alert said.
The shaman saw this and was in shock. He couldn't believe his comrades had died at the hands of someone who looked ready to collapse.
The shaman was enraged and began casting. His surroundings heated up. But before he could speak, Kenji shot him in the head with a crossbow bolt.
["Congratulations, you have levelled up,"] the system alert said.
["Congratulations, you have levelled up,"] the system alert said.
["Congratulations, you are in Level 5,"] the system alert said.
Kenji breathed heavily. His nose was bleeding, the poison was already getting a toll on him; if he didn't have his adaptive skill, he would have been long gone. He used his right hand to wipe the blood from his nose. He held a bloody sickle in that hand.
["You are adapting to the poison effect."]
["due to adaptive skill, the poison effect is reduced,"], the system alerted Kenji, but he couldn't even see the words clearly
"It seems the poison they use is a lot stronger than the low-tier goblins I've fought," he said, his voice shaky as he moved and staggered, struggling to stay on his feet.
The world around him gradually began to fade, and he felt himself slipping into darkness.
"It won't be good for me to faint out here," Kenji thought, fighting against the encroaching haze. He forced his blurry eyes to scan the area, desperately searching for a place to take shelter and recover. Each passing second felt like a battle against his body, and he knew he had to find safety before it was too late.
After a while of searching, Kenji spotted an orange door. The tag above indicated where the school cleaners dropped off their equipment. He forced himself to move toward it. As he approached, his system buzzed with alerts, and the familiar voice announcing levelling up in his ears was a faint reminder of his progress.
He reached the door and shoved it open, using a mop he found nearby to prop it closed behind him. As soon as he stepped inside, his legs gave out, and he fell to the ground, breathing heavily. The cleaning supplies surrounded him, offering a momentary refuge as he fought to regain his senses.
Inside, Kenji felt a deep pain as the poison coursed through his neck veins, making him feel as if he were intoxicated. Although an antidote was available, he couldn't bring himself to take it to relieve his suffering.
Suddenly, an alert appeared before him:
["You are adapting to the pain. You gain one point in stamina."]
["You are adapting to the pain. You gain one point in stamina."]
Despite the overwhelming agony, Kenji gritted his teeth and fought against the waves of discomfort.
["You are adapting to the pain,"] the system repeated.
Kenji kept on trying to endure the agony. Each wave of discomfort threatened his resolve. The shadows in the room danced around him, and he could almost hear the distant echoes of a life he once knew.
But as he lay there, the room began to blur. The edges of his vision darkened, and despite his desperate attempts to stay awake, the pain finally overwhelmed him. With a final gasp, Kenji succumbed to the darkness, slipping into unconsciousness.
The last thing Kenji saw before darkness took him was a bright system notification hovering before him.
["Congratulations! Your Adapt skill now includes poison resistance. You have an overwhelming resistance to goblin poison."]
["Congratulations! Your Adapt skill now includes healing factors. You can heal true cut wounds."]
It was morning, and the bright sun warmed Kenji's face. He held a colourful lollipop in his right hand, its sweetness a comforting presence. Kenji was short for his age, but his spirit was vibrant. With his left hand raised high, he clasped a soft, pale white hand that perfectly matched his skin tone.
Young Kenji looked up, captivated by the woman before him. She appeared youthful yet had an air of wisdom about her. Her long, dark hair cascaded down her back like a shimmering waterfall, each strand glistening in the sunlight. It framed her face beautifully, enhancing her gentle features.
As she smiled down at him, Kenji felt a sense of wonder at her beauty, the warmth of her presence wrapping around him like a comforting embrace.
"Wake up, my dear," she said, her voice soft and inviting, the smile on her face illuminating the moment.
As Kenji slowly awakened from the darkness, he found himself in the same room filled with darkness and cleaning tools.
Kenji stood up, feeling as if he had regained his energy. He glanced down at the floor where he had lain, now stained with a dark liquid that exuded a deeply uncomfortable odour.
"My body dispelled the poison," he thought, staring intently at the black substance pooling beneath him.
Even his clothes reeked of that foul scent, a lingering reminder of the ordeal he had just endured.
Kenji opened his system interface to check his progress. The screen lit up before him, displaying notifications and updates about his abilities and status.
Player Info after
Name: Kenji Mochizuki
Level: 4
Class: Novice
Yin: Locked
Stats/Attributes:
Agility: 15/15
Strength: 16/20 +(1)
Stamina: 13/15 +(2)
Intelligence: 13/13
Unique Skills: Adapt, Heightened Senses
Accumulated points awaiting distribution: 2