CHAPTER 113: DISTRACTION

I narrowed my eyes and called [Analyze] into play.

And the details appeared before me...

Name: Ezekiel | Class: Goblin Berserker

Level: 30 | Innate Skill: [Muscle Strengthening]

"Ezekiel?" I repeated inwardly, my thoughts stumbling over the name. It didn’t sound like a name a goblin would have.

My gaze lifted back to him, unsettled.

The berserker shifted his weight, raising one of his axes and resting the blunt side across his shoulder. Muscles tensed beneath his skin, every line of him promising violence.

Then he spoke.

His voice was low, rough, but clear enough to get his point across.

"Were you the one who killed Amon?"

I narrowed my eyes, the pieces clicking into place.

Amon. That was the shaman’s name—the very same goblin I had cut down not long ago. So my guess had been right: this berserker was another Blessed from the same clan, drawn here by... revenge?

Ezekiel’s grip tightened around his axe.

"When I heard he was defeated, I was eager to see the one who managed it. You see, it has been too long since we faced an enemy who was Blessed, like ourselves."

How long exactly? How many have you killed?

"You were the one who struck him down, weren’t you?"

I tilted my head slightly, keeping my tone calm, almost dismissive.

"And what about it?"

The goblin’s molten eyes burned with a strange hunger—something between fury and anticipation. He leaned forward, his voice a rumble that vibrated through the clearing.

"Are you strong?"

I paused for a second, then responded with a steady tone edged with quiet certainty.

"Like you would not believe."

The goblin berserker tilted his head, a grin on his face, his axe still balanced lazily on his shoulder.

"Then tell me... what is the rank of your innate skills? If you reveal yours, I’ll reveal mine."

I scoffed. I wasn’t buying the curiosity.

His intention was as clear as day.

Distraction.

On the [Finders] map, there were two figures. The first was the goblin in front.

The second one, which I had been tracking, lingered at a distance behind, lining up a shot. With a solid number in my perception, I could sense the mana convergence.

The shot seemed powerful. But not scary

"I see what you’re trying to do here. Stall me with talk, buy time, let your partner close in and fire whatever shot he’s charging." I called out.

The goblin berserker froze mid-step, his confident posture faltering for a heartbeat.

"He can go ahead if he wants. But I’ll make one thing clear—the first attack either of you lands will also be your last. So plan it wisely, because it will be the only one you get before you meet your demise."

The forest seemed to hold its breath.

And then, almost on cue, a glowing arrow tore through the shadows, its shaft crackling with unstable energy as it split the air with a shriek. Branches shivered in its wake, its trajectory honed straight toward me.

The arrow struck with a blinding flash, detonating on impact in a burst of raw energy that rattled the trees and shook the ground. For a heartbeat, the world vanished into smoke and fire.

Through the haze, the goblin berserker moved, letting out a guttural cry as he charged, his stride cutting in from the side while his twin axes gleamed in fractured light.

He swung with all the weight of his muscle-bound frame, the blade whistling down through the smoke toward me.

CLANG!

Steel rang sharp and jarring, the force of the strike reverberating through the clearing.

The smoke cleared in ragged swirls, and the goblin berserker’s eyes widened at the sight of me—standing firm, unscathed, untouched.

"I told you," I said, my voice calm and unshaken, "that was the last time you would ever land a hit on me."

I shifted my weight, sliding my weapon upward, catching his axe and twisting it aside. The motion carried strength far greater than he expected. The force of my blade shoved back against his grip, driving his hulking form a step—then two—back across the dirt.

The goblin staggered, boots tearing grooves into the soil, but he caught himself before he fell.

His chest rose and fell once, then his body began to shift. A flush of red spread across his skin. Veins bulged grotesquely along his arms and neck. His breath came in ragged bursts as waves of heat rolled from him in visible distortion.

He was using a skill.

From the way his frame swelled, from the raw force bleeding off him, I could tell—it was a strengthening technique. Muscle pushed past natural limits, raw power forced into his limbs until his body strained at the seams.

He was going all in right from the start. Smart. Against me, that was the only way they had even a sliver of a chance.

I tilted my head slightly, a thin smile tugging at my lips.

"Relax, Ezekiel. Don’t you want to take it easy first and power up later? That’s how it goes in anime, isn’t it?"

His lip curled, his words pressed out through clenched teeth.

"You... you’re not ordinary."

"Really? What gave it away?"

I replied smoothly, raising one hand to the sky as mana surged at my call and I activated [Inferno Lance].

A sphere of flame swelled in my palm, burning brighter, hotter, fiercer as I poured more energy into it. The light painted the trees in molten hues, the air twisting violently as the ball swelled, its core pulsing like a newborn star begging to be hurled.

The goblin berserker gritted his teeth, muscles tensing further, veins straining as his body quivered with contained force.

At the same time, a flicker caught the edge of my vision.

The second Blessed revealed himself, perched on a thick branch just behind me. I glanced at him. He was cloaked in shadow, his frame lean, his bow drawn taut.

Our eyes met for a breath.

Energy shimmered across the shaft of his arrow, crackling dangerously, before he loosed it. The projectile screamed through the air, unstable arcane power spiraling along its length.

Almost simultaneously, the berserker took a step forward, chest heaving as he unleashed a guttural howl. The sound tore free with enough force to rattle the leaves, a cone of sonic destruction shredding everything in its path.

Two attacks.

One from range.

One from close quarters.

Both converging on me at once.

No issues.

I warped, folding space in...