CHAPTER 21: GATE ROBBERS

The first Goblin slashed at him, Silva dodged to the side, his arm raised to parry the blade. The blade ran down the gauntlet, sparks flying in all directions.

He kept his eyes pinned on the goblin as he moved, and when there was a small opening, he lunged for it, using his claws to attack.

They dug deep into the guts of the goblin, causing it to let out a pained cry. Silva pulled his hands out with full force, blood splattering in all directions.

As the goblin collapsed in pain, the other two were already on him and attacked. They swung at the same time. There was no way to dodge, no way to avoid their blades.

Without choice, he dove forward, using the momentum he already had to go fast and forward.

The swords ripped through the back of his hoodie and grazed his back, leaving two slim cuts.

"Arghhh!" Silva groaned. He used his hands to soften his fall as he hit the ground. He rolled and pushed off the ground as fast as he could, then lunged forward, ignoring the stinging at his back.

One goblin slashed and he parried it, before digging his claws deep into its guts and pulling them out with force, intestines and everything pouring out as the goblin collapsed.

[You have gained 20 Exp, 10 demonic energy]

The last goblin took the opportunity to attack. Silva dodged it, pulled his arm back, and with the last bit of energy he had gathered up again, he used Claw Strike.

The attack dug into the head of the goblin. It cried in pain as it collapsed to the ground, bleeding badly.

Silva watched it with cold eyes until it died right there.

[You have gained 20 Exp, 10 demonic energy]

After getting rid of those two, he dragged himself over to the first one he had stabbed and stood over it. He slit its throat and killed it.

[You have gained 20 Exp, 10 demonic energy]

With that one dead, he was done. He walked around, gathering all the cores from their heads, and then headed deeper into the forest.

He only walked a few meters before his body gave out from exhaustion. He found a tree and sat under it, his back leaning against it.

’That took a lot. If I was even a little bit weaker, I would have died,’ Silva thought. He stayed there, waiting for his body to heal up and for him to recover his energy.

But after a few minutes, he heard some voices. It didn’t bother him much because there were tons of humans in the gate.

He sat there expecting that they would pass by. When they finally came into view, it was a group of three men, and right off the bat they gave off a very sketchy vibe.

Their faces were covered in masks, and they all turned to look at Silva the moment they came near. He watched them as well, unsure of what was happening right now.

With no choice, he slowly got up and started leaving, but he left his sensing on just in case. Suddenly, a throwing dagger came for his head. Silva dodged and it stuck into the tree in front of him.

"Who said you can leave? We watched you kill all those goblins. You have a good number of cores on you. Hand them over and we won’t kill you here," one spoke.

’You have to be kidding me, they’re gate robbers? Shit.’ Silva cursed in his mind. Gate robbers were awakened that stayed inside a gate. They found awakened, solo or party, who were tired out and then attacked to take their items.

Silva looked at them. He knew they weren’t joking and his life was in danger here. But hand over his cores? There was no way in hell.

"I thought this was a goblin gate or something. Didn’t know monkeys started running around and causing issues," Silva stated.

Their expressions could not be seen through the masks, but Silva could tell that he had pissed them off.

They lunged at him. The one at the center and front pulled out a dagger and spun it into a reverse grip. The two from the side pulled out short swords and tried to flank Silva.

Silva watched their speed and movements. He knew that they were trained. He took a deep breath, he had no choice.

The first attack, a slash to the head, Silva blocked and got pushed back a step. He sensed a sword coming from his side, spun around, grabbed the arm, and pulled the man in for a headbutt.

Bam!

Heads slammed as the man was knocked back. Silva let go of his hand and tried to dodge the next attack, but he wasn’t fast enough. The short sword dug into his lower abdomen and sprayed blood.

He gritted his teeth and punched, his fist smashing into the face of the man, ignoring the mask and sending him flying.

He turned his attention back to the first attacker. He was already in front and his dagger was already making a full swing motion.

Silva pushed in closer and grabbed the arm. He used his body weight to slam the man into the ground. He tried to twist the arm, but then his sensing picked up a sword coming from behind.

He moved, but it still grazed him. He felt the pain rush through his body. He stood there on shaky legs, his fists barely up. He huffed and puffed, sweat pouring from his face.

The three got on their feet and got ready to attack again.

’This isn’t good. I lack any energy to fight them properly. I need a way to end this now. I can muster two Claw Strikes, three at most.

If I can use them at just the right moment, I can win this. But if I fail, I’ll probably die here. But one thing is certain, I’m not giving up.’