As the Goblin Overlord approached the ter of the arena, Nova's mind raced.
‘His Dexterity and Speed are lower than mine— I wear him down. But his Vigor is off the charts. I have to be careful with my stamina; if I'm not, I’ll tire before he does. My Wisdom is also higher. I might be able to catch him off guard if I py it right. For now, I’ll go with a hit-and-run strategy. If that doesn’t work, I’ll adapt.’
The Goblin Overlord reached the middle of the arena, log eyes with Nova. It seemed like he was sizing him up, likely f a strategy based on his Strength and Vigor, the pilrs of his power.
Once he finished analyzing Nova, the Goblin Overlord took a step forward—but before his right foot could even touch the ground, Nova was already in motion.
With a burst of speed, Nova shot forward at nearly 900 km/h. The Goblin Overlord’s reflexes were too slow to react. His brain couldn’t keep up.
In an instant, Nova was in front of the foot that was about to nd. Dropping into his jab stance, he thrust his spear forward with deadly precision, aiming for the sole. ‘If I disrupt his footing, he’ll be slower, more vulnerable to my attacks.’
Before the Overlord could eve, three deep spear wounds appeared in the sole of his right foot, each a couple of inches deep.
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
The Goblin Overlord's face torted. That part of his body was sensitive, and each time his right foot struck the ground, he felt a sharp, nagging pain that threw off his posture. His body instinctively shifted more of his weight onto his left foot, throwing off his bahe result was a noticeable drop in his speed and agility. Even his strength suffered, as his spine was no longer aligned properly. To unleash his full power, he needed perfect posture, but now, with his ter of gravity shifted, he ime to adapt.
Nova, seeing the shift in the Goblin Overlord's stance, immediately repositioned after nding three precise jabs. But he didn’t back off—he khat if he let the Overlord adjust to the injury, it would lose its effectiveness.
‘Right foot injured. Let’s keep the pressure on and force more weight onto the left.’ A smirk tugged at Nova’s lips as he surged forward, using his speed to close the distance, aiming for the back of the Overlord’s knee.
The Goblin Overlord anticipated the move. With a swift calcution, he pivoted on his left foot and swung his battleaxe in a wide, 360° arc without eveing to Nova’s approach.
Annoyed, Nova clicked his tongue and pulled back. ‘So he figured me out…’
His thoughts raced. ‘Should I risk matg my speed against his attack speed? I could probably dodge it, but at the cost of burning through my stamina. Meanwhile, this guy’s just standing there, spinning that damn axe. He’s so annoying, but I’ll take the risk.’
Having made up his mind, Nova dashed toward the goblin, this time aiming for the right leg.
The goblin overlrunted in frustration. Losing sight of Nova, he began swinging his battleaxe in wide, defensive arcs, trying to cover all his blind spots while still making an attempt to nd a hit on his oppo.
Nova watched closely. As the battleaxe swept forward, his senses heightened. He could feel the air shift, the wind howling as the bde cut through the space before him.
The moment the axe pleted its forward swing and began to retraova sprang into a. His leg muscles screamed in protest, urging him to slow down, but he ighe pain. This was his only window of opportunity.
He reached the right leg in the blink of an eye, his focus locked otleaxe’s bde as it passed just inches from his face, grazing his hair in the process. His hands didn’t stop—he pulled back as far as he could. Pnting his foot firmly on the ground, he thrust with everything he had.
The spear drove into the right kneecap with a siing thud, but it was stopped after only 10 cm by the goblin's tough bones and thick muscles. His spear, a standard on from the trials, was far from a match for the overlord's formidable Vigor. Though Nova’s speed had given him the edge, it wasn’t enough to fully pierce the goblin’s knee.
Swiftly, he retrieved his spear, but the battleaxe was already desding toward him. With barely any time, he knew he had to gamble. As he yanked his spear free, the axe came crashing down.
Nova swept upward frht to left, catg the right side of the battleaxe with his spear. The force sent his body spiraling to the right, while the axe veered to the left. Nova’s shoe was grazed by the desding bde, and he could see his toes through the narro created by the axe’s swing.
‘That was too close... ime, I’ll chop this bastard’s toes off.’
He repositioned, panting heavily. The goblin overlord wasn’t faring much better.
Nova sucked in a cold breath, not from exhaustion, but from a pain he had never felt before. The goblin overlord was wielding a massive battleaxe, ohat Nova couldn’t even begin to imagihe weight of. A, despite his injuries—his left sole still throbbing and his right kh a deep, 10cm wound—the goblin tio swing it effortlessly. The strain on his legs must have been immense.
Seeing the human catch his breath, the Goblin Overlord lowered his axe, wanting to recover a bit, as it seemed the fight was taking its toll on both of them.
Nova, however, knew he couldn’t afford to let up. If he allowed this t on, he would lose. Every bit of advatered now. He steeled himself, mentally cursing as he thought, ‘ime, I’ll spend points on Vigor. Fuck this. I don’t want to fight like this anymore.’
His speed, slightly reduced from the earlier bursts, carried him fain, though his body was beginning to feel the strain.
The goblin overlord, seeing Nova’s slight decrease in pace, lifted his battleaxe with a renewed fury, ready to swat the human down like a fly. Why had he found such a tenacious enemy? Every foe he’d faced since being a goblin overlord had been cut down with a single swing. Nova was an annoyance he hadn’t expected.
‘Should I stop targeting his legs and aim for something else? He might not expect it.’ Nova thought, weighing his options. ‘But where? Hmm… the armpit could work. If he ’t raise his arms, he’s as good as dead. Left armpit it is.’
With his target set, Nova locked his focus as the goblin overlord raised his battleaxe, preparing for the swing.
As the goblin overlord raised his axe, preparing to strike, Nova saportunity. He appeared he goblin's left knee, anticipating the familiar attack. The goblin smirked as if he had predicted this move, swinging the battleaxe downward with brutal i.
Nova tightened his grip on the spear. As the battleaxe came down, he saw the goblin’s armpit fully exposed for just a moment. In that brief instant, Nova zeroed in on the small openiween the arm and chest. He had to act fast—too soon and the goblin would dodge, too te and his spear would be blocked.
When the gap was just wide enough, Nova put all his strength into his legs, leaping upward, the tip of his spear glinting as it cut through the air toward its target and it soon found its mark.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
The goblin overlord let out an agonizing howl, dropping his battleaxe in front of him as Nova closed in. The spear’s tip pierced through the armpit, exiting through the shoulder. The upward momentum from Nova’s jump and the downward motion of the goblin’s body bined, giving the strike double the speed. As the force from Nova’s jump faded, gravity took hold, pulling him back down, and with it, the spear tore through the shoulder again.
Blood spttered across Nova and the ground, staining his clothes a deep red. He didn’t mind. With a swift motion, he nded, immediately dashing away, widening the gap between him and the goblin.
‘That was dangerous, but my gamble paid off’, Nova thought, a devilish grin spreading across his bloodied face. ‘Now, time to focus on his legs.’
The goblin overlritted his teeth in pain, clutg the battleaxe with his right hand, struggling to lift it as nimbly as before. But the weight was too much for him now.
Nova, though exhausted, was more exhirated thahis was the toughest fight he’d ever faced, and the thrill of it made him feel alive. The stant danger of death from a single mistake sent a chill down his spine.
Grinning crazily, he dashed fain, somehow faster than before. As he moved behind the goblin, his eyes locked on the back of the left knee. With all his strength, he pnted his right foot firmly and thrust his spear forward, determio finish what he’d started.
The goblin overlord tried to turn around and swing his battleaxe, but the movement was clumsy. The weight of the axe dragged him down, leaving him uo lift the shaft properly. He could only watch as Nova’s spear drove through his left knee, nearly amputating it. His left leg was rendered useless.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
A high-pitched shriek of pain echoed across the arena.
As the spear tore through the goblin overlord’s knee, Nova swiftly withdrew it, watg as the goblin wobbled on one leg, struggling to maintain banot wasting a moment, Nova took a step forward, the dust swirling around him as he closed the distao the right leg.
With speed as his ally, he let the momentum do the work, the spear driving deep into the bone of the right khe goblin overlord, now lost in his pain and fusion, could barely think straight. Ag purely on instinct, he began swinging his arms wildly, only widening the shoulder wound without care. His desperate thrashing was futile, as he sought to destroy everything around him, but nothing was w.
Nova swiftly retreated, well aware of the death throes of a defeated oppo. This was his ce to recover, to let the goblin do the work for him.
The thrashing tinued for five long minutes. ‘Is this guy immortal?’ Nova thought, exasperated. ‘Not once did he stop. Even if I pierced his heart, I don’t think he’d have died immediately. He sighed, aowledging the thrill of this fight, but also the dahat came with it.’
Finally, as the goblin overlord’s arms dropped, exhaustion took its toll. He could no longer lift them, his body spent, his eyelids heavy wanting to close but he wondered if he might ever open them again.
Nova, having caught his breath, no longer panting, approached the goblin overlord. The goblin's head now rested at Nova’s height. With a smirk, he patted the goblin’s head, speaking with a smile spread across his face, “That was fun. Now, it’s time for you to go.”
He removed his hand and gripped his spear tightly, both hands steady as he jabbed over and over into the goblin’s skull. Each thrust sent a fresh spray of blood and brain matter spttering across Nova and the ground around him. The grotesque se tinued until, with one final, powerful thrust, the battle came to an end, the goblin’s body colpsing in a lifeless heap.
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
[Spear Jab proficreased]
…
[Received 30,000 Stat EXP]
Nova held his jab position for a few moments, steadying his breath. He hadn't expected it to take so long t down an already exhausted oppo. Shaking his head, he rexed his stand turned back toward his training spot in the ter of the arena.
“This big guy didn’t even give me a siat. What a letdowtered, exhaling in disappoi. "Sigh… I o prepare for the hour. S, s.”
Despite his pints, there was no frustration in his expression—only a tent smile, as if he had finally found what he had always craved for.
‘I should focus on leveling up Thrust as much as possible. Jab is fast, but it cks the power I hese big guys have tough bodies, and Thrust is the only Skill I have to ter that. Unless some special event pops up, I’ll dedicate the rest of my time here to refining it.’
He made his decision and would stick to it.
Unbeknownst to him—since he hadn't bothered cheg his status window—his Will had increased from 6 to 7.
Without wasting another sed, Nova settled into his Thrust stand resumed training. Each strike was sharper, more precise tha, his movements honed by the staition. And as he drove his on fain and again, the sound of notifications echoed in his mind, signaling his slow but steady growth.
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
[Spear Thrust proficreased]
