Static washed away the surroundings. Within that static, a scene unfolded. A pce just like this, but with a floating crystal and three silhouettes standing in front.

  Vaan blinked and then it vanished. And he realized he was holding a shield and sword.

  The goblin was still stunned, its beady yellow eyes wide in disbelief.

  Vaan's body moved. Swinging his left arm out, he bashed the goblin with the shield. And then taking a step forward, he pierced with the bde in his right hand... which had turned from a rusted silver dagger to a gleaming bck bde.

  The goblin was caught off guard and sent flying back from the shield strike. But it scrambled away, causing the stab to miss.

  Vaan stepped back, raising his shield up high while holding his sword at the ready.

  > Gathering material from the surroundings, Shield of Darkness has been created.

  > Gathering material from the surroundings, Sword of Darkness has been created.

  Again, that mechanical female voice. Vaan didn't understand, but he also didn't have the time to try and understand at the moment.

  The goblin roared and waved its hand, signaling the others to strike at once.

  Vaan's eyes narrowed.

  *ba-dump*

  A headache.

  'This still isn't enough.'

  If Vaan just waited to counterattack, he'd be worn out and killed. So he advanced.

  Without giving the goblin a chance, Vaan ran forward and swung his bde, cleaving through the monster's neck.

  The goblin's beady yellow eyes widened in shock. And then its head fell to the ground in a thump.

  At that time...

  > Injuries detected. Gathering material from the surroundings. Rudimentary first aid has been applied.

  Vaan fell back into a ready position. As he did, he felt a faint warmth on his right shoulder and leg. Again, he didn't understand. But he 'knew.'

  He would win.

  The goblins that had been grinning and ready to charge suddenly grew still. Those beady yellow eyes glowing in the distance narrowed, as if surveying Vaan.

  'These aren't normal goblins. From the tactics and the weaponry, they’re likely mutants. Moreover, they seem to have experience fighting adventurers.'

  Vaan wasn't sure how he knew that, but he did. And that meant that this wouldn't be simple.

  As if to confirm his thoughts, a goblin whistled and the group of goblins quickly split apart into formations. Four to the left, three straight ahead, and four to the right.

  A fnk. Something that would undoubtedly catch adventurers off guard and lead them to their demise.

  'Don't let them.'

  Vaan quickly dashed off to the left, holding his shield up.

  "GEHE!" A goblin shouted. And then four impacts crashed against Vaan's shield. At the same time, three pairs of footsteps echoed from Vaan's right.

  It was a staggered attack. Ranged projectiles to induce panic if not death, and then follow-up with melee attackers.

  'Use the terrain to your advantage. There's no need to block all the attacks yourself.' Vaan dove at an angle, rolling behind a towering stagmite. As he did, he swung his shield at a stactite, causing it to fall.

  A thunderous sound. For a split second, sparks lit up the dark cavern. And then the stactite crashed down, sending debris everywhere.

  'Remember. Even if mutated, goblins are still simple-minded creatures. A single formation is the extent of their capability unless a shaman or goblin champion is present.'

  Knowledge filled Vaan's mind, echoing like a calm voice.

  For a split second, Vaan caught a glimpse of a dusty tome and the teasing smile of a young woman with silver hair. But he pushed it aside.

  "GEHE?!"

  The goblins were in disarray. The sure-kill formation they had was broken, and the prey they thought helpless had suddenly bared fangs they didn't know it had.

  Which meant it was Vaan's chance. He leapt out from the stagmite and swung his bde. Once, twice, thrice.

  The dark sword was an invisible shadow in the dim light, and three goblins were cut down before they knew what happened. A fourth goblin scrambled back to try and open space.

  Vaan threw his sword.

  A bck blur. And then the fourth goblin colpsed on the ground, split in half.

  Vaan stood up and flicked his wrist.

  The bck blur suddenly curved and cut down three more goblins before striking the wall and dispersing into shadows.

  And that just left four.

  Vaan raised the shield in his left arm.

  The st four goblins broke up into pairs. Two ran towards where Vaan's sword had vanished, no doubt trying to retrieve what they saw as an unbeatable weapon. Meanwhile, the other two rushed at Vaan to try and take him out.

  'A shield isn't only used to defend. It can be used to force opening and strike, even when not paired with a weapon.'

  The first goblin arrived, pouncing high at Vaan's head. The second goblin pounced low, aiming at Vaan's shins.

  Vaan stepped back and swung his left arm down, smming the shield into the first goblin.

  It squealed and then crashed into its partner, sending both goblins sprawling onto the ground.

  'Follow up immediately.' Vaan stepped forward and stomped. Once, twice. And with the sensation of bursting melons, the goblins went still.

  The remaining two goblins looked at Vaan from across the cave, their beady yellow eyes wide with fear.

  Vaan spun and chucked his shield.

  A dark blur swept through the air. And then the remaining goblins colpsed onto the ground, a pair of heads rolling along the stone floor.

  It was over.

  Vaan stood still for a while, making sure there wasn't anything else popping out. And then when there wasn't, he swept his hand through his hair. "I... did it. I live. I really... lived. This time..." He ughed and shook his head.

  The immediate danger was over. And with it, the adrenaline rush.

  Vaan winced, suddenly feeling his injuries.

  His shoulder felt like it was on fire, and his leg was numb. A quick pat also showed it was cmmy to the touch. And not only that, it felt like knives were stabbing his brain.

  In short, not good.

  Vaan was alive, but he didn't know what else awaited him up ahead.

  On the bright side, Vaan confirmed he could fight.

  On the downside... Vaan knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up at this rate.

  So before setting off, Vaan decided to take inventory of his situation.

  Vaan clenched his now empty hands and muttered, "Spark of Creation, right...?"

  A shield and a sword had been formed out of nearby materials. And emergency first aid had been performed as well.

  Vaan hadn't been thinking much at the time and just used it reflexively. But now that he had time, he stopped to see what he 'knew.'

  > [Spark of Creation] is the legacy of [REDACTED]. It allows for production of miracles provided sufficient knowledge and/or materials.

  An immediate response to Vaan's question. Yet again, that mechanical female voice echoed in his mind. But it only brought more questions.

  What was redacted? What were these miracles? How were they made? And what was sufficient knowledge or material?

  Vaan didn't know. And after waiting, it seemed that voice didn't want to tell him. So he just had to experiment.

  Fortunately, there was plenty of raw material to work with. Twelve goblin corpses were nearby, along with various equipment.

  Vaan hummed. "...Just how flexible is this 'Spark of Creation...?'"

  If the description was accurate, then maybe...

  Vaan walked over to the nearest goblin corpse and knelt down, pcing his hand over it.

  'This body is too weak.'

  Vaan acknowledged that thought. And so, to make it stronger...