The western forest was quiet.
Sunlight barely filtered through the thick canopy, casting scattered golden beams into the gloom. The damp ground gave a soft crunch under armored boots as Eo and Selena strode forward with purpose. They ventured deeper into the western forest perimeter, where the goblin subjugation request had reported sightings.
Eo glanced around carefully.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think goblin can talk?”
A pause.
“No.”
“I wasn’t planning to befriend one. I was simply curious.”
“Goblins tend to act on pure instinct, driven by immediate needs and survival. They hunt, steal, breed, and kill without much thought, more like animals than man. Always on the lookout for weakness, they’re quick to strike at lone travelers, poorly defended villages, or injured adventurers. Truly a pest through and through”
“Is that so.”
Silence returned.
Eo adjusted the grip on the shortened partisan strapped to his back.
This was going to be his first kill. His heartbeat faster beneath the magical armor.
He didn’t know whether it was excitement, fear, or anticipation. Maybe it was all of them
But when all mixed together into something strangely addictive.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“You think I will be able to do it?”
“Do what?”
“Killing the goblins.”
“I think you could do it.”
“What if I couldn't do it.”
“You will have to do it, if you don't want to die to it.”
“How cold.”
“Yes.”
A branch cracked somewhere ahead, making them both freeze on the spot. The air seemed to shift, heavy with tension, as his hand inched toward the weapon slung across his back.
Then—
Three small figures stepped out from between the trees—green skin, crooked limbs, and piercing yellow eyes. Goblins. Ugly little creatures, child-sized, clad in tattered leather and bits of rusted metal. If He had to sum them up in one word, it would be disgusting.
One sniffed the air.
Another grinned.
The third immediately shrieked.
“KREEEE!”
Eo moved.
The ground split under his step as he lunged forward, quicker than the goblins could react. The shortened partisan gleamed, slicing a silver arc through the air—cleanly severing the first goblin’s head. Blood splattered across the nearby trees. The remaining two froze in shock. So did Eo.
“...”
The body crumpled to the ground, lifeless. Just like that, silence swept through the forest. The second goblin let out a panicked scream and charged at him with a crude dagger. Eo's body moves on its own to dodge the attack.
Then—
He thrust forward.
The partisan drove clean through the goblin’s chest, warm blood splattering across his gauntlet. The creature gave a final twitch, its yellow eyes widening before slowly glazing over. Eo stood in silence, staring. His first kill. No—his second.
The third goblin turned to flee immediately.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“Please.”
A single magic circle appeared silently beside her.
A sharp spear of ice shot forward and pierced through the fleeing goblin’s skull.
The forest fell silent, with only the gentle rustle of leaves lingering in the air.
Eo stood motionless, surrounded by three lifeless bodies. He stared at the blood on his hands, knowing he’d ended lives with his own weapon. He’d watched the blood spill, felt bones give way under each blow. Yet his mind was calm—far too calm for most people. He’d expected nausea, shock, regret, anything at all to make him feel something. But instead—
“That was easier than expected.”
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“I think something is wrong with me.”
She quietly walked closer.
“What part specifically?”
“I just killed something.”
“Yes.”
“And I don’t really feel anything.”
Silence.
Eo pulled the partisan free from the corpse with a wet sound.
Blood dripped onto the ground.
The metallic scent filled the air.
“No.”
“That’s weird, right?” he asked quietly.
Selena looked at the goblin corpses.
Then back at him.
“You are overthinking.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
“Shouldn’t I feel sick?”
“Do you?”
“No.”
“Then there is your answer.”
Eo glanced back at the corpses in silence. The goblins were ugly, pathetic, cruel little things. And even now—he couldn’t quite see them as people. Was that the reason?
Selena stepped closer to the goblin corpses.
“We should collect proof of subjugation.”
“Right.”
Eo crouched beside the first goblin.
Then paused.
“Why do guilds always ask for ears?”
“Because carrying entire corpse doesn't really have value.”
“That makes sense.”
“How unpleasant.”
“Yes.”
Ten minutes later—
Eo stood holding a small sack with visible disgust.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“I feel like I lost something important today.”
“Your innocence?”
“My appetite.”
“That as well.”
They continued deeper into the forest afterward.
Three goblins should have been enough for the task, but they keep going anyway.
But—Eo froze in place, his eyes narrowing beneath the helmet.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“Do you hear that?”
Faint metal clashing echoes in the distance.
Selena’s expression remained calm.
“Another adventurer party.”
Eo stared toward the direction silently.
Another scream echoed.
This time louder.
“Sound like they are in trouble.”
“Yes.”
“Let's hurry up.”
Eo dashed toward the sound without a second thought, Selena right on his heels. The forest whipped past in a blur, branches cracking under the weight of his armored strides.
The scene appeared before them.
Five adventurers found themselves surrounded by far too many goblins around at the very least thirty. Eo began to slow his pace.
“That's just too many goblins than before.”
“Yes.”
One of the adventurers spotted them right away—a swordsman, badly wounded.
“RUN!” he shouted desperately.
“A GOBLIN CHAMPION HAS APPEARED! RUN!”
A massive goblin stepped out from the horde, towering over every other goblin. Clad in crude armor pieced together from stolen gear, its piercing red eyes locked onto Eo.
Goblin Champion.
Eo stared silently beneath the helmet.
Then—
His shoulders straightened slightly.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“Get ready.”
The goblin champion roared.
And the forest exploded into chaos.
...
The goblin champion moved first.
It was fast, far too fast for a creature of that size.
The massive creature crossed the distance in an instant, its crude iron club swinging downward toward the wounded swordsman with enough force to crush bone and armor alike.
CLANG!
The silver steel caught the strike, sending shockwaves rippling through the forest.
The ground beneath Eo’s boots cracked slightly as he blocked the strike with the shaft of his partisan. Even through the reinforced armor, the impact rattled his arms painfully.
“Shit! That's heavy.”
The goblin champion snarled just inches from his helmet, foul breath wafting from jagged yellow fangs as its crimson eyes gleamed with cunning malice.
Behind him, the wounded adventurers watched in stunned disbelief.
“He's fast!”
The goblin champion suddenly twisted its body, swinging the club in a wide, sweeping arc.
Eo barely raised his weapon in time to block.
BOOM!
He was launched through the trees, branches snapping apart as his armored body crashed violently across the forest floor before finally skidding to a halt.
“Eo...,” Selena called with a little trembling in her voice.
“Ugh.”
“Are you alright?”
“Definitely not. I should have brought more artifacts....”
Pain shot through his arms.
Even with artifact-grade armor softening the impact, the force behind that strike was absurd.
WAARRGHHHHH!
The goblin champion let out a triumphant roar, and the surrounding goblins screeched in unison before charging forward together.
“Protect the rear!” the wounded swordsman shouted desperately.
The battered adventurers quickly formed a defensive line, pushing through their pain.
Suddenly, chaos exploded as goblins lunged from every direction. Selena moved forward without a sound, and glowing magic circles flared to life around her.
Ice spears erupted outward like rain.
CRACK.
CRACK.
CRACK.
Goblin skulls exploded one after another.
But there were simply way too many.
One goblin leapt past the barrage toward Selena’s blind spot—
THUD.
A silver-armored boot slammed down, crushing its skull into the dirt in an instant.
Eo was back.
“I knew it was right to not feel anything towards these damn pieces of shits.”
The goblin champion lunged forward without hesitation. This time, Eo struck first. Mana coursed through him, and his form shot ahead in a blur.
The partisan lunged for the champion’s throat—
—but the monster casually tilted its head at the last instant.
The blade scraped across its cheek instead.
The goblin grinned wide,
then clamped one massive hand around the weapon’s shaft.
“Fuck me.”
The champion gave a violent yank.
Eo lost his balance in an instant.
A fist drove into his stomach—
BOOM!
His body doubled over from the blow before smashing through another tree trunk.
The adventurers froze.
“Is that guy still alive?”
“That’s not normal!”
Blood rose slightly in Eo’s throat beneath the helmet. He can feel something break inside him.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“I have a feeling this goblin might actually be stronger than I am.”
“Yes.”
“How reassuring.”
The goblin champion let out a fierce roar, pounding its chest with wild force. All around, the other goblins shrieked in unison. This wasn’t just a tougher foe—it was their leader. The wounded swordsman cried out in desperation.
“It’s a mutant!”
Eo slowly stood once again.
“A mutant?”
“Rare evolution!” another adventurer yelled while stabbing a goblin away. “They grow stronger from battle and eating mana-rich flesh!”
The goblin champion lunged again, faster than before. Its club came crashing down toward Eo’s head, but he narrowly sidestepped just in time.
BOOOOM!
The ground erupted where the strike hit, sending dirt and stone flying in all directions. Eo reacted without hesitation, swinging his partisan in a gleaming arc toward the creature’s knee.
CRACK.
The blade bit deep.
The champion staggered slightly.
But instead of retreating—
It fucking laughed.
A horrible screeching sound.
Then kick was delivered.
Eo crossed his arms instinctively.
The impact launched him backward again.
“Why does it hit this hard?!”
The goblin champion kept going, chasing without pause. Each swing came down hard, one after another, like an unending storm of guaranteed death.
Eo froze, every muscle tense as his survival instinct shouted warnings with each motion. One wrong move could end him in an instant.
“Ah.”
Facing something truly stronger than himself, Eo stood his ground. The goblin champion roared, swinging its club down once more. But this time, Eo didn’t dodge. Mana flared wildly, his gauntlet glowing faintly beneath the illusion’s veil. He caught the club head-on.
BOOOOOOM!
The ground around them cracked and burst from the impact, and everyone stood still in shock.
Even the goblin champion’s eyes widened slightly.
“Caught ya.”
Eo smiled beneath the helmet.
The partisan thrust upward instantly.
The champion twisted away but too late.
SHLICK.
One arm hit the ground, spraying black blood in all directions. The goblin champion roared in rage as the nearby goblins scattered in panic. Without hesitation, Eo surged forward.
The pressure from earlier was gone.
Now—
Fear appeared in the champion's eyes.
“You’re scared now? Gonna cry?”
The monster let out a desperate roar, its jaws stretching wide as mana swirled in its throat. The adventurers could only scream in terror.
“MOVE!”
A beam of compressed green energy exploded forward.
Eo’s eyes widened beneath the helmet.
“A goblin can do that?!”
The blast ripped through the forest, erasing trees in an instant. The ground split wide open, and Eo barely managed to dive to the side. He tumbled across the dirt before slowly getting back to his feet, smoke curling across the battlefield.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
“I though only dragons can do that?”
“Mutants are unusual.”
“That is not enough explanation.”
The goblin champion panted heavily. The attack had clearly exhausted it. Its remaining arm trembled slightly.
“Eo.”
“Yes?”
“End it.”
Mana coursed wildly through his veins, the Heart of Mana thudding rhythmically beneath his chest as the air around him seemed to grow dense and heavy.
Eo vanished.
The goblin champion’s eyes went wide as the silver-armored figure materialized right in front of it, the partisan lunging forward in a swift strike.
CRACK.
The blade drove clean through the goblin’s chest, right into its heart. Everything fell silent. The goblin champion gazed at him with fading eyes. Eo moved in, step by step, as warm blood trickled over his gauntlets.
“I understand it now.”
Almost instantly.
Eo pulled the partisan free.
The goblin champion collapsed heavily onto the forest floor.
Dead.
The remaining goblins scattered in an instant. Some ran for their lives, others crumpled in fear, and a few were swiftly cut down by the surviving adventurers. In the heart of the shattered battlefield—amid broken earth, splintered trees, and lifeless goblin bodies—He stood in silence, breathing slowly. His first real boss fight was over, and he had won.
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