The goblin leapt.
A hoarse cry escaped his throat as he swung his rusty blade at Isaac. Ti seed to slow down. Every detail appeared with brutal clarity: the cruel gleam in the creature's eyes, the dried blood sticking to its green skin, the way its gnarled arms thrust the blade straight at him.
Isaac didn't think. He took a hasty step backwards, stumbled slightly and, purely by chance, narrowly avoided the blade, which passed just a few centitres from his chest.
His breath caught in his throat.
- I'm going to die.
Terror paralysed him for a split second. Despite his mutilated body, the goblin propelled himself forward with inhuman rage, dragging his stumps across the ground with a sickening noise. A cornered beast. Ready to bite until its last breath.
Isaac couldn't flee. He was alone. The other Awakened were already too far away, moving on without a care in the world.
- I'm going to die if I don't do sothing.
A voice echoed in his mind, an echo from the past, a scene from a film he'd watched dozens of tis. A samurai, fighting battle after battle, his lips whispering the sa words over and over to give himself courage.
- Advance or die.
The goblin's blade ca at him again. Isaac barely dodged, a warm breath passing over his cheek.
- Advance or die.
His heart was beating wildly, an uncontrollable storm in his chest. The goblin's every move seed dictated by pure, uncontrollable rage. But Isaac... Isaac had to stay clear-headed. To think. Find an opening.
The goblin was relentless, striking erratically, clumsily but violently. He didn't give him ti to breathe. Isaac stumbled backwards, his legs shaking with fear.
His hand struck sothing on the ground.
He didn't hesitate.
His fingers closed around a stone.
Just as the goblin ard another blow, Isaac scread and swung the stone with all his might against the greenish skull.
A thud. A sharp crack.
The goblin staggered back. An opening.
Isaac leapt, bringing his improvised weapon down once more. Then another. Then another. His mind cleared and his movents beca instinctive. Strike. To survive.
When he finally stopped, his hands were shaking. In front of him, the goblin stopped moving. His face was unrecognisable under the blackish blood that trickled thickly from it.
Isaac stepped back, breathless, his heart pounding in his chest.
- I've... killed?
His throat was dry. His whole body was on the alert, ready to flee, to fight again. But there was no longer an enemy. Just a corpse.
And then, suddenly, a bluish light illuminated his field of vision.
A translucent window appeared before him, floating in the air.
[*Ding* Absorption System Detected]
You have killed a creature: Goblin.
Select a reward:
1. Absorption of physical stats (Strength, Endurance, Agility)
2. Absorption of physical skills (Instinctive combat, Primary dodge)
Isaac stared at the screen in front of him, unable to move, unable to understand what he was seeing.
- What the hell...?
Isaac froze in front of the floating screen, his heart beating wildly. This system... it was a power that no other Awakened One seed to possess. Was it linked to his transmigration?
His gaze shifted between the two options before him. Absorbing physical statistics seed more useful for the ti being. He needed strength to survive, endurance to withstand, agility to dodge.
He clenched his fists and chose the first option.
[Absorption of physical stats in progress...]
Strength 2 | Endurance 2 | Agility 2
Intense heat spread through his body, as if his blood was being ignited from within. He spasd and collapsed to one knee, his muscles contracting in searing pain.
Every fibre of his being seed to remodel. His muscles tightened, his breathing beca deeper and more efficient. His reflexes seed sharper, his balance more stable. He felt a surge of pure energy flowing through his body, and when he stood up, he was lighter, more powerful.
He inhaled deeply, feeling an imdiate difference in his posture and perception. He was no longer exactly the sa. His gaze fell on his hands, which were slightly firr, his fingers reacting more quickly to his thoughts. He clenched a fist and felt a new solidity in his joints.
A shiver ran down his spine. It was exhilarating... and terrifying at the sa ti.
- Have I absorbed part of the goblin? he wondered.
Was it just a simple transfer of strength or sothing deeper? The idea that his body could change like that puzzled him, but he didn't have the luxury of doubt.
A blue screen suddenly opened in front of him.
[Status]
Na : Isaac
Race : Human
Hunter Rank : F
Statistics:
- Strength: 5 → 7
- Agility: 4 → 6
- Stamina: 4 → 6
- Senses: 3
- Dexterity: 4
- Intelligence: 6
He stood staring at the screen for a mont, a new excitent rumbling inside him. He had just exceeded the limits of his weak body in an instant. This power... he had to learn more.
Isaac closed his window and clenched his fist.
- This was only the beginning.
He took a mont to test his senses. He jumped slightly on the spot. His muscles reacted faster than before, absorbing the shock with disconcerting ease. He moved his arms and watched how his fingers reacted. Every movent seed more fluid, more natural.
A nervous laugh escaped his lips.
- It doesn't make sense...
He had always been weak, at least in this body. But here... he could feel the power. It was only a tiny gain, a simple 2 on a statistics sheet, but for him, it was a total transformation.
A sound echoed nearby. His heart sank. He had no ti to rejoice. He was still in a dungeon, and other goblins could be on the prowl.
He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and slowly released his breath.
A samurai never lets excitent or fear get the better of him. He always moves forward.
- Let's play our part as bearers...
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