Chapter 16: The Tainted

The spear screamed through the air like a lightning bolt, crossing the distance between us in the blink of an eye.

Instinct took over before I could think, my muscles tightening as my legs coiled like springs, and I twisted at the last possible second.

It was a sharp, desperate movement, but it was enough.

Instead of punching through my chest, the spear only grazed my shoulder, its razor-sharp edge tearing through flesh as I crashed to the ground.

I rolled with the impact, coming up in a low crouch almost immediately, my eyes snapping toward the direction the attack had come from, where a hulking shadow stood at the edge of the clearing.

A goblin.

Only, he was bigger and far bulkier than I was, with at least a pound more muscle packed onto his frame. Thick cords of sinew rippled beneath green skin covered in old scars, and every inch of his body radiated the kind of experience that only countless battles could forge.

His face was a map of healed wounds twisted into an expression of pure malice. A spear rested firmly in his grip, while an axe sat sheathed across his back, making it painfully clear that he was comfortable fighting at any range.

I exhaled slowly, forcing my breathing to steady.

Then a bright red notification flashed into existence before me.

Ding!

[Gunthar, Level 10 Forest Goblin]

My blood ran cold.

A Level 10?

That explained his size. It also told me everything I needed to know. He was almost certainly stronger, faster, and far more dangerous than I was. Even so, I still had one advantage he didn’t know about.

[Evolution Devour].

Judging by the way he sneered at me, however, he wasn’t here for a friendly chat.

"Tainted."

The word left his mouth with undisguised disgust as his yellowed tusks protruded from his lower jaw and he took a slow step toward me, his beady red eyes burning with hatred.

"Eating human flesh. You are an abomination."

My stomach clenched, the metallic, raw taste of my last meal still lingering on my tongue as I swallowed hard.

My fingers tightened around the bloodstained axe hanging at my side, the very same one I’d used to split the ogre’s skull open.

Great.

Even among my own kind, eating brains wasn’t considered normal. Who would’ve thought?

"I didn’t know we had diet restrictions," I said to the raging goblin. "I’m sort of new to this whole goblin thing."

Gunthar stared at me with obvious confusion.

Right. I needed to keep my words simple.

Gunthar took an intimidating step forward:

"What clan are you from, Abomination?"

"Clan?..." My brain scrambled for a response before the first thing that came to mind slipped out. "Hmm... the Earth Clan."

He frowned. "The Earth Clan? Never heard such a name."

"It exists, I assure you," I replied with as much confidence as I could fake.

Gunthar’s eyes narrowed. "And in the Earth Clan, goblins eat humans?"

"...Yes," I answered after a brief hesitation, deciding to commit to the lie.

"Liar!" he barked without missing a beat.

Yep. I hadn’t sounded convincing in the slightest.

"A goblin can’t eat human flesh. Human flesh is poisonous."

Oh...I did not know that.

"Well, I can..."

"Tainted!" Gunthar snarled, cutting me off before I could finish as his grip tightened around the shaft of his spear. In the next instant, his arm snapped forward, sending the weapon hurtling toward me like a striking viper.

I ducked just in time, the spear whistling over my head, but before I could capitalize on the opening or even regain my footing, Gunthar had already closed the distance between us.

The hell.

His knee rocketed upward, and there wasn’t even enough time to think about dodging.

CRACK!

"Fuck!"

Pain exploded through my ribs as though I’d been struck by a sledgehammer, driving the air from my lungs and sending me skidding backward with my breath caught painfully in my throat.

My ribs screamed in protest, but nothing felt broken, only badly bruised.

Gunthar’s attack had been brutal, yet my tough hide had absorbed just enough of the impact to keep me on my feet.

The bad news was that somewhere during the exchange, I’d lost my grip on my axe. I was weaponless.

I barely had time to steady myself before Gunthar came charging again, this time wielding the massive axe that had been strapped across his back.

He was fast, relentless, a beast that refused to give his prey a single moment to breathe.

His thick, scarred arms swung the weapon with terrifying force, turning each strike into something that could split me clean in two.

I sprang sideways, my muscles coiling before exploding into motion.

My enhanced legs launched me clear of the attack with a burst of speed that would’ve been impossible before my evolution.

Gunthar skidded to a halt, then whirled to face me, his bloodshot eyes burning with raw hatred.

"Tainted filth," he spat, tightening his grip on the axe. "Stay still, and this will be quick."

I landed lightly and met his glare with my own.

"Like hell I’d do that."

The words had barely left my mouth before the axe came hurtling toward my face.

I threw myself aside at the last possible second, the blade missing me by inches as the force of the swing whipped a violent gust across my skin, stinging like a rake of claws.

Too close. Way too close.

Simply avoiding his attacks wasn’t going to be enough. I needed to fight back, but every time I looked at that axe, I hesitated. One mistake, one mistimed move, and I’d lose far more than the chance to counterattack.

My eyes darted toward where I’d dropped my own axe, only to watch Gunthar casually scoop it up before hurling it deep into the bushes.

I frowned.

He’d read my mind.

Gunthar charged again, forcing me to throw myself into a roll as my body scraped across the rough dirt.

My heart hammered against my ribs, and I had barely regained my footing before he was already advancing again, giving me no room to breathe, let alone think.

I couldn’t keep fighting like this.

Staying on the defensive would only delay the inevitable.

I needed to fight smarter. I needed to make use of every skill at my disposal.

My eyes flicked toward my Rage gauge.

[Rage: 012/100]

Twelve points.

Not enough to use [Thundering Roar] yet.

Gunthar swung down again, but I slipped out of the way just in time. A sneer spread across his face as he straightened, clearly amused by my refusal to meet him head-on.

"What’s the matter, abomination?" he mocked, his voice dripping with contempt. "No taste for real fights? Or do you prefer feasting on corpses like a vermin?"

I narrowed my eyes, irritation simmering beneath the surface.

This goblin was starting to piss me off.

With that same smug grin still plastered across his face, Gunthar lunged at me again.

This time, however, I didn’t evade completely.

Instead, I shifted just enough to the left to leave what looked like a fatal opening, deliberately dangling the bait in front of him.

His eyes lit up the instant he saw it.

And without a second thought, he took it.