Chapter 17: The Reinforcements

The second Gunthar committed to his swing, I moved, catching his arm and using his own momentum against him as I yanked him over my shoulder.

I followed through with the throw, driving my full weight into him as we crashed onto the dirt together, the impact forcing his massive frame flat against the ground.

Gunthar snarled and tried to recover, but I was already on top of him.

I lunged forward with my jaws wide open and sank my fangs deep into his flesh, tearing through skin as the metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth.

This wasn’t just about inflicting damage.

I was using [Venomous Bite]

Gunthar let out a roar of pain, his muscles twitching violently as the venom spread through his bloodstream.

With a furious snarl, he tore his arm free and drove his elbow straight into my face.

My head snapped back as pain exploded through my skull, the impact throwing me off balance and sending me skidding across the ground.

Even so, Gunthar didn’t escape unscathed.

He staggered before forcing himself upright, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths, while his bloodshot eyes remained fixed on me with a mixture of rage and unmistakable pain.

Thick, blackened blood continued to ooze from the wound on his arm, the venom steadily working its way deeper into his body.

I took a step back and dragged a hand across my mangled lips, smearing the blood onto the ground before a grin slowly spread across my face.

"Doesn’t feel so good, does it?"

Gunthar answered with a low, guttural chuckle as he shook out his wounded arm, his crimson eyes blazing with fury.

"You bite like a coward," he spat. "I’ll crush you for that."

I merely tilted my head. "By all means, do."

He stepped forward immediately, but this time I noticed something different.

The change was subtle, so slight that anyone else would have missed it entirely, but my eyes caught it all the same.

His movements had become just a fraction slower, his breathing heavier and more labored, and the rock-solid stance that had carried him through the battle now held the faintest hint of instability.

The venom was working.

Now, I didn’t know if Gunthar had [Regeneration] or if that passive was something exclusive to me, but if he didn’t, then there was a good chance the venom wouldn’t kill him outright.

It would, however, slow him down until he recovered, and right now, that was all I needed.

Gunthar, of course, didn’t seem to care about the poison. Or maybe he simply hadn’t noticed it yet, too blinded by his own arrogance to realize something was wrong.

With a feral snarl, he charged again, his clawed feet tearing through the dirt as his massive frame barreled toward me like a runaway boulder, reckless and overconfident.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

I shook my head and let out a slow breath through my nose. I’d make him pay. This time, I wasn’t running. Instead, I dropped into a low crouch, every muscle in my body coiling like a loaded spring. I was done being on the defensive.

The instant Gunthar came within reach, I exploded forward. My body shot off the ground like a slingshot, twisting through the air as I drove straight at him.

CRACK!

My fist smashed into his face with enough force to shatter his nose. Blood sprayed through the air as Gunthar staggered backward, a furious snarl tearing from his lips.

I didn’t give him a chance to breathe.

The moment my first attack connected, I pressed the advantage, my claws flashing through the air in a relentless barrage.

One. Two. Three. Four.

Every slash landed with brutal precision, each one carving deeper than the last as pain stacked upon pain.

Even Gunthar’s tough hide couldn’t withstand the assault forever.

It split beneath my claws, dark blood spraying across the ground as he howled and staggered backward under the sheer force of my attacks.

A grin spread across my face, growing wider as his blood splattered over me.

Gunthar had been forced onto the back foot, his defenses steadily crumbling beneath the relentless pressure of my assault.

Desperate, he lashed out, driving a wild, rage-fueled punch straight into my torso.

THUD!

Pain jolted through my ribs as the blow landed, but I endured, quickly realizing it wasn’t nearly as devastating as before. Gunthar had gotten weaker.

He tried to press the attack, but I was faster.

Before he could recover, I drove a devastating punch straight into his jaw.

His head snapped back, and his massive body staggered like a felled tree before barely managing to keep its footing.

"Come on, Gunthar." I shook out my fist with a grin. "Show me what you got."

Gunthar blinked, dazed, his massive body swaying as he struggled to shake off the dizziness and force himself back into the fight, but I had no intention of giving him the chance.

He desperately threw up his arms to block, yet he was far too slow.

I lunged forward and drove my claws deep into his flesh before tearing them through with brutal force, ripping a bloody path across his body.

Blood sprayed into the air as Gunthar let out a guttural howl and staggered backward.

A laugh escaped my lips, wild and uncontrollable, as something primal stirred awake within me.

The longer I fought, the lighter my body became, as though every movement stripped away another restraint, making me stronger, faster, and more alive than I’d ever been before.

If I pushed just a little harder, I could tear him apart.

I could end this... and then feast on his brain.

Gunthar must have sensed my intention because something close to fear flashed across his eyes before he suddenly leaped backward, desperate to put some distance between us.

But there was no way I was letting him escape.

I lunged after him without a shred of hesitation or mercy, my claws flexing as I prepared to finish him once and for all.

Then I heard it.

A faint rustle carried on the wind, followed by the unmistakable sound of something moving through the forest.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as my instincts screamed at me to move. I stopped in my tracks and spun around, my heart pounding the instant I realized I’d been surrounded.

Figures began emerging from the trees one after another.

One. Two. Three. No... more. Five? Six?

Every single one of them was at least level 10, their yellow eyes glowing in the dim light as they stood with muscles tensed and crude weapons gripped tightly in their hands.

Shit!

One goblin, I could handle. But this many? Not a chance.

Gunthar noticed them too, but unlike me, he didn’t tense.

Instead, a smug grin spread across his face as he wiped the blood from his nose and let out a dark, satisfied chuckle.

"You’re done now, whelp."

My pulse spiked as I realized they weren’t simply passing by.

They were reinforcements.

Instinctively, I took a step back, my eyes darting around in search of an escape route, only for my heart to sink when I found none.

The goblin had already boxed me in.

A deep, simmering rage bubbled inside me, thick and burning, and when I glanced at my system screen, I saw the Rage meter had already reached 100.

[Rage: 100/100]

I was tempted.

If I activated Rage Mode, I’d become faster and stronger, but only for a while.

Once it ended, the backlash would hit hard.

My body would slow, my stamina would plummet, and I’d be left completely vulnerable.

But maybe... just maybe, that brief burst of power would be enough.

Enough to escape.

Or, if that wasn’t possible, enough to take some of them down with me.

"Kill him!" Gunthar said through a choked gasp, his body swaying unsteadily. "That goblin is tainted."

"Tainted?" the surrounding goblins echoed, the word spreading through the crowd in uneasy murmurs as they tightened their grips on their weapons and slowly formed a circle around me.

My fists clenched, every muscle in my body coiling with tension as I prepared to let the Rage consume me. But just as I was about to let loose, a sharp, commanding voice cut cleanly through the chaos:

"Nobody move!"

Every goblin, myself included, froze at the sharp command.

It wasn’t Gunthar’s voice, nor did it belong to any of the goblins surrounding me.

As if pulled by the same invisible string, every head turned toward the source of the voice.

Mine did too.

There she was.