Then, I saw it: a long, polished, and sharp bone protruding from the earth, as if some ancient beast had left it there for me. Without wasting a moment, I dragged myself toward it and grasped it with trembling fingers, pulling it from its earthen tomb with a desperate yank.
In the next second, the space I had occupied moments before exploded in a shower of dirt and stones as the goblin's fist slammed into the ground. Rock fragments flew in all directions, some cutting my already battered skin.
I regained my balance precariously and retreated with a clumsy but effective movement. The relief I felt was as fleeting as a sigh.
The goblin let out a guttural growl that seemed to rise from the depths of the earth. It was clear it didn't appreciate that a seemingly weak prey like me had the audacity to escape its attack.
I couldn't afford a second's rest. I quickly examined my new weapon: the bone was about a meter and a half long, ending in a narrow, deadly sharp point. It was practically a natural spear. The drawback was that, even with this makeshift extension, my attack range was still inferior to the monster's. However, the bone's hardness and sharpness gave me confidence that it could pierce its greenish flesh if I managed to land a precise blow.
The situation was clear: I needed to get close enough to strike its torso with the bone's tip. But fear paralyzed me. At such close range, the creature could easily crush me using its sheer strength and bulk.
The goblin's arm descended again like a divine hammer. This time, my reaction was slower, my body clumsier. I managed to avoid the direct impact, but the sharp pain that shot through my left leg as the shattered ground's stones lacerated it was enough to bring me down again.
There was no time for regrets.
With an instinctive movement, I grabbed a handful of loose dirt. Raising my left hand, I threw the makeshift projectile with all the strength I could muster directly at the goblin's small red eyes, which still had its right fist buried in the ground.
The dirt hit its target with surprising precision, leaving the monster momentarily blinded. A howl of rage and confusion escaped its throat as it reached forward, trying to grab me blindly.
Now's my chance!
I leaned forward and, summoning all the strength left in my battered body, thrust the bone with a fluid, precise motion.
The bone spear, guided by my trembling but determined hand, traced a perfect arc before piercing the goblin's left eye, sinking deep into its skull. Its other eye widened, showing an expression of surprise and pain that could almost be described as human.
Gritting my teeth against the unbearable pain gripping my legs, I twisted the bone with a sharp motion, trying to inflict as much damage as possible to its primitive brain.
I collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted, as the air escaped my lungs in a prolonged sigh.
When I managed to regain a semblance of balance, I watched as the massive monster crumpled with a dull thud. The bone spear still protruded obscenely from its head, bathed in streams of a viscous, greenish liquid that spilled onto the stone floor.
A groan escaped my throat as I breathed heavily; pain coursed through every fiber of my being like electricity through a wire.
[You have killed a First Evolution Monster (F), Goblin Fighter]
[Soul Fragments: 10/10]
[The awakening begins…]
The awakening came to me in a way I could never have anticipated, not even in my most feverish dreams. An extraordinary sensation began to stir in the depths of my being, as if an exotic bird were trying to break free from its cage of bone and flesh. A cry of astonishment, not pain, escaped my lips as I brought a trembling hand to my chest, trying with my gaze to pierce the darkness enveloping me to understand what was happening.
It wasn't suffering I was experiencing, nor even an unpleasant sensation, but something entirely new, primal. My entire body trembled and awakened, as if every cell became conscious simultaneously, flooded by an energy as strange as it was fascinating.
The most disconcerting thing was the origin of this energy. It didn't come from outside; it wasn't something being granted to me. It emerged from the deepest recesses of my being, as if it had always been there, dormant, patient, waiting for the precise moment to manifest. I felt it expand like a controlled fire, filling every corner of my anatomy.
My emotions intensified to an almost painful point, gaining crystalline clarity as my body began to transform. In the exact center of my chest, I sensed a tiny star beginning to burn.
From that blazing core, waves of heat emanated with mathematical precision: first to my stomach and shoulders, then descending through my arms and legs until reaching the tips of my fingers and toes.
Under the influence of that inner flame, my dying body began a regeneration process that defied all logic. Fractured bones reassembled from their fragments, fusing perfectly. Lacerated flesh regenerated, regaining its integrity. My collapsed lungs and damaged heart were reborn, rejuvenated, gaining a strength and health they had never possessed before.
Suddenly, I could breathe again with an ease I had never known.
That searing heat rebuilt my entire interior: the skeletal structure, muscle tissue, vital organs, even the intricate network of blood vessels. It was a complete rebirth. I felt stronger, more agile, healthier than at any previous moment in my existence.
The sensation was indescribably euphoric.
With each passing second, the transformation deepened. A new confidence took root in my heart like a seed in fertile soil. I was no longer that weak, vulnerable boy who had lost his mother and dragged himself across the ground begging for his life.
After what seemed like an eternity suspended in time, the star in my chest began to cool gradually. The heat was replaced by a refreshing coldness that spread like a balm through my entire system, taking with it every particle of pain and discomfort accumulated over years of existence. It rose to my brain and finally reached my eyes.
The world I perceived had undergone a radical transformation. Colors gained an intensity never seen before: reds pulsed with a life of their own, blues reached oceanic depths, blacks were absolute abysses of light's absence.
All these enhanced colors intermingled before my eyes like an impressionist composition created by a forgotten master.
My vision began to blur gradually, and though my mind experienced an unusual lightness, it maintained extraordinary lucidity. I felt like a castaway floating in the vastness of the ocean of consciousness.
Gradually, the environment regained its shape and structure. The colors returned to their usual state as a grayish, diffuse mist dissipated around me like morning dew under the sun.