Chapter 6 : Soul bound Eyes

Hiro moved swiftly, darting from one building to the next. His footsteps were light, each one carefully placed to avoid making unnecessary noise. The mist clung to the air, thick and choking, limiting his vision. Each breath felt heavy, thick with the sharp metallic tang of blood that seemed to saturate the desolation.

Leveling up has actually strengthened me a lot. The person i was from 5 days ago would already be out of breath from running, let alone running this fast.

"...But it's really sad, this city used to be quite beautiful before."

The streets were devastated and deserted. Buildings lay shattered, their remains shattered across the cracked pavement. Gnarled roots of unknown trees burst through the asphalt, twisting into grotesque shapes. Chasms gouged through the roads, their jagged edges a testament to a world that had been torn apart. Amid the debris lay carcasses—human and monstrous—drenched in the stench of decay, with dried blood smeared across crumbling walls.

"Things turned down overnight..."

"Anyway, I need to find people. I haven't found any sign of survivors so far."

Hiro's gaze darted constantly, his body tense, his senses sharp. The silence pressed heavily on him, broken only by faint crunch of debris underfoot.

This shop...Hiro stood still in front of a small building. The entrance is covered by a large grill. 

"it's the one—we used to go after school."

The silence was shattered by the frantic shout of an unknown person. 

"Kyarghhh!! HELP ME!!" The voice was raw with desperation.

Hiro flinched, his face turning toward the echoing shout. 

A person?! Shit, this mist is too thick, I can't figure out where it came from. He thought, lowering his body, his right hand reaching for the goblin's knife strapped to his side. 

Is it the playground?

Sticking to the shadows, he moved silently, his black jersey blending seamlessly with the gloom. He crept closer to the playground, pressing against the wall of a crumbling building. Through the haze, he spotted a limping figure—a man stumbling over broken pavement, his movement frantic. Behind him, hunched shapes emerged from the mist, their glowing yellow eyes cutting through the gloom. 

It's goblin—and a bunch of them at that.

Although he had experience fighting a goblin once, his hands still tremble.

The petty tricks i did last time wouldn't be effective against a herd of goblins—but—i want to try fighting them head on.

He set his backpack down quietly, drawing the knife strapped to his side. Its cold handle steadied his gripped as he crouched low, waiting for the right moment. The goblins were closing in on the man, their guttural laughter echoing through the mist. 

It's now or never!

He surged forward, his movements quick and deliberate. At first, goblins didn't notice him, their attention locked on their prey. One turned toward him just as his footsteps grew louder, but it was already too late. With a decisive thrust, he drove the knife into its throat. As he yanked the blade free, the warm blood splattered across his cloth and goblin let out a gurgling screech before collapsing in a heap.

"Run!" he shouted to the man, his voice cutting through the chaos. The other goblins flinched and quickly turned toward Hiro, their eyes locking onto him. They snarled aggressively, eyeing their dying comrade.

The man staggered away, fear driving him to safety.

Hiro stood over the goblin's body, gripped the knife tightly. Unlike the previous battle, he was more composed now.

System Notice

◆ You've killed 1 Goblin Level 2

◆Experience Points +25

◆75 Experience points left to level up

"One down, three more." He muttered, his breath forming mist in the freezing air.

"It's time to test that ability."

His black eyes shifted into sky-blue, his pupil contracting as the world around him seemed to slow.

System Notice

◆Activating Skill: Soul Phase Level 1

◆Soul bound Eyes

◆10 Seconds remaining

The goblins screamed and charged. Despite the mist, he saw everything with perfect clarity. Their movements seemed so slow, each step exaggerated. He noticed every detail, even the small stone vibrating not far beneath the goblins feet.

One goblin leapt to him, its claws sweeping in a deadly arc. Hiro turned fluidly, slashing its stomach mid-air. Blood sprayed as it collapsed to the ground, gurgling. With the hilt of his knife, Hiro smashed its skull into the pavement, the force cracking the ground beneath it.

Another goblin, armed with the same knife as him, hesitated before throwing its weapon. Hiro ducked, his eyes had predicted the trajectory of the thrown knife. Without breaking stride, he dashed forward and slashed upward, cutting the goblin stomach to its jaw in one smooth motion.

As its body fell, another goblin leapt from behind. Hiro turned around, fully aware of the creature's approach, using all his strength, he slammed the goblin into a nearby wall, the impact cracking the concrete. 

The last goblin snarled and charged, the effect of his skill already run out but he didn't flinch. He hurled the goblin on his hand into the attacker. Both fell in a heap, tangled on the ground.

Hiro didn't hesitate. He lunged, driving his knife into the throats of both creatures in quick succession.

System Notice

◆You slain 2 Level 2 Goblins and 1 Level 3 Goblin.

◆Experience points +145 

◆Level Up 

◆Level 3 → Level 4

◆Obtain : 2 Goblin Core, 1 Goblin's knife.

Status Update

Str : 14 (+4) Mag : 0

Agi : 18 (+6) Dex : 14 (+4)

Vit: 12 (+2) Sense : 12 (+12)

Hiro drop hunching to the ground next to the goblin's corpse with a soft thud. 

"Whew...I'm so damn exhausted." He let out a relief sighed, "But, damn. Soul phase is a cheat code. I could never do that without it." 

He lay on the pavement looking at the misty sky, he gestured his fist upward.

"This is only the beginning, I'm going to keep on levelling up."