Chapter 8: Leave it to me!

As the light from the portal faded, Han and his party materialized on a desolate, open terrain beneath a gray, cloud-choked sky.

The other four looked around, startled.

"Wh-Where are we…?" one of them whispered.

"It's the battlefield," Han replied flatly, stepping forward without looking back.

[Floor 1]

[Mission type — Subjugation Objective — Annihilate your enemies!]

"The battlefield? W-What does that mea—"

Before the question was even finished, ten goblins emerged from the mist, shrieking and snarling with crude weapons raised.

"Kyaaaaahh!!!"

The three who had been forced in—Dajeel, Greet, and Cale—dropped their weapons in a panic and bolted in the opposite direction, screaming in terror.

[Dajeel (☆) is in a state of fear. All stats are reduced by 30%]

[Greet (☆) is in a state of fear. All stats are reduced by 30%]

[Cale (☆) is in a state of fear. All stats are reduced by 30%]

"Tch," Han clicked his tongue in frustration. "So useless."

But their escape was short-lived.

With loud thuds, the three slammed into an invisible barrier just a few meters away, bouncing back and falling onto the ground.

"Wh-What?! A wall?!"

"Why can't we get out?!"

"Let us out! Please! PLEASE!!"

Jenna, still standing beside Han, took a small step back. Her eyes locked onto the barrier, then onto the goblins now advancing steadily toward them.

"A wall…?" she muttered, then turned toward Han. "Hey… is there—" Her voice faltered slightly. "Is there really no way out of this situation?"

A cold sweat trickled down her neck. Her hands tightened around her bow.

[Jenna (☆) is in a state of fear. All stats are reduced by 30%]

"There is a way out," Han said calmly, raising his sword as the first goblin charged toward them. His eyes sharpened. "Kill them all."

With that, he dashed forward, his blade flashing through the air.

The first goblin didn't even have a chance to scream before its head rolled across the battlefield.

"If that's the case…" Jenna whispered to herself, then raised her bow. Her fingers steadied, and her breathing slowed. The fear that had clouded her judgment was replaced by resolve.

[Jenna (☆)'s fear state has been cancelled. All stats have returned to normal.]

"I'll pierce every last one of you!" she shouted, loosing an arrow that sailed cleanly through the air and struck a goblin near Han straight in the throat.

Han briefly glanced at her as two more goblins rushed him. With fluid motion, he cleaved through both of them in a single swing.

"She's quite talented," he muttered under his breath, smirking slightly.

Han's blade sang through the air as he cut down another goblin with ruthless precision. Blood splattered the ground as yet another enemy collapsed before him.

"This Combat Logic skill is awesome," he thought, eyes scanning the battlefield. "I can waste much less movement by making the most logical and efficient attack each time."

But the moment of internal satisfaction cost him.

A goblin lunged from his blind spot—its jagged blade arcing toward his side.

"Shit!" Han's eyes widened. His body was still mid-motion, leaving his guard wide open.

But before the blade could land, an arrow whistled through the air and embedded itself squarely into the goblin's skull. It dropped lifelessly at his feet.

[Skill awakening!]

[The hero, Jenna (☆), has awakened the skill: Basic Archery!]

Han turned slightly, catching Jenna lowering her bow.

"Are you fine?" she asked, her voice steady despite her rapid breathing.

Han nodded silently, then glanced at the goblin she'd shot. "She's really talented… Awakening her first skill in her first battle. I awakened two during mine, but I had Shay's guidance. She did it completely alone…"

Then a sharp thought jolted through his mind.

"Wait… where are the last two goblins? I'm sure there were still two more—"

A sudden, blood-curdling scream tore through the air.

"Kyaaaaah!!"

[Greet (☆) has returned to the Goddess' embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]

[Cale (☆) has returned to the Goddess' embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]

[Dajeel (☆) has returned to the Goddess' embrace. His fighting spirit will be remembered forever.]

Han spun around. In the distance, the last two goblins were tearing into what remained of the other party members.

"Tch…" He clenched his teeth. "They ran off and got slaughtered like pigs."

He turned toward Jenna, who was watching in shock, her eyes wide, mouth slightly open. The sight of the goblins feasting was likely her first real glimpse of death in battle—brutal, unforgiving, and ugly.

Han stepped beside her, placing a firm hand on her shoulder. "Hey… Jenna."

She flinched at the contact, but didn't look away from the scene.

"I'll leave those two goblins to you. Do you think you can do it?"

Her breath hitched. But at his words, something shifted in her eyes. The shock faded, replaced by a fire that hadn't been there before.

She didn't want to end like those three.

"Yes," she said with firm resolve. "Leave it to me!"

She raised her bow again and reached for another arrow from her quiver. Her movements were sharp and determined now.

But the goblins had noticed her. With snarling cries, they charged at full speed, weapons raised.

Seeing them rush straight at her, Jenna's hands began to tremble.

She loosed her arrow.

Miss.

The arrow flew wide and struck the dirt harmlessly.

"Damn it!" she cursed inwardly, hastily grabbing another arrow and nocking it to the string.

But the goblins were faster now—closer.

Her breathing grew uneven, hands trembling again as the pressure built. She fired again.

Another miss.

Han, watching from behind, clicked his tongue. "She's cracking under pressure… no, she just needs one solid shot. Just one to break the fear."

"Jenna!" Han's voice rang out sharply across the battlefield. "Calm down! If you keep going like this, you'll end up dying!"

His voice cut through the noise and chaos like a blade.

"Don't you want to go home? Don't you want to return to your father?!"

The words struck deep.

Jenna froze for a moment, eyes wide.

"Father…"

Memories surged up like a tide—quiet mornings in the fields, her father gently correcting her posture, his hands guiding hers as she learned to pull the bowstring properly. His smile. His voice.

"Don't rush it, Jenna. Breathe. Feel the string. The arrow will follow your will."

Her trembling stopped. She took a deep breath, steady and strong. Her fingers tightened on the bowstring as she opened her eyes again—eyes now burning with purpose.

[Jenna (☆)'s Basic Archery has risen to Level 3!]

She moved with newfound clarity, charging her bow once again and releasing a shot. The arrow cut clean through the air—though the goblin's erratic movement caused her to miss its head, the shot pierced its abdomen, causing it to stagger.

But Jenna didn't stop.

Her fingers moved rapidly, nocking arrow after arrow in a rhythm that bordered on mechanical—flawless and swift.

[Skill awakening!]

[The hero, Jenna (☆), has awakened the skill Quick Draw!]

Arrow after arrow flew like lightning—each one thudding into the goblins with brutal precision. One embedded in a leg, another into a shoulder, another straight through the neck.

The goblins, once feral and aggressive, now resembled twisted, dying porcupines—riddled with shafts and stumbling in agony before collapsing in a twitching heap.

[Stage Clear!]

[Jenna (☆) level up!]

[Han (☆) level up!]

[Rewards Acquired:

500G, Steel (C) x1, Copper (C) x1,

Leather (C) x1]

[MVP - Han (☆)]

[Jenna (☆) has been put into the favourites!]

---

How was this chapter? Yes, I'm making Jenna stronger than the original. Oh, and I've got an idea for which female will replace Aaron, I thought of Tess Elzaine from 'Inifinite Mage', tell me what you think and if you have better ideas.