CHAPTER 63: AFTER THE ASSAULT

The next one came at him fast, faster than the first. Tatehan barely got his sword up in time to block its claws. The impact rattled his arms, but his enhanced strength held. He shoved it back and immediately used gravity manipulation to yank a nearby chunk of motorcycle wreckage into the air.

He hurled it at two goblins on his right.

One dodged. The other took the hit full-on, crumpling under the weight with a metallic crunch.

[Enemy Defeated: Shadow Goblin]

Three left.

The remaining shadow goblins looked at their dead comrades and then back at Tatehan, probably wondering; ’The hell is this.’

Since Tatehan was wearing the armor and the helmet to conceal his face, they couldn’t read his expression, to see when he feared for a split second so that they could change their tactics.

Instead all they saw was a figure, gender unknown, in special looking armor, fighting them, facial expression blank.

That wasn’t exactly the case though, Tatehan was disgusted by their looks and he sometimes made an expression of disgust mid fight.

And now, he was breathing hard. His armor was holding, but the constant movement, the gravity manipulation, the rapid summoning and unsummoning, it was draining him.

He had trekked for three hours straight before arriving here. Since the place was dry and parched

and only few boulders were littered around, he couldn’t pause to rest. He only did so to drink water, sometimes standing still, his hands on his waist, scanning through the map to see if he was closer.

He also engaged in running too. All this made him tired, but here he was, engaging in the stressful act of fighting monsters. Fighting and dodging with pressure at the same time as he didn’t want any to latch on him and drain his power.

But then, even the shadow goblins were slowing too. They were slowly getting tired. He could see it. Their movements were fractionally slower, their coordination less tight. Limited endurance was kicking in.

One lunged. Tatehan sidestepped and drove his sword through its back, angling up toward where the core should be. He felt resistance, then a sickening crunch as the blade pierced through.

The goblin spasmed once, then died.

[Enemy Defeated: Shadow Goblin]

Two left.

These two were smarter. They didn’t attack. They circled, watching, waiting for an opening.

Tatehan didn’t give them one.

He threw a chakram at the one on his left. It dodged, but that split-second distraction was all he needed. He used gravity manipulation to launch himself forward at the one on his right, his

sword leading.

It tried to counter, its claws raised, but Tatehan was faster.

His blade punched through its chest with brutal precision. The core shattered and the shadow goblin went limp.

[Enemy Defeated: Shadow Goblin]

One left.

The last Shadow Goblin stood across from him, body low, eyes glowing bright. It chittered once, a sound that almost seemed... mournful.

Then it charged.

It had no coordination, no strategy either, just desperation.

Mad desperate desperation.

Tatehan met it head-on. He dropped his sword and caught the creature in the middle of a lunge with both hands, using his enhanced strength to hold it at bay. Also the kinetic absorption helped him greatly at this point. He now used all the stored energy that had been absorbed as strength.

The shadow goblin’s claws scraped against his armor, looking for purchase, trying to latch on and drain him.

He wouldn’t let it.

With a roar of effort, Tatehan activated his gravity manipulation and slammed the goblin into the ground with devastating force. The impact cracked the stone beneath them.

Before it could recover, he summoned his sword directly into his hand and drove it down through the creature’s chest.

The core imploded with a flash of dying light.

The goblin went still.

[Enemy Defeated: Shadow Goblin]

Silence.

Absolute silence!

Tatehan stood there, chest heaving, surrounded by five dead Shadow Goblins. His armor was scratched and dented but intact. His Kinetic Absorption was depleted. His muscles ached.

But he’d won. And he had done so by not allowing the shadow goblins to latch onto his armor.

This was the only fight he had engaged in since arriving on mars that he needed to dodge more than fight.

[Congratulations, host, on defeating five Shadow Goblins]

[You have gained knowledge points]

[You have leveled up]

[HOST STATUS]

Name: Tatehan

Level: 4

Species: Human (Enhanced)

Knowledge: 63/100 [+ 10]

Repair points: 28/100

[ABILITIES]

• Gravity Manipulation - Level 6.2 (+0.2)

• Regeneration (partial) - Level 4

• Enhanced Durability - Level 0.5 (+0.2)

[Inventory:]

[Chakrams]

[Map]

[Sharp sword]

[Knight armor]

[Bio neutral core]

The high increase in his knowledge points was expected as he done a lot of learning in this fight. From the shadow goblins history to how to fight them and actually.

Tatehan dismissed the notifications and dropped to one knee, catching his breath.

After a moment, he stood and approached the nearest corpse. He needed those cores. That’s what he came here for.

He pulled his sword free and carefully cut into the chest of the first goblin. The core was embedded deep, shining faintly even in death. He pried it loose, it was warm to the touch, about the size of his fist, dark and metallic with veins of glowing energy running through it.

He moved to the next one. Then the next.

One by one, he harvested all five cores, each one identical to the last. Strange, alien technology fused with organic matter. Powerful and dangerous.

Perfect for powering a dead motorcycle.

He held the last core in his hand, examining it closely, when he heard something that made him freeze.

A voice.

A human voice.

"Well, well. That was impressive."

Tatehan’s head snapped up. His hand moved instinctively, and all five cores vanished into his inventory in a shimmer of light.

He spun around, sword ready, and saw her.

Standing at the edge of the valley, silhouetted against the harsh Martian sun, was a figure in scavenged armor. Human. Female, judging by the build and voice.

She had a rifle slung across her back and her arms crossed, watching him with what seemed like casual interest.

"Didn’t think anyone could take a full pack solo," she said, her voice carrying easily across the valley. "I’m surprised."

Tatehan said nothing, his grip tightening on his sword.

The stranger tilted her head, studying him.

"Relax, armored boy. If I wanted you dead, I would’ve shot you while you were distracted."

Tatehan grinned in the helmet. What did she think the armor was, paper?

She took a step forward.

"Name’s Riven."