Logan immediately sprinted down the ruined street, his boots hammering against the cracked stone as the Goblin Lord thundered after him. Xludur’s heavy footsteps shook the ground with every stride, closing the distance despite the injuries it had accumulated during the battle.
Logan glanced over his shoulder.
Xludur raised its battleaxe and roared, charging after him with murderous intent.
"Come get me, you oversized rat!"
Logan suddenly veered left, ducking beneath a broken wooden beam as Xludur sliced the beam cleanly in half.
The moment the Goblin Lord crossed the marked section of the street, Logan yanked on a thin rope hidden beneath the rubble.
BOOM!
The damaged buildings lining both sides of the street collapsed inward.
A mountain of broken stone and timber came crashing down between Logan and Xludur, completely blocking the street. Dust and debris filled the air, swallowing the Goblin Lord in a thick cloud.
Logan skidded to a stop several meters away.
He took a moment to catch his breath before opening his status window.
──────────────────────────────────────
[PLAYER]
──────────────────────────────────────
Name: Logan Winters
Race: Human
Class: Commander
Title: Crazy Commander [Active]
Level: 3
- HP: 240 / 300
- MP: 60 / 60
- STR: 26
- AGI: 27
- VIT: 25
-END: 24
- INT: 12
Available Stat Points: 15
──────────────────────────────────────
Logan stared at the numbers.
He could still remember the first time he had opened this screen. Back then, his physical stats had barely reached ten. Now, almost every one of them had more than doubled.
His gaze eventually settled on the fifteen unused stat points.
A few points in agility would help a lot with creating distance. Vitality and endurance would give me more room for error...
"Not yet... I can’t spend it here." Logan closed the status window.
A violent roar erupted from behind the rubble.
Logan’s expression immediately turned serious; he reached into his coat and pulled out a small glass bottle.
Xludur began forcing its way through the collapsed street with its bare hands, throwing chunks of stone aside as it slowly emerged from the dust. Its battered armor was covered in dirt and blood, but the Goblin Lord showed no signs of slowing down.
The moment Xludur’s head emerged from the rubble, Logan hurled the bottle directly at its face.
"ARGHH!" The glass shattered against the Goblin Lord’s head, and the firebomb erupted into a burst of flames that engulfed its face.
Xludur recoiled with a furious roar, violently swatting at the flames before glaring through the smoke.
The human was already running again.
The Goblin Lord clenched its teeth and chased after him.
The pursuit continued through the ruined streets as Logan led Xludur deeper into the battlefield. He triggered one trap after another, collapsing weakened buildings into its path, detonating explosives beneath its feet, and forcing the massive Goblin Lord through narrow streets where its size became a disadvantage.
"GET BACK HERE!" Xludur roared in frustration.
Every time the Goblin Lord slowed down, Logan would appear just far enough ahead to keep the chase going.
"Is this the best ’The Great Goblin Lord of Darkwood’ could offer?" Logan glanced back with a grin before disappearing around another corner.
Xludur’s expression twisted with rage.
It had fought countless enemies throughout its life, but none had ever irritated it quite like this one. The human was weak enough to die from a single clean strike, yet somehow continued slipping away every time Xludur thought it had him cornered.
Pest.
The chase continued for several more minutes, and Logan began to notice the difference. Xludur’s movements were becoming slower, its breathing had grown heavier, and blood continued to seep from the wounds covering its battered body.
Whenever Xludur was immobilized, Logan would take advantage of the opening and drive his blade through Xludur’s side before retreating once more.
It’s working.
He turned toward the next trap, already preparing to lead Xludur into another section of the ruined city. Yet something felt off this time; there was no footstep behind him.
Xludur stood motionless in the middle of the street, its head hanging low as blood dripped from its battered armor. Its hands tightened around the battleaxe until the muscles in its arms bulged, and the entire weapon trembled from the force of its grip.
The Goblin Lord slowly raised its head, revealing bloodshot eyes filled with pure fury. Sending shivers down Logan’s spine.
Holy shit... This monster has [Berserker]?
Xludur’s body suddenly tensed as its muscles swelled beneath its armor. The wounds covering its body continued to bleed, but instead of weakening, the Goblin Lord’s presence became even more oppressive.
"...Oh, shit."
The next moment, Xludur disappeared from its position.
Logan’s eyes widened as the Goblin Lord crossed the distance between them in an instant. He barely had enough time to raise his sword before the side of Xludur’s battleaxe slammed into his body.
THUMP!
The impact sent Logan flying across the street.
He crashed through a wooden wall before his body slammed violently into the stone foundation behind it. The breath was knocked from his lungs as he crumpled against the wall, his vision spinning from the impact.
"What the hell...?" Logan coughed violently and tried to push himself upright.
[Berserker] A temporary boost to all physical attributes, anywhere from 30% to 100% depending on the user’s mastery.
Logan slowly looked toward the Goblin Lord as Xludur emerged from the ruined building. The wounds that had slowed it down earlier were still covering its body, but they no longer seemed to matter as the Goblin Lord charged toward him with reckless fury.
It’s not thinking anymore.
Logan forced himself onto one knee and reached for his sword, but Xludur was already upon him. He barely managed to roll aside as the battleaxe tore through the stone wall behind him, sending fragments of rock flying across the street.
He stood and swung his sword, but Xludur twisted around the attack and slammed its elbow into Logan’s chest. The impact sent him tumbling across the street, and pain exploded through his ribs as he struggled to catch his breath.
It’s too fast. I can’t outrun it anymore.
Logan pushed himself upright and raised his sword; he barely deflected the first swing. Before he could recover, the Goblin Lord followed with another brutal strike that Logan narrowly avoided, the battleaxe tearing through his shoulder and leaving a deep gash across his flesh.
"GUH!"
Blood poured down Logan’s arm as he staggered backward, his sword trembling in his weakened grip.
He could no longer outrun Xludur; there were no traps left to slow it down, and fighting it directly had become nothing more than suicide. For the first time since the battle began, Logan could not see a single path toward victory.
Am I going to die?