>VWUUUSHHHWHOOOSHHHWHOOOSHHH!!!WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH!!!<
The first attack came crashing on her stomach.
"Guark!" Asa spat out blood for the first time, feeling the impact of the Goblin's blunt club knock the wind out of her body.
Her helpless body flew to the metal cage that surrounded the stage, causing her to give yet another yelp of pain.
The recoil of hitting her back on the metal barrier caused Asa to unwittingly drop her bow.
The sudden pain that shot through her was excruciating enough to deactivate her active Skills, further driving the young lady into an even more pathetic state.
"GURRRUUUIIIIKKK…" The Goblins slowly converged around her—some wounded from her dagger strikes.
They had suffered one casualty, but anyone could see that the Goblins had turned the tides of battle in their favor.
"N-no…" Asa's blurred vision took in the sight of the eleven Goblins that closed in on her.
Since her body was helplessly lying on the floor, the monsters appeared much larger than usual.
'I can't… I can't lose now…' Asa gritted her teeth.
She was quite frail, and her defenses were very low. That was why a single strike was enough to push her to this state.
It was the very reason Asa could only rely on her skills as a Ranger. Once she got hit with a strong attack, it was game over.
Still—
'… Just one more… if I kill one more…'
—It felt so pathetic to be knocked down so badly after receiving a single hit to the stomach.
'Damn it…' Even as she tried to will herself to stand, Asa no longer had the strength to do so.
It truly was the end.
"TIME UP!"
Asa's eyes widened as Gerund's voice sharply cut through the air.
Instantly, he approached the stage, emanating a very oppressive aura that scared the Goblins back to the entrance they crawled out from.
In a flash, Asa was saved.
"Haa… it's over already…?" She muttered, looking around her to see the corpses of Goblins strewn all over the stage.
Her blurry vision then trailed in a particular direction—to the person whom she was most afraid of disappointing.
'He… he's—?!' Asa's eyes nearly brought forth tears as she watched him give a very genuine, comforting smile.
While he spoke no words, his expression could easily be translated to "You did well."
At least, according to the woozy lady's interpretation.
"Let's get you off the stage."
The bars were lifted, and Asa was given a low-grade medicinal herb to help her recover quickly.
Even though it would have been more beneficial to find a better place to rest, she returned to where she previously sat, huffing in exhaustion as she ingested more of the bitter herb she was fed with.
There was only one reason for that action.
"Next, Sam!"
As she gently took her seat, the man of the hour rose to his feet, donning nothing but a confident smile.
Asa simply couldn't fathom the kind of power he would display when his turn came.
As her aching body was slowly revived by the medicinal properties the herb, the young Ranger watched with starry eyes as a future Legendary Adventurer was about to make his debut.
'I'll be watching every moment of it, Sam!'