Despair froze his thoughts. A blazing fireball and a venom-tipped arrow closed in, and Yuuto no longer had the strength—or the will—to dodge. Pressed against the cold wall, he waited for death.
(...So this is it. The power of a lord...)
He had started this adventurer's life in reckless desperation after being laid off. People mocked his so-called janitor skills, but he had learned to fight in his own way and even begun to believe he could make it solo.
(It was all just arrogance.)
He was only an E-rank errand boy. Against a real powerhouse, he was nothing more than a child swinging a toy sword. What a miserable curtain call for such a miserable life.
As seconds stretched into an eternity, memories raced through his mind—his ordinary school days, the suffocating rhythm of company life, the vivid, short-lived days in this strange world: the first battle when a slime nearly killed him, the thrill of his first level-up, the mockery from Suzuki and the vow he made then, the pride when he felled the giant toad.
(...Is this really how it ends?)
From deep inside, a small voice stirred.
(Can you really give up here?)
No. He couldn't. He hadn't achieved anything yet. No one had ever truly seen him.
(I won't die here!)
That shout from his heart wrung one last drop of power from his dying body. Ignoring the agony in what might be a broken arm, Yuuto rolled across the floor.
A blast roared—Doom!—followed by the hiss of a poisoned shaft. Fire and miasma scorched the air where he had lain a breath ago.
"Haa... haa..." He was still alive. Barely.
But nothing else had changed. He was still cornered, still outmatched.
(Think... How do I turn this around?)
Three enemies: the Goblin Lord, brute strength incarnate; the Mage, master of deadly spells; the Archer, mercilessly precise. He couldn't win head-on. His only chance was to take them out one by one.
(The rearguard—those two first.)
The Lord stayed on his throne, pride chaining him to his seat. Yuuto would exploit that arrogance.
But how to reach the Mage and Archer so far away? One step closer and he'd be shredded by their crossfire.
(...Wait.)
A memory flashed—an old trap from the 'Slaughter Corridor,' and the trick that saved him then.
(It might work!)
He snatched an MP potion, gulped it down, and felt his magic refill to the brim. All or nothing.
"[Keep]!"
The skill flared. Its target wasn't the enemies themselves, but the very space they occupied—the paths their next attacks would travel.
With razor focus, he foresaw their moves: another fireball from the Mage, another poisoned arrow from the Archer—both converging on the same line. He fixed that slice of space in place.
A chill ran through him as his magic drained away; freezing a wide, invisible zone devoured MP like fire eats air.
[The state of the space has been temporarily 'Kept']
The message confirmed success. As predicted, the Mage and Archer fired simultaneously. The projectiles sped toward him—until they hit the frozen zone. Then, as if plunging into thick jelly, their speed collapsed.
(Got you.)
The [Keep] skill froze not just matter but the very flow of time within that space. Yuuto slipped past the slowed fireball and arrow, sprinting straight for their casters.
"Gih!?"
"Gya!?"
They panicked. Their attacks had failed, and now death raced toward them. Before they could react, Yuuto was already in striking distance.
First, the Archer. He slashed the bow arm and, while the creature staggered, drove his steel dagger across its throat. A shallow cut—but fatal enough. He spun and lunged at the Mage. The goblin raised its staff in defense, but the dagger punched through both wood and heart.
"Ga...h..." "Gi..."
Their eyes widened in disbelief before they crumpled.
It was over in seconds.
[Goblin Mage defeated]
[Goblin Archer defeated]
[1000 experience acquired]
"GRUUUOOOHH!!"
A thunderous roar split the chamber. The Goblin Lord had risen from his throne, eyes bloodshot, rage boiling from his body in waves. The death of his subordinates had stripped away all restraint.
(Damn—!)
Yuuto turned to flee, but the monster was already moving.
A stomp—Boom!—and the massive body rocketed forward like a cannonball. Yuuto couldn't even dodge; he could only stare as the iron mace descended toward him.
(...No options left.)
He had spent every last drop of MP, every ounce of wit, to kill the rearguard. There was nothing left.
The enormous mace swung down—a king's execution blow meant to crush the wounded adventurer. So this is it, Yuuto thought, just as hope flickered out.
At that instant, instinct made him roll. Not strategy—just raw survival instinct.
The impact shattered the floor where he'd been. By sheer accident, the blow also smashed the fallen Mage's staff.
With a sharp crack, the staff burst apart. The magic stone at its tip spewed a black mist that enveloped the Goblin Lord's face.
"Gwo!?"
The king froze, blinded—only for a heartbeat, but that heartbeat was a miracle. For someone with LUK 10, it was the kind of chance that happened once in a lifetime.
(...Not yet.)
Fire reignited in Yuuto's chest.
(I'm not done yet!)
He dove beneath the Lord's legs, summoned the last ember of MP, and unleashed his final skill.
His target: the ground beneath the monster's feet—the very point that bore its impossible strength.
"[Break]!!"
From the brink of despair, Yuuto launched his final counterattack.