I knew what I had to do. To deal with a group of goblins, the first step was obvious: take out the archers and magicians sniping at me from behind their frontlines. But getting to them was the problem.
“Huh…!” Every time I tried to approach, the goblins wielding swords would block my path. It was frustrating—these swordsmen acted as a shield, giving the archers and magicians free rein to attack me from a distance. And the seven of them worked together like a well-coordinated unit. Even if I spotted a gap, a regular goblin would immediately fill it.
But the enemies I faced weren’t my only obstacle.
‘My body’s moving on its own again!’ The Gift—my evasion instinct—was both a blessing and a curse. It kept activating, pulling me away from danger, even against my will. Get out of here quickly. If you stay, you’ll die. The warning was loud and clear. But every time it activated, I had to fight it, wrest control back, and push forward against its pull.
‘Listen to me, please!’ My body felt like it was bound by invisible chains. The moment I turned to face the goblins, my feet would hesitate, unwilling to move. On the other hand, retreating felt effortless—as if something was pushing me to run.
Kieeeek! At speeds even I found unbelievable, my body instinctively darted away from an oncoming attack. The Gift had reacted again. But this couldn’t continue.
I gritted my teeth and prepared to counter.
<Suwangryu Attack Style 1: Lion’s Tenacity>
Damn it! The moment I spotted an opportunity to attack the goblin archer, my evasion instinct held me back. It whispered relentlessly: Just run. Run now. My hesitation cost me. The goblins seized the moment, launching a coordinated counterattack.
“Huk, huk…!” Sweat dripped down my face as I struggled to regain my composure. I was torn—my will wanted to fight, but my instincts screamed at me to flee. The internal conflict was maddening. Still, I managed to push through and kill one of them. The goblin inspector fell to my blade, but not without a cost.
Crunch! My legs wobbled. My head throbbed. Even so, I forced myself to keep going. That was when I heard the sharp whistle of an arrow slicing through the air.
Whoosh! The goblin archer had fired while I was distracted. I moved just in time, deflecting the arrow with a desperate twist of my body. But I wasn’t fast enough.
“Huh!” A searing pain shot through my elbow. Looking down, I saw a red line slowly darkening as blood began to trickle down.
In that moment, fear gripped me.
The thought hit me like a hammer: If I make one wrong move, I’ll die. The fear was paralyzing. From that point on, my actions became timid, hesitant. Instead of fighting, I found myself relying entirely on my evasion instinct, dodging and retreating wherever I could.
But eventually, I was cornered. With my back pressed against a pink crystal, I realized too late that the goblins had driven me into a trap. I had nowhere to run.
‘… There’s no way out.’ The goblins surrounded me, closing the distance with every step. Their grating laughter echoed as if mocking me.
“… .” All I could do was curse.
Am I really going to die here? Why did I think I could do this? A flood of regrets washed over me. I told myself that I didn’t need to be a hero, that Kang Hanbyul could handle things without me.
I’m just a Shingeom Taoist. I can live comfortably. But deep down, I knew I was lying to myself.
That was when I noticed something.
“… .” In the pink crystals surrounding me, I saw my own reflection.
‘That… is me?’ The image staring back was pathetic. My shoulders were hunched. My eyes were wide with fear, and tears streamed down my face.
It was ugly. So ugly that it made me angry.
What am I doing?
I clenched my fists as the realization hit me.
I hadn’t come here to cower or retreat. I had come here to push past my limits, to overcome my weakness and grow stronger.
But here I was, giving in to fear, ready to give up everything.
“Whew… .” I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.
I don’t want to die like this. I wasn’t ready to die, but I wasn’t going to run either.
There was only one solution. Kill them before they kill me.
That’s what real combat is. That’s what it means to be a hunter.
So I steeled myself. ‘Listen to me.’ I directed those words inward, willing my Gift to obey.
And then, I felt it.
Dismissed!
A surge of electricity coursed through my body. But this time, it wasn’t pulling me back. It was propelling me forward.
Go forward. Fight to survive.
I felt my senses sharpen, every nerve on edge. I took a step toward the goblins.
[I gained the skill.]
[Instinct Control Lv 1]
That was when the message appeared before my eyes. Finally, I had what I needed.
The fight wasn’t over—not yet. But for the first time, I felt like I was truly in control.
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