The Goblin Ambush
The forest smelled of damp earth and iron.
Sakura wiped sweat from her brow, her dagger glinting in the fractured sunlight. "Where are the goblins? I was just hunting them."
Then—a twig snapped.
Kiyoshi's hand clamped onto her wrist, yanking her backward as his voice tore through the stillness: "Sakura, RUN!"
She turned.
The Goblin Elder stood fifteen feet tall, its gnarled fingers gripping a splintered tree trunk like a club. Behind it, ten Goblin Chiefs snarled, their yellowed tusks dripping saliva.
Her stomach dropped.
An A-rank monster.
And she was only B-rank, Level 8.
"This isn't possible," she whispered.
Trapped
They sprinted, roots erupting from the ground like skeletal hands. The setting sun painted the forest in blood-red streaks, shadows stretching like claws.
"Kiyoshi, STOP!" She seized his arm, pointing upward.
Eyes. Hundreds of them. Glowing from the branches.
Goblins. Everywhere.
Their routine C-rank extermination had become a slaughterhouse.
Kiyoshi's sword trembled in his grip. "We can't fight this.it will take 2 to 5 A-rankers to defeat the goblin elder"
Sakura's nails dug into her palms. "We kill the Elder. The rest will flee."
"That's suicide!"
"Then let's die trying."
She activated every skill at once:
• [Shadowstep] (Speed +50%)
• [Bloodsharp] (Blade penetrates +30%)
• [Last Resolve] (Stamina drain halved, pain suppressed).
Her body burned with adrenaline.
"Sakura, hurry!"
She lunged at the Elder, aiming for the tendons behind its knees.
Her dagger screeched against its hide—barely a scratch.
The monster laughed, a sound like grinding bones, before swinging its club.
The impact sent her flying.
She crashed into a tree, her ribs cracking, blood filling her mouth.
"HEAL!" Kiyoshi's voice was raw. Warmth spread through her chest—one of his last two spells.
"Stop wasting MP on me!" she coughed.
"Shut up and MOVE!"
She rolled as the Elder's club splintered the ground where she'd lain.
She leapt into the trees, zigzagging between branches. The monster roared, swiping at her—missing by inches.
With a scream, she drove her dagger into its left eye.
The Death Howl came.
An A-rank skill [Soul Shriek]—a vicious sound that ruptured her eardrums and damaged all senses. Blood trickled from her ears as she fell, her vision swimming.
Kiyoshi was on his knees, still healing her, and his MP was almost finished.
"NO! STOP!" she tried to scream, but her voice was gone.
One heal left.
With her last strength, she stabbed the other eye and, on the way down, split its belly.
The Elder grabbed her, its fingers crushing her ribs, and hurled her into the dirt.
Then—it collapsed.
[Level Up x2]
[Rank Up: A-rank, Level 1]
She didn't care.
Kiyoshi was face-down in the dirt, his MP at zero.
"Heal… Heal…" His fingers twitched—a muscle memory.
His sight was blurry.
The remaining goblins fled.
Sakura crawled to him, her hands slipping in his blood.
Sakura came up to Kiyoshi, who was lying down.
Her lips were shivering.
"Kiyoshi? Hey—look at me. We won. We're going home now. You will be alright ok"
He coughed, vomiting blood. "You… forgot my rank…? I'm just… C-rank…you know what happened when..mp hit 0."
"SHUT UP!" Her voice shattered. "Just—just STOP TALKING!"
She hauled him up, his blood soaking her shirt, and ran.
The town gate loomed. The fountain glowed gold in the sunset.
"Put me down," he whispered.
"NO—"
"Sakura." His breath was shallow. "It's over."
She lowered him onto a bench, her tears falling onto his chest.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
He smiled weakly. "Hey… if we got married… what would we name our kid?"
"Stop it," she sobbed.
"Saki. 'Sa' from Sakura… 'Ki' from Kiyoshi."
Her tears broke out, bowing to him her head to his knees. "I should have"
His hand brushed her cheek. "it not your…I am sorry I am…."
Then—
He kissed her.
And never breathed again.
Sakura stared.
"Hey… wake up. This isn't funny."
Silence.
"I'm still scared of the dark…" She clutched his lifeless hand. "You promised… you promised you'd stay…"
Then—
A sound so raw it scattered the birds from the rooftops.
In her mind, his voice whispered:
"Be happy. It's not your fault."
But her soul had already fractured beyond repair.