Chapter 57: Crushed...
The pressure crushing us intensified with each passing second and the ground beneath our bodies began to sink even deeper.
"GHH—!"
My breath almost escaped my lungs completely as my face slammed harder against the burning earth.
Around us, the goblins screeched horribly while their bodies twisted unnaturally under the overwhelming gravity.
CRACK!
As all of this was happening, one of the goblin’s arms suddenly bent backward at an impossible angle.
"KRAAAAHHH!"
Its scream echoed through the dead forest, while Black simply rested his cheek against his palm. Like the scene in front of him was just entertainment.
Then slowly... he raised one finger and the pressure around the goblin’s arm vanished. For a brief second, the creature looked relieved. But it didn’t last long since the gravity power returned only on its head.
BOOM!
Its skull exploded instantly like rotten fruit. Black blood and pieces of flesh splattered across the ground.
I watched all of this happen in front of me with wide eyes. Black was controlling the pressure differently on each body part like it was nothing.
A goblin tried to crawl away while dragging its crushed legs. However, Black wasn’t going to let it do so.
"Hm."
The moment the word left his mouth, the goblin’s entire body suddenly flattened.
SPLAAAT!
Meanwhile, another goblin attempted to leap into the trees to escape this hellish atmosphere. But it wasn’t so lucky either. Black lazily moved two fingers downward.
CRACK!
The creature folded midair. Its spine snapped inward as its body crashed lifelessly into the dead branches below.
"Keh...khh..."
The same monsters that laughed while cutting their own throats earlier were now terrified and their expressions were filled with fear.
And Black smiled. It wasn’t a wide or evil grin. It was just small and faint. Like he was enjoying watching that expression.
"W-why are you doing this?!" Tan suddenly shouted while struggling against the pressure crushing him into the ground. He used all his strength and veins bulged around his neck as he barely raised his head.
"Quick! Release your power from us!"
Black slowly turned his gaze toward him and instead of a normal answer, he gave a completely different response.
"Shhhhh." Black’s finger moved near his lips. "Shut up and watch."
My entire body went cold hearing those words. It wasn’t because of what he said but because of HOW he said it; calm, soft, and almost amused.
Then he looked back toward the remaining goblins again. Black watched silently for a few seconds, then he stood up.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
A goblin tried crawling backward in terror and Black stopped and crouched in front of it.
"Interesting."
The goblin trembled violently. Then Black grabbed its face and slowly, very slowly began increasing the gravity only around its head.
CRACK...
CRACK...
CRAAACK...
The goblin’s skull began collapsing inward while its body convulsed horribly beneath him. Blood leaked from its eyes. Its teeth shattered one after another.
Yet Black kept watching calmly.
"...monster..."
Fox muttered under her breath. My and Black’s eyes shifted toward her. Her expression had completely changed. For the first time since meeting her, she looked genuinely disturbed.
"He began acting differently a few days ago..." she whispered while staring at Black.
"Sometimes he is himself..."
Another goblin exploded nearby.
"...and sometimes he isn’t."
Tan’s eyes widened instantly after hearing her words. As if several memories had suddenly connected together inside his head.
"No way..." he muttered.
The atmosphere inside the Gate became even colder. Meanwhile, Black slowly stood up again while black blood dripped from his hand.
All of the goblins were dead now. Some died crushed under pressure, some were blown apart, and some were flattened.
Now, only Tan, Fox, and I remained. Without the goblins, the forest had gone completely silent again.
There was no laughter or goblin screeches. Only the smell of blood and crushed flesh lingering heavily in the air remained.
Black gradually looked around at the piles of broken goblin corpses scattered everywhere. And just as he did, the pressure suddenly vanished.
BOOM.
Air rushed back into my lungs so suddenly that I coughed violently.
"GHH—Kuh!"
The invisible weight disappeared from my back and I immediately pushed myself off the ground while breathing heavily. Beside me, Tan rolled onto his side and grabbed his chest while Fox stayed crouched silently with one dagger still tightly clenched in her hand.
Moreover, the red warning screen in front of my eyes flickered once.
[Danger! Abnormal Monster detected nearby!]
And then it disappeared.
Meanwhile, Black was still standing near the pile of corpses. Dark blood slowly dripped from his fingers onto the ground.
Drip.
Drip.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke. Fox and Tan were just busy with themselves, trying to steady their breathing just like me.
Then Black suddenly froze and his shoulders stiffened slightly.
"Huh?"
That single confused sound made my body tense again. Slowly, he looked down at his own blood-covered hand. Then toward the destroyed surroundings. Then at the goblin corpses.
His brows furrowed.
"Did it happen... again?"
Fox’s expression instantly darkened hearing those words. Tan also slowly backed away while staring at Black like he was seeing something horrifying.
Black raised one hand and pressed it against his forehead before letting out a long sigh.
"Haaa..."
Then he turned his gaze toward us. There was no cold smile or emotionless eyes. Instead, he looked... tired and even confused.
"Sorry about that."
My heartbeat stopped for a second.
Sorry?
The person who had casually crushed dozens of goblins alive just moments ago was apologizing like he had accidentally broken a glass.
Black glanced around once more before scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
"I lost control a little."
"A LITTLE?!"
Tan suddenly exploded. He pointed toward the forest around us with shaking hands.
"YOU ALMOST CRUSHED US TOO!"
Black blinked once, then lowered his gaze slightly.
"You survived though."
"THAT ISN’T THE POINT!"
Fox suddenly grabbed Tan’s arm tightly before he could continue shouting and whispered, "Stop."
Tan immediately shut his mouth. The atmosphere instantly became suffocating despite the gravity already being gone.
Then, after a few seconds, Black looked away first and walked toward one of the goblin corpses. He crouched beside it and touched the creature’s broken chest.
"Hm."
His fingers lightly brushed against the goblin’s blood before he spoke again.
"These aren’t normal goblins."
I slowly stood up while still keeping my distance from him. My body was screaming at me to run away right now.
But at the same time... my mind couldn’t stop replaying what had happened earlier. The gravity. The pressure. The way the goblins feared him. And most importantly, the way the system warning disappeared the moment Black returned to normal.
’What the hell are you...?’
I stared silently at Black’s back while my heartbeat slowly became unstable again.
Because deep down... I had a horrible feeling that the thing I saw earlier was the real Black.
And this calm version right now?
Might be the fake one.