Chapter 17: Boss Kill
William was panting heavily. Holding off this five-meter-tall monster on his own was no joke. The beast kept swinging its massive arms, and each time, William deflected the blows with gritted teeth and raw strength.
What are they doing? He thought, irritation bubbling beneath his focus. It had been a while since any of them attacked the goblin. He wanted to glance over and see what ridiculous idea they were cooking up, but he couldn't afford even a second of distraction. One slip, one careless moment, and it was game over.
That was a lesson hard-earned over ten long years of adventuring.
He had long since lost count of how many adventurers had died to monsters throughout his career. That was why he made himself a promise, with this team, he would do everything in his power to keep them alive.
But the goblin's attacks were growing more vicious, more relentless. Each strike that William deflected felt heavier than the last, forcing him to dig deeper just to hold his ground. Sweat soaked through his inner shirt, dripping down his back.
As he stepped back to create space, his foot caught on a tree root.
Damn! I was careless!
He stumbled and fell hard onto his backside. His eyes widened as the goblin raised its massive arm to finish him off.
But before the blow could land—
FWOOOSH!
A blazing firebolt exploded against the goblin's face, halting its strike and making it recoil with a shriek.