Tower of Paradise

My body and mind were at their limit, but I kept running.

I ran without stopping, ignoring the knife stuck in my leg.

The pain could no longer slow my steps. Not when my life depended on it.

Behind me, the goblin who had thrown the knife roared with bestial fury. Its voice echoed through the corridors, sending chills down my spine.

Now I could only focus on one thing: surviving. I didn't know how much longer I could maintain this pace.

The blood loss was beginning to affect me, and each step was agony. But I knew with certainty that being caught would mean my death; there was no alternative but to keep going.

I ran with all my might, letting out a cry of determination as I entered a new corridor. My heart stopped for an instant; there was another goblin there.

—Damn it!

I muttered between my teeth; it was a weak, unarmed goblin. Under other circumstances, I might have considered it a minor threat, something I could handle to finally awaken.

But I didn't have that chance; the sound of my pursuer's heavy breathing was getting closer and closer, resonating in my ears as a constant reminder of the danger that lurked.

I ran past the goblin before it could react, taking advantage of its moment of surprise. But when I tried to take the next step, my body finally gave in. My legs refused to respond, and I fell to the ground with a thud.

The impact caused the knife to be expelled from my leg, producing a chilling whistle as my blood spilled onto the ground. The pain was unbearable, but even more unbearable was the realization of my situation.

I was exhausted, had lost too much blood. My mind screamed that I should flee, but my body refused to obey.

I couldn't take another single step, no matter how much my will desired it. Both my survival instinct and physical strength had reached their limit, and blood continued to flow from my wounds without ceasing.

Is this the end? Was all of this in vain? I could feel how my body gradually lost strength.

The tips of my fingers began to grow cold, a cruel reminder of my mortality. What a pathetic death. All I could do was laugh at the inevitability of the situation, a hollow laugh devoid of humor.

The world around me began to blur, sounds became distant and muffled. I could feel life escaping with each beat of my heart, with each drop of blood that left my body.

Fear, cold and paralyzing, took hold of me. I didn't want to die, not like this, not now. There was so much to do, so much to live for. Desperation took over my mind as I struggled to stay conscious.

To make matters worse, I felt the noisy presence of the goblin approaching.

—...Haha

A weak laugh escaped my lips. The pain was paralyzing beyond imagination, but still I couldn't help but laugh.

Hadn't anyone warned me before? That monsters were a bunch of bastards who always managed to exceed one's expectations. Those words came back to haunt me now. Should I say this was too unfair?

No, I had been too greedy, expecting my enemies to be lenient. Monsters were famous for being cruel and ruthless; they weren't kind enough to wait for the main character of a novel to power up or for a giant robot to finish its transformation.

Damn it..., I thought bitterly.

There was no escape, that was the harshest truth. No matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn't find a way to save myself. I couldn't even say with certainty where I was at that moment.

When my thoughts reached that point, tears began to flow from my eyes uncontrollably. The memory of my mother crossed my mind like lightning. What were her last words?

She had told me to live.@@novelbin@@

Thinking about all the unimaginable obstacles I had had to overcome to get here, anger and resentment invaded me. Sadness hit me like a tsunami, crushing and unstoppable.

The tears I thought had dried up long ago ran down my cheeks. Even then, I waved my arms as I crawled across the ground. What a miserable and pathetic sight I must have been at that moment?

But I didn't care. Even if I had to wallow in absolute filth, I preferred that to death. I didn't care if others criticized me for being pathetic or behaving like an insect.

I want to live...!

As long as I could survive. I couldn't abandon that desire, even when death's footsteps kept getting closer and closer.

Then, with my trembling lips, I whispered:

—...Help...

Gripping the earth under my hands as if it were straw, I continued:

—...Please...

While panting and moaning softly, I gathered the last strength I had left:

—...Help, please...!

My cry echoed in the emptiness of the corridor.

Unfortunately, there was no one in this cursed place. The moment I understood that I was alone, that I would remain alone and that no one would come to rescue me, an indescribable void filled my heart.

Then, I noticed something: a long, smooth, sharp bone protruding from the earth, left there by some unknown creature. Without losing a second, I crawled towards it and grabbed it, pulling it out with a strong tug.

In the next instant, the space I had occupied a moment before was destroyed by the attacking goblin. Its heavy fist sank into the earth, causing fragments to fly in all directions.

I regained my balance and quickly retreated. The relief only lasted a moment.

The goblin growled. It was evident that it hadn't liked that an apparently weak prey like me had dared to escape its attack.

There was no time to rest. I quickly evaluated my new weapon: the bone measured almost a meter and a half long and ended in a narrow, sharp point. It was almost like a spear. The problem was that, even with the additional length of this improvised spear, my attack range was still shorter than the monster's. However, I had no doubt it was capable of piercing its body.

The situation was clear: I needed to get close and aim for its torso. But I didn't dare. At that short distance, the monster could easily crush me using just its weight and enormous body.

At that moment, the goblin's arm attacked again. This time, I took a bit longer to dodge it and, as a result, a sharp pain shot through my left leg when the stones from the ground grazed it. The force of the impact was enough to throw me to the ground.

There was no time to recover.

I grabbed a handful of dirt in my hands. Swinging my left hand with all my strength, I threw the dirt into the goblin's eyes, which still had its right fist buried in the ground.

The dirt crashed into its eyes, leaving it stunned for a moment. It screamed and stretched its hands forward.

Now's my chance!

I gathered all my strength, leaned forward, and pushed the bone with all the power I could muster.

Guided by my hand, the dark bone spear shot forward and pierced the goblin's eye, sinking deeply. Its other eye narrowed in a grimace of pain and surprise.

Gritting my teeth against the unbearable pain in my legs, I twisted the bone, trying to do as much damage as possible to its brain.

I fell to the ground, exhausted.

When I reached the point of balance, the enormous monster also collapsed. The bone spear still protruded from its head, bathed in streams of green liquid.

I groaned and breathed with difficulty, pain coursing through every fiber of my being.

[You have killed a First Evolution Monster (F), Goblin Fighter]

[Soul fragments: 10/10]

[Awakening begins...]