“AAAAAAH!” I screamed as my entire body spins wildly.

   Is this really what traversing a portal feels like?! Why am I spinning like this!!! HELP!

  I then see a white, oval-shaped portal forming in front of me and I still show no sign of stopping.

“HEEEEEELP!!!”

   I took a glimpse of a tree inside of the white portal as I get thrown inside it at an incredible speed, crashing onto the said tree.

BAM

   I lied flat on the ground as I could only feel pain on my entire front.

“Oooow…” I whimper in pain as I helplessly lying on the ground.

   Ouch ouch ouch… that’s gonna leave a mark…

   After adjusting to the stinging pain, I slowly opened my eyes and sat up.

   A forest..? why forests? Is there no civilization or something?! I really wish I’d end up in a city or something.

   I looked at the portal, then it slowly dissipates and gone completely.

   Aaaand the portal is gone… I guess I can only use it once… and what’s with this tiredness I feel all of the sudden..?

   I slowly got up and dust off my uniform and checked my entire stuff.

   Thank god nothing got damaged… even though that was a mighty crash…

“Gigigigi!” A cackle was slightly heard over to my right.

   What?! What was that?!

   I silently crouched towards the sound of the cackle, then hid in a bush. I try to peek at the noise from inside the bush.

“NOOOO!” A girl’s scream was heard.

“!!!” I jumped a bit in surprise, almost giving away my position.

   I peeked from the bush and saw a young woman pinned down by 2 green, small-statured humanoid creature with pointy ears, wearing only rags covering their waist down.

   What the heck?! What are those things?! Wait… I’ve seen them before… are those things perhaps… Goblins?!

“Ghehehe.” One of the goblins cackled as it starts to fondle the young woman’s body as it likes.

“NOO! HELP! SOMEBODY, HELP!” The woman screamed as she desperately tried to break free from the goblin’s pin.

   She’s in trouble! But… I can’t fight… if only Mika was here… DAMN IT!

   I… don’t want to run away… she’s in dire situation…

   I start to unsheathe Brandor’s sword silently as cold sweats drip from my forehead and my heart rate beats non-stop.

   Okay… what’s the strategy… I have to think quickly. If possible, I don’t want to deal with them frontally… wait! [Skills] [Special Skills]

 

   It’s a lot more detailed..? nevermind that, I don’t have a lot of active skills though… [Sticky Glue] is not useful at all here… what about [Pull]? If this skill is what I think it is, then I could try to pull one of the Goblin and hopefully stab it in its vulnerable state.

   As for the other Goblin… oh, yea!

   I quietly reached my bag and scavenge through it, taking out a Laser Pointer.

   Thankfully I brought this to school that day… I can try and hopefully blind the other Goblin and strike him at the right moment… I think I’m ready…

“HEELP!”

“Guehehe…”

   The Goblin that fondled the young woman is done toying with her now tried to rip apart her clothes.

   I hope this works as planned…

   I got up carefully as I reach my left hand towards the Goblin and pointed my sword to the front on my right hand.

“『Pull』”

   Purple mists start to forms around my left hand as soon as I chant the skill.

“Gii?! GHUHEE! The goblin screamed as he got pulled towards my left hand at an incredible speed.

STAB

   I got knocked back a little as the sword that I pointed pierced through the Goblin’s back and straight to its kidney, his blood flows and smeared the sword.

“GIIII!!!” The goblin screamed as it squirms around violently, trying to get off of the sword.

   Its blood starts to splash around from its squirming and the blood splats to my face as I only smell the scent of iron all over.

   T- This is so disgusting… I feel like I could hurl… but, there is still one more…

   A few seconds passed and the Goblin weakened and die while being impaled by my sword. I quickly remove the Goblin’s corpse from my sword and prepare for the second one.

   The young woman was able to break free from the other goblin, she then quickly ran towards me, I could feel her shivers as she hides behind me.

“T- Thank you!” The young woman said with a glad and terrified look on her face.

“Are you okay?!”

“Y- yes… I’m okay…”

“Giii!” The other Goblin points his wooden spear at me and readies its stance.

   I’m ready for you!

   I quickly drew the laser pointer with my left hand and turned it on as I aim towards the Goblin’s right eye.

“GUHEEE!” The goblin screamed in pain as he covers his burnt right eye with its left hand.

   Gotcha!

“AAA!” I shout as I hastily ran towards the Goblin while preparing to slash at it in its pained state.

   I put all of my arm’s strength into the swing.

“Giii!” The Goblin took notice at the last second and reflectively held his wooden spear over his head, blocking my swing.

“!!! Damn it…!”

   The Goblin pushed my sword and knocks me back, then it thrust its wooden spear at me,

“!!!” I managed to barely dodge it by nimbly stepping back.

   I moved back a couple of steps away from the Goblin.

   It was so close… it seems like I can’t fight it head-on, I can’t even break through its wooden spear while it's in that state… come to think of it, my [Strength] is much lower than my [Agility] and [Perception]… am I really that much weaker than a Goblin..?

“Giii…” The goblin took a breather as it recovers its stance while covering its right burnt eye and slowly steps up towards me.

   Come on, think, think, think! What can I do with my speed…

“P- please be careful!” The young woman said behind me worryingly.

“D- don’t worry! I- I got this!” I said with a stutter.

   I said I got this, but do I really though..? I’m shivering right this very moment… my first life and death situation…

   I carefully inspect the weakened Goblin.

   Its right eye… I could try and hit it in its blind spot… come to think of it, there was a skill called [Speed Blast] that I have… maybe I can strike safely using this…

   I prepare a running stance.

“『Sprint Burst』”

   I started to get a surge of speed as I close in on the unsuspecting Goblin’s blind spot.

“Gi-“

   Before the Goblin had time to react, I backstabbed it and pierced its heart.

“GIIII!” The Goblin screamed in excruciating pain as it struggles to counter attack me by swinging its wooden spear wildly behind it.

“Ouch!” I yelped in pain as the swinging of the spear managed to lightly cut my left cheek.

“Why… won’t you DIE!” I said as I slash with all my might and tear its left torso.

“GUHE! Giii…” The Goblin screamed its last as it weakened and fell to the ground, dead, with its guts spilling out.

“Haa… haa… haa…” I catch my breath and began to sweat profusely as I almost tumbled down out of tiredness.

DING

 

Level Up!

 

 

   I… leveled up..?

“haha… ha…”

Tap Tap Tap

   Sounds of footsteps were heard from behind me as it gradually grew closer towards me.

“A-are you okay?!”

“haa… yes, I’m fine…“ I said as I look at the person, shocked by what I saw.

   I saw a young woman, wearing a gorgeous dress fit for a person such as her, now no longer trembling and look rather worried.

   Whoa… she looks pretty… I didn’t really notice what her appearance looks like until now…

“What’s wrong?! You’re hurt after all!” She said as she worryingly checks my light-wounded cheek in a panic.

“N- no, no! it’s nothing! It’s only a small cut to my cheek… I’m perfectly fine, haha.”

“Really? That’s a relief…” She said with a glad look on her face.

“Umm… Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart… I don’t know what I should thank you with…” The young woman said with a downed and troubled look on her face.

“R- Really! You don’t need to thank me for anything! Seeing you safe and sound is enough for me…”

“B- but… at least come to our village and rest at my house! You look so pale and tired!”

   Do I really look pale..? well, my breathing is so short and all of my body feels numb and tired… I guess I should take her offer for a rest… what caused this sudden fatigue..?

“I’ll take your offer then… my name is Dian by the way…” I said as I struggle to get on my own two feet.

“Watch out! Here! Lean your arm over my shoulder!”

   She put my arm over her shoulder and to support my fatigue.

“My name is Garcia. Once again, thank you so much for saving me…”

“D- Don’t mention it, really!”

“Well then, Dian. Let’s head to my house!” Garcia said with a kind smile.

“Let’s…”

   Both of us started to walk in a direction Garcia leads while she gave me a shoulder to lean on.

…

…

   This is really strange… never in my life have I ever in a fatigued state of this level… is it because… [Info].

 

   What the?! What’s with my Mana? It went from 350 to 10??? Is this because of the [Void] skills..? I started getting tired after I used the [Portal]… and even more, worn out after I used [Pull]… are %Mana skills this excessive with Mana usage?

“By the way, you’re not from here, right?’ Garcia asked as she intriguingly looked at me.

“Huh..? What makes you think that?”

   How did she?!

   I closed the black window.

“Well… you have a strange name… and you’re wearing something that I’ve never quite seen before.” She said as she curiously looks at my uniform.

   Oh… how come I didn’t think of that? Clara doesn’t seem to mind and didn’t question me with my name or my school uniform.

“Well… I’m from a faraway continent, not sure if you’ve heard of it before…”

   I just want to confirm this…

“Oh, are you? What’s the name?” She asked with a more intrigued look.

“Continent of Asia… ever heard of it..?”

“Asia..? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that continent before… what’s it like? Is it a peaceful one?” Garcia asked excitedly.

“It’s… alright, I guess? There’s not much to say, honestly…”

“Hmm… I’ll take your word for it then.”  She said with a faint smile on her face.

   She’s not suspicious of me… right..? I said the continent she’s never heard of before and where I’m from and she doesn’t seem to dig further… what’s more… she trusts what I said, just like tha-

“Oh!” Garcia yelped in excitement.

“Whoa! What is it?!”

“It’s the mark on the tree! We’re pretty close to the village!” She said as she points to a tree with a slash mark on its side.

   Garcia fastens her pace as we head into the direction ahead of the marked tree.