Void Evolution System-Novel

Chapter 1410  Recruitment [7]

The first thing Hershel did was simple.

He ran.

He ran until he reached the peak of the mountain and had a clear view of the entire biome.

This trial was one he was aware of, unlike the trial of soul. He was completely present in the head, and because of that, his instinct had changed from fighting to fleeing.

However, as he did so, he eventually realized that it was impossible for him to run away.

This was a test, not a natural encounter. No matter where he went or what he did, the beast tide would eventually reach his position, and he'd have no choice but to fight it.

Hershel was a coward. It was natural for him to be one, because if there was one thing he hadn't tried in this life, it was battle. Follow current s on ɴo(v)elꜰɪre.ɴet

He didn't have anything close to the opportunity. With his weak constitution and tendency to freeze up during confrontation, he would die the instant he tried to fight, so neither he nor his family ever even considered the possibility that his talent was there.

But since he'd been thrown into this situation, since he'd confronted the beast tide and come to the understanding that it was his enemy, his mind…

'...is strangely calm.'

He was calmer than when he was transported to the strange space with the screen. No, he was calmer than he'd ever been before in his entire life.

There was a scent of blood lingering in the air, as if battle was commonplace in this plane. Something about that smell spoke to him.

The version of him that existed in the soul trial.

It didn't just have the desire to protect the innocent. It had one other defining quality.

A thirst for blood.

It was a miracle that Hershel hadn't realized it before. Perhaps it was because his personality had developed into such a passive one, but somehow, his bloodlust had never manifested in real life.

 But it was ever-present.

Now that Hershel was on the battlefield, his senses were at their most sensitive, he had one dagger strapped on his hip and the other in hand, since he knew he didn't have the technique to use them together.

Standing on the mountain peak, gazing at the approaching beast tide, he made several judgements, each ending in the same conclusion.

'It will reach me in three hours.'

He had three hours to prepare for the beast tide. Whether it be through developing his own strength somehow or using his brain, he had to find a way to beat it.

'What if I…'

He instantly ignored the first thought that came to mind. It was insane to even consider.

'Then, maybe I should…'

'What about…'

'No. It's all stupid.'

It was a test rigged against him from the start. He was a country boy who'd known nothing but the farm his entire life. He was a useless person who'd never even been within a hundred meters of a battlefield.

Even the forests where the village people gained their meat he steered clear of.

So how was he supposed to find a way to defeat a beast tide?

It was stupid to even ask.

He would die here if he confronted it.

'I have no choice!'

His thoughts returned to fleeing.

He looked around for a method, a route he could take to run and hide from the tide, a place they couldn't find him.

When suddenly…

"Kekekeke…."

A laugh from the rear.

He whipped around quickly, grabbing hold of his knife with both hands, trying his best to stabilize it in his grasp.

He almost laughed at himself.

It was a single goblin. Small, green, and with eyes full of malice, it pointed its knife at him.

"Are you provoking me…?" Hershel asked.

"Kekekeke…!"

The goblin could only laugh. It didn't know human language. But the look in its eyes made it clear enough.

Despite the fact that Hershel was at least twice its size, despite the fact that he was armed, it still chose to face him.

Because he was determined as weak prey.

"KEHAAAA!"

The goblin let out a strange cry and charged forward. It raised its knife and stabbed toward Hershel's thigh,

Hershel's eyes widened.

'W-what…?!'

He didn't expect it to attack.

He moved his feet to quickly dodge.

No, he tried to.

'M-my feet…? My body…?'

It wouldn't move as he wanted it to.

A single mountain had rooted him in place, his fear too strong for his body to act otherwise.

Shik!

"ARRRGH!"

Hershel yelled out in pain as the goblin's knife sunk into his thigh.

Shik!

Shik!

Shik!

Three more stabs, two in his stomach and another in his other thigh.

Blood gushed out of Hershel's body like a foundation, and his screams made the quiet mountain atmosphere just a bit livelier.

He was a mortal. He'd never fought before in his life, nor had he practiced with mana.

Hershel could not fight.

He was considering facing a beast tide?

He couldn't even best a single goblin!

'I'm…weak…'

He was loud on the outside, but his thoughts were pathetic.

The goblin didn't kill him either. It stood there, laughing maniacally as it watched him bleed out.

'I'm…dead.'

Hershel knew what was coming,

But he couldn't let it happen so easily.

'To…a goblin…?'

Even a ten-year-old child could defeat a goblin.

Yet, he was being manhandled by that same goblin?

He didn't care if he was weak or talentless. He didn't care about any of that.

But he couldn't lose here.

Not after passing the first test, not without a chance to fight back.

He couldn't die here.

'I can't…!'

His mind went black.

Crimson fury overtook his emotions.

He raised his eyes at the goblin in front of him. He was foaming at the mouth, and the sounds coming from his throat were less than human.

He couldn't stand up. His legs were too injured.

But his arms…

"GRAH!"

He grabbed the goblin's leg.

His knives were gone, confiscated by the creature.

But he needed to attack somehow.

Before the goblin could adapt to the current circumstances, he dragged his body forward.

He pulled with all his strength, knocking the goblin off balance.

And…

"RAAAAAAAH!"

He bit down on its leg.

"KIEEEEEEK!"

The goblin screamed in pain, hurriedly stabbing him to get him off.

But Hershel didn't pay attention to its blade.

He ripped off the goblin's skin with his teeth. He bit into its muscles and tore its leg apart before crawling towards its neck, his intent clear.

Even if he died here, he would kill the goblin.

He didn't care how weak he was.

He would do it.

One arm before the other. He crawled, dragging his limp body behind him.

He only needed to move a few feet. The goblin was also bleeding out now. He could do it.

"KIEEEEEK!"

SHIK!

SHIK!

SHIK!

SHIK!

The goblin wasn't playing around anymore. It repeatedly stabbed Hershel in the back as he approached, drawing more and more blood and turning Hershel's internal body into a mess.

However, by some miracle, Hershel continued to move.

Until he was near the goblin's neck.

He opened his mouth and bit down with as much force as possible.

He raised his arm and shoved the goblin's head into the ground, blocking its movements.

And he turned into a beast.

He bit anything he could get his teeth on. He ripped skin and tore flesh, turning his face and torso into a mess of goblin blood.

It was almost over.

He was almost there.

But he didn't have any steam left.

He'd been stabbed over twenty times. He had already run out of blood.

Yet, the expression on his face was a massive grin.

Because regardless of his inevitable death, that goblin was coming with him.

He forgot about the beast tide. He forgot about the trial.

The only thing that mattered was his enemy, the enemy he defeated.

Somewhere, hidden in the folds of reality, Damien grinned.

'This kid…'

His eyes were on a certain dead body that was currently in the process of being reanimated.

'...has some insane potential.'