Subutai gave the goblin archer no chance to loose another arrow.
Gripping his spear tightly, he hurled it with all his strength.
The spear screamed through the air, shattering the goblin's bow mid-flight before piercing straight through its heart. Blood burst into the air as the goblin's body collapsed to the ground.
[You have killed a "Goblin Archer."]
Wiping the blood trickling down his cheek, Subutai muttered,
"I thought climbing the Tower would be easy… but I was wrong.
Goblin shamans, goblin archers… this is only getting more terrifying."
Moments later, the duration of his two skills expired.
Fatigue washed over his body, and drowsiness began to creep in.
His limbs felt heavy, leaving him with no choice but to find a place to rest.
But sleeping on the ground meant risking death without ever realizing what had happened.
Goblins could see clearly in the dark and their hearing was sharp.
Just thinking about the goblin archer made Subutai's body tremble uncontrollably.
If an arrow like that struck him while he slept, it would be a truly silent death.
"There's only one option…"
He whispered softly and began climbing a tall nearby tree.
After reaching a thick branch capable of supporting his weight, he hugged his knees and carefully sat down, making sure not to fall.
The constant sense that he might slip at any moment kept sleep at bay, forcing his mind to remain alert.
Suddenly
A hideous scream tore through the forest's silence.
Startled birds burst into flight, their wings beating loudly through the once-calm woods.
Subutai turned toward the sound in shock.
Under the pale moonlight, more than ten goblin warriors accompanied by two goblin archers were marching through the forest.
They had clearly discovered the corpse of the goblin archer he had killed, and they were shrieking like madmen.
"GRAAHH! GRAHHH!"
Their howls shattered the night, twisting the forest into something far more sinister.
Subutai could have fought these dozens of goblins but not now.
He was exhausted, his mana depleted.
So he stayed perfectly still, holding his breath.
What worried him most were not the goblin warriors, but the two goblin archers.
Against goblin warriors, he could at least rely on his strength and experience.
Even if they outnumbered him, he could see his enemies, calculate their movements, dodge, and strike.
Goblin archers were different.
They silently drew their bows from behind the warriors, sending death from the darkness without warning.
What if two arrows came flying at him while he was fighting in close combat?
One tiny mistake would push him straight to the edge of death.
The two archers walking among the warriors were clearly visible beneath the dim moonlight.
Their hands rested on their bows, moving as if ready to attack at any moment.
To Subutai, they were the greatest threat of all.
He knew it well
One wrong move here, and he would never see tomorrow's sun.
Soon, the goblins dragged the corpse of their fallen comrade to the base of the tree Subutai was hiding in.
After a brief silence, they swarmed over it and began to feast.
The stench of blood and goblin flesh mixed together, carried by the wind straight into Subutai's nose, making his stomach churn.
They tore out the corpse's organs, gnawed on the meat, and flung pieces everywhere, staining the ground with green blood.
If he made even the slightest sound, Subutai would be discovered instantly.
He controlled his breathing, remaining as silent as possible, waiting for them to leave.
But after sitting for too long, a small shift caused the leaves beneath him to rustle.
The sound caught the attention of one goblin archer.
It raised its head and stared straight toward Subutai.
In the moonlight, its gaze felt as if it could see right through him.
Subutai's heart pounded violently.
Without realizing it, he tightened his grip on the spear and bit his tongue to fight off sleep.
"I need to be ready to fight at any moment…" he whispered.
Fortunately, after a while, the goblin archer's gaze returned to the corpse, and it resumed eating.
Subutai exhaled slowly in relief.
Before long, the goblins seemed to have finished their feast.
One by one, they lay down and fell asleep.
Unable to endure it any longer, Subutai bit his tongue again.
If I stay in this stench much longer, I might pass out…
Enduring the disgust, he waited until every goblin was fully asleep.
At last, the forest grew quiet.
The moment he was sure they were all unconscious, Subutai took a deep breath and decided to eliminate the archers first.
Gripping his spear, he aimed at one of them and hurled it with force.
The spear sliced through the air and pierced straight through the goblin archer's abdomen, pinning it to the ground.
The loud impact startled the sleeping goblins awake.
But one enemy capable of killing him had already fallen.
[You have killed a "Goblin Archer."]
Without wasting a second, Subutai leapt down from the tree and rushed toward the other awakened goblin archer, clamping his hand around its neck.
Crack.
The goblin's neck snapped.
[You have killed a "Goblin Archer."]
Subutai tossed the corpse aside and yanked his spear free.
The remaining goblin warriors grabbed their weapons and surrounded him, shrieking like lunatics.
"GRAAAH! GRAHH! GRAHHH!"
At that moment, Subutai checked his status.
His mana had fully recovered.
Seeing this, a smile flickered across his face as he immediately activated both skills.
[Your body is coated in mana. Strength increased by 20%.]
[Mana-based skill efficiency increased by 10%.]
Power surged through his body, temporarily pushing back the drowsiness.
One goblin warrior mustered its courage and charged first, raising its rusted sword.
Subutai lunged forward, barely managing to drive his spear through its head.
Even with both skills active, the exhaustion was overwhelming.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't exert enough strength.
Seeing this, the remaining nine goblin warriors attacked from multiple directions at once.
Subutai narrowly dodged, but the sheer number of attacks forced him into a defensive stance.
One wrong move.
Even if he killed a goblin, he could lose an arm… no, his life.
While blocking several strikes, he suffered minor wounds and retreated, creating distance between himself and the goblins.
Covered in both his own blood and that of his enemies, Subutai stared at the foes standing before him, silently calculating his next move.