Alex clenched his jaw and with his free hand, he gripped the iron net, wrapping his fingers around it. Then pulled hard, dragging the goblins holding the net closer to him.
His plan was simple:
Pull the net in, get closer to the edge, and then break free in one powerful move.
But the goblins weren't going to make it easy. More of them piled on, tightening their hold, their weight pulling Alex down even lower.
His muscles burned, and he found himself struggling to stay upright as the net pressed him further into the ground.
The sudden shift in weight made him lose balance for a split second—just enough time for a dagger to fly straight for his neck.
His eyes widened. And at the last moment, Alex jerked his head to the side, but the blade still grazed him, slicing the back of his neck. Pain shot through him, and his vision blurred for a moment.
Anger flared inside him. His blood pounded in his ears, and with a furious and desperate shout, Alex unleashed [Stun Howl], aimed directly at the goblin scout.
The force of the blast shook the air, sending debris flying in all directions.
Rusuk, the goblin scout, tried to leap away from the attack, but the edge of the blast caught its arm, sending the creature tumbling to the ground.
Its arm hung limp, useless, leaving the scout temporarily out of the fight.
Alex took a deep breath, feeling the burning pain in his body. But he wasn't done yet.
Using the chance he had created, he dropped [Eclipse Edge] and used both hands to grip the iron net firmly.
And with a fierce yank, he pulled the goblins closer, dragging them along as he inched toward the edge of the trap.
His muscles strained, but he kept pulling the net and its captors along towards him.
As he got closer to the edge, Alex reached into his inventory and pulled out a [Blastshard].
A quick glance around the cave reminded him of his biggest fear—that a powerful blast could bring the entire cavern down on him. But he weighed his options and made a decision:
"One 'Blastshard' should be fine."
Without hesitation, he threw the [Blastshard] into the midst of the goblin troop and triggered the explosion immediately.
The cave shook, and multiple goblins were hurled through the air, their bodies flailing like ragdolls.
The explosion cleared an entire side of the net, leaving an open path for Alex to escape.
Without wasting a second, Alex grabbed [Eclipse Edge] and dove out of the net, rolling back to his feet.
As soon as he was free, a few goblins tried to rushed in to replace the fallen ones.
But Alex was ready.
With a furious swing of his sword, he cut them down, his blade flashing in the dim light as he hacked through the remaining goblins.
Breathing heavily, Alex glared at the goblins troop and then at the scout, Rusuk.
He had to admit he had underestimated them—especially the goblin scout. He hadn't seen the trap coming as he was less focused on his environment.
"You..." Alex muttered, his eyes narrowing:
"I should've taken you out first."
He raised [Eclipse Edge], pointing it directly at Rusuk. Determined to finish the fight, Alex surged forward with terrifying speed, his body blurring as he dove toward the goblin scout.
But just as he was about to strike, Rusuk disappeared into thin air.
Alex skidded to a halt, eyes wide in shock:
"What...?"
The goblin had vanished, blending seamlessly into the shadows.
Alex scanned the area, realizing that Rusuk must possess rogue-like abilities—stealth and shadow manipulation.
This explained why the goblin was a named monster, as only monsters with abilities had names.
Alex clenched his sword tighter his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of the scout.
But his attention snapped to the goblins trying to utilize the iron net once again.
"Yeah...not going to happen."
With a furious roar, he unleashed a [Sonic Howl] that tore through the goblins holding the net, instantly killing them.
His rage boiled over, and without hesitation, he turned his wrath on the rest of the goblin troop.
His sword became a whirlwind of death as he hacked and slashed through the creatures, the sharp blade of [Eclipse Edge] cutting through their bodies like butter.
The goblins screamed in agony, their cries filling the cave, turning the space into a chaotic, blood-soaked nightmare.
Minutes later, Alex stood alone, panting heavily, covered in the blood of the fallen goblins.
His muscles ached, and his energy was nearly depleted.
The toll of his frenzied attack had left him exhausted, and as he caught his breath, he couldn't shake the lingering sense of fear.
He had to admit it to himself: he'd been scared. The moment the goblins trapped him, panic had crept in.
He had gotten too confident after wiping out enemies with [Exploding Touch] in previous battles. And that overconfidence had almost cost him his life this time.
Alex shook his head, realizing how reckless he'd been. Walking into enemy territory without a plan had been a mistake.
And now, his wounded thigh was a painful reminder that this could have gone very wrong.
"I need to be smarter," Alex muttered, his grip tightening on his sword.
This wasn't just about strength—it was about thinking things through. He couldn't let his guard down again.
Determined to proceed with caution, Alex stayed on high alert. He knew there was still one enemy left.
Suddenly, a sharp noise echoed from above.
Instinct kicked in, and Alex dove into a barrel roll just as a volley of daggers rained down from the shadows.
He looked up and saw the goblin scout, Rusuk, emerging from the shadows, grinning with rotten teeth.
In a place where lights was quite dim and darkness was all over this was his domain. Winning without [Exploding Touch] will not be easy but it was certainly not impossible.