I can't claim to be the person with the fastest reflexes in the world—I'm nowhere near that level—nor am I someone who acts with instant initiative, but in that moment, my brain started running at full speed.

  The moment the Hobgoblin intensified its gaze on us—I imagine to assess what we were—my mind was already building two concentrated ice spheres, and my Cold Mind ability was already helping me stay focused on every small detail.

  In a matter of two or three seconds, the Hobgoblin pointed toward us and shouted. The other monsters immediately focused their attention on us and began charging without a second thought.

  I finished crafting my spells just in time and activated my pseudo-domain to calculate the exact distance between us. I looked at Rendo—he already had his sword in hand. When our eyes met, they turned serious, and he turned back toward the monsters.

  “Young Master Maki, after you cast your spell, run. I’ll try to buy as much time as I can and follow right after.” What? I want to follow his plan and run, but that means leaving him behind. That doesn’t feel right.

  Before I could respond, I refocused on the incoming monsters. They entered my fifteen-meter range—it was time to use my magic. It would be a surprise attack; they shouldn’t have time to dodge and they didn’t. They weren’t expecting a spell to come flying toward them at full speed. The attack instantly killed two goblins. One sphere pierced through them, then hit a hobgoblin's arm, while the other struck near his foot.

  His left arm was rendered useless. The sphere nearly pierced his massive forearm completely, and the ice mana exploded inside. It wasn’t just shattered from the impact—it was also frozen. His right leg hadn’t taken significant damage, but he’d have trouble using it.

  The other monsters froze at the sight, giving me the precious seconds I needed to weigh my options and activate Imra on my swords.

  “Rendo, let’s run! With one injured, we can escape together.” My words pulled him from his trance, and he nodded instantly. We both turned and started running.

  With my pseudo-domain, I could track if they were chasing us. After a moment, the uninjured Hobgoblin re-entered my skill’s range. Shit—he’s a little faster than me. I saw Rando slowing down just a bit to match my pace.

  “Rendo, the Hobgoblin is behind us—we can’t escape!” Rando gave me a serious look. For a second, he glanced back, and his brows furrowed hard.

  “Young Master Maki, I must fight. It’s the only way we survive.” I already knew the answer. Rando just confirmed what I had expected. The nerves of fighting a higher-tier monster flooded my chest. My skill calmed my mind—though not completely.

  “Can you win?” I asked. Though there was no verbal response, I still got my answer.

  “Rendo, I’m not leaving you. Let me handle the others, and I’ll help you as soon as I’m done.” His mouth opened and closed, surely searching for words to make me flee.

  Before he could object, I shouted, “Fight—we don’t have time!” I jumped to the side, and he threw himself at the enemy without hesitation.

  Rendo POV

  Lord Maki was the first to notice the Hobgoblin’s gaze on us. I saw his ice spells begin to form immediately. That’s when I knew—he must run now.

  I offered to stay and fight, to buy him time. Before I could bolt, the young master launched his ice spheres. It was amazing—he killed two monsters of equal rank in a single strike and even wounded a Hobgoblin, a tier above. Though it wasn't the time to admire his magic, I couldn’t help but be in awe of his mana control.

  He shouted for us to flee, and we started running at the same time. I was just a bit faster but had to slow to his pace—how is he almost as fast as me while being a rank lower?

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  He alerted me that the other Hobgoblin was close. I pushed forward, trying to buy more time, and his response made me question my odds.

  Can I win? I don’t know. That monster must be close to the peak of rank two. I couldn’t find the words to make the young master run. I don’t want to die fighting, but if that’s what it takes to protect my Lord’s son, then so be it.

  Before I could say anything, he dashed to the side and ran toward the other monsters.

  I drew my sword and made myself a promise—I won’t die. I’ll give everything I have to survive.

  I’ve been amazed by the young master’s talent since day one. How can someone of amethyst rank be so strong? This is what they call real talent. After watching him defeat that wolf pack, I made a promise—if he’ll have me, I’ll follow him. I’ll be the faithful vassal of young master Maki until the day I die.

  Maki POV

  Rendo took my words to heart and began fighting the Hobgoblin. I had to deal with the injured one and the smaller goblins—had to kill them quickly to help him.

  I crafted two regular ice spheres to keep the injured Hobgoblin at bay while I dealt with the goblins. It worked. Seeing the spheres made them more cautious—they slowed down. Without hesitation, I used my movement ability and appeared beside one of them.

  He reacted quickly, trying to claw my face, but not quickly enough—I slashed his chest and dodged his claws. He screamed, furious, and tried to pounce on me. The other goblin joined him—two against one.

  My mind was pounding from the strain on my body. Using nearly all my skills at once was overloading me. I ignored the pain and kept slashing the ugly goblin in front of me.

  Fifteen seconds passed. The Hobgoblin stopped being cautious and joined the fight. Did he realize these weren’t the same spheres? I don’t know—and never will. Too late, idiot. By now, both goblins had deep wounds all over and were close to death. Their skin was pale from blood loss.

  Since the big guy had decided to join in, I used both spheres to finish off the little ones. The impact threw them back—they were motionless.

  “Now it’s one-on-one, idiot.” Why did I speak to him? He probably can’t understand me.

  We began exchanging blows. Watching him use that thick wooden stick as a makeshift sword reminded me of fights from my past life. His skill was terrible—I could tell I fought better against armed opponents.

  My sharpened Imra wasn’t enough to deal deep or lethal cuts, which was frustrating, though expected from a higher-tier monster. I hadn’t landed any killing blows, but the Hobgoblin was bleeding from multiple places. His movements slowed, and his breathing grew heavier.

  We kept fighting. His exhaustion made him leave a huge opening—it was time to end this. I threw all my weight and strength into the next strike. I would drive my sword into his chest.

  I felt it pierce slowly through his torso. His chest was thick—I couldn’t go all the way through. My sword stopped after a few centimeters. I saw the rage and surprise in his eyes as he leaned back and kicked me with his injured leg.

  That kick hit me in a bad stance—my only option was to block it with my sword. The blow launched me several meters back. I couldn’t help but curse from the pain—it felt like being hit by a moving car, especially my right arm, which had braced the sword. Luckily, no bones were broken. After a moment, my ability began easing the pain, and I managed to stand.

  The Hobgoblin had fallen backward, my sword stuck in his chest. I rushed over, gathered all my strength, and stabbed my second sword into his forehead.

  I felt resistance in that thick skull. I pulled out both swords and went to do the same to the little goblins. I didn’t know if they were dead, but better safe than sorry.

  I grabbed my blades and ran toward the sound of battle. When I arrived, I saw them still exchanging blows—both were wounded.

  I came at a critical moment—Rendo was being pushed back. I used my movement ability to appear behind the Hobgoblin and stabbed his left leg. His quick reaction forced me to jump to the side to dodge a swing toward my face.

  “Rendo, we have to give it our all and finish this now!” He didn’t respond with words, but I saw him start channeling mana into his sword. Earth mana? Not sure—it looked like it.

  We charged together to end the fight. It was trickier for me—one of my swords was still embedded in his leg. I had fewer attack options, but it also slowed him down.

  After a few minutes of relentless combat, we finally killed him—Rendo’s blade sliced through the monster’s neck. His sword looked sharper, infused with what seemed like sand mana.

  I was completely exhausted. I collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. Rendo handled it better, scanning the surroundings.

  “Rendo, grab their cores and let’s get out of here. I don’t want to go through anything like this again.” He nodded silently and moved immediately. I felt bad making him do it after such an intense fight, but I had no choice—I just wanted to leave, and the sooner, the better.

  He finished collecting all the cores, and we set off toward the village. Thankfully, we didn’t encounter any more monsters.

  I waited for Rendo at a guard post by one of the town’s entrances. He had gone to find his brother Randy and would return soon. Explaining this situation to my family later was going to be a nightmare—I could already feel it.