Chapter 20: Weight on His Shoulders

Chapter 20 - Weight on His ShouldersChapter 20

From the very start of the battle, the Throne Goblin had remained still—seated atop its throne, unmoving, unmoved. But now, with all of its dark goblin subordinates slain, it finally rose. Slowly, it removed its robe, revealing a grotesque form covered in bulging muscles and sharp, black spikes protruding from its back. It turned its gaze toward Han—the one it deemed its true opponent—and grinned.

Han's muscles tensed. This wouldn't be easy.

With a burst of energy, the Throne Goblin lunged. Han met him head-on, white blade flashing. Spikes shot out from the goblin's back like javelins, clashing against Han's weapon in a fierce exchange. The collision shook the chamber, pressure building from the sheer force of their battle.

As the fight escalated, the goblin's grin widened. It struck with savage precision. Han ducked, dodged, blocked, countered. He slashed at the goblin's back, but three black spikes emerged mid-swing, blocking his strike. Then, with a sudden swipe, the goblin landed a glancing blow—its spike grazing Han's side. A searing pain followed, the flesh around the wound beginning to corrode.

He narrowly dodged another deadly thrust and retaliated, this time slicing a deep gash across the goblin's chest. The creature stumbled, stunned, giving Han just enough time to land a powerful kick that sent it hurtling backward, crashing into a wall.

But the monster rose again. Bloodied, yet unfazed.

Han crouched low. "Fourth Jungle Art: Cheetah Stride."

In a blink, he shot forward. The goblin anticipated it and prepared a counter, but Han's speed exploded—he vanished and reappeared right in front of the creature. Another slash tore open its chest. Without hesitation, Han followed up with a "Tiger Punch," his fist hammering the goblin through its throne, shattering it into splinters.

What the goblin hadn't seen was the layered activation—Han had used White Fang's active skill: Tiger Dash, enhanced by Cheetah Stride. Its reactions couldn't keep up.

Several meters away, Nathan watched with wide eyes. "This guy's a D-Ranker?" he whispered in disbelief. That can't be right... But even through his shock, he felt a surge of hope. With someone like Han on their side, maybe—just maybe—they could survive.



But Han knew better.

The goblin wasn't finished. It burst from the crater, eyes now void of amusement. Han smiled. "What happened to that smug grin?"

The jab enraged the creature. With a roar, it dashed forward, three jagged spikes erupting from its hands. Han blocked, but the force sent him sliding backward. The goblin capitalized, appearing in front of him like a phantom.

"Eighth Jungle Art: Snake Curl."

Han's legs twisted and weaved, serpentine in motion. He bypassed all three incoming spikes and slammed a kick straight into the goblin's jaw, launching it through the air. Not wasting a second, Han leapt after it, hands gripped tight around White Fang, aiming to end it.

But the goblin grinned again.

Han sensed danger—but it was too late.

The goblin opened its mouth wide, unleashing a thick black spike that shot like a cannonball. It pierced Han through the chest, pinning him to the ceiling.

The goblin's grin widened. That should end it...

Then Han smiled.

"You'll need more than that to kill me."

In a flash, the body turned white and vanished.

A clone.

The goblin's eyes widened. He turned—and froze.

Ten Han clones stood surrounding him, each gripping a white blade.

The goblin swung at one, but the clone ducked. Another grabbed its wrist.

"First Jungle Art: Wolf Clutch."

Boom!

The goblin slammed into the ground, creating a crater. But it didn't stay down—it retaliated immediately. Spikes shot out, piercing the clone. It vanished in a puff of white mist.

Another fake.

Frustrated, the goblin closed its eyes and raised both arms. The Han clones charged—but the ground erupted with black spikes, piercing them all through the heart. Each clone burst into white smoke.

The goblin laughed. "Foolish trickery—"

Then it stopped.

All of them... were clones?

So where was the real one?

It sensed it too late.

From above, danger loomed.

Han and several more clones descended from the ceiling, spinning like drills.

"Tenth Jungle Art: Falcon Dive—Multi-Form!"

Ten white spinning drills shot downward, each one targeting the goblin. The monster froze—this was death.

BOOM!

The explosion shattered every black spike. The ground trembled.

At the back, Aiden—now slightly recovered—stared wide-eyed. "That has to be it, right?" he asked.

Clara shook her head slowly. "I'm not sure... This is the Portal Boss. It should be far stronger than its minions."

Aiden nodded, unease creeping in.

Still, one thing chilled him more than anything—the man called Han.

Inhuman strength... speed... clones... and that weapon. He's not just powerful. He's a freak.

Han stood still, his breathing slowly stabilizing. His analyzer scanned the creature before him. His brow twitched. No... that thing's isn't dead yet. Han shook his head. This wasn't over—not even close.

From the crater, the creature rose, red eyes burning with fury. Its twisted lips curled as it snarled, "You... human fool. Make me angry... Now, feel real power."

The broken speech was crude, but Han understood the message loud and clear. The goblin was about to unleash hell.

A dreadful sense of foreboding gripped him. Then, the creature touched the black necklace hanging around its neck. Instantly, a suffocating aura surged outward, blanketing the room in thick, dark energy.

Han shivered. It felt as if invisible tendrils were crawling over his skin, trying to devour him. His eyes widened as he saw it—the dark energy from the dead goblins, and even fallen humans, was being absorbed into the necklace. It pulsed, alive with malevolence.

That thing... that necklace... it's beyond bad news, Han thought.

Without hesitation, Han rushed forward, blades drawn, aiming to end it before whatever it's doing was complete. But the ground erupted—black spikes shot up, blocking his path.

He slashed through them, cutting his way forward, but just as he reached the final spike—Boom!—the goblin stood tall, a black pill gleaming in its hand. It swallowed it whole, and the atmosphere shifted. The air felt heavy, crushing.

That energy... it's insane, Han thought, gritting his teeth. It's stronger than me now... and if I die, the others will follow.

He positioned both blades in front of him, ready to intercept whatever came next.

But the goblin didn't come for him.

"What the—?"



Han's breath caught as the creature darted toward the back of the room—toward Clara and the others. His heart dropped.

No—if it reaches them, it's over!

Han activated Cheetah Stride, his body becoming a blur as he rushed to intercept. He reached the back of the room in a flash—too late.

The goblin grinned.

It tricked me.

Black spikes erupted from the ground at his feet. Han barely had time to react, crossing his swords just in time to block them—but he couldn't avoid the goblin's fist that smashed into his face like a hammer.

Crack!

Han flew back, crashing into the floor. Blood sprayed from his mouth as the impact echoed through the chamber.

Clara and the others gasped, guilt washing over them. If only we hadn't been used as bait...

The goblin stalked forward, grabbing Han by the neck and lifting him with ease.

It sneered, clearly pleased with itself. "You beat them... but me? You weak. You die now."

Black spikes protruded from its free hand, aimed directly at Han's skull.

Yet Han's face didn't show fear. He was calm.

He muttered under his breath, "Fourteenth Jungle Art: Tiger Punch."

BOOM!

His fist exploded forward with raw power, crashing into the overconfident goblin's face and launching it across the room into the wall. The entire chamber shook from the impact.

Han dropped to one knee, panting. He turned to the others.

"If you want to live, leave now."

They hesitated. Guilt hung heavy in their eyes. But they knew he was right.

All but one ran.

Aiden clenched his fists and stepped forward. "I told you—I'd protect you, not the other way around. I'm not leaving you to face that thing alone."

Han gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

"Don't menti—"

Bam!

Aiden collapsed, unconscious. Han had knocked him out with a swift blow to the neck.

Han dragged his limp body toward the exit. "Clara, right? Take him and get out of here—now."

Clara nodded, eyes misty, and vanished with the others.

Han turned back toward the cracked wall.

Can I survive this? His health was down to 180/300. That wasn't the worst part. His muscles were screaming in protest— multiple use of Tiger Punch had pushed his body far beyond its limit. Any more, and he might not move at all.

And then—Boom!

The goblin emerged from the rubble, bruised but far from beaten. Craters littered the ground where it landed.

It glared at Han, hatred gleaming in its eyes. Despite the pain it had endured, its twisted smile returned.

It admired Han's tenacity—and despised him for it.

Han didn't flinch.

They charged.

The goblin struck first, a flurry of black spikes launching from its body and the ground. Han dodged what he could, blocked the rest, but the damage built up fast.

Every blow landed with thunderous force. The goblin moved like a demon, relentless, and far too fast.

Crack!

Han was thrown across the room—again. For the seventh time, his body smashed into stone.

Silence.

Then—he moved. Slowly. Painfully.

He pushed himself up, blood running down his face, his legs trembling. His vision blurred, but he stayed on his feet. His knees buckled, dropping him back down.

The goblin stood across from him, watching with interest.

It didn't understand how this human was still standing. A part of it respected that. Another part wanted to crush him for it.

Am I really going to die this time? Han thought bitterly. After absorbing that black pill, the goblin's power had clearly surpassed A-rank. Whether it had reached S-rank, he didn't know—but it didn't matter.

If I fall here... who will rebuild Serenya? His heart clenched. Will Laura, Xin, and Rin survive without me watching over them? Will I fail my father and mother all over again? Damn it... who will right my wrongs? Who will save Aunt Mei if I die now?

The storm of thoughts surged through him like a raging tide.

But then—Han rose. Blood dripping, body trembling, yet his gaze burned with unshakable resolve. He locked eyes with the snarling goblin.

"I should have died" Han muttered, voice low but steady. "But I won't. Not now. Not until I fulfill every last responsibility I carry. Not until I make things right."

His voice rang with conviction.



Just then, Ping —Han's system—flashed a notification. He blinked and checked it. His eyes widened.

It wasn't the message that stunned him.

It was what it meant.

[System Notification]

Hidden condition met.

Final Jungle Art: Unlocked.

Converting into skill...

Conversion complete.

New Skill Acquired:

Skill: Lion Roar

Rank: A

To be continued...