The forest floor was a mess of blood, the foul stench of the goblins' impurified blood thick in the air, but there was no time to dwell on it.
The battle was still raging, and enranged goblins still remained.
But none of Joo-Hee's team cared.
They had nine goblins left to deal with, and survival was still hanging in the balance.
Joo-Hee, breathing heavily, stood tense, her mana dwindling after the ambush, while Eun-Bi and Min-Soo clung to the safety of the tree above.
Tears streamed down Eun-Bi's face as she focused on casting, her hands trembling.
The wind mage, atop the tree with the porter, had her eyes squeezed shut as she grip on her wand, focusing hard on the spell she had finally cast.
Her voice trembled as she shouted, "Wind Blade!"
The spell, shaped like a boomerang, whirled through the air, its blueish-white energy slicing ruggedly through two goblins' feet and arms, sending them crashing to the ground with the blood of their brethren.
Their screeching cries filled the forest as they toppled to the ground, unable to walk and grip their weapon.
Jae-Sung, who had been cornered by those very goblins, was finally able to catch his breath.
He stepped back, gritting his teeth, and poured half his mana into his sword as he decided to use his combat arts—his blade glowing faintly.
Without hesitation, he charged forward as he shouted and grunted, his sword cleaving through the neck of the two injured goblins, severing their heads clean off.
The third goblin barely had time to react before Jae-Sung's mana-induced sword swung through the air again while gritting his teeth enough to bleed, cutting deep into the goblin's torso.
He stood there, panting heavily, with blood splattered across his face and armor.
His eyes darted toward the remaining enemies—there were still goblins waiting to strike.
Just as two more goblins lunged at him, one wielding a pointed stake, the other with a wooden club, Yoon-Ji's voice cut through the chaos.
"STAND DOWN, JERK!" she shouted.
She had already drawn her bow, and in an instant, three arrows flew through the air.
The first pierced the goblin carrying the stake, dropping it before it could strike Jae-Sung.
The other two arrows hit the second goblin's hand and leg, crippling it and leaving it open for the kill.
Yoon-Ji quickly loaded her bow and fired two more arrows, killing the crippled goblin.
"Four left! Push forward!" Da-Sol yelled, forcing himself to stay sharp despite his growing exhaustion.
His sword cut through another goblin's arm, making it stumble back in agony, but the remaining three goblins pressed forward with renewed frenzy.
The exhaustion hung thick in the air, each breath labored as Joo-Hee glanced at her team.
They were hanging by a thread, their energy nearly spent.
Da-Sol and Jae-Sung were barely holding on, their trump card—personal combat arts—already used, leaving them with only half their mana and their fatigue showing.
Yoon-Ji was panting, her movements sluggish as she struggled to find new angles to fire from.
Eun-Bi, trembling, her fear overwhelming her focus, was unable to cast effectively.
Joo-Hee cursed under her breath, frustration bubbling up inside her.
They're all too tired.
'I need to do something,' Joo-Hee instinctively thought.
"Da-Sol! MOVE!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
Da-Sol, startled, glanced back, confused, "Wha—?"
"EUN-BI! BLOW THEM AWAY, I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU USE, JUST DO IT!" Joo-Hee shouted, her tone harsh, her eyes locked on the remaining goblins as they drew closer, shrieking with every step.
Eun-Bi, trembling, her cheeks streaked with dried tears, nodded as she steeled herself, seeing the determination in her teammates despite their exhaustion.
They were giving everything they had, and she couldn't let them down.
Her hand gripped her wand tightly, the trembling more from fear than the cold, but she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
With a quivering voice, she began to chant, "By the breath... of the ancient winds, I summon..."
Her voice wavered, but the air around her began to stir, responding to her words.
She could feel the magic flowing, but her fear threatened to disrupt her focus.
The forest seemed to hold its breath as the wind around her gathered, swirling faintly.
Eun-Bi squeezed her eyes shut tighter, trying to block out the fear, the noise, the smell of blood.
She needed to finish the incantation.
Without waiting for a response, Joo-Hee sprinted forward.
She could feel the last reserves of her mana flickering like a candle about to go out, but she clenched her fists, forcing it out.
[Nature's Embrace], she muttered through gritted teeth, her hands glowing faintly as her mana surged automatically, conjuring a hexagonal barrier to envelop the two goblins carrying rusted daggers.
They thrashed inside the barrier, their weapons scratching and clanging against the magical walls.
Joo-Hee's vision blurred as she forced more mana into the spell, her heart pounding.
_______________________
MP: 136/530
_______________________
She could feel it—mana deviation.
Her control was slipping, but she didn't stop.
Blood trickled from her nose, and her vision dimmed as her eyes bled, but she pushed through the pain.
Her head felt like it was splitting open, but there was no time.
It was now or never as the system sent a red notification saying:
_______________________
[ Mana is being overused. The host will soon experience mana deviation. ]
_______________________
MP: 109/575
...
...
MP: 87/575
...
_______________________
"ARR...GHH! DIEEE!" Joo-Hee roared, her voice strained as she clenched her hands tighter, commanding the barrier to compress.
The barrier shrank rapidly as her mana was decreasing rapidly too, crushing the goblins within.
Their shrieks were cut short as their bodies were contorted, dark green blood splattering across the magical prison.
Joo-Hee's legs wobbled as her vision spun, the strain pushing her to the brink.
Her body screamed at her to stop, but she couldn't.
Not now.
Her team was depending on her.
"Eun-Bi, NOW!" she shouted, her voice barely audible as the blood loss and mana drain took its toll as she coughed blood.
Eun-Bi, her hands trembling, finally mustered the last of her courage.
Trails of tears were visible on her face, but she channeled her magic.
"Rising Gale!" she cried, a violent gust of wind erupting from her wand, blowing the remaining two goblins backward, their bodies crashing against the trees with sickening thuds.
Joo-Hee's world tilted, darkness creeping into the edges of her vision.
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, her mana completely depleted.
But the goblins were dead.
And just then, the familiar chime of the system notification echoed in her mind.
_______________________
[ You have killed E-plus rank Goblin, +30 EXP gained. ]
[ You have killed E-rank Goblin, +24 EXP gained. ]
_______________________
In mere seconds, the tide of the battle had shifted, leaving Joo-Hee sprawled on the forest floor, her body wracked with the pain of mana deviation.
It felt like countless needles were piercing her from within, her blood flowing backward, her mind swimming in a haze of agony.
"Unnie!" Da-Sol shouted, but as he moved to check on her, his attention was drawn back to the fleeing goblins.
One was scrambling to escape, the other propelled by the force of Eun-Bi's [Rising Gale].
"Yoon-Ji!" he called out, urgency infusing his voice.
"Strike them! Don't let them gather reinforcements!"
"On it!" Yoon-Ji replied, her eyes narrowed with fierce determination.
She turned to Min-Soo, still clinging to the branches above.
"Min-Soo! The other quiver! Now!"
Meanwhile, Min-Soo, finally seizing the moment, hurled a health potion down to Jae-Sung and a quiver to Yoon-Ji.
The latter caught it mid-air, gulping it down eagerly.
As the healing warmth flowed through him, the pain from his wounds began to ease.
With gnawing guilt, Jae-Sung summoned the last of his mana.
His veins throbbed, bulging against his skin as he gripped his sword like a javelin.
With a fierce shout, he hurled it with all his strength, the blade slicing through the air and plunging deep into the chest of the retreating goblin, killing it brutally.
Now, only one goblin remained, wounded and staggering to escape as its eyes were full of fear in contrast to its earlier expression.
Yoon-Ji hurriedly nocked another arrow, her heart racing as she let it fly.
Two arrows missed the fleeing creature entirely, but the third struck true, embedding itself into the goblin's right thigh, causing it to stumble and fall.
"Da-Sol, now!" Yoon-Ji yelled, urgency thrumming in her voice.
Da-Sol sprinted forward, determination etched on his face.
With a swift motion, he swung his sword, and the last goblin fell, its body crumpling to the ground, lifeless.
The forest fell silent, save for the heavy breaths of the surviving team members.
As they stood amidst the chaos, the bodies of the goblins scattered around them, the foul stench of their blood lingering in the air, a wave of relief washed over them. They were alive.
"Is it over?" Eun-Bi called out, peering cautiously from her perch in the tree.
"Yes, I hope so...", Da-Sol panted, wiping the sweat from his brow as he dropped to the ground as Yoon-Ji and Jae-Sung also did the same as they thought.
'We did it. Fourteen goblins are now dead.'
A smile broke across their faces, a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration flooding through them.
They had faced the odds and survived, albeit barely.
And there, beneath the canopy of the dense forest, surrounded by the aftermath of battle, they found solace in their survival.
A bond forged in the heat of conflict, knowing that they could face whatever came next—together.