The goblins were too fast. Too many.
Villagers scrambled—an old man fell, a child cried, a mother shielded her baby.
"Shirayuki! Quillstorm Lunge—center pack, now!" I barked.
She launched like a white bullet, spinning mid-air—quills flaring out in a beautiful, deadly spiral. Three goblins shrieked as they were flung back, twitching from a storm of sharp white needles.
I sprinted forward, yanking a pitchfork from a fallen cart.
"You! Take your family and run behind the barn!" I yelled at a farmer clutching his daughter.
"B-but—!"
"GO! That thing's my companion—she can handle this!"
Shirayuki was already mid-burrow, tiny paws a blur as dirt flew behind her like a furred drill bit.
"Wait for it… Wait… NOW—BURROW AMBUSH!"
She exploded from the earth beneath a goblin's feet, sending it flying with a squeal and a geyser of dirt. Another leapt toward her—
"Spine Burst! Area clear!"
Fwoosh! Quills detonated outward, catching two more goblins mid-air like a porcupine grenade.
My heart thundered. My hands shook.
But my grin? It only grew wider.
"C'mon, you pixel-brained creeps… this ain't a cutscene—it's a boss wave."
Another goblin lunged at me. I dodged sideways, jabbing with the pitchfork and yelling:
"Shirayuki, Spiral Drill—clear the flank!"
She revved up—spinning fast, her body turning into a tiny white tornado of pain. She plowed straight through two goblins, pinning the last one to a wall with a loud CRUNCH.
The air went quiet.
The few remaining goblins fled into the woods, howling in defeat.
I dropped the pitchfork, panting, looking at the villagers as they stared at me and the furball beside me in disbelief.
"...This," I said, raising a fist and wiping sweat from my brow, "is the power of a f*cking GAMER."
Shirayuki let out a proud snort and headbutted my leg.
Just as the last goblin's screech vanished into the trees… the ground began to rumble.
Thud… Thud… Thud…
The villagers froze. Shirayuki's ears perked up, then folded flat. She backed up beside me.
I turned toward the forest's edge—
—and then I saw it.
A massive shadow pushed past the trees. Muscles bulged like boulders. A jagged axe bigger than my whole damn body rested on one shoulder. Its tusks curled like knives. And its eyes?
Blood-red.
The damn thing was ten feet tall and snorting steam like a raid boss.
"...Nope."
The orc stepped into full view, letting out a guttural roar that shook the earth.
I blinked once.
Then:
"WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS THAT?! A GIGANTIC ORC?! WHO SPAWNED A MID-BOSS THIS EARLY?! THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE TUTORIAL!"
Shirayuki let out a terrified squeak and dove behind my boot.
I didn't blame her.
"I JUST GOT HERE! I DON'T EVEN HAVE ARMOR! I STILL SMELL LIKE FREAKING JERKY!!"
The orc raised its axe.
I nearly dropped a whole paragraph of swears.
"Okay okay okay okay—PLAN! I NEED A PLAN!"
I crouched behind a cart, panicking. "We're toast. I'm toast. You're toast. We're breakfast and this green bastard's the chef!!"
Shirayuki looked up at me with those determined eyes… and headbutted my shin, lightly.
I stared.
"…Are you serious?"
She puffed up slightly. Her little face was trembling… but she stepped forward anyway.
I let out a shaky breath.
"…Alright then. If we die—we go out like legends."
The orc roared again, shaking the treetops.
And I stood tall behind my spiky white hedgehog.
The giant orc roared, its battle axe raised high in the air, ready to smash down with terrifying force. Shirayuki, still full of determination, darted in and out of the orc's range, preparing to strike again.
"Shirayuki! Hit it with everything you've got!" I shouted, adrenaline pumping through my veins as the ground shook beneath the orc's powerful movements.
Shirayuki leapt forward, small but fierce, and I quickly commanded, "Burrow Ambush!" She dove underground with lightning speed, her tiny paws digging through the earth. The orc bellowed, swinging its axe around in a frantic search, but Shirayuki was quick.
A moment later, she exploded out of the ground with a burst of dirt, aiming straight for the orc's side.
Clang! Her quills raked against the orc's tough hide, but it was no use. The blow didn't even faze the giant. I watched, helpless, as the orc let out an enraged growl and swung its massive axe downward toward Shirayuki, who was still struggling to retreat.
"Nooo!" My heart raced, and before I even realized it, my feet were already moving. The orc's axe came down with terrifying speed, and Shirayuki wasn't fast enough to dodge.
"Shirayuki! Move!" I screamed, but it was too late. The orc's massive weapon slammed into her, sending her flying through the air.
No! The sight of her small, crumpled body sent a shockwave of panic through me.
Without thinking, I dashed forward, throwing myself into the path of the axe. I gritted my teeth and barely managed to grab Shirayuki's limp body as the orc's axe hit the ground beside us, shaking the earth violently.
With my heart pounding, I held her close, desperate. Her tiny form felt like dead weight in my arms. The orc was about to swing again, and I wasn't sure how much longer we could survive this.
"Damn it!" I muttered under my breath, sweat running down my face. "I'm not losing you, not now!"
Shirayuki let out a soft groan as she regained some consciousness, weakly moving in my arms.
"Hang on, Shirayuki. We're getting out of here."
I was shaking with adrenaline, but I couldn't back down. Not now. The fight wasn't over yet, and I had no intention of letting this orc take my only companion.
The orc roared again and raised its axe with both hands. Dirt rained from the sky as it brought the weapon down toward us.
"Sh*t—!"
I wrapped my arms around Shirayuki, shielding her small, quivering body as best I could.
The axe hit the ground with a thunderous crash just beside us, sending a shockwave rippling through the earth. We were hurled backward like ragdolls.
My back slammed into a jagged rock.
CRACK.
Pain exploded through my shoulder. Something definitely snapped. The world spun, my breath caught in my throat, and my vision dimmed.
I hit the ground hard, still clinging to Shirayuki.
Everything was muffled—heartbeat, breath, sound.
Then… I couldn't hold on anymore.
I passed out.
---
Shirayuki lay in my arms, stunned. She turned her head and saw my broken form. My arm hung useless. Blood trickled from my temple. My chest barely moved.
A low, painful squeak left her throat.
Then her eyes sharpened.
The air around her changed.
Fur bristled. Quills lifted. A pale white glow began to pulse from her tiny form like a heartbeat. The wind circled. The ground hummed.
Then—
[Bond Triggered — Master Status: Near-Death]
[Unique Skill: Evolution Bond — Activating]
A light surged up around her.
Fierce. Blinding. Absolute.
The orc stopped mid-step, shielding its eyes.
And in that instant…
Shirayuki began to evolve.