Part- 385:
Then, in one smooth, powerful motion, he brought the sword down. The energy surged through him, eling into the bde as it cut through the air with a force that made the very ground tremble. The impact was thunderous, a shockwave rippling through the dungeon floor as his sword met the hobgoblin’s skull. It split the creature’s head with brutal precision, the blow resonating with a finality that seemed to echh the entire cavern.
The hobgobli out o, guttural roar, a sound that was equal parts rage and surrender. Its massive form crumbled uhe blow, colpsing onto its knees before it slowly began to disie into shadows, its hulking frame unraveling in wisps of dark smoke. For a few moments, the shadows lingered, swirling in an almost hypnotic pattern, before finally dissipating into the still, heavy air.
James lowered his sword, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. A weight seemed to lift from his shoulders, repced by a feeling of triumph mixed with exhaustion. He had do—he’d faced the Foolish Hobgoblin head-on, relying on his own abilities, and emerged victorious.
In the silehat followed, he noticed a notification appear in his mind, a message from his system:
**[gratutions! You have defeated the Foolish Hobgoblin for the first time. You have received a new skill, King’s Palm.]**
Curious, he focused oification, opening the description of his test acquisition.
**Skill Rank: B. Cooldown: 0s. Description: You grab anything you target within a 1-meter radius without missing.**
James furrowed his brow, processing the implications. King’s Palm didn’t sound like a direbat skill; it wasn’t the kind of offensive ability he was used to. But something about it intrigued him. It wasn’t fshy, but it felt… purposeful, a skill that would make sense in its own way. He trusted his system enough to know that every skill had a reason, an advahat might not be immediately obvious.
Deg to test it, he focused on a small stone nearby, log his gaze on it as he activated King’s Palm. Instantly, his hand seemed to pull the stooward him with an unerring force, almost magic. It nded ly in his grasp, the precision startlingly accurate. He released the stoargeting a pebble farther away, aed the a. Once again, his hand guided it to him with perfect accuracy, as if the skill itself had taken over.
A small smile crept onto his face. In the chaos of a fight, or when disarmed, this could be a lifesaver. Snatg an enemy’s on mid-battle or pulling something out of reach without missing—it might just turide in his favor.
Standing alone in the dim light of the dungeon, James felt a strange mix of emotions. Triumph, of course, but also something deeper, a kind of reing with himself. This victory, hard-earned and fought without Crisis Mode, had reaffirmed his own strength, his resiliehe Foolish Hobgoblin was a milestone, a proof of how far he’d e sihose early days in the Lamp of Time.
