Who Says I'm Not a Proper Adventurer?
Chapter 32: First Death and Grand Achievement

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: First Death and Grand Achievement

At that moment, Lance’s keen Perception caught a strange whistle in the wind.

’A Scout actually circled around behind me!’

It turned out the coordinated heavy strikes from the Scouts weren’t meant to break his Shield, but to cover the sound of their companion’s footsteps, creating an opportunity for a flanker.

A cunning Goblin Scout had already circled to his rear flank. It raised its Stone Spear high and viciously stabbed down toward the unconscious Damian’s head.

If that strike landed, Damian would be dead without a doubt.

Without a second thought, Lance spun around, using the centrifugal force of his turn to violently swing his Shield.

"BANG!"

The ambushing Scout was sent flying, its bones shattered.

But that life-saving blow also left Lance’s back completely exposed to the enemies in front of him.

It was a fatal opening.

"THWIP! THWIP!"

Two muffled sounds rang out.

Even with the protection of his Leather Armor, the thin hide was fragile against a full-powered Stone Spear thrust at point-blank range.

The sharp spearheads pierced his Leather Armor and sank deep into the small of Lance’s back.

Blood instantly seeped out, dyeing the gray Leather Armor red.

The pain reduction from his Mutated Constitution kept Lance’s movements from faltering due to the intense agony, and his will to fight remained high.

However, the physical damage to his body’s structure was unavoidable.

The pierced muscle groups began to spasm, introducing a fatal lag into his once agile movements.

His combat rhythm was completely thrown into disarray.

The next few seconds became Lance’s one-sided ordeal.

Unable to dodge in time, he was struck on the shoulder and knee by the Barbarian Soldiers in front of him.

"Die!"

Lance’s eyes were bloodshot. He ignored another spear plunging into his chest and forced himself to take a step forward.

His Short Sword became a cold glint of light, precisely sinking into the chest of the Scout that had successfully ambushed him and was about to retreat.

That was the last one.

Almost simultaneously,

a thick, Nail-studded Wooden Staff whistled through the air and slammed heavily onto his back.

"CRACK."

The crisp sound of his spine snapping was clearly audible, and a large section of Lance’s back caved in, visible to the naked eye.

Several Stone Spears followed, mercilessly plunging into his chest and turning him into a pincushion.

Lance’s body swayed, and the Short Sword slipped powerlessly from his hand.

He slowly knelt before Damian, his life completely extinguished.

On the shallow bank, bodies littered the ground.

Of the original troop of nearly twenty Goblins, less than ten battered soldiers remained.

Seeing the terrifying human finally fall, the surviving Goblins looked at each other, then let out strange cries of victory.

"WAAAGH! WAAAGH!"

They waved their weapons, celebrating their pyrrhic victory.

However, at the peak of their cheers, a Blue screen of light that only Lance could see popped open in the void.

[Biological Research Level Increased: LV1 → LV2]

[Race Trait Unlocked: Weakness Insight (Goblin)]

As this line of text appeared,

the harsh cheers of the Goblins on the bank suddenly and strangely died down.

"Waaagh?!"

The Goblins, who had been cheering wildly just a moment ago, fell silent as if their necks had been wrung.

The green-skinned monsters discovered with terror that the corpse of the supposedly dead human was undergoing an extremely bizarre transformation.

From Lance’s ghastly wounds, huge clouds of scalding white steam suddenly erupted.

The steam billowed upward, accompanied by a strange whistling sound.

The Stone Spears stuck in his chest were forcibly ejected by the gushing steam, falling onto the pebble shore with a few CLANGS.

The mangled, torn flesh began to writhe and mend at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, it was restored to its original state, without even a single scar remaining.

Even his shattered spine snapped back into place with a series of sickening CRACKLES.

Only a few seconds had passed since he had fallen.

The terrifying human, who had clearly stopped breathing, slowly rose to his feet amidst the swirling white steam.

’Is this what death feels like?’

Lance looked down at his own palm and clenched his fist.

’It doesn’t feel any different from my last life.’

He bent down and silently picked up the Short Sword and Round Shield that had fallen to the ground.

The handle of the Iron-Wrapped Round Shield was a bit loose, and its leather covering was in tatters. It would probably be completely useless after this fight.

As he regulated his breathing, Lance felt his body instantly return to its absolute peak condition.

The previous pain was completely gone.

Looking back, he realized how ignorant and arrogant he’d been when he first obtained his Talent, thinking he could kill dozens or even hundreds of Demons in a single day.

No matter the creature, when you don’t have an absolute, overwhelming advantage, sheer numbers can truly create a qualitative change.

These Goblin Barbarian Soldiers had a Strength Attribute of 3 to 4 at most, while his own Power was more than 1.5 times theirs.

But even so, he could still be surrounded and killed in a chaotic battle.

’It seems I underestimated these Low Level Demons.’

Lance’s gaze turned frigid.

The Goblins looked at the resurrected human, an instinctual chill running down their spines. They clutched their weapons and took a few steps back.

Taking advantage of the lull, Lance glanced at the system notifications frantically scrolling across his vision.

The topmost one was an explanation for [Weakness Insight].

’No wonder.’

In his current field of vision, the bodies of the Goblins before him were covered in red spots of light, both large and small.

Some were on their throats, some under their arms, and others on their abdomens.

The system prompt clearly stated: hitting these bright spots would inflict up to 200% Critical Damage.

For a race with a frail constitution like the Goblins, getting hit in a weak spot basically meant instant death.

As Lance’s cold gaze swept over their bodies,

the Goblins felt a baffling, heart-stopping chill, as if an invisible blade was pressed against their necks.

And below the Trait, there was a long, dense string of information.

[Vital signs lost. Commencing death determination...]

[Talent: Ouroboros Ring is taking effect...]

[Determination passed: Congratulations, you have successfully resisted death.]

[Detecting Heroic Achievement information...]

——

1. Completely lose all vital signs in a battle.

2. Revive and return to the mortal realm within 60 seconds.

3. Possess a strong will to be a Guardian at the time of death, which was not a suicide or an accident.

——

[Congratulations, you have completed the Heroic Achievement: "I successfully resisted death"]

[Heroic Achievement Effect: The next time you face a death determination, all of your Attributes will be temporarily increased by 10%. For three minutes, you will be immune to instant death effects, immune to mind control, and immune to Fear effects. Unless your body is too damaged to move, you will be able to continue fighting until you die. (Note: Those who have resisted death once find it harder to die again.)]

[Detecting several compatible Heroic Profession information streams. Decrypting...]

[Successfully decrypted one Heroic Profession path: Pale Guard...]