DRAGON DYNAMICS

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"You've got to be kidding me."

Damon said as he groaned and grunted and growled,why did it always have to be that he was jumping from one dilemma to the other? Why couldn't things just go smoothly?

The hobo-goblins Lena had told him he didn't have to hunt down were the ones charging towards them and they were armed, why?

"I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right."

Lena declared as she ran off, Damon looked at her and was just about to protest on despair when an hobo-goblin stood before him. There was blood splattered on it's green skin and on the pelt it wore around it's waist, it's right eye was milky white which stated that the eye was no more longer functional.

"Why does this always have to happen?"

Damon mused as he readied himself, once the hobo-goblin got closer Damon ran towards his right which he suspected was it's blind spot. For a while the hobo-goblin couldn't find Damon but soon enough it turned it's head and looked at Damon who's sword was raised in preparation to strike, it raised it's weapon and swinged it but Damon was able to dive out of the way.

"A few hits from this thing and there's no doubt that I will die, I have to avoid being attacked as much as possible and also land as much attacks as much as possible."

Damon thought, if he could do what he had in mind there he could definitely escape this impromptu battle alive and if lucky, unscathed. He heard the hobo-goblin growl as he evaded it's attack, it was obviously displeased that someone as scrawny as Damon could evade it's attack.

The hobo-goblin raised it's weapon once more and striked again, Damon evaded the attack a second time and then the hobo-goblin started unleashing a barrage of attacks. It didn't care if it bit any other thing aside it's original target for all it wanted was to squash the rat that was scurrying about alive and unscathed.

"I have to land an attack. I wonder what Lena is doing, is she holding up?"

Damon asked himself as he narrowly evaded yet another attack. This time he didn't just simply evade the hobo-goblin's attack, he proceeded to attack the hobo-goblin's heel.

Damon raised his sword and swinged it hoping to get a clean cut to partially cripple the beast however as his sword came in contact with the hobo-goblin's leg, it pierced through it's flesh and got stuck blood spilling on the patches on grass.

"Oh shit."

The hobo-goblin roared as it swinged it's weapon, Damon gritted his teeth and raised his shield as he prepared for impact. There was a soft thud as something light hit the floor and then followed by a loud thud with a strong wind effect.

Damon opened his eyes as he looked the hobo-goblin laying on the floor with it's head a few inches away from it's body. Crimson coloured blood sprayed the grass and Damon's feet and all he could do was look at the goblin's body that laid on the floor.

"Hahahaha, that was close. I was kind of hoping to have gotten here sooner but they are fast runners."

"Leonard. How could you be so reckless?"

"What do you mean reckless? I was taking them out like I'm supposed to but those two got away, it's not my fault you know."

Leonard and Mirana emerged from behind the trees with their weapons bloodied, Mirana had a frown on her face and Leonard had a smirk on his face...one that said he was proud of the way he hunted.

Damon sighed obviously relieved, dying in this game meant dying in real life according to the system. He had never really considered how that was possible but he knew he had to start taking things seriously, he had read books and mangas where the protagonist was permanently trapped in the game he/she played but Damon still had the privilege of logging in and out.

'No matter how much love I have for the gaming world, can I really let go of the real world?'

That question lingered within Damon's thoughts. He began to consider quitting the game and the quest, probably take the real world seriously for once...get a job and become what his father would call a real man. A real man who takes responsibility for his actions and pursued a clear goal while taking risks.

"Come on, don't tell me you're getting all worked because of those green skinned dummies?"

"No I am not, I just had something on my mind but I am okay now."

"Whatever you say. Anyways did you successfully reach the aim for today or did your surpass it?"

"No not really, I was only able to raise my level by and I couldn't raise it due to an incident that popped up incidentally."

"Well that isn't a problem, you can finish the last hobo-goblin. That should get you enough points to level up."

"Yeah it should, thanks for your generosity."

Damon walked towards the hobo-goblin Leonard had killed and freed his sword from it's heel, he then walked over to the hobo-goblin that laid on the floor just beside Lena and sank his sword into his chest, killing it in the process.

{Congratulations. You have leveled up.}

{You have been rewarded 3 stat points.}

Damon turned towards the team and noded his head. Lena looked at him before looking away to address the team.

"We did well today, but as we all know doing well isn't simply enough. We have to push further and get stronger if we want to shake the frontlines and defeat the humans for good, we have to grow stronger and surpass our limits if we want to end this war."

They all nodded and Damon balled his hands into fists in determination, even if the gaming world was only considered an illusion for having fun he still wanted it to count. Damon still wanted it to mean something, he wanted to put in efforts and take risks even if it was ridiculously for fun. He wanted to be a real man but he was going to become a real man by following his own rules and progressing the only way he knew how to.

He was going to see this game to the end and he was going to do it while having fun and simultaneously taking responsibility for his own actions, he was going to become a real man.

"Let's head home, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow so we don't want to exhaust ourselves beyond reasoning. Let's rest this night and restore our strength so we can achieve greater things tomorrow."

"Alright. Let's do this, we'll definitely conquer those power drunk humans and live in peace once again."

They were fighting to end up victorious, they were fighting to end a long unpleasant war.

He was fighting to have fun and to become a better man, he was fighting so he could push forward and advance further while doing it his own way. This was what he was going to do and nobody, nobody was going to stop him.