The Villain's Shopping System-Chapter 21 - 20 - Grow

The last few hours definitely made Kaito grow, both as a person and as a warrior. And all the fear he felt a few minutes ago simply vanished for the excitement of facing death head-on.

Moreover, Kaito also noticed that his agility was far above any of the goblins. Even compared to the superior goblins and their stringy defined muscles, he was faster, more agile, and able to react in the split of a second. This realization brings him a glimmer of hope, as it means that in any fight, as long as he doesn't let himself be exhausted, he still has the chance to win. With this awareness in mind, he launches himself into a frenetic race, driven by the force of his will.

Every fiber of his body strives to outrun the pursuing goblins, his muscles moving in perfect synchrony, his feet touching the ground with the lightness of a dancer. He dodges the attacks, dodges the onslaughts, leaping and spinning with dexterity, ever more determined to remain tireless. A sense of speed and freedom envelops Kaito, and he feels that what was once impossible is now no longer.

'I can win.' As he flees from the goblins, Kaito faces the Shaman Goblin and lunges toward him.

For his part, the Shaman Goblin grits his teeth, furious at the audacity of this little being.

"Ati garmalee xiqqa!" The boss shouts, and his language remains incomprehensible to everyone but the goblins, who immediately stop running for that reason.

At that moment, the other awakened ones who are in Kaito's group start to leave the wooden cage, finally freed by Ishikawa, but the next thing they know, the horde of goblins is running toward them. They are all startled and prepare to run as well, only to soon realize that there is something wrong in the goblins' countenances.

"Why do they look so scared?" Ishikawa asks as he helps one boy in the group to his feet.

"Scared? No, they look terrified of something." Ayumi states and breaks a part of the cage with her foot to grab a board.

"Look!" Maya points to the Shaman Goblin.

The boss is standing with his right hand inside his long black cloak, removing something from his waist. The Shaman Goblin still had a card up his sleeve this whole time, or rather, he was just toying with Kaito until now...

The monster suddenly takes from the inside of his cloak a crystal orb, which shines in his left hand.

Kaito doesn't hesitate to keep running towards the Shaman Goblin at first, but soon a distant memory comes to his mind, this memory is of the silhouette of a very respected wizard from Mortal Tower, who not coincidentally was wearing an orb identical to that of the Shaman Goblin. Remembering this makes Kaito's eyes widen.

'An Orb of Avarice?! What the hell does such a rare item do to goblin shit?!' Kaito wonders and stops abruptly in mid-stride, his feet sliding on the smooth stone floor and kicking up some dust, but unfortunately it's too late to avoid the consequences.

The crystal orb begins to emit an eerie energy, and a blinding glow fills the place. The Shaman Goblin smiles mischievously, relishing Kaito's vulnerability. In an instant, Kaito feels his body being enveloped by an invisible force and his red hair begins to rise, and then thunder crashes down on him, rushing through the hall with its thunderous sound.

The thunder spreads through the hall, filling the air with electricity and causing the ground to shake.

Kaito was still unable to move as he feels the electrical discharge go through his body. The power of the lightning travels through his veins, causing the greatest pain he has ever felt in his life and weakening his endurance. An ordinary human would certainly not survive such a blow.

Despite the agony, Kaito does not allow his consciousness to fade. With all his strength, he fights against the pain while biting his own lips.

With the strong impact of the thunder, the entire environment was submerged by momentary smoke and dust. And Kaito is inside all this smoke, still standing somehow, but totally static and with even his fingertips trembling. As the smoke dissipates, revealing the result of the Shaman Goblin's attack, Kaito is revealed, standing with great difficulty and totally bewildered.

Even with such a start, his eyes were shining with fury and resilience. 𝚋𝚎𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚎𝚕.𝚗𝚎𝚝

'This enemy will not defeat me' Even with a greater power, Kaito's mind was completely focused on destroying his opponent. With a firm step, he advances toward the Shaman Goblin, ignoring the pain and weakness that still afflicts him. Everyone was looking at Kaito with surprise and fright. How can he be standing after such a blow? His body is pulsing with electricity from the lightning, and yet he intends to continue?

The Shaman Goblin is furious and frustrated with Kaito's resistance, so he prepares to launch another thunder attack with the orb in his hand. This time, Kaito will definitely not be able to resist.

The boss's eyes gleam and his sinister smile shows pleasure in causing the boy pain, only to hear him grunt again.

Kaito, however, doesn't look worried. He stares at the Shaman Goblin with his eyes reflecting resilience.

"I bet you underestimated my power and my will to win and now that you're afraid of losing, that's why you're using everything you have," he says in a teasing tone. "No matter what you do, I will still be right here. So you can come, send everything you have there."

The boss doesn't understand what Kaito is saying, only that he doesn't like his expression one bit. That being the case, he holds the Orb of Avarice tightly in his left hand as it prepares to launch another thunderbolt. The orb glows as before, and Kaito's hair stands up as it did just before the last thunderstruck him.

However, just as the thunder is about to fall, suddenly a water knife cuts through the air, across the room, and hits the orb right in the center, making it crack and stopping the magic that is in progress.

The Shaman Goblin is momentarily paralyzed. His expression of surprise replaces his earlier malice.

"Drokk...?" he mutters, unable to comprehend what has just happened.

At that moment, a cry of enchantment echoes through the hall:

"By the power granted to me by Gaia, I heal any harm done to this poor mundane body!"

A bright aura envelops Kaito's body, and he feels a sense of warmth and healing, as if he is being embraced by an angel. He also smells spring lightly, then he lifts his head, looks back, and sees Maya running towards him with her eyes full of determination.

"I got it right...? That's it! Hang in there, Kaito." says Maya in a voice of surprise at first, but full of excitement. "I'm here to help!"

In the same field of vision as Kaito is Ishikawa, with a determined look and a smile on his face, holding a water sword in his hand. "I think we're even now, kid!" he says as he cuts off the head of a small goblin. "Nevertheless, we're a little busy here. Make an effort to face the boss while we will take care of the others, please."

Kaito smiles, a little incredulous and glad that everyone managed to get out of the cage. He then thinks as he turns forward and faces the Shaman Goblin again:

'Humph. The more experienced ones will stay with the minions while I will stay with the boss. That doesn't seem like a fair deal to me.'

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