Goblins

Panic ensued as goblins overran the church.

Most of the goblins carried a wooden club in their hands and were swinging them about, wreaking havoc.

“Stay close, everyone!”

The class president, Hiroshi, yelled, but we struggled to move amidst the overwhelming number of goblins.

I finally realized that I couldn’t find Daigo, who had used his enlargement skill to fight the dragon up until then.

“Daigo! Daigo, where are you?!”

“Over here, Ryo!”

I heard Homura call out to me.

Daigo was lying on the ground, with Homura and Yachiyo by his side protecting him.

Any goblins who ventured near were either burned or stabbed by icicles.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

Daigo’s breathing was labored, and he seemed unable to speak.

“Seems like he can only become large while he’s holding his breath. He’s struggling to breathe now since he pushed himself too hard.”

Yachiyo explained to me.

Apparently, you couldn’t use skills carelessly, and there was a limit on how long you could use them.

Screams rose from all around us.

The army of goblins was overpowering the defending team, and some of them had been injured in the process.

Whether I have a skill or not, I can’t just stand here doing nothing when my best friend’s in pain.

I grabbed a club from a goblin that had been burned to a crisp.

My body trembled in fear, but I steeled myself and was about to dive into the swarm of goblins.

Just then, Daigo grabbed my leg.

“D-Daigo?”

“*Pant*...*pant*...don’t go, Ryo-chin.”

I had told Daigo to stop using that nickname since we were now in high school, but he sometimes still called me that out of habit.

“You don’t have a skill, do you? I’ll fight for both of us.”

Daigo stood up, still breathing heavily.

“Dai-chin!”

Panicked, I called Daigo by his old nickname for the first time in years.

He knew. He’d realized I didn’t have a skill.

With some effort, Daigo managed to grow large again and began slaying goblins.

I looked around to see my other classmates also struggling from using their skills for so long.

Just as I feared. They, too, had their limits like Daigo.

Why, why am I the only one without a skill?!

Frustrated, I glared at Charlotte, the woman responsible for bringing us here.

“Yoohoo. Attention, everyone!”

Charlotte raised her voice as she perched on the statue of Mary that got crushed by the dragon. Dozens of goblins surrounded her.

“I’m in danger of being attacked at the moment, so please be careful. If the bomb inside me detonates, the church will explode into smithereens. It’s as powerful as, let me see, what you refer to as a nuclear bomb.”

I felt a chill at Charlotte’s terrible revelation.

“Simply put, you’ll also die if you allow the enemy to kill me. All right, everyone, please do your best to protect me!”

A stone wall sprang up around Charlotte and created a barrier between her and the goblins.

Beside it, a guy stood with his hand against the wall, panting. Looks like he’s able to create walls with his skill. The guy was Shinji, a quiet guy who never spoke to anyone.

“Wonderful! That’s the spirit. Keep it up!”

When this battle is over, the first thing I’ll do is find Charlotte’s actual body and punch her, I swore to myself.

However, having no skill I could wield, all I could do was glare at her.