[ "I JUST WANT A FULL MP BAR IN ANOTHER WORLD" ]

Chapter 18: The Symphony of Survival

The first rule of survival: Do not fight the enemy's war... but create your own battlefield...

Use everything around you... turn stones into bullets... turn a song into a command...

And turn the fear of your comrades... into courage.

— From "The Pocket Guide of the Reconnaissance Corps"

(Current Age: 9 years old)

"Stay behind me!"

Maestro Matilda's voice trembled... but I knew instantly that to stand still and wait was to wait for death.

I recalled what I had learned from the theoretical texts.

...From the "Encyclopedia of Forest Monsters" by Sage Ferdinand...

Goblin (Goblinus Timidus)

General Characteristics: A creature classified at the lowest threat level... By nature, they are extremely weak and cowardly, often avoiding confrontation and residing in complex underground burrows. Their hunting behavior consists solely of ambushing or trapping injured or lone travelers.

Physical Characteristics: The tragic product of an evolution driven by paranoia... Their pale green skin provides excellent camouflage in shrubbery... Three pairs of independently moving ears function as biological sonar... But the most notable and unsettling feature is their "eyes"... All over their bodies... are fleshy nodules resembling not-yet-fully-opened eyes... These eyes twitch and dart about constantly, detecting any movement...

Special Warning: The main eyes on their face... perpetually radiate a look of terror and despair... Numerous adventurers have recorded that... staring into those eyes for too long... causes one to see their own weaknesses and failures reflected back at them... leading to a loss of focus and making them easy targets...

...Cowardly... weak... and attacks with fear...

But what was in front of me now... was not that...

[...Entering 'Combat Situation Analysis' mode...]

[...Warning from Vulcan remains active: 'Temporary Magic Seal' is still in effect. Use of magic is limited...]

I still couldn't use magic after that incident... But I had my "brain," my "friends," and our "song."

I quickly glanced at my own status.

[ Status ]

Name: Faelix | Level: 15

HP: 105/105 | SP: 90/95 | MP: 488/1000

STR: 18 | VIT: 22 | AGI: 20 | INT: 105 | WIS: 80

[ Usable Combat Skills (Still consumes MP) ]

• Applied Martial Arts (Rank E): (Judo & Muay Thai)

• Basic Swordsmanship (Rank F+): (Skills from Kaen)

• Weak Point Analysis (Rank C): (Evolved from Gaze of Structure)

• Throwing (Rank E): (Developed from playing with friends)

• Emergency Engineering (Rank F+): (Skills from building devices)

We had only a little time before they reached us.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a small cylindrical device... a "Chemical Signal Flare"... something I had invented after Vulcan's warning about safety, using chemical knowledge from my past life mixed with "phosphorus powder" found in a cave behind the village, just for an emergency like this.

"Everyone! Listen to me! Try not to look directly into their main eyes!"

I shouted as I pulled the pin and threw it high into the air!

Fweee... BOOM!

Crimson smoke billowed and lit up the sky... a warning signal visible for kilometers. Our job now wasn't to win... but to **"buy time."**

Operation: Symphony of Survival

"Maestro! I need the rhythm of the 'Ashwood Warhorse' melody, the bridge section! You are our conductor!"

"What!?" Maestro Matilda cried out in confusion. "This is no time for music, Faelix!"

"Trust me! The rhythm is our weapon! Everyone will move to your beat!"

Maestro Matilda hesitated for a moment, but seeing the determined look in everyone's eyes, she decided to trust us. She began to tap two twigs against the tree trunks and rocks around her, creating a complex polyrhythm.

"Ta-la-tok—tok-tak—tuk-tuk!"

It wasn't just noise... It was the **"Metronome"** that dictated every action on this battlefield!

'The goblin pack, startled by the sudden, structured sound, faltered in confusion.'

"Thorin! Front line! Block on the 'tuk-tuk' beat!"

Thorin... the dwarven drummer... raised his "oak shield." He slammed it forward with every main beat, creating a moving wall!

"Maya! Leo! Harassment unit! Attack their legs on the 'tok-tak' beat!"

The two moved in perfect sync... Maya, faster than anyone, fired a stone on the "tok"... and Leo charged forward, striking with his wooden sword on the "tak" that followed immediately! A coordinated attack that made it incredibly difficult for the goblins to predict!

"Elwin! The bio-weapon we made! Use it on the fastest 'ta-la-tok' beat!"

Elwin... the elven flutist... nodded. He took out the "pepper spray" I had modified for him. He waited for the right moment... and sprayed! A pungent orange mist filled the air, sending several goblins shrieking in pain, their battle line instantly falling into disarray!

The largest of the goblins, the leader, roared in fury. It ignored the other children and charged straight for me!

It swung its spiked club with all its might... I stepped back, dodging...

I reached into the bag my father made for me and pulled out the "Emergency Motion Halter," or **"Stun Gun,"** that I had built while studying with Lunaria! I pressed it into its side!

BZZZT! CRACKLE!

[...Enemy afflicted with [Paralysis] for 15 seconds...]

I rushed in close! Using the principles of Judo to "break its balance"... I swept its arm aside, making it drop the spiked club... then hooked its outer ankle... "Osoto Gari"!

The large body stumbled... but due to its different anatomy... it didn't fall completely... It was about to regain its footing!

In that instant...

I wouldn't let this chance slip... I knew the fist of a 9-year-old was too small...

I followed up... using a **"knee"** strike from Muay Thai... slamming it into its "rib cage"!

THUD!

The sound of cracking ribs began...

It opened its mouth to scream... but I used my **"elbow"** to strike its "temple" hard!

CRACK!

Its main eyes widened... and the hundred small eyes all over its body snapped open in unison... staring deep into mine...

[...You are being attacked by 'Mirror of Weakness'...]

An image of myself from my past life... a gaunt man with white hair... sitting in a dark, square room... his eyes empty and hopeless...

'Worthless... failure... never good enough..'

. . .

Tuk... tuk... tuk...

But then... the "rhythm" of Maestro Matilda's beat cut through... pulling my consciousness back.

I glimpsed Leo and Maya, still attacking in sync... Thorin, standing firm...

...No... It's not the same anymore...

The anger... and the self-hatred of my past... it exploded outwards. At the same time, I recognized my responsibility for the current situation. Under the beat of Maestro Matilda's song... and the sight of my friends working together in a precise pattern...

I didn't stop... I slammed my elbow into the same spot again, and again, and again, to end it as quickly as possible!

THWACK! THWACK!

Dull thuds sounded as its body collapsed to the ground... motionless.

[...You have defeated a 'Goblin Berserker'... LV 15 -> LV 16!...]

But before we could rejoice... the remaining goblins recovered and were about to swarm us! My friends and I were about to get back into rhythm.

Suddenly... "Gale Blade!"

Leo's father charged in with a greatsword he had forged himself... Beside him... Maya's father, who was normally just a merchant... was skillfully wielding two short knives like an assassin... and dozens more adults carrying large hammers, shovels, and picks...

The rest of the fight ended quickly, thanks to the skills of the adults, who were on a "different level" from us.

The village headman came to inspect the goblin corpses, which had faint magical "imprints" on their necks.

"Just as Lord Vulcan's detector warned... someone deliberately sent them... And it seems they did something to our warning system as well."

I looked at the scene before me... I realized... I was still... too weak... Not my body...

But my "mind"... which was still haunted by the "shadow" of the past.

But me, right now...

I was no longer alone on this battlefield.