Solo Leveling: Banishment of the Anomaly

As they continued walking, Yoon-Ji took the lead, her senses heightened. She paused for a moment, her ears attuned to the surrounding sounds. "It seems the others have started fighting," she said, her voice low but firm. "This place is indeed full of goblins."

Da-Sol shrugged, a confident grin on his face. "With how noisy the other teams can be, I wouldn't be surprised. Just stick to the plan, and we'll handle whatever comes our way."

"I'm sure the association won't let us die; this was something they orchestrated," Jae-Sung said, glancing around for any signs of movement. His words carried a mix of reassurance and confidence, echoing through the group as they prepared for battle.

"Let's just hope they're right," Eun-Bi replied, her voice slightly trembling. "I don't want to become... goblin food."

All of a sudden, Yoon-Ji turned around, her eyes sharp and alert. "They're here!" she exclaimed, pointing as four goblins emerged from the bushes. The team immediately fell into formation, and Jake instinctively did the same, his heart racing.

The sight of the monsters sent a jolt of fear through Jake. Jake's breath quickened, even though his teammates didn't notice. Joo-Hee's fear surged within him, instinctively activated by the grotesque sight of the goblins.

Their twisted, deformed faces were a jarring contrast to the serene forest they had just traversed. It was so unlike what he had seen in manga and anime, where goblins often appeared more like caricatures and rather tamed than genuine threats.

The goblins had bulging red eyes that didn't quite align, giving them a disorienting gaze. Their green skin was riddled with warts, each bump a testament to their filthy existence. Jagged, blackish-yellow, crooked teeth grinned menacingly, some missing or broken entirely, revealing the gruesome reality of their predatory nature. Stringy, unkempt hair hung over their foreheads like a dirty curtain, and their clothes—if one could call them that—were tattered and filthy, barely covering their gaunt bodies.

This was the real appearance of a goblin, and it sent a chill down Jake's spine.

"Stay focused!" Da-Sol shouted, his voice cutting through the rising tension. "Jae-Sung, take point! Joo-Hee and Min-Soo, stay close behind. Yoon-Ji, keep an eye on our flanks!"

With a fierce battle cry, Da-Sol and Jae-Sung charged forward, drawing the attention of the goblins. The two frontline fighters engaged the closest goblin, swinging their weapons with a combination of strength and agility, trying to keep the monstrous creatures at bay.

Unbeknownst to them, their healer, Lee Joo-Hee, was grappling with her own predicament. The anxiety that had been creeping up on her surged to the surface as the grotesque goblins moved closer, their distorted and disgusting features flickering in and out of focus in her mind.

Memories of the double dungeon replayed in vivid detail, haunting Jake's thoughts—the stone statues that had come to life, the way they had ruthlessly slaughtered her friends and colleagues in the most brutal ways.

Jake gritted his teeth, willing himself to move. His feet felt frozen in place, as if the very earth beneath him conspired to keep him from joining the fight. Panic clawed at him, each rapid heartbeat echoing in his ears, and he felt as if his vocal cords were compressing, leaving him breathless.

His hands and feet grew colder by the second, sweat trickling down his forehead as the pressure mounted. Why won't this damn body just MOVE?! he thought desperately. I said... MOVE! MOVE FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!

The goblins charged forward, their grotesque forms bounding through the underbrush, their cruel laughter filling the air. Jae-Sung and Da-Sol were already engaging the first two, their weapons clashing against the goblins' crude blades and wooden clubs. Jake's heart raced, adrenaline flooding his veins, but his body remained unresponsive.

As Jake stood frozen, watching the battle unfold before him, time seemed to crawl suddenly, and began to move slower. His heart pounded in his chest, but his body refused to move. WHY?! Why won't you MOVE?! this piece of SHIT! he thought, frustration, confusion, and anger washing over him.

The grotesque goblins clashed with his teammates, their twisted forms clashing against the reality he had known. The terror that gripped him now was unlike anything he had experienced before.

And then, it hit him with realization—the overwhelming fear that Lee Joo-Hee must have felt in this world. He saw it clearly now as watched the battle and the sickening appearance of monsters, the trauma that had scarred her. No wonder she was traumatized, he thought bitterly. This world... this ugly world, full... of monsters...

Jake's mind began to unravel, Joo-Hee's memories flooding him like a tidal wave. It was as if a cassette tape were rewinding, playing back the silent pains, the hidden struggles, and the aching despairs that Joo-Hee had endured—all of which are the memories of the forgotten past.

A single tear slipped from Jake's right eye as he whispered and clenched his fist, "This world is really hopeless, filled with disgusting creatures and endless danger, unlike the real world." Tears began to well up in Jake's eyes, one by one slipping down his face. He couldn't hold them back, the weight of Joo-Hee's emotions becoming too much to bear.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the memories surged forward again like a relentless tide, crashing over him. He saw Joo-Hee in those early days, wide-eyed and filled with hope as she took her first steps into the world of hunters while smiling, and being the brightest girl. He could feel her struggle as she practiced her healing magic late into the night, even as blood trickled from her nose, a testament to the toll it took on her body.

Countless hours passed in a blur—her face becoming vivid as it etched with exhaustion, gritting her teeth against the pain, yet pushing herself relentlessly to become strong enough to achieve B-rank.

Each flicker of her determination pierced through Jake's heart, a poignant reminder of the sacrifices she had made. He could almost hear her whispered promises to herself, the dreams that drove her through sleepless nights and endless training—to prevent the death of others, to save lives she couldn't save before, to protect those who were still here.

The memories deepened, revealing the immense weight of Joo-Hee's guilt and the haunting echoes of her family's loss that clung to her like a shroud. It was a struggle that went far beyond the surface of becoming stronger; it was a relentless battle against the shadows of her past.

Each moment replayed like a broken record, a haunting reminder of how she had once stood helpless, frozen in time as tragedy unfolded before her eyes.

Jake could feel Joo-Hee's anguish swell within him, a mix of grief and fury. He saw flashes of her mother and father, their faces etched with love and fear as they made the ultimate sacrifice to keep Joo-Hee safe.

In that moment of terror, Joo-Hee had been a mere teenager, powerless to save them. The memory gripped Jake's heart, each flash a reminder of the pain that had forged her into the person she had become.

The image of her parents—smiling yet fearful, filled with hope for their daughter's future—was burned into his mind. Joo-Hee had vowed that she would never feel that kind of helplessness again. That promise fueled her every action, her every struggle, pushing her to become stronger, more resilient, willing to face whatever monsters lay in wait.

The memory of her passionate desire to save others resonated deeply within him. Each life she had touched with her magic, each person she had healed, was now a thread woven into the fabric of her existence. Jake could see her standing over the wounded, her hands glowing with warmth and light, a beacon of hope in the darkness.

As he witnessed it all, tears streamed down his cheeks, not just for the pain she had endured, but for the beauty of her spirit. Her resilience shone brightly, illuminating the shadows of despair that threatened to engulf them.

In that moment, he felt her heart—so full of love and compassion, yet burdened by the weight of a world that had not always been kind. This was the backstory that the novel had never specified, the untold tale of sacrifice and strength that had shaped Joo-Hee into the woman she was before her very death.

"You fought so hard… and for what? ", he whispered through choked sobs, the weight of her past pressing down on him as he inherited the untold past of a side character. 

As Jake grappled with the ground, lost in the torrent of memories, he saw him—Jin-Woo. The way Joo-Hee looked at him was etched in his mind, her eyes brimming with affection that Jin-Woo had never noticed. Each glance and smile conveyed a tenderness, an unspoken love that lingered in the air, shimmering with the warmth of shared moments.

He watched as Joo-Hee beamed with happiness every time they teamed up for a raid. Despite Jin-Woo's early struggles, she was always by his side, healing him after every injury, supporting him with unwavering devotion. Their camaraderie was palpable, a bond that transcended the challenges they faced in their world.

But as days turned into months, Joo-Hee's feelings for Jin-Woo blossomed into something deeper. It was not merely gratitude but a genuine connection, nurtured by Jin-Woo's kindness and resilience. In a world full of flaws and darkness, he was a beacon of light for her—a reminder that hope could exist even in the bleakest of circumstances.

Watching their moments together filled Jake with a bittersweet ache. He felt a pang of bitterness and guilt wash over him as he realized the gravity of his situation. With every breath, he felt the weight of the wish that had brought him here, a wish that had unknowingly severed Joo-Hee's life from her own narrative.

It felt as though he had snatched away her future, robbing her of the chance to say goodbye to the man she had loved with all her heart.

"I didn't mean to take this from you," Jake whispered, tears spilling down his cheeks again. "You deserved a life filled with happiness, a chance to be with him." The guilt was suffocating, like a heavy shroud wrapping around his chest, constricting his breath.

He wanted to scream out, to tell the world how unfair it was, how cruel life could be. He began to regret everything. Joo-Hee had fought so hard to be strong, and here he was, a mere shadow of her strength. He realized that no matter how hard he tried, he could never truly be her, never fill the void left behind.