nail with those four goblins, my frustration led me to subconsciously
open the skill information panel for that fireball spell.
[(A-Tier Skill) Conjure Fireball]
Cooldown: Instant
Instantly conjures a ball of fire
in your hand. What, you thought it was the one you initially imagined?
Dream on, bitch. You have to get (F-Tier) Explosive Fireball if you want
the stereotypical fireball spell.
I looked at the skill description and... Ugh. If I had known the
System was irritating as hell, I would've chosen to reincarnate back to
Earth again. Maybe this skill can light a fire or two, but outside of
that, that spell was completely, utterly useless.
Thankfully, I still had the nail bat as weapon. I smashed through the
goblins one by one, using the bat and my nastiest glare to keep them
afraid. Whenever one got bold enough to strike first, I dodged,
countered, and slammed them into the ground. I was able to fight them
that way.
[4/25 Monsters Killed]
[5/25 Monsters Killed]
[6/25 Monsters Killed]
[7/25 Monsters Killed]
The more goblins I killed, the more this alley reeked of blood and
goblin guts. It was repulsing. I wanted to get out fast, but I wasn't
quite done just yet. The last goblin—the bulky female one—simply stood
at the alleyway's mouth with a smile in her face, grunting in what I
thought was its raspy breath.
Unlike the other goblins, she wore actual armor. A thick leather hide
to protect her torso and an open-framed helmet fashioned from what
seemed to be a deer skull. She had a spiny crooked nose and filthy pink
hair tucked beneath that skull helmet.
Her very appearance was a problem. Not only did she look more
different than those smaller goblins because of her muscular build, she
was also holding something that wasn't one of those crude weapons those other goblins fought with.
An axe. An actual, woodworking axe with a sharpened metal blade and
wooden handle. I could've sworn she had a club when she chased me
earlier.
"Hah! That's as much as I expected from those lil' green fuckers!"
She exclaimed. My eyes widened just as words came out of her mouth. Her
voice was gruff and grainy, like someone who'd smoked for thirty years.
“Why didn’t you help them?" I said. “The other goblins. You let me kill them.”
She sneered. The unusual stature of her face made it seem like the
edges of her mouth touched her ears. She said, “What kinda stupid
friggin’ question is that?” She smiled. “It’s more entertaining that way.”
The female goblin clutched her metal axe, and without delay, she
dashed at me. I readied my stance and put the bat in front of me.
Although she seemed stronger than the earlier goblins I’d fought, my
tactic was the same—I just had to keep my eyes peeled for her attack,
dodge, then counter with a strong attack to her head.
It'll be easy to counter.
…
Or so I thought.
Huh?
She should still be a few steps away from me.
So why the hell is she already at my face?!
Her axe came down on my right shoulder before I could dodge. I raised
the bat in reflex; the blade bit deep, almost splitting the wood if it
had been any less thicker. Although I blocked the attack, rusty nails
from my acquired bat punched into my shoulder.
“Urgh…!” A sharp pain roared from my shoulder. I kicked the female
goblin away, and with it, my nailed bat which had become embedded into
its the axe. Even though the pain was surging intensely through my
shoulder, I could still freely move my arm. I gritted through the pain
and picked up another nail bat from one of the fallen goblins.
While she was busy prying the bat off her axe, I closed the distance between us once again.
I swung directly at her temple without hesitation. The goblin didn't
even try to dodge it; instead, she blocked it with her arm. Rusty nails
impaled themselves onto the back of her hand, bruising it and turning
the surrounding pale green skin into a purplish-hue. Red blood oozed out
of her wounds and down her arm.
Yet she showed no indication of pain. If any, it seemed to fuel her
even more. “Yes… More!” The goblin grinned. I brought the bat back to
me, preparing for another strike, when she suddenly disappeared from my
sight.
I was ready to react this time.
I quickly took a large stride forward when I heard a vicious crash and crack behind me.
I turned around to see the female goblin had swung her axe overhead,
colliding with the ground when I dodged it. My earlier weapon was now
completely split in half. “What a shame. I thought that killed you
already,” she sneered, licking the dripping blood from her hand. “You
caught on fast, human.”
She must've used some kind of teleport skill. I have to be wary of that now. I tried to attack her again, but I suddenly stopped because of her next words.
"Enough playtime. Everyone must be getting bored by now."
As soon as those words came out of her mouth, a red auric glow
emerged throughout her body. Her muscles bulged. Her tight leather hide
tore from her sudden size. Her eyes glowed red, and with that, a sudden
burst of energy made the air feel heavy. I took it as a sign that she
was about to get serious. Yet for some reason, there was one thing
lingering in my mind that was still vexing me.
She's talking as if she's being watched by a lot of people.
In response, I activated the power-up of my own. I cast, "[Overpower]."
[(C-Tier Skill) Overpower]
Cooldown: 00:35:00
This skill increases all stats by two for five minutes. With such a high cooldown, every second counts in
a fight. Use it wisely and don’t die a boring death!
As my body glowed a transparent silver for a brief moment, it
suddenly became easier to breath within the intimidating presence she
was exuding. She kicked the ground, dashing at me with such ferocity.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
The goblin activated some sort of enhancing skill, and yet, she
seemed slower than before. It felt like I could dodge even when she's
inches away from my face. Does a stat increase of five make this much
difference?
That one moment of hesitation made me block her swinging attack with
my axe. "Agh...!" I groaned again. Even though I blocked it, her attacks
were packing more punch than before. She goblin stepped back and swung
her axe again, this time aimed at my neck. I dodged it by stepping back,
and I reached for a counter by swinging my bat the other way.
I scored a hit directly at her head.
But it wasn't enough to drop her. The impact made her pause for a
moment, and in anger, she swung her axe again at my torso. Seeing how
close I was to her, my only choice was to jump. Completely
underestimating my buffed strength, I suddenly found myself over ten
feet into the air from the peak of my jump. The goblin grinned. I knew
her plan right away—she'd attack me the very moment I land.
But I had the angle. I let go of the frame and positioned myself to
fall directly into the goblin. I raised the bat overhead, preparing to
attack the female goblin beneath me.
I had the leverage. She'd have no choice but to block.
And when I landed reached the ground... I heard the sound of bones cracking and my wooden club splintering in half.
As well as a sharp, intense pain that suddenly exploded from my shoulder.
"AAAGHHH...!" I screamed. Even though I could see flashes of pain in my eyes, I managed to steady myself into the wall.
There was a spear impaling my left shoulder. The axe—which the goblin
was holding earlier—was nowhere to be found. I inspected the info panel
spear for this spear that had suddenly appeared in my shoulder and as
it turned out... it wasn't a spear at all.
[(C-Tier Weapon) Crude Multi-shifting Blade]
Forged by a goblin blacksmith and
imbued with goblin sorcery, this weapon can shapeshift into a spear,
axe, greathammer, or sword. Very efficient, but stupid ass goblins might
not be able to use it. That's why it's only given to Goblin Pack
Leaders… or stupid ass humans.
"Urgh... Fuck," I winced in pain. My left shoulder and my hoodie was soaked in blood.
Biting through the pain, I yanked the tip of the spear out of my
shoulder. After that momentary explosion of pain, my shoulder became
numb and cold. I immediately took out one of the healing potions from my
inventory.
It looked as stereotypical as I expected; It was placed in a small,
spherical glass container with a cylindrical opening at the top, filled
with a glistening blue liquid. I drank it. It was surprisingly cold to
the touch, tasting like a sweet lemonade that instantly invigorated me.
Warmth spread through my body, closing the deep stab wound on my
shoulder, and dulling the pain in the areas where I was pierced with
both spear and nails.
As for the female goblin, well... I was lucky she ended up in a worse
state. Though my bat was broken in half from that attack, I directly
scored a hit at the top of her head. The skull helmet protected her head
from the brunt of the impact. The helmet broke but the goblin's head
was still far too brittle.
She lifted her head with a warped, blood-streaked face. In a voice
that trembled with desperation, she croaked, “No... this wasn’t supposed
to happen. They told me I’d live if I fight well. I can’t die like
this!” Blood seeped from every orifice of her head, and if I wasn't
mistaken, her left temple looked deformed. That was how much that last
attack had done to her. It was a miracle she could still talk. I could
also see how much she was struggling to move with her arms, crawling
away. It seemed like I paralyzed her from the waist down.
Then, she screamed—the volume of which could be heard across multiple
blocks. I clenched my teeth and clamped my palms over my ears.
No… fuck. I cursed. Of course she was calling for help. This wasn’t over yet.
With the spear locked in my grip, I walked towards the goblin. Her
eyes widened as my shadow fell on her but before I could act, a goblin
heard her call as it entered the alleyway's mouth. It was baring its
teeth at me. But to my surprise, the female goblin shrieked, "Don't go
near him!"
Those words caused the goblin to flinch. It obeyed her words well,
but my eyes flickered with confusion. I ignored that feeling for a
moment. Once I was beneath the female goblin, I tightened my grip on my
spear to finish what she started.
She ordered the goblin, "Tell the boss that this dome is offline—!" I
drove the spear into her neck. The metal blade sank effortlessly
through her neck and just like that.. she went silent.
[8/25 Monsters Killed]
The new goblin stared, frozen in place, as though it had stumbled
into a nightmare judging from its horrified look. And then, despite me
having just slaughtered its leader, it didn’t fight. The goblin bolted
away.
It was a good thing that I had a time to rest... but I had a feeling that might not be the case.
The goblin “Pack Leader” was finally down but her last words still
gnawed at me. She talked about a "boss." There was someone stronger than
her. I have to avoid any encounter from that boss, especially since I
almost killed myself handling a goblin pack leader like her.
Still though, her use of the word offline
was highly unusual. Was I being broadcast to someone? Watched? It felt
too soon to guess, but if she was right, I’d might've dodged a situation
worse if I was being watched by other people. For all I know, it was
probably to her benefit.
"Did this happen because I was alone? Or was it because I entered
into this world late?" I muttered, "Should’ve asked a few questions
before finishing her."
Then, an achievement notification popped up.
[Achievement Unlocked: (C-Tier) Slayer of the Goblin Pack Leader]
Wow, you managed to kill a goblin
pack leader alone! They're muscular, greedy little assholes with a brain
that can somehow comprehend speech and cast skills. They're a sucker
for blood, glory, and honor. You won't fight any creature more loyal
than them. You also won't find any creature more cannibalistic.
The reward is granted based on the mob's skills you fought.
Reward: (C-Tier Scroll) Scroll of Skill Learning: Goblin Mania
I didn't even get to read through the entire achievement, because the
next panel stood out to me. It presented itself in a blue panel with a
golden outline, celebrating the fact that I had reached—well, see it for
yourself.
[Congratulations! You can now increase your level.]
[Would you like to level up?]
I nodded. "Yes. Level up!"
Your level has been increased to Level 1 -> Level 2.
- Unlocked: [Achievement Menu]
- Achievements are now claimable.
- Consumables, such as potions and scrolls, are now usable.
While doing so, I also fiddled a bit with this Crude Multi-shifting
Blade I looted from the pack leader. The description says it can shift
itself into four different weapons, so I willed the weapon to change,
and the spear in my hands became enclosed in a bright, yellow light. The
long wooden shaft shortened, the wood pulling in on itself within my
palm. The bladed tip of the spear also elongated itself, and by the time
the glow faded, the spear was gone.
A crude sword now sat on my hands. The blade looked rough at the
edges but it still felt solid enough to act as a reliable weapon. Though
I wasn’t experienced with weapons at all, I could work with this.
[0:15:49 Remaining]
"I'm running out of time." I exhaled. I opened my achievements tab and claimed every reward it offered, with one from killing the goblin pack leader and the other three for killing the goblins from earlier.
You have claimed a total of four achievements.
Rewards claimed:
- (A-Tier Item) A used goblin groin belt
- (A-Tier Scroll) Scroll of Crude Weapon Restoration
- (B-Tier Potion) Potion of Lesser Healing
- (C-Tier Scroll) Scroll of Skill Learning: Goblin Mania
Your rewards have been safely stored into your inventory.
For the groin belt, I let it drop into the ground the moment it came
out of my pocket inventory. I kept the [Scroll of Crude Weapon
Restoration] and the other [Potion of Lesser Healing] in my inventory
for now. As for the [Scroll of Skill Learning: Goblin Mania], it came
out as a small papyrus scroll that couldn’t be “scrolled open” no matter
how much I pull the wooden rods. So much for immersion.
Regardless, I immediately used it. The scroll disappeared into a faint light as I gained a new skill.
[(C-Tier Skill) Goblin Mania]
Cooldown: 00:15:00]
This goblin-specific skill multiplies STR and CON twofold for thirty seconds.
CONDITION: Because you do not bear
a goblin marker, this skill will instead empower any crude weapon
you're holding, increasing their original damage and durability twofold
for thirty seconds.
Though the first effect would've been a game changer in this
human-less dome full of goblins, I could settle with that secondary
condition. Having my weapon deal increased damage would be far more
beneficial to me.
And so, with a rejuvenated body and a new weapon in hand, I ventured out into the open...
...only to find that the city block was all of the sudden, mysteriously devoid of all life.
[EVENT: Wave Tutorial (1/5)]
00:10:20 Remaining
8/25 Monsters Killed