Morning broke over Niceland, the sun creeping over the horizon like an overworked laborer clocking in for another shift.
Niles stood over the party’s so-called engineer, grinning.
“Wakey, wakey, Tesla,” he chirped, voice both cheerful and commanding.
Tesla cracked one eye open, glaring. “What do you want?”
Niles inhaled deeply, hands on his hips, looking like a man about to announce something groundbreaking.
“Time to rebuild civilization!” he declared, radiating an energy that completely ignored the fact that they had no supplies, no materials, and no plan beyond “get to work.”
Tesla sat up slowly, his expression skeptical. “What kind of engineer do you think I am?”
Niles shrugged. “A good one.” Then, after a beat, added, “Hopefully the best.”
Tesla stared, unimpressed. “Do you even know what kind of engineering I studied?”
Niles shrugged again. “You’re a master of science. That’s all I need to know.” He beamed, eyes practically sparkling. “First order of business—indoor plumbing!”
Tesla’s expression soured. “We’re outside. On an island,” he deadpanned.
“Niceland,” Niles corrected, grinning.
Tesla rolled his eyes so hard he nearly saw his own brain. “I’m a road engineer. I design roads.”
Niles, still standing like a superhero, met Tesla’s gaze with pure, unwavering conviction.
“I don’t need stone plates on the ground. I need fully functional HVAC.”
Tesla blinked. “…What?”
“Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning,” Niles clarified, quickly.
Tesla opened his mouth, then closed it, then pinched the bridge of his nose as realization dawned.
“Oh no,” he murmured, his face going pale. “You’re an idiot.”
Niles, completely unfazed, beamed at him like a child explaining a grand vision. “An engineer is someone who knows everything and can do anything! Now chop chop!”
Tesla felt the weight of despair settle on his shoulders. “I… DESIGN… ROADS.” He enunciated each word as if speaking to a particularly dense brick.
Niles, equally determined, fired back. “BUT… I… DON’T… NEED… ROADS!” He threw his arms wide, gesturing to the boundless possibilities around them. “I NEED MODERN INFRASTRUCTURE!”
Tesla exhaled through his nose, bracing himself for what he knew would be a long conversation.
Vulcan, lying nearby, chuckling.
Niles glanced down at him. “Where did you get air from?”
Vulcan ignored him.
Niles huffed and turned back to Tesla. “Anyway, first things first—it’s time to conquer the rest of the island.” He said it like he was suggesting a casual stroll, as if civilization could wait while they played war. “If you can’t build, you’ll fight.”
Niles cupped his hands around his mouth. “Winston! Are you ready?”
From across the camp, Winston, the former court assistant, choked. “WHAT?!”
Niles nodded, satisfied. “Yup, he’s ready.”
Tesla folded his arms. “No. I’m never leaving this barrier.”
Niles smiled. “I understand.”
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a glowing window materialized in front of him—the entry protocol settings for Niceland’s magical barrier.
“I’ve been messing with this all morning,” Niles explained, dragging Tesla’s name from ‘Allowed’ to ‘Denied.’ His finger hovered over the setting, a dangerous glint in his eyes. “First, we fight. Then you get to come back.”
Tesla barely had time to react before Niles lifted his finger.
A gust of wind roared through the camp.
The moment Tesla’s entry permission changed, an invisible force launched him backward. The barrier repelled him like a divine slap, sending him flying through the air.
He barely had time to scream before he splashed into the ocean, tumbling like a human cannonball.
Niles dusted his hands off. “And that’s how you motivate an engineer.”
Winston, having witnessed Niles' morning motivational speech—if it could even be called that—sighed and began preparing for their expedition. He scavenged weapons from the fallen goblins: war clubs, daggers, and whatever else hadn't been too badly damaged. None of it was particularly impressive—just crude tools fashioned from wood, stone, and rope made of elastic bark. But they’d have to make do.
Meanwhile, Tesla, drenched and exhausted from his impromptu swim, dragged himself back onto the shore. His clothes clung to him like regret.
Niles was already waiting. “Dagger or war club?” he asked.
Tesla blinked. An apology would’ve been nice.
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There wasn’t one.
“You get the war club. Feels more you,” Niles said, handing it over.
Tesla took it reluctantly, watching as Niles and Winston armed themselves as well. Each carried a war club and a stone dagger.
“I’m scared,” Tesla admitted, his voice betraying the nerves he tried to suppress. His eyes searched for reassurance.
He didn’t get any.
“We’re all scared,” Niles said simply, turning away. “But we’ll be less scared together.”
With little choice, Tesla fell into step beside them.
Winston leaned in. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. But if we do nothing, we’ll just get weaker.” He gestured toward Vulcan, Lina, Felix, and Finn, still resting on the ground. “We need food, water, and shelter to survive. And we can’t expect them to help while they’re injured.”
Tesla considered his words. “If that’s the case… why didn’t he”—he gestured toward Niles—“just say that?”
Winston thought for a moment. “Maybe he just wanted to try out his skill.”
Tesla paled. The worst part? That actually made sense.
Before he could process that terrifying thought, Niles spoke up. They had crossed the barrier now, standing at the edge of the unknown.
“Felix told me goblins have bad hearing,” Niles said. “We’ll walk silently and not wander far. If we see the Big Bonker, we run.”
Tesla’s mouth opened. “The what—”
“I’ll take the front, Tesla in the middle, Winston in the back,” Niles continued, ignoring him. He studied his teammates. None of them were soldiers. Neither was he. But staying idle would cost them too much.
“Show no mercy, because none will be shown to you.” His voice was firm now, his usual playfulness set aside. “If possible, on the way back, we should bring an injured goblin with us. Lina or Vulcan can land the final blow. That’ll guarantee a level-up, which they can put into strength stats, improving their health regeneration.”
It almost sounded… planned.
“Winston, keep us updated with your skill,” Niles added.
That particular skill, they’d soon realize, was practically cheating. Being able to see a monster’s level before they could even get a good look at it? An invaluable advantage.
Niles turned to Tesla. “Summon Goblin.”
Tesla blinked. “How?”
Niles frowned, looking impatient. “It’s your skill! Just say something!”
Tesla hesitated, then tried, “Uh… best friends forever, go!”
Nothing happened. Except that he immediately regretted saying it out loud.
Niles sighed. “Try making it easier.”
Tesla cleared his throat and muttered, “Come.”
A dark fog coiled in front of him.
“Goblin,” he added.
From the swirling smoke, Goblin the Goblin emerged, stretching its long arms. Its tall spear materialized in its hands, and its red tomahawk haircut bristled.
Niles nodded approvingly. “Have it protect our flank.”
Tesla relayed the command, and with that, they moved toward the forest.
As they walked, Winston spoke up. “Didn’t know you knew so much about strategy.”
Niles smirked. “Picked up some tactics from our general earlier.”
Winston raised a brow. “Felix?”
Niles nodded. “Felix.”
Winston exhaled. “Every time I try to praise you, I find out I should be thanking someone else instead.”
Niles grinned. “Keep trying. One day I’ll surely deserve it.”
They chuckled quietly, but the laughter faded as the trees loomed ahead.
With careful, measured steps, they entered the wild forest.
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting shifting patterns of gold onto the forest floor. The air was thick with the scent of earth and greenery, the towering trees stretching toward the heavens like ancient sentinels.
They didn’t have to travel far.
Winston raised a hand, signaling them to take cover. The trio and Goblin the goblin crouched behind a thick bush, holding their breath. Moments later, a small band of goblins came into view—five in total. Three wielded daggers, one clutched a crude club, and the last, standing slightly apart, had a bow slung over its shoulder.
Winston whispered, “Levels four, nine, five, four, and three.”
The goblins trudged closer, unaware of the silent predators watching from the brush. The tension in Niles’ group was thick enough to choke on. Tesla almost did.
Then, in one swift motion, Niles raised his war club. Winston and Goblin followed his lead.
The ambush was brutal. The first goblin barely had time to widen its beady eyes before Niles’ club came crashing down.
[You’ve defeated a goblin – You’ve received 14 EXP.]
Another notification flashed before his eyes:
[Level increased: 4 → 5. Please select which stats to increase.]
[Name: Niles]
[Level: 5]
[Strength: 2 → ?]
[Speed: 2 → ?]
[Stamina: 2 → ?]
[Magic: 1 → ?]
[Spirit: 1 → ?]
“Strength!” Niles barked, the decision already made.
[Strength increased by 1.]
A new prompt appeared for his Barrier-ish upgrade, but there was no time to focus on that now.
The battle raged on.
Winston struck next, his war club crushing a goblin’s skull.
[You’ve defeated a goblin – You’ve received 17 EXP.]
Goblin, Tesla’s summoned partner, impaled another enemy on its spear with precise brutality.
The fourth goblin, the archer, fumbled with its bow, but it was too late. Niles and Winston swung in unison, their war clubs connecting with a sickening crunch. The system granted Winston the final blow.
[You’ve defeated a goblin – You’ve received 27 EXP.]
That must have been the level-nine one, Niles thought.
The final goblin, still alive, snarled and lunged at Tesla with its stone dagger. Tesla’s panicked swing missed, but before the goblin could strike, Goblin thrust its spear into the creature’s gut. The goblin staggered, its strength fading, but it wasn’t dead—just incapacitated.
“Quick!” Niles ordered. “Grab their weapons and take this one back to the barrier! Hurry!”
They didn’t waste a second. Looting the fallen, they took whatever they could carry—the war club, stone daggers, and the short bow with some arrows. And, most importantly, the injured goblin.
Their return was a blur of adrenaline. No monsters in sight. Just the sound of their hurried footsteps through the underbrush.
Niles reached the barrier first, adjusting it so Tesla could pass through. They were seconds away from securing their prize—
And then, the goblin breathed its last.
[You’ve defeated a goblin – You’ve received 10 EXP.]
The system awarded the kill to Goblin.
[Level increased: 2 → 3.]
[Speed increased by 1.]
Niles clenched his jaw. “We were so close.” He scowled at the corpse in his arms. “Shame on you for not clinging to life a little harder!”
The goblin, being dead, had no rebuttal.
Tesla and Winston gasped for air, unloading their spoils. But the real victory came in the form of Niles’ level-up. As they settled in, a notification window reappeared before him.
[Please select which upgrade you want for Barrier-ish.]
[Size Matters 1: Gain 10,000 m2 for you to extend Barrier-ish.]
[Nothing but Net: Gain a fishing net. The net and line are indestructible.]
[Soundproof: Sounds happening outside of the barrier can’t be heard inside Niceland.]
Winston and Tesla peered over Niles’ shoulders.
They screamed in unison, “PICK THE NET!”
Niles laughed. “Of course. Just give me a second, I just gotta—”
Then, Finn’s voice rang out.
“Look there!”
All heads turned.
Rising above the horizon, its mast cutting through the waves like a blade, was the unmistakable flag of Xandria. A colossal military vessel loomed over the sea.
Aboard the ship, a sailor called out, “Monster Island in sight!”
Footsteps thudded across the deck. Warriors clad in Xandrian armor moved aside as a massive figure strode to the fore. Broad-shouldered, clad in armor thick enough to stop an axe, the commander’s beastly helmet—fashioned after a snarling bear—concealed his face.
He planted his gauntleted fists against the railing.
“I’ve found you,” he rumbled, his voice like distant thunder.
“Niles.”