One Week Earlier…

"So, Audi, have you thought about what job you want?" Jazz leaned forward with a smirk, tossing a glowing crystal between her hands. "You're masculine, so obviously, you should be a knight."

Ford crossed his arms. "Or maybe a warrior like me. You'll need real strength to survive as an adventurer."

Prius, ever the calm one, added, "Let's not assume. We have a Crystal of Faith to determine his class." He held up a polished gem, swirling with magic. "This will reveal whether you're a physical or magical type."

Jazz grinned. "If it glows red, you're built for physical combat. Blue means you have magic potential. But…" She paused for dramatic effect. "If it turns violet, that means you're a rare type who can use both magic and strength."

I took the crystal, feeling its weight in my palm. "So, I just hold it?"

"Yeah, now focus," Ford instructed.

The moment I did, the crystal pulsed—first glowing red, then shifting to blue before finally flaring into a brilliant violet glow.

Silence.

Then—

"WHAAAAAT?!"

Jazz practically fell over, Ford's jaw dropped, and Prius actually blinked in surprise.

"You have magic?!" Jazz gasped. "We did not expect that!"

Ford clapped me on the back, laughing. "Guess we underestimated you, little brother!"

Jazz, never one to sit still, grabbed my wrist. "Alright, let's test this out! Try focusing on your hand and imagine fire. If it gets warm, you're a fire mage like me."

I did as she said, concentrating hard.

…But instead of warmth, my hand felt cold.

Jazz blinked. "Uh… that's new."

Prius adjusted his glasses. "Fascinating."

Jazz, of course, was less diplomatic. "Pfft, maybe you're a defective mage!" She burst into laughter. "The best weapon against monsters is fire. Maybe you should just focus on being a warrior instead, hahaha!"

I clenched my fist, feeling the unfamiliar chill spreading through my fingers.

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Defective mage, huh?

I had a feeling this was just the beginning.

The Great Goblin Extermination Begins

A week later, ten parties from the Adventurer's Guild set off into the Forest of Goblins for the monthly extermination. We expected the usual goblin nests—nothing we couldn't handle.

But what we found was much worse.

Scattered throughout the trees were dozens of human hostages. Women and children, bound and terrified. The goblins had been growing too bold lately.

The moment we entered, they attacked.

"Alright, I just need five goblins, right?" I asked, gripping my sword.

Before I could step forward, nearly a hundred goblins appeared, snarling and wielding crude weapons.

"Pffft, easy." Jazz grinned, cracking her knuckles.

Then the ground trembled. More goblins poured in. The horde surged to three hundred.

"Okay," Ford muttered. "That's… a bit much."

"No problem!" Jazz cackled. She raised her hands, magic swirling. "Inferno Wave!"

A fiery explosion erupted across the battlefield, consuming nearly half the goblins in an instant.

"Hah! Nothing left!" Jazz cheered.

But something was left.

I turned just in time to see myself surrounded. Ten goblins rushed me at once.

My stomach growled. Damn it, not now. I had eaten nearly 50 kg of steak this past week, but the hunger never truly went away.

The goblins leaped at me.

I panicked—and suddenly, the air froze.

The goblins, mid-air, were suddenly encased in ice. Their bodies shattered upon hitting the ground.

Silence.

My siblings stared at me, wide-eyed.

"W-Wait," Jazz stammered. "That wasn't fire. What magic was that?"

I exhaled, watching the cold mist rise from my hands.

"Freeze magic…?" Ford murmured.

I just smiled. I remember now. Before I was slain, I wasn't just a zombie.

I was a Lich.

The Goblin Chief Appears

The earth trembled. A massive shadow loomed.

The Goblin Chief had arrived.

Towering over us, it roared in fury, veins pulsing with unnatural strength.

Jazz wasted no time. She hurled multi-fireballs at the monster. Flames engulfed it, burning its flesh. It should've died.

Instead, it stepped forward, ignoring half the damage.

Then—it charged.

Before I could react, its fist slammed into my chest.

BOOM!

I flew a mile away, crashing through trees. My ribs shattered, pain blinding my vision.

"AUDI!"

Prius rushed forward, hands glowing as he tried to heal me—only to scream in pain.

"What?! My healing—it burns?!" He staggered back, his hands charred.

I gritted my teeth. Does healing magic hurt me?

No time to think.

The Goblin Chief stood over me, cleaver raised.

SHING!

A flash of steel.

The Goblin Chief froze.

Then, its body split in half.

Ford stood behind it, his greatsword dripping with blood.

"Hah," he smirked. "That was too easy."

As the battle ended, the adventurers looted the corpses, but no one wanted the goblin meat. That meant I had the entire goblin chief to myself—and I was very satisfied.