Once the screams had started, they did not end, only growing louder and more chaotic. It was to be expected. In the modern world, people knew of death, but hardly ever really understood what it entailed. Perhaps they were acquainted with individuals who had passed away, but they had never been so close to death before, especially in such a gruesome manner.

Such a sight could even be traumatic for some, and in such a large crowd, once panic had set in, it was almost impossible to quell. Like a stampede, the horde of humans gathered in the colosseum ran away, in all directions. Some ran toward the stands, others toward the sole exit, while a few balled up in fear, clutching their heads, hoping this was a dream, or praying for salvation.

Although Verity had not seen the man’s end himself, he also felt the panic permeating the crowd, as if it was an infectious plague. In fact, most of those present here had not seen the act either, but they were running because everyone else was. It was almost comical how herd-like humans could act under the right conditions. Despite what he wanted to believe, Verity himself was no different. He wanted to run just as much as anybody, but partly thanks to his wit, and mostly thanks to his skill, he understood that the best course of action was to not do anything that might anger the imp, and so he simply stood still, staring at the sky.

‘In any case, if this follows the logic of those stories… there’s no escape…’

Verity was right. It didn’t take long for all those who tried to escape to run into an invisible wall. No matter where they tried to go, the invisible barrier was present, which only caused more panic. What was occurring now was beyond chaos. The humans tried everything they could think of. Hitting, kicking, shooting, piercing, and anything else that could cause damage.

Looking at them, Verity could only describe what he was seeing with one word…

‘Madness…’

At the sight, the imp’s mood had clearly worsened. It was pinching its eyebrow in exasperation, and after a while, it let out a long sigh. It had plenty of ways of bringing order to the situation, but it also secretly wished that it had spent more time studying human psychology before coming.

‘Is this place even worth it…’ The imp thought, before its eyes began glowing.

“Enough.” The imp said, its words carrying unimaginable power. As soon as they were spoken, the world itself came to a stop. There was no longer any movement, or noise. All grew still, except the imp.

“Look at me.” It ordered.

Awkwardly, each and every single head turned in the imp’s direction, except Verity’s, since he was already looking at it.

The glow in its eyes grew dimmer, and the spell it had cast onto the crowd dispersed as well. Verity was once more able to move, but he did not dare to, and it seemed he was not the only one with that thought. The silence remained, and the prior chaos had utterly disappeared, save for faint sobs and inaudible mumbling.

Verity couldn’t help but be in awe at this display of power.

‘Are the admins usually that strong…?’ Verity thought, once again glad he was not the one to anger the imp.

“You’ve all spoiled my mood, so we will start the first trial without further ado.” It spoke as if it was trying to get it over with. “It’s simple. A few goblins will appear. Kill them, and you win. If you fail, you die. Bye now.” It said, before vanishing out of sight.

A window appeared in front of all those present.

----------------------------------------

First trial

Stage : Tutorial

Objective : Defeat all enemies.

Reward : Performance dependent.

Failure Penalty : Death.

----------------------------------------

‘Enemies, not goblins?’ Verity thought as he looked at the trial window.

“...It said we had to kill goblins? What even is that?” Someone not too far from him asked.

It was not a word that most were familiar with, especially if they had no interest in fantasy. Layered onto the sheer panic and confusion that they were all feeling, those who understood and steadied themselves for the trial could be counted on one hand, perhaps two.

Thankfully, Verity was one of those people. He ignored the discrepancy between the imp's words and the trial window.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

‘Goblins shouldn’t be any stronger than human children! If they follow the trope, the only scary part about them should be their numbers and their viciousness!!’

Verity was mostly right, but he was forgetting a crucial detail.

[The skill: Lesson Learned, is being activated.]

Verity was a quick-learner. From what he had just lived through, he understood that if the skill was activated, then something terrible was likely to happen.

‘Is it because of the goblins?? Are they that dangerous!?’

In the next instant, Verity heard a whisper in his ear, much different from the system’s voice. The whisper was faint, barely audible, but Verity managed to catch its meaning.

Ri….Right….

That one word could have a multitude of meanings, but Verity wanted to believe that the skill warned him of danger, and so if it said ‘Right’, then the left was safe. Trusting his gut, and taking the decision in a split second, Verity jumped to his left, rolling on the ground, right before an arrow whistled past where he previously stood. The arrow lodged itself in the throat of an older man who had been standing behind him, and he barely took another breath before his lifeless body dropped to the ground.

[Usage of the skill : Lesson Learned was successful. You have gained a bit of Exp.]

There it was, the detail that Verity had forgotten. Goblins were never unarmed.

They appeared out of thin air within open spaces in the crowd. Goblin warriors, archers, and even goblins with strange staffs and long robes. As soon as they came, the slaughter began. Arrows flew, swords slashed, and strange spells were being chanted. There was no question about it, the tide of the battle was clear, the humans were being slaughtered. Except for a few who likely always carried weapons with them, most of the crowd was defenseless, and most modern people had never been in a proper fight before.

A lone goblin warrior approached Verity, sword in hand, and a mischievous smile on its lips. Upon seeing Verity, its yellow eyes narrowed, as if it was looking at prey.

‘I-It’s just a goblin…!! I can do this! They’re supposed to be the weakest of the weak…!’

That’s what he wanted to believe, but reading about it through the pages of a fantasy story, and experiencing it firsthand were entirely different things. The goblin was holding a sword, and a single swing of it could end Verity’s life. He did not want to admit it, but he was afraid.

‘Come on, man!! You can’t be a main character if you can’t even kill a goblin…!!’

The goblin warrior approached him slowly, its smile never fading. In response, Verity took a few steps backward, hoping to keep the gap between them large enough. Then, the goblin’s pace quickened, and so did Verity’s. Finally, the goblin yelled, and jumped at Verity, brandishing its sword high in the air. The normal response in the face of imminent death, though many would swear they would be different, is to freeze. Verity was not special. He had never been in a fight, and had never even seen a sword in real life. So, when he saw the goblin lunging at him, and its sword gleamed under the sun, Verity froze against his will.

And he died.

[You really, really suck. You know that?]

“Wha-”

***

He had never been in a fight, and had never even seen a sword in real life. So, when he saw the goblin lunging at him, and its sword gleamed under the sun, Verity froze against his will.

And he heard a voice in his head, and a whisper in his ear. The whisper was followed by a sharp headache, so sharp it jolted him out of his stupor. Because of it, Verity moved out of the way, barely avoiding the edge of the deadly weapon. Perhaps not expecting Verity to snap out of it, the goblin had put too much strength in its blow, and its sword was now stuck in the ground, unable to be pulled out.

[Usage of the skill : Lesson Learned was successful. You have gained a bit of Exp.]

[The skill: Lesson Learned has reached Lv.2. Your proficiency has increased.]

‘I-I did it!! I’m still alive!!’ Verity thought, patting his body to make sure he was still intact.

His gaze then shifted to the goblin, who was struggling to pull its sword out of the ground.

Still fueled by the adrenaline, and furious that it tried to kill him, Verity ran toward the goblin and kicked it in the stomach. It reeled on the ground under the impact of the blow, and glared at Verity as it painfully stood back up.

“Not so smug now, are we?” Verity growled, looking down on the small creature.

“Grrr!!”

The goblin screeched and scrambled to its feet even faster. Its movements quick and feral, it lunged at him and it hit him in the stomach before Verity could react.

The blow landed, and it caused Verity to take a step back, but then a grin formed on his face. When he had described goblins earlier, Verity had been right. Remove their proficiency with weapons, and goblins were no scarier than small children. The blow did sting a little, but it was far from enough to genuinely harm him.

“That’s it?” He asked the goblin, knowing he would receive no answer.

Whatever fear he had previously was mostly gone now. He was the one in power. Verity gripped the goblin’s wrists and although he had never fought someone before this, Verity at least knew how to throw a punch. He clenched his fist and struck the goblin squarely on its temple, sending it tumbling on the ground.

‘I’m really doing it…!!

The goblin moaned in pain, sprawled on the ground and unable to stand again. It was still alive, but it clearly could not fight any longer. There was now only one thing left for Verity to do. Verity’s chest heaved, and his breathing was laborious. The fight had not been physically taxing but the sheer emotions had drained him.

He approached the goblins' sword trapped in the ground, and easily pulled it out. He was no blacksmith or swordsman, but even Verity could tell that it was poorly made and poorly maintained. Still, it would have to do.

Verity approached the hurt goblin, and stood over it, sword in hand. He knew what had to be done.

‘I…I just have to kill it now, right?’

It was just a goblin, he knew that. These guys were always at the bottom of the food chain in the stories, and if they really followed the trope, they were evil beyond redemption. He knew all this, and still, the hand that was holding the sword trembled.

Imagining himself slashing through a horde of goblins at lightning speed, and having one laying on the ground before him, groaning in pain was just so, so different. But that didn’t mean that Verity would just let it go. He might have been slightly disconnected from reality, but Verity was not an idiot. He very well understood that if it had been him on the ground instead, unable to defend himself, the goblin would have been the one to end his life.

He did not need to have mercy, as he would have gotten none.

Steeling his resolve, Verity brought both of his hands upon the handle of the sword and drove its tip into the goblin’s throat, ending its suffering.

[You have slain an enemy.]

[You have reached lv. 2.]