Kyle heard a *DING* and glanced to his right, where a small new window appeared in his field of vision.

ALARM: You have slain a kobold scout. You earn 35 experience points.

-So there is a window that tells you that you killed your enemy? It's more and more like a game. 35 experience—is that low or good? Does it go up the stronger the opponent, or is it predetermined? Also, how do skills work? The moment I grabbed that sword, I knew how to wield it, but the same didn't happen for the spear. Is it all due to skills? If you are without one, are you just bad, or can you buy it or get it from somewhere? Damn it, I have more questions now.

"On the good side, I now have a sword that I know how to use on top of my spear."

Looking at the sword, he used his Appraisal skill:

Rusted Sword: A worn blade covered in corrosion, its once-sharp edge now dulled by neglect. Despite its decrepit appearance, it retains a hint of its former glory.

Damage: 15

Seeing the kobold’s body in his field of view, he used the skill on it too:

Kobold Scout: A tiny, wolf-like creature with dense fur and sharp features. Often dwelling in underground tunnels or dense forests, kobolds are known for their cunning and territorial nature. The scouts serve as the eyes and ears of their tribe, sent to look for prey or danger and inform their tribe.

"Wait, a scout! I'm sure it only said 'kobold' before. Does that mean there are more of them? I need to get out of here. One alone was too much, but if there are more, I wouldn’t stand a chance."

With a sense of fear gripping him, Kyle retreated to the riverside, thinking of a way to get to safety.

"Wait, if there's a river, there should be a village nearby. Even in industrial countries, people settle near rivers in the countryside. I'm bound to find one if I keep moving along it."

Kyle washed his face in the river, had a few sips, quenching his thirst and filling his stomach with berries. Sword in his right hand and the spear in his left, he picked a direction and committed to it.

Initially, he was gripped by fear, worried that the kobolds might be tracking or pursuing him. He quickened his pace in response. However, the longer he walked, the more his fear began to dissipate, though it lingered in the back of his mind.

After hours of walking, feeling extremely exhausted, with the sun starting to set and the sky turning orange, he decided to look for shelter and a few berries to quiet his growling stomach. Finding a similar setup to the night before, he made a new fire and ate the berries he was able to find while leaning on a tree, contemplating his status screen.

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"I am really weak. 3 in strength and 4 in Intelligence, and the rest is 1. I got exhausted from just walking a bit and had to take multiple breaks while looking over my shoulder all day. I could've made way more progress if not for that."

After a lot of fiddling, he found out that if he double-clicked a stat, a prompt would appear explaining it more, starting with:

HP: Health Points

=Your physical sturdiness. Once you hit 0 HP, you pass out and risk death. Increased by VIT and Level.

SP: Stamina Points

=The amount of physical exertion you can withstand before needing to recover. Increased by AGI and Level.

MP: Mana Points

=Your magical reserves, MP dictates how many and which spells you may utilize and cast at a given moment. Increased by MND and Level.

STR: Strength

=Physical damage and the ability to jump, lift, drag, or push items. With all the physical exhaustion of the day, he dozed off while reading.

The sun hitting his face, getting hotter and hotter, annoyed him more by the minute. Kyle woke up, still wanting to sleep, feeling more tired from the rough bed he had and the small insects biting him all night. He wanted to stay a bit more, but he heard the sounds of bushes moving and weird snapping and tongue clicking noises.

Fear kicked him awake instantly, standing up and turning in the sound direction. He could see from where the bushes moved that someone or something was coming his way. He started to panic, not knowing where to go. Seeing the river, he thought maybe he could dive in and hide there, but he shot that idea down fast.

"I'm not in a fucking cartoon; there is no way I can hold my breath that long. I need to think of something else fast."

Feeling he looked to the sky to ask God for help, but then saw the thick tree branches and smiled, grabbed his weapons, and climbed up to sit on top of one of the tree's many branches. After a minute or so, a couple of small figures appeared.

They were no taller than 3 feet, with green-yellowish skin and long pointy ears. Kyle, of course, knew them from many games he played before; they were goblins, the scummiest of monsters. When they saw the embers of the fire pit, they ran to it. One of them was looking angry, shouting and pointing around. Then both of them started sniffing the camp, finding nothing. The angry one pointed in the direction Kyle came from and said something to his friend, but the other one clicked his tongue and shook his head.

The angry one pushed him to the ground, grunting and screaming, and ran from where Kyle came. Kyle, watching the scene unfold and getting scared, sat there in a weird position, waiting. The one that stayed looked around a bit, then started rekindling the fire and sat down.

After a few minutes, the other goblin came back, looked at the fire, smiled, said something, and sat down. Both of them kept talking for a while and out of nowhere decided to sleep.

Looking at them with immense shock and confusion, Kyle decided to stay on the tree, hoping they would wake up and leave soon.

"Damn it, it has been a few hours now that these shitty goblins have been sleeping. Will they move if I wait more?"

Confused and in pain from holding a weird position for more than two hours, Kyle was at his limit. Looking at the goblins and trying to think of a way to get out of the situation, a prompt came up:

Quest: Kill both of the goblins and get out of the predicament you are in.

Reward: Stealth skill (tier 0)

-Goblin kills: 0/2

Surprised by the sudden appearance of the blue screen, Kyle nearly lost his balance, quickly steadying himself. As he read the new prompt, confusion washed over him.

"A quest out of nowhere? And the reward is a skill?"