I feel weak. My limbs are numb and I can still feel a phantom pain in my stomach. I think I'm going to stay in this town for the next 3 years. It sounds a lot better than progressing through this tutorial. Maybe I can learn how to make those runes I saw in the bathroom.

"Samuel?"

James calls my name, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Are you okay?"

His voice is low and sturdy. He looks worried. Everyone does. I look at him for a few seconds. I'm not sure what to say. I open my mouth and close it a few times, but before I can speak, a loud bang sounds throughout the room. It startles me, and I feel a deep fear in my chest for a brief moment. Everyone in the room turns to see a man standing in the doorway.

[Larion, Novice Warrior, Level 15, D rank]

He shouts at the top of his lungs, clearly distraught.

"Goblins are invading!"

Everyone in the room stands up, many of them already holding weapons. Most of them seem to be medieval, but a select few are inscribed with glowing runes. Only a few people don't have weapons. The man, Larion, quickly leaves the building and warns more people. Everyone with weapons begins to leave, too, and those without stay behind and leave. I guess this isn't the first time this has happened. Our group gets out of the table, collectively deciding to go hide with the others without weapons. The sounds of battle can be heard from outside. I guess the goblins are already here. Eric, Amelia, James and Sophia head over to the hallway that I originally came from. I don't move. I feel sluggish and light-headed. I'm not scared, I think. Maybe I'm depressed? I'm not sure why. I just feel hopeless. Eric grabs my arm and pulls me with the rest of the group. I let him pull me.

Our group comes to a quick stop. A giant boulder crushes the hallway in front of us before we can make it through, crushing two people with it. Screams of terror and despair fill the room. I'm drawn further into my depression at this sight. I stand still for a few seconds, as does everyone else in the room. Another noise snaps me out of it. Behind us, in the entrance to the building, a tall, brown, bulky humanoid creature throws a decapitated head into the room, clearly reveling in our fear. It has a disgusting grin and eyes filled with malice. Its face is sharp and slanted. It wields a crude scimitar made of rusted metal with a stone handle, and wears only a few strips of leather that cover its waist.

[Hobgoblin, Level 12, D Rank]

I come to a stark realization. I will not survive if I do not become stronger. A subtle anger fills my gut as I take a few steps toward the monster, but I quickly halt. I'm bare handed, trying to fight a monster that likely has inhuman strength on my own. I turn back towards my group. They're all terrified. My anger grows. I look around the room for something to fight with. The [Hobgoblin] takes a few steps into the room. I quickly grab a small stool and a wooden mug with some hot liquid in it and make my way towards the monster. Its eyes settle on me, instilling a deep fear in my chest, but my anger quickly washes over it. I'm not going to die like this. I'm not going to let this wretched world take my life the moment I take a step in it. The monster sprints towards me. I throw the mug in its face, briefly blinding it before I smash the stool over its head.

The monster stumbles, but quickly regains its composure. The stool has a crack in it, but its not broken. The monster snarls at me and swings its scimitar in a brutish fashion, aiming to cut my neck, but I move the stool to intercept it. My arms crumple from the strength of the [Hobgoblin], the stool smashing into my head. The scimitar is lodged deep in the seat of the stool, cutting into the leg. The stool would have been cut in half if not for the lucky angle. I take a step back and shake the pain out my head. The monster tries to rip the scimitar out of the stool, struggling for a few seconds before a small blue glowing ball strikes its eye. The monster screams and drops the scimitar, covering its face. I take the chance and kick its crotch. It keels over and falls to the ground, its legs giving out under it. I begin to ruthlessly stomp on its ribs. Sophia comes in to my side and joins me, followed by James. I briefly turn my head to see Eric and Amelia standing to the side, a little grossed out. Sophia seems oddly motivated, and James seems angry. We slowly stomp out the monster, the sounds of ribs breaking and flesh tearing filling our ears. Sophia shoots a few small glowing balls towards it. They seem to be the same as the one that hit the monster earlier. Probably a skill. It's very gruesome, but the decapitated head stays as a strong reminder to us. The other people in the room seem terrified, and rightfully so. It takes an uncomfortable amount of time for us to kill the [Hobgoblin].

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[You have killed a Hobgoblin, Level 12, D Rank]

[Gained 1 Humanoid Core (Uncommon)]

I take a few steps back from the monster once I receive the system notifications. James and Sophia don't stop for a few more seconds. They're probably angry, too. I think they realized the severity of the situation, too. We won't have the time to relax if we want to survive. I take a few breaths and check my stat window.

Class: N/A

Race: Human

Rank: G (Bottom)

Potential Rank: G (Bottom)

Level: 2

Experience: 14/15

Strength: 2

Constitution: 3

Agility: 2

Mana: 5

Stat Points: 0

[Skills]

Recover: 4

I gained 12 experience. Interesting. I stifle my interest and grab the scimitar lodged in the stool. I roughly pull it out, using my foot as leverage. The [Hobgoblin] already pulled it out a decent bit, so it was easier than I thought. The scimitar is very heavy, though. I take the core I got from the monster out of my inventory and consume it. The others watch me with interest as the small peach-colored pearl glows before turning into a mist. It's more viscous than the core I got from the [Wolf]. I involuntarily cough a few times, but the mist still forces its way inside of my body even while I'm coughing it out. It's terrible.

[Strength 2 > 4]

Everyone looks at me with a strange expression. I guess I'm the only one that got a core. Maybe it's based on participation? I probably did the most to kill the [Hobgoblin] and the [Wolf]. I speak, letting my lingering anger motivate me enough to raise my voice.

"We should find a few weapons and leave."

Everyone in my group seems to agree, and we all move closer together. James walks at the front of the group. I stand to his right side, a little behind him, with Sophia mirroring me. Eric and Amelia stand behind us. We cautiously walk out of the building onto a cobble street. Our attention is naturally drawn to our right where dozens of goblins and humans crowd the streets. The stench of blood and fire fills the air. A few hundred feet behind them stand three giant monstrous beings. They look similar to the goblins, just much, much bigger and bulkier. Next to them lie large wooden carts with giant boulders inside. The giant monsters slowly pick them up and hurl them hundreds of feet towards the town. At the edge of the town, a few dozen feet behind the fighting humans and goblins, a large, hulking goblin stands. It seems to be about ten feet tall. It stands with a menacing presence, small wisps of a red mist oozing out of its skin. Its eyes glow a deep dark red. It's skin is green and it only wears a loincloth, similar to all of the other goblins. A large system bar appears above its head.

[Goblin King, Level 84, C Rank]