[ *Ding! It detected that the host had killed a goblin for the first time, earning the 'First Kill Achievement'!
Reward: Skill: Tranquil Presence. ]
"Damn it! Finally over," Ash groaned, collapsing onto the ground with a thud. He ignored the lifeless goblin with multiple facial holes lying beside him. Despite feeling utterly exhausted, dizzy, and out of breath, a sense of accomplishment swelled in his heart. After all, he had done something that 99% of people in his previous life wouldn't dare to dream of doing.
"Ugh, this guy stinks like garbage. How long has it been since he washed his body? And why is his blood red? Don't other species have different colored blood?" Ash's mind wandered all kinds of nonsense, fueled by the loss of blood, until suddenly everything in front of him turned black, and he passed out.
...
An unknown amount of time later, Ash blinked his eyes open. Dim red and orange hues painted the sky in front of him. Confused, he stood up, feeling extremely light as if he could fly with just a simple thought. His confusion didn't last long, as he looked down and saw his own body lying on the ground in a pool of dried blood beside the dead goblin, with a 2-meter-tall dire wolf happily feasting on his neck, clearly delighted with its unexpected windfall.
"Well, that's weird," Ash muttered, rubbing his chin as he watched the wolf detach his head and toss it aside like trash. "Why don't I feel anything seeing a dire wolf eating my own neck? Also did I die from blood loss or because my neck was torn apart?" He had a curious expression as if what was happening in front of him had nothing to do with him.
"It seems I've received a new skill for achieving my first kill. Is this the effect of my new skill that's keeping me so calm? Otherwise, there's no way I could stay composed in front of such a disgusting sight without vomiting a few times... Ohh wait, I am a soul, I don't have a stomach, even if I want I couldn't vomit..."
[ *Ding!:- Warning: Please select a saved file within the next 05 seconds to revive; otherwise, the Host's soul will be erased from existence by the defensive rule of this world, and the Host will die permanently. ]
"Well, it seems like I'm running out of time," Ash chuckled at his own dark humor and quickly selected the 'Load' option on File No. 3.
[ GAME OVER ]
Ash blinked again, finding himself back behind the bush. The ugly goblin was still choosing the right rock to kill the innocent sheep. This time, Ash didn't rush any decisions, because his mind had already come to the right track after suffering a lot of pain and losing his life again. He took a deep breath and opened the system panel to confirm something...
[ Status:-
Name:- Ash
Level 1 (0/20)
Health Point ( H.P. ):- ( 45/45 )
Mana Point ( M.P. ):- ( 10/10 )
Race:- Human ( Tier:- Low )
Age:- 18
Strength:- 6
Vitality:- 9
Intelligence:- 4
Agility:- 5
Charisma:- 7
Luck:- 10 ]
"Nothing changed, meaning after getting back in time, the experience gained from killing and quests would also be erased. This is bad news. I thought I could use this loophole for quick leveling, but this cheap system of mine seems well-prepared. Damn it," Ash muttered in disappointment.
[ Skills:-
Minor Healing (Tier-0)
Gamer Body ( ??? )
Tranquil Presence ( Level 1 ) ]
Here it is! While experience points are temporary, achievement rewards seem permanent. That's good. But what is up with these different quality categories? One has Tiers, another Question marks, and now this new one has a Level - what next, colors? Wait... If I am not wrong, the healing skill belonged to this body's original owner, while the other two came from the system... Hm, that means, Tiers represented the quality of native skills, while question marks and levels were the system's way of judging power. It made sense now. I wonder what I need to do to level up those skills...
[ Tranquil Presence ( Level 1 ) ( Passive )
Description: This skill grants the ability to maintain a serene demeanor even in the face of adversity. It reduces the likelihood of being affected by negative emotions or external disturbances. Characters with Tranquil Presence exhibit enhanced focus and clarity of thought, enabling them to make rational decisions under pressure.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
M.P. Cost:- None
Cooldown Time:- None
Remark: 'Must To Have' skill for those with weak hearts. ]
"System remarks are becoming more and more poisonous. Sigh. However, this skill is really very practical. Now I can perform better in front of danger or hidden surprises. Being calm in the face of danger would reduce 30% of its difficulty. Of course, if the strength gap is too much, then there is nothing to say. Just wait to revive," Ash chuckled and closed the system interface.
Now then, it is time to take proper revenge, Shifting his gaze back to the goblin, Ash saw the little wretch preparing to slaughter the helpless sheep. Wasting no time, he abandoned the sneak attack strategy, having discovered the goblin's keen hearing. He charged directly at it.
Like last time, the goblin hearing the sound of rustling leaves, quickly turned around and was frightened to death seeing Ash running toward him with a murderous grin and dagger drawn.
The goblin, who again misunderstood Ash as a veteran hunter, quickly threw a rock toward him with trembling hands. After all, unless everyone has exceptional means to remain calm, not many people can face danger with ease.
"You are looking down on me too much if you wanted to kill me with just a single rock," Ash declared disdainfully, effortlessly dodging the projectile. Closing the distance, he stood before the wide-eyed, trembling goblin, who looked upon him not as a human, but as Lady Death herself. A smirk playing on his lips, Ash swung his dagger at his neck mimicking a bizarre pose he'd seen in movies, much to the goblin's horror.
However, what Ash expected didn't happen. The goblin's head, instead of flying in the air and leaving a headless body behind, only had a deep cut in his neck. Though it looked fatal as blood gushed out like a fountain, it was clearly not deep enough to sever his neck with a single strike. Neither was the dagger-sharp enough to cut through the bones like butter nor did Ash possess the brute strength to achieve such a wonderful feat with his cheap dagger.
"This little dagger isn't as sharp as I thought. If it were a sword, then maybe the story might be a little different now," Ash thought disappointingly with a deep sigh while looking at the goblin who resembled a third-rate actor swaying back and forth like a drunken sailor while covering his neck with horrific eyes and trembling legs. The red blood continued gushing out from his wound, but because of the goblin's hands, Ash couldn't see how big of a cut he had made.
After thirty seconds of theatrics, the goblin's frail body gave way, collapsing onto the ground with a final shudder.
[ *Ding! Congratulations, Host, for defeating a pitiful unarmed goblin.
You Earn 8 Exp points and A pair of goblin ears.
Special Note: Please collect the goblin ears from the body yourself. ]
"Phew, finally dead. It's more easy than I anticipated. Then how did I die so miserably previously?" Hmm, probably because of the lack of experience," Ash muttered while stroking his chin thoughtfully and staring at the lifeless body of the goblin, who even in its final moments, the creature wore a horrifying grimace, eyes wide open as if it might rise and seek revenge at any moment.
"Let's see, now how should I take his ears? Better it should be a clean cut, to not give the Mayor any excuse to reduce the bounty," Muttering such, Ash calmly put his blood-stained dagger on the earlobe and meticulously sliced it off. Thanks to his new skill, although Ash felt very disgusted doing such a thing as cutting a body part – after all, he was not a biological science student in his previous life, so it was a very normal reaction – but because of Tranquil Presence skill working as a mental buffer to mitigating the psychological nausea, he still managed to hold back his vomit and successfully cut off both ears before quickly throwing them into his inventory.