The rain didn't even stopped, but it had lessened.
I stood by the door, my grip tightening around the kitchen knife I'd taken.
Kitchen knife? ridiculous. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
I waited till my parents were gone to sleep.
“I’ll be back,” I whispered, though no one was there to hear it.
The sky remained dull, a bruised gray, as I stepped outside. Each step left mud clinging to my boots, weighing me down.
The wind still carried some bite, but it had quieted. My eyes stayed fixed on the mountain ahead, its peak obscured by mist and clouds.
That’s where I was headed—the source of the storm.
The climb proved tougher than I had imagined. The mud acted like a trap, pulling at my feet with every step, turning the path into a constant struggle. I slipped more times than I could count, my hands sinking into the wet earth as I fought to regain my balance.
The higher I climbed, the colder it got.
But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. The storm hadn’t come out of nowhere, and I needed to know why.
Finally, after what felt like hours, I saw it. The cave.
Carved into the mountainside, the cave loomed dark and ominous, like a gaping mouth waiting to swallow anyone who dared come too close. But it wasn’t the cave itself that drew my attention—it was the light.
A strange, flickering glow pulsed from deep within, not the steady burn of fire, but something else, something unnerving. As I drew nearer, I felt it—an unnatural shift in the air. It was thick, heavy, as though the very atmosphere around the cave was alive, pressing in on me.
I crouched behind a rock, peering out at the entrance.
The light grew brighter, and that’s when I saw it.
A figure.
They stood near the mouth of the cave, their hands raised, moving in fluid, intricate patterns. Runes flickered around them, glowing faintly and shifting in the air like whispers of magic.
The rain and mist blurred their features, but their presence was unmistakable, a dark energy emanating from them that made the air grow heavier.
They were casting the spell.
The storm was no accident. It was deliberate. Controlled.
I was right.
And then it stopped and entered the cave.
I ran, slipping and sliding, but I didn’t stop.
The mud tried to pull me down, but I pushed harder. Trying bring me closer to the top.
The rain poured relentlessly, soaking me to the bone. My legs ached with every step, and my hands stung from the sharp rocks and branches I grabbed for support.
But none of it mattered. I couldn’t afford to care. I had to keep moving.
Finally, I reached the summit.
There it was. The cave.
From below, it looked small, like a crack in the mountain’s face.
But up close? It was massive. The entrance of it loomed over me, dark and foreboding, like it was alive.
I stopped for a moment, trying to rest a lil bit. My chest heaved, and my heart raced, but I was here. I had made it.
The rain still fell, relentless.
I wiped the water from my eyes and turned. Below, our farm stretched out, clearer now from the height.
What I saw made me more determined to go deep into the cave.
The fields were ruined.
Crops flattened, soil washed away. Everything we’d worked for, gone.
I clenched my fists.
Just as I was about to take a step toward the cave, system screen appeared.
Ding!
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[NEW QUEST]
[DEFEAT THE SPELLCASTER]
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It was a command.
So it is really a spellcaster?
I gripped the knife tightly.
The cave stood ahead, dark and swallowing the light. Somewhere inside, the spellcaster waited.
I moved quietly, each step careful. The air was cold and heavy.
Drip... drip...
Every sound echoed—drips of water, the soft crunch of my feet on loose gravel.
In my past life, as a porter, this silence would’ve driven me mad.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Panic would’ve gripped me, my hands shaking, my thoughts racing.
But now? Now, I understood.
Confidence didn’t mean I wasn’t scared—it meant I could keep moving despite the fear. But I couldn’t let my guard down.
The glow intensified as I moved closer, my hand tightening around the knife. Then, I saw them.
"Ha ha ha! Heh heh heh!"
Goblins.
I’ve seen goblins in my past life—most adventurers fight them because they’re the most common monsters. They’d kill them without a second thought. I’ve even seen goblins lying there, just resting, only to be killed. But for me, there’s a reason. I want to eliminate them.
Their eyes… They were red.
Glowing red.
They moved unnaturally, twitching and jerking like puppets on invisible strings.
It was like they were being controlled.
I'm sure about it. These weren’t like the ones I knew.
No, they were cursed. I’d heard the stories—monsters with glowing red eyes, bound by dark magic. They weren’t in control.
They were slaves.
But the one that really caught my attention was the one behind them.
Towering over the rest, was the tallest goblin I’d ever seen.
It leaned heavily on a twisted walking stick, the top of which crackled with dark energy.
The source of the storm.
The spellcaster.
My stomach churned. I’d seen goblins before in my past life, sure.
But never like this. Never with one of them leading the charge.
“This is bad,” I whispered.
The goblins stirred, their glowing eyes locking onto me.
The spellcaster raised its stick, and the cave trembled.
“Here we go,” I said, bracing myself.
The air grew heavier as the goblins advanced. My grip tightened around the kitchen knife, the blade trembling slightly in my hand.
Bing!
A screen appeared.
Why does the system have to display my stats at the worst possible time?!
----------------------------------------
Name: Alistair Quinlan
Level: 5
Age: 13
Strength (STR): 15
Agility (AGI): 20
Stamina (STA): 17
Intelligence (INT): 15
Aura (AURA): 1
Perception (PER): 13
Endurance (END): 12
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Then another message appeared:
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[Congratulations! Upon entering a Quest]
[You have unlocked the Observer’s Eye]
You can now peek at the stats and status of others. You may only view those near your level or below. Levels beyond yours remain hidden.
----------------------------------------
!!!
A grin spread across my face.
Observer’s Eye?
“This just got interesting,” I muttered.
Excited, I activated it.
I focused on the nearest goblin, and instantly, its stats appeared before me.
----------------------------------------
Five Goblin Pawns
Level: 1
Strength (STR): 5
Agility (AGI): 5
Stamina (STA): 5
Intelligence (INT): 3
Aura (AURA): 0
Perception (PER): 4
Endurance (END): 5
----------------------------------------
"Maybe this kitchen knife is enough for those of you," I whispered.
The pawns were nothing more than fodder.
But then my eyes locked onto the tall one—the spellcaster.
----------------------------------------
Cursed Spellcasting Goblin
Level: 5
Title: Calamity Bringer
Strength (STR): 15
Agility (AGI): 11
Stamina (STA): 15
Intelligence (INT): 17
Aura (AURA): 5
Perception (PER): 17
Endurance (END): 11
----------------------------------------
“Calamity Bringer?” I murmured.
It has a title?!
Great. Just my luck.
Its stats were close to mine, but its Aura and Perception were far higher. Still, we were on the same level.
I shifted my focus back to the goblins. They inched closer, their glowing red eyes cutting through the dim light.
Behind them, the spellcaster raised his staff, the air around him full of dark energy.
I adjusted my grip on the knife.
“Let’s see how far this knife can go,” I muttered, stepping forward.
I lunged forward, the kitchen knife slicing through the air.
The first goblin rushed at me, snarling, its crude club raised high.
Focus.
Shwick!
I was precise, and so was the knife, slashing clean across the goblin’s chest.
Splat!
Dark blood sprayed onto the ground. The goblin staggered, its growl fading into a wet gurgle before it collapsed.
My heart pounded, but not out of fear. It was something else. Something... exhilarating.
This is it, I thought. This is what I’ve wanted all along.
Another goblin rushed me. This one was faster, more aggressive.
Grahhh!
Whoosh!
It swung a jagged blade at my side. I barely dodged, feeling the air shift as the weapon missed.
My knife shot up, stabbing deep into the goblin’s side.
It screamed, clawing at me in desperation. I twisted the blade and pulled it out, watching it collapse.
I stood there for a moment, panting. Blood dripped from the knife. My hands shook, but not from fear.
I lifted my attention to the Calamity Bringer. It stood motionless, its red eyes locked on me.
No orders. No movement. Just... watching.
I tightened my grip on the knife. “Is that all?” I muttered.
Then I heard it.
Crkk!
A faint crack. I looked down at my knife.
The blade had snapped in half.
"The timing is perfect. Maybe I should invest in luck If there's any. System, got any skills to buff that one?" I muttered sarcastically, tossing the broken handle aside.
One of the fallen goblins still clutched a weapon—a crude but sturdy-looking sword.
Without hesitation, I grabbed it, testing its weight. It wasn’t in great condition, but it would do.
The remaining goblins circled me, growling and snarling.
“Let me finish this,” I said, taking a defensive stance.
They rushed in, two at once.
I parried the first goblin’s strike, countering with a quick slash that opened its throat.
Shlick!
The second goblin tried to flank me, but I spun around, driving the blade deep into its gut.
Gshh!
They fell, one after the other.
I didn’t stop.
Each swing, each stab, felt more natural. My movements became sharper, more precise.
By the time the last goblin fell, my chest heaved with effort. The cave floor was covered in bodies.
And still, the Calamity Bringer stood there, unmoving.
I wiped the sweat from my brow and raised the goblin sword. My eyes locked onto the towering figure ahead.
“Your turn,”
But the system again appeared.
Bing!
----------------------------------------
[Reward! Congratulations on taking down those goblin pawns! Looks like your kitchen knife was just the start of your new career as a goblin exterminator! ]
----------------------------------------
Damn, it really knows how to be annoying sometimes.
But I'm stunned
----------------------------------------
[Plus 3 points to all the stats!]
[You level up!]
[You have unlocked Devour]
A skill that increases your stats every time you defeat an opponent.
----------------------------------------
Name: Alistair
Level: 7
Age: 13
Strength (STR): 18
Agility (AGI): 23
Stamina (STA): 20
Intelligence (INT): 18
Aura (AURA): 4
Perception (PER): 16
Endurance (END): 15