They all knew that they were not immortal. Yet this terrible reminder chilled them to the bone. They buried their companion as best they could, digging into the earth using their swords as shovels. The grim task completed; they left the place to go even further away from the monsters' territory to finish the night.

They remained pragmatic and shared the stones of the dead Goblins and those possessed by the paladin. If they mourned the death of this companion - more out of sensitivity because deep down they did not know each other that well - they also guessed that the difficulty would increase: there were now only four of them left to face 66 Goblins!

While they were moping around thinking that they might be the next to die, Diego took the initiative to establish their new strategy. According to him, they had to avoid large groups of goblins, except when supplies started to run out. Preferably, they should pursue small groups of two to three monsters and alternate the people who confronted them: if they each hit a goblin, whoever finished him off, each would receive a point. This way, they would progress more quickly towards the accomplishment of this damn mission.

From time to time, the adventurers came across crude traps set by the goblins: large ropes stretched between two trees, pits lined with spikes poorly covered by foliage... This taught them, however, to remain cautious: a false step, a nighttime stroll or even a fight nearby could easily transform these pitfalls into real dangers.

A few goblins later, the System finally recognized the adventurers’ skills a little more. Jules received this message:

Based on your actions, you have unlocked two skills:

Second Wind (F) (Supernatural Power) (You regain 1 additional Vigor Point per level during your natural regeneration.) [Max +10]

Detection (F): (Supernatural Power) Increases the probability of detecting traps, invisible things, and points of interest.

You have unlocked all of your initial skills.

When he told the others this, he discovered that he was indeed the last of their small group to have finally unlocked all of his initial skills. For example, the healer Martin had unlocked the skill “Mana Reserve (F)” which granted him 10 more Energy points and increased his regeneration by one point per hour. This simple skill didn’t drastically increase the group’s chances of survival, but it was still a step in the right direction.

However, the most powerful skill was undoubtedly that of “Telekinesis (F)” received by Diego, the magician. Remotely manipulating sharp stones or daggers, he managed to distract enemies or deal them a fatal blow, considerably increasing the chances of victory.

You gain a level!

Current level: 3

Current experience: 253

Experience needed for next level: 197

Finally! After several days of this odious regime, Jules reached level 3!

This level granted him a characteristic point to distribute as well as a choice of class skills:

Class Skill gain

As you progress in your mastery of your class, you can choose one additional class skill from the three skills below:

Rush (F) (Supernatural Power) Allows you to move very quickly towards a target, in a straight line. Temporarily increases Agility and Strength by 1, costs 10 Vigor.

Parry [F] (Natural Power) [Gain a 10% chance to parry an attack at the cost of 2 Vigor points. The higher the opponent's Agility is compared to yours, the more the percentage will decrease.]

Rage (F) (Supernatural Power) Partially clouds the user's discernment and increases their power at the expense of their ability to absorb damage. Immunizes against terror and pain. [Prohibits passive or defensive postures] [Strength x2, Intelligence %2, Damage taken x3, costs 1 Vigor/10 seconds]

After careful consideration, Jules decided to discard "rage", the partial disorder of discernment not being a very reassuring point. Hesitating with "Rush" which would allow to quickly attack a distant opponent, he ended up choosing "Parry" whose defensive contribution was preferable in their situation. However, since he didn't have a "Luck" stat in his list, unlike Pierre, to increase his parry chance, he doubted that the latter's bonus would be that useful at such a low level.

Although their group had not torn itself apart to obtain the most "points", driven by the need to survive before any greed, the warrior noted that the regime of terror and struggle for survival had not welded their group together as you always see in the movies. On the contrary: each had become more taciturn, more secretive, only revealing their new skills if asked directly, perhaps lying.

The level increase had brought him a six-point increase in vitality and Vigor, while his additional point had increased his Agility, compensating a little more for that of the monsters. Slowly but surely the group was improving, first by an increase in their habit of handling their weapons, then by the bonuses of the System. With a bit of luck, when Martin, the last of the group not to have had this level-up, would also reach level 3, his healing would perhaps improve...

Hunger began to be felt again. Supplies were running low, though a few goblins caught carrying game had helped to extend their stock. Now it was time to raid one of the goblin hunting outposts again.

Jules called up the quest window to check how much work they still had to do. It opened after a short loading time and he saw that they were at 64/100 for the Goblins and 734/1200 for the points. They had therefore completed three quarters of their objective.

Approaching cautiously a previously spotted outpost, the adventurers detected the presence of nine Goblins. With the element of surprise, they had some chance of reducing their numbers before encountering real resistance.

The monsters were aware of their existence and of their previous clashes with other Goblins. Their nervousness was visible in the way most of them kept their weapons constantly at hand. However, these creatures seemed too stupid to organize a real defense: there were no lookouts around their camps, they continued to wander in small groups in the forest and they had never organized a hunt to find them. The nighttime clash that cost the paladin his life was likely fortuitous and not an intentional encounter.

Diego used his telekinetic power to violently hit a goblin with a rock located on the other side of the camp. It wasn't enough to kill him, but enough to draw the attention of the entire group in that direction. When the human warriors emerged from the undergrowth, weapons drawn, all the Goblins had their backs turned to them.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

With two sword blows, Jules eliminated his first Goblin and this one barely had time to turn around and make a few clumsy movements before perishing. Alerted, the other Goblins rushed towards the adventurers. Two of them attacked Jules.

Dodging one of them, he found himself in the path of the other's sword which cut him for 7 Hit Points. The warrior tried to counterattack, but he still had trouble managing several enemies at once. Without daring to risk too much by betting on the attack at the expense of the defense, he let slip his chance to hit the agile opponents.

They went back on the attack and, despite a dodge that Jules judged successful, the sword of the same opponent found the gap in his defense. The warrior narrowly missed his parry and found himself amputated of 10 Hit Points this time!

A new successful blow from the opponent made him lose 14 Hit Points, almost disfiguring him. Blood, flowing from his forehead, slightly obstructed his vision without causing a significant enough penalty for the System to take note of it. The next exchange of weapons ended in a draw, but his heart was beating hard in his chest: so much time spent facing outnumbered Goblins had made them forget the danger of their numbers.

The despair that knotted Jules' stomach then slowly changed into a little hope when he saw that the monsters were catching their breath, putting themselves in defensive postures: their weak Vigor had been exhausted by the succession of violent movements while his was only one point away from half its maximum level!

With a fierce smile, he counterattacked, inflicting a serious injury of 20 Hit Points on the one who had made him lose so much. They retaliated by inflicting 8 and 10 points of damage respectively, while dodging his next attack. The little Vigor they had regained having gone, they had difficulty facing his next attack.

Decapitating his most fierce enemy, he pushed the other back by inflicting a serious injury. With a powerful backhand of his sword, he then delivered the final blow. A searing pain pierced his chest…

Looking down, away from the Goblin’s corpse that was collapsing to the ground, he saw that the monster had had time to sink its weapon deep into his stomach. Pulling it out, screaming in pain, he immediately began to tear off a piece of the rags that had become his clothes, using his “First Aid” skill to stem the incipient hemorrhage.

Status:

Name: Jules Dupont

Race: [Human]

Class: Warrior; Level 3

Hit points (HP): 7/68

Vigor: 1/18

Armor: 0 (+1!)

Current experience: 310

Experience needed for next level: 140

Getting up with difficulty – because he had sat down to heal his bruises – Jules caught his breath and observed the state of the battlefield. Only two Goblins were alive, but they were triumphant: Diego and Martin were seriously injured, having managed to kill two Goblins, they were only holding out against the third by protecting each other. Further on, Pierre had killed one of his opponents but seemed in a bad position against the second.

Arriving behind the Goblin who was attacking the duo, Jules struck him dead, ending his threat. Turning his gaze towards his fellow warrior, he saw him repeatedly stab his sword into the corpse of his fallen enemy before painfully catching his breath. The battle was won, but it would have been a close call for it to turn into a disaster.

While Diego was already stocking up the Goblins' provisions, Martin discovered a curious object on the battlefield: a sort of book that seemed to have come out of a Goblin. It was not soiled and it was unlikely that these monsters would indulge in reading. Jules prepared to ask him a question...

Suddenly, a crowd of small green shapes emerged from the thickets. The warrior bit his lip and counted quickly: eleven Goblins! They seemed surprised, undecided, but an order from one of them quickly brought them out of this lethargy. This specimen was larger than the others, muscular, even dominating the Humans by its size. Its face, although green, was very different from the angular faces of the Goblins and from its mouth emerged two teeth similar to tusks:

Second Floor Boss

Loktar the Tyrant

Orc, Level 2 [Rank F]

Hit Points: 66/66

Vigor: 16/16

Abilities:

Strength: 10 (+1)

Agility: 4

Stamina: 8

Intelligence: 4

Armor: 0 (+1)

Attributes (0):

Skills (4):

Parry [F] (Natural Power) [Gain a 10% chance to parry an attack at the cost of 2 Vigor points. The higher the opponent's Agility is compared to yours, the more the percentage will decrease.]

Offensive Stance [F] (Natural Power) [Stance] Temporarily increases Strength and chance to hit by 1. Decreases parry and evasion by the same amount. [Cannot be used at the same time as defensive stance.]

Rage (F) (Supernatural Power) Partially clouds the user's discernment and increases their power at the expense of their ability to absorb damage. Immunizes against terror and pain. [Prohibits passive or defensive postures] [Strength x2, Intelligence %2, Damage taken x3, costs 1 Vigor/10 seconds]

Rush (F) (Supernatural Power) Allows you to move very quickly towards a target, in a straight line. Temporarily increases Agility and Strength by 1, costs 10 Vigor.

The massive monster pointed a large, serrated sword at the adventurers and immediately more than half of the Goblins rushed forward while the rest kept pace.

The magician and the healer, barely recovered from their wounds, were the first to flee. Jules followed closely behind them. Glancing back, he saw that Pierre was already surrounded by enemies. Too emboldened by their numbers, they were reckless. One of them was taken down as soon as it arrived with a sword blow to the forehead. Taking advantage of the respite given by the dead monster, the warrior called for help while stabbing a second Goblin.

Jules turned to him. Four Goblins still surrounded his comrade and the others, with their terrible leader, were close by. Jules' emotions shook his soul strongly as he considered his options: if he strongly wanted to come to his comrade's aid, he knew that his Hit Points were low and the enemies numerous. A movie hero would have gone straight to the aid of his ally in distress and a few twists of fate would allow him to triumph…

But reality was not a movie: he was almost certain that if he went, they would both perish. With tears in his eyes, he took to his heels and shouted “Sorry!”.

The agonized cry of the abandoned warrior soon echoed in the cursed forest, but far enough away that his comrades could hope not to be pursued…

Warrior Pierre Normand is dead.

His 235 Points are divided among his teammates.

You receive 78 Points.

Another dead comrade. It was less of an effect than the first time it had happened. It was likely that the next one would be even less shocking…

It was in silence that the survivors divided up the meat collected during the raid, none of them wanting to talk about their ally left behind.

In any case, what could they have done? Stay to help him and be slaughtered to the last one? That idiotic remorse, it was better to forget it. Yes, forget it… There was no other reasonable choice…

Their attention was suddenly drawn to the mysterious book collected by the healer as he took it out of his inventory. A cold pragmatism born of the need to survive gave them back their voice.

“What is it actually?”

“Apparently, it’s a ‘rare loot’. It’s listed as a ‘Tome of Intelligence’.”

Characteristic Book (Very Rare):

Tome of Intelligence +1

“According to the System’s help,” Martin continued, “our rank can add up to five bonuses from books, skill books not counting. This book is a ‘consumable’, meaning that it is absorbed to obtain a permanent bonus.”

“Well,” said Diego, “pass it to me.”

“And why? I found it!”

“And me, added Jules, I saved you both: I deserve this bonus just as much!”

Their hands tightened on their weapons and their postures became threatening.

“We... We're not going to kill each other over this, are we?”

Martin's reflection disturbed the belligerent atmosphere as reason suddenly returned to these men at the end of their tether. Looking at each other with embarrassment, they ended up agreeing to leave this tome to the healer on the condition that the next bonus discovered went to one of them.

Letting themselves fall like stones, without even designating a sentry, the three men tried to find a little rest. They had completed three-quarters of this ignoble task: it was probably possible to finish the job... Maybe... It was better not to doubt it so as not to lose all hope... And then, what alternative did they have?

A sinister thought crossed Jules's mind: if he killed his two comrades, the bonus points granted should be enough to finish the mission...