[Chapter 3 - The Goblin Layer]

Kenji crouched low, his heart pounding in his chest. Of all the creatures in this world, it just had to be goblins. Seriously? he thought, sighing internally. Goblins. The lowest, most disgusting fantasy enemy. They kill, enslave, torture… and from what I’ve read, they’re way worse than people think.

There were five of them. Five ugly, green creatures, each one more disgusting than the last. He mentally categorized them, just like he did with his classmates back in the real world.

Goblin 1: Big and buff, definitely the leader.

Goblin 2: ugly, with a weird, hunched posture.

Goblin 3 and Goblin 4: Nearly identical, constantly grunting and scratching themselves.

Then there was Goblin 5, smaller, weaker, and with a tuft of hair that drooped over one of his eyes. Unlike the others, Goblin 5 seemed more…human and more intelligent. Or at least, less buff. But it definitely looked better than the rest.

Kenji observed as the goblins work, setting up a trap. The first four kept barking at Goblin 5, smacking him when things didn’t go right. The poor thing looked like he was about to cry.

"So, even goblins have their own social hierarchy," Kenji thought. "They’re like us." He breathed out slowly, finding some weird humor in the situation.

Suddenly, Goblin 2 stopped, sniffing the air with its long nose. “Human,” it hissed, its voice deep and menacing.

Kenji’s blood turned to ice. The others picked up the scent too, except Goblin 5, who seemed clueless. He sniffed the air exaggeratedly, confused.

“I smell nothing,” Goblin 5 said, his voice soft, almost pleading.

Goblin 1, the leader, stomped over and punched Goblin 5 hard in the face. “Of course you smell nothing, worthless runt!” he growled, kicking him to the ground. Goblin 5 whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes but never falling.

Goblin 2 dropped to all fours, sniffing like some twisted dog. It turned in Kenji’s direction, creeping closer and closer.

There’s no way that goblin just went full dog mode, Kenji thought, gripping the stick he had found, a small but weirdly heavy stick. He held it tight in his trembling hands.

As Goblin 2 approached, Kenji knew he had no choice. This isn’t like the books. No sudden save, no plot armor. Just me and this stupid stick. He waited until Goblin 2 was close enough, then swung. The hit was pathetic, barely a tap on the goblin’s tough skin.

Kenji froze. Zero strength... right. Crap.

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Goblin 2 grunted and swung its club, sending Kenji flying backward. Pain exploded in his chest as he hit the ground hard. “Damn it…” he groaned, barely able to breathe.

The other goblins rushed him, holding him down. Goblin 5 just stood off to the side, looking conflicted.

Goblin 1 grunted something, and the others held Kenji tighter. Goblin 1 gave a stone to goblin 5 and he walked towards Kenji, trembling as he stepped forward.

Kenji’s heart raced. In desperation, he yelled, “Wait! I can help you! I can cook! Clean! Just, please don’t kill me!”

Goblin 5 hesitated, his eyes watery. He couldn’t do it.

Goblin 1 grunted in frustration, taking the stone from him and knocking Goblin 5 aside. “Useless,” he rasped.

Kenji scrambled for more words. “I can help you beat the humans!”

Goblin 1 paused, his disfigured face twisting into a grin. He grunted a few times, and the others tied Kenji up, dragging him off. Goblin 5 trailed behind, still looking conflicted.

They eventually reached a cave, dark and cold, guarded by more goblins. Kenji was shoved into a small, grimy cell. Goblin 5 was left to stand guard, his bruised face downcast.

“Great. Day one and I’m already a prisoner,” Kenji muttered. He glanced at Goblin 5, who kept staring at him. At least one of them isn’t completely horrible, he thought, noticing the goblin’s shy glances.

Kenji’s thoughts raced. Why bring me here? What’s going to happen to me?

But as he thought that, something else caught his eye, a small ant crawling near his foot.

How weak am I really? he wondered, his mind drifting back to his stats. Zero strength... let’s see.

He pressed his finger down on the ant. Nothing happened. It crawled away, completely unaffected. Kenji frowned, trying again with more force. Still nothing.

“That bad, huh?” he mumbled. Goblin 5 tilted his head, confused at Kenji’s struggle to crush a mere insect.

Frustrated, Kenji spotted a small stone, weighting at least 500 grams. He lifted it with all his strength, barely managing to hold it, and dropped it toward the ant. It missed. He sighed, using the stick he got to nudge the stone closer. After what felt like an eternity, he finally squished the ant.

As he did, a notification popped up in his vision.

Ant Killed. Ant Downloaded.

A progress bar appeared, filling up from 0 to 100%. The ant’s body vanished, leaving Goblin 5 staring in shock.

“What the…?” Kenji muttered as a new message appeared:

You can now transform into an ant.

Kenji blinked. His stats appeared again, showing slight changes.

Strength: 1. Agility: 0. Speed: 1. Stamina: 1.

“Wait... I leveled up?” He picked up the stone again, and this time it felt a tiny bit lighter, or was it all just him?

Another ant crawled nearby. Without thinking, Kenji repeated the process, squashing it under the stone. Another notification. Another stat boost.

Strength: 1.1. Agility: 0. Speed: 1.1. Stamina: 1.1.

Goblin 5 stared in awe, mouth hanging open as he watched the ant disappear again.

Kenji grinned. “So I can get stronger, ” But reality hit him quickly. I’m still ridiculously weak. But it’s a start.

Just as he was feeling the faintest bit of hope, Goblin 1 approached the cell, kicking Goblin 5 aside and calling him useless again. The leader opened the cage door, a wicked grin on his face.

“The Goblin King wants to see you,” he rasped.