Chapter 3

And that makes three…

After resetting his trap, Ethan climbed back up the large tree and waited for more unsuspecting prey. Now armed with a knife that closely resembled a prison shiv, Ethan managed to lure in two more goblins who seemed more than happy to commit cannibalism. Reaching level 3 after his last ambush, Ethan’s stats had already grown a significant amount in just half a day.

Status

Name: Ethan Porter

Level: 3

Class: (N/A)

Title: (N/A)

Attribute: Undiscovered

Stats

Strength: 6

Agility: 7

Endurance: 6

Vitality: 8

Constitution: 7

Wisdom: 8

Intelligence: 7

Perception: 7

Skills

Identification (Common) – A basic skill granted to all under the System’s guidance. Allows the user to identify items of interest or scan enemies.

Linguists Gift (EX)- Allows the bearer to understand and communicate in all languages.

Titles (Unequipped)

Blessings

System’s Blessing (EX)

- A blessing provided to all races under the System’s guidance, granting a variety of boons that allow world to prosper in unity.

With just two extra levels, his stats had increased by a significant amount and the effects were noticeable. It was subtle, but he felt like he had gotten much stronger physically, even if he didn’t have a way to confirm it. There also weren’t any clear physical changes to his body, but Ethan remained convinced that his stat increases were already in effect.

The sun began to set as mellow rays of light now seeped through the dense forest; on the ground it was already dark as Ethan decided to give up on the trap for the day. Stuffing the three goblin corpses in some nearby bushes, he followed the exact opposite path that the compass was telling him to go. Staying anywhere near the bloody goblins was like putting up a neon sign, shouting “PLEASE FIND ME”, so Ethan wisely decided to relocate.

He managed to walk for only about ten minutes before being forced to a stop. In front of Ethan was a wall of trees so closely knit together that going further was impossible. It was difficult to see how far the wall went on for thanks to the encroaching darkness, but Ethan couldn’t help but feel that he was sitting on the edge of the first floor and going further would be impossible.

With no one able to sneak up from behind, Ethan found a small bush conveniently allowing just enough space for him to fit between the bush and the wall of trees. Squeezing into the tight fit, it certainly wasn’t luxury comfort, but not being out in the open gave a sense of security that he wouldn’t have felt otherwise. Reflecting on the crazy events of the day, Ethan closed his eyes as sleep quickly took him. It was still early, but the young man, just short of twenty years old, was in desperate need of some rest.

Tomorrow would bring its own set of challenges, but for now the only thing on Ethan’s mind was the dirt was surprisingly more comfortable than he thought.

Waking up from his sleep, Ethan opened his blurry eyes to the sight of a cluster of trees that made his mind jump back in shock, forcing him to remember all of yesterday's events.

Well, there goes the thoughts of it being a dream.

As much as his life had been thrown upside down, Ethan would be lying to himself if he said he was sad that this was his new reality. Not only were his legs recovered, but a new fire had been lit within him. Competition had always driven him, and what was this tutorial if not one massive competition?

Moving out of his makeshift shelter, Ethan inspected his body, expecting to feel some sort of lingering pain from yesterday, yet his condition felt fantastic. Just seconds after waking up Ethan felt refreshed and invigorated as if he had been up for hours already. He had always been a slow starter in the mornings, so this feeling was a weird sensation but more than welcome. Chalking it up to his stats or some unknown factor, Ethan once again recognised the benefits he had obtained from this ‘System’.

He wasn’t sure what the hell the system was or what it wanted, but so far it had helped him enough for him to hold it in quite the positive light.

Choosing to get on with his day, Ethan followed through with the plan that he had made yesterday. Now that he was standing at what seemed to be the edge of this floor, he could follow it to get a good grasp of the area.

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

Bringing up the timer that continuously ticked down, Ethan’s current plan was to understand the layout of the floor to aid his exploration over the coming week. With a plan in mind, he continued his journey keeping the boundary to his left.

[Time Remaining: 6 Days. 2 hours, 12 Minutes]

After a solid hour of walking, Ethan had noticed a few things. Firstly, walking through a crowded forest is an absolute pain in the ass, the small cuts and scrapes adorning his arms were testament to this.

Secondly, the trees were in a curved line rather than a straight one. The curve was very slim, but Ethan became certain that this place was formed in a circle or oval shape.

Thirdly, there seemed to be a serious lack of, well, anything. No goblins, no orcs, no sootheberries… nada.

With the thought of wasting any more time weighing on his mind, Ethan was just about to move inland as he heard a scream in the distance. Indecision racked his brain as he remembered the orc from yesterday. This hesitation lasted a mere moment before he ran through the dense forest towards the screams. If he could do something to save someone, then he sure as hell was going to try.

Following the sounds of conflicts that now got closer and closer, Ethan burst through a bush as he took in the scene in front of him. What he had thought were the screams of a woman or child, were actually the death throes of a goblin now lying before him motionless. Noticing the dead creature, Ethan looked up to notice the ongoing fight between a man and three more goblins seemingly ready to avenge their fallen comrade.

Keeping silent, Ethan slinked forward as the man noticed him. Without giving anything away, the man started screaming in a clear attempt to keep the goblins attention, and it worked like a charm. Due to the distraction, Ethan managed to get within a couple metres of the goblins before the middle one turned back to notice him. Without even a chance to scream, the goblin had a knife jabbed into its chest.

Expecting more resistance, Ethan was surprised as the goblin instantly crumbled, awarding him a notification.

Now aware of Ethan, the remaining goblins relied on their primitive natures as they rushed the new threat. Making a mistake in forgetting about their original opponent.

Ethan watched as the man rushed one of the incoming goblins, slamming its head into the ground as he proceeded to bash the small creature with his bare fists. Now not worrying about two separate attacks, Ethan easily subdued his final attacker with a quick stab to the stomach. Yet again, the goblin crumpled, unable to compete with Ethan's reach and agility.

A bit let down by not levelling up from the altercation, Ethan was itching for his next level up.

“Shit man, thanks for the help there. Two of the little buggers were hiding in the bushes.”

The man did a quick once-over inspecting himself for any injuries, giving Ethan the chance to take a good look at the man.

Tan skin, blond, shaggy hair and a wet suit covering his entire body. This dude had clearly been teleported away during a surf. The man had a skinny build and long dangly arms. Ethan couldn’t help but mentally compare him to those blow-up tube men that were always funny to see as a child.

“Yeah, no worries, but what are you still doing around here?”

Hearing this, the man made a look like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar as he shrugged.

“Eh thought I could find some extra loot lying around or something.”

Well can’t really blame him for that… It made sense that Ethan wasn’t the only one sticking around for any goodies, he had no idea how many people were here on this floor, but the area seemed large enough for hundreds of people. Without any other questions an awkward silence ensued, there was still a simmering cautiousness thanks to the guides mention of violence being permitted. Luckily, the man seemed inclined to not stab his saviour in the back.

“Oh yeah, I’m Jim by the way. Was sucked up from right on top of my board.”

“I’m Ethan, nice to meet you.” Ethan honestly just wanted to keep the chatting to a minimum, he had no problems with getting along with strangers but being put into a survival situation where violence was encouraged did not seem like a great place to make friends.

“Y’know I was gonna keep this a secret, but I actually saw these goblins coming out of a cave nearby. Thought I could handle it myself, but not so keen after this kerfuffle. Reckon you’d want to team up for a bit?” Hesitation was clearly labelled on Jim’s face as Ethan debated whether to accept or not. The man had clearly gotten a bit too eager and almost paid dearly for it.

It was a tempting proposition. Knowing the goblins had a base was a massive piece of news, Ethan had honestly just assumed they had been sleeping on the ground like him. It also seemed quite straightforward that clearing out a goblin den would also net them points, not even accounting for whatever loot they manage to find. The main issue was whether Ethan could trust Jim whose nervousness was apparent. Shifting from foot to foot, the man had taken a leap of faith in talking about the goblin base only to be met with silence. Was Ethan about to kill him? Leave him and go solo? The anxiety was clearly shown by his body’s refusal to stay still.

“Yeah, I reckon two’s better than one. Lead the way?”

Jim’s face lit up at Ethan’s acceptance, vigorously shaking hands the newly formed duo walked further into the forest going close to the wall. Their journey only took them a couple of minutes, during which Jim had kept chatting away the entire time. Recounting his life story, Ethan got a solid understanding of the man next to him.

From being born in America, to getting his degree, to moving to Bali to escape his mundane life. Jim had managed to compress his 28-years of life into a five-minute dialogue. The man was clearly blessed with the gift of the gab.

Finally stopping to catch his breath, Jim stopped his movements bringing Ethan to a halt.

“Alright they came out from just up ahead.”

With a potential army of goblins just metres away, the two remained as silent as possible as they sneaked closer. As they moved forward, erratic bursts of laughter followed by grunt-like noises became clearer, until the goblin’s den finally came into view.

Connected into the wall of trees showcasing an impossible feat, a large cave mouth revealed itself. The cave was dark, and its contents remained hidden, judging how deep it went was impossible. Standing at the entrance of the cave were two idle goblins armed with short, pointy sticks. The misshapen spears appeared fragile and ready to break under the slightest resistance, yet it was still an upgrade over the primitive daggers all the other goblins had been equipped with.

Seeing where the noise originated from, Ethan watched as the two goblins bickered at each other as they paced around like antsy children. Well, he thought they were bickering. The goblins were throwing up a lot of hand signs and their growls and heckles were impossible to understand.

Confirming with Jim that he was ready to attack, Ethan took stock of his current equipment. Three small daggers, a half handful of sootheberries, and a positive-can do attitude. What else could he possibly need?

With no time better than the present, Jim and Ethan simultaneously burst from their hiding spot behind a cluster of trees. Startled by their sudden appearance, the goblins fumbled with their spears as they prepared to defend themselves.

Rushing forward, Ethan waited until just outside of the goblins reach as he drew out a spare dagger and pelted it forward. The throw had no form to it as it quickly spiralled out of control, hitting the goblin’s face handle first. It didn’t kill or even injure the creature, but the distraction was all Ethan was after.

Instinctively reacting, the goblin flinched as Ethan grabbed onto the spears handle without resistance. Leaving a stupefied goblin with no way to defend himself, Ethan easily dispatched the guard, levelling up in the process. With a new weapon in hand, Ethan turned to Jim who was still in his own fight. Throwing rocks from a distance, Jim persistently aimed for the goblin’s head causing it to scream in anger.

With the goblin losing its patience and rushing him, Jim simply dodged the incoming stab and took the goblin to the ground. Without the strength or muscle mass to escape the grapple, the goblin was quickly killed.

“Ooh nice, level up!”

Hearing this, Ethan tried activating his inspection ability on Jim to no avail. As the two spear-wielding humans entered the goblin cave, a solitary bat flew from the entrance flying deeper in.

A black and purple miasma seemed to spread from the creature’s body, but this mysterious substance was invisible to the duo’s eyes as they took a second to adjust their vision.

With an unknown number of inhabitants in the cave, Ethan and Jim mentally prepared themselves for the upcoming task, who knew what dangers they would soon face?