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An ear-splitting shriek cut through the dead of night. Like a bucket of water had been poured on his face, Jordan leapt out of bed, heart racing. He looked around. However, something blocked his vision.

Phase Zero: The Tutorial has commenced for World Designation: Gaia 6!

Jordan stared at the strange two manifestations that hovered in front of his blurry eyes. He closed his eyes, and the messages remained.

What’s going on?

Glass shattered from the living room, and Dad roared like Jordan never heard before. Without thinking, he ignored the grogginess and strange prompts, then stumbled towards his bedroom door. With his hand on the knob, Dad let out the loudest sound of pain and fury Jordan ever heard. Something smacked against his door.

Throwing open the door, he saw the gruesome scene before him. A small green creature shrieked, its high-pitched voice causing his headache to worsen. None of that mattered though as Jordan watched it stabbed Dad with a small sword.

Dad fell back, groaning. Scrapes lined his arms, and more than one stab wound bled. Wrenching the blade free of Dad’s stomach, Dad fell back onto the floor and scooted away from the creature as it grinned and stalked forward.

Jordan didn't have time to think, turning to see Megan in her pajamas—pink short shorts and a plain white t-shirt. She was the source of the screams that woke him. As the little green monster raised the sword to kill Dad, Jordan moved. He vaulted over the couch and tackled the monster. His surprise attack allowed him the chance to pin down the sword. His weight kept the struggling creature down on the ground as it tried to buck him off.

Not a chance!

Serrated teeth attempted to bite chunks from his arm. He smashed the sword-wielding hand into the floor until the creature dropped it. Grabbing it in a reverse grip, he stared at the creature as it grinned back at him. Jordan shot a look towards Mom and Dad. Mom kept shooting glances Jordan’s way as she tried to stop Dad’s bleeding.

Clenching his teeth, he plunged the sword deep into the creature’s chest. Blood spurted from the wound and across his chest, seeping into the carpeted floor. Jordan saw Mom frown, but she said nothing. He wrenched the sword to the side and stopped the monster’s frail attempts to escape.

Jordan stood up and backed away, his hands trembling. Acid churned in the back of his throat, but he swallowed it down and looked toward his parents.

“Dad, are you okay?” Megan crouched next to Mom and tried to help staunch the flow of blood, but Jordan’s attention was elsewhere.

Text hovered above the creature’s head.

Goblin Swordsman - 0/10 HP

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)

Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship

Jordan could only stare, completely dumbfounded. He watched the Goblin for a moment longer. The blood and body dissipated in silver smoke, leaving behind a milky orb in its place. Hesitantly, he knelt and touched the orb.

The Orb melted into a hazy mist that slammed into his chest. The mist was warm and filled his body with an elevated level of energy he’d never felt. So much in fact, his head spun from the overwhelming stimulus.

Another of the messages appeared in front of him.

1 Essence assimilated.

View your Way?

I don’t have time for that! After rejecting the prompt, the message disappeared into silver smoke "What...?"

Jordan didn’t have time to wonder. A grunting sound came from the front door, and he had a good idea of what it might be. The door was closed, the deadbolt locked, but that didn't seem to stop whatever was on the other side. Dull thuds rang out through their apartment.

Mom looked between them all, meeting Jordan’s gaze.

“Mom, we have to take Dad and Megan to the bathroom. After that, I’ll…” What am I gonna do? Looking toward the fire escape, an idea started to form. “I’ll lead them away and come back.”

“No!”

“There’s no time to argue! You have to save him, and I… Just trust me, okay?” The pounding on the door got louder and more frequent. “Lock the bathroom door. There’s medicine and other stuff you can use to help him, right?”

She seemed hesitant to agree, glancing between Dad and him, but she nodded. Jordan stepped around the Goblin corpse and helped Mom drag Dad away from the living room. The sound of something green, ugly, and pissed-off continued smashing against the door echoed throughout the place.

He had to ignore the smearing of blood across the floor as they moved. Megan attempted to help, but she made the already difficult task harder.

“Go wait in the bathroom, Megan,” he ordered.

“But—”

“Listen to Jordan!” Mom shouted. “This is not the time!”

His kid sister opened her mouth and closed it, leaving her complaints unsaid. Over the next few moments, the amount of banging on the door increased. He heard the door splinter and crack as it gave in, losing to the continued assault.

Once Dad was in the bathroom, Jordan scrambled to find anything to help secure the stab wound. Frantically, he searched the medicine cabinet for medicine or bandages. That was until Mom grabbed his shoulders. She stared into his eyes, and a heaviness settled on his shoulders.

“Son, I...”

Jordan stopped in his tracks, looking towards the door they'd come in from. He couldn't waste anymore time. "I'll be back. Promise."

"You can do this, Jordy!"

Her conviction ignited hope within him, and he felt the burning drive to succeed. “I’ll be back for all of you.” He met their gazes. Dad’s pale face and unfocused eyes made Jordan more motivated to take a few of the monsters out once he led them away. “Be good for Mom and Dad, Megan.”

She nodded. Without another word, he turned away, pulling the bathroom door closed behind him. The tumbler clicked into place. In the next moment, someone on the other side locked him out. As much as he wanted to be inside with them, he couldn’t. His duty now was more important than anything he’d ever done before.

I can do this! I have to, for Mom, for Dad, and for Megan.