2
Hyping himself up worked, and he stepped out of his parents’ bedroom. The sounds of the front door alerted him to the imminent danger.
Jordan pulled the door to his parents' room closed behind him. Then, the front door shattered in the center. Several more Goblins shrieked their triumph from the other side.
Their names appeared over their heads.
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Goblin Swordsman - 10/10 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Swordsmanship
Rather than retreat, he rushed to the front door, his knuckles white from how hard he gripped the sword in his hand. Stabbing forward, he pierced the chest of the first Goblin that tried to enter the apartment. It created a temporary block, gaining him some time.
Every second would count.
He ignored the messages that appeared, grateful that it disappeared into silver mist. Turning back around, he ran toward the window and threw it open. He stepped out onto the fire escape, looked back, and saw something far larger than a Goblin remove the corpse.
A larger green-skinned creature crouched in the open hole of the door, grinning.
Rasputin, the Mighty Lord of the Goblins - 50/50 HP
Beginner Boss (Tier One)
Goblin Berserker
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Primary Skill: Frenzy
Pushing the other Goblins aside, Rasputin swung twice. With the massive cleaver it wielded, the door shattered into thousands of splinters. Nothing remained of the door as fragments blew into the apartment.
“Come get me, ugly!” Jordan goaded.
A dozen of the Goblins filed into the apartment, sprinting toward the window. Only the larger one even noticed the first fallen Goblin, but it didn’t halt its pursuit.
Looks like that did the trick. Time to go! The metal railing was cold on his feet, the night air damp and chilly. Wish I’d at least put some shoes on, but who knew things would turn out like this?
Dropping the first ladder—one of four he’d have to go down—he scurried down. By the time he got down the second, the first Goblin landed on the fire escape in hot pursuit. Each one after came faster, as the large green hands of the bigger creature shoved the smaller Goblins through.
The light of the moon gave him plenty of visibility. When he stepped onto the damp ground, the Goblins hot on his heels, he didn’t wait to run towards the main street. Within a few seconds of looking around, he realized the world was in chaos. Different “beginner monsters” were wreaking havoc everywhere.
Slimes wriggled around like slugs, except they were gelatinous orbs of death. Evil-looking wolves howled as they pranced about, bloodied claws and fangs marking their new territory. Even more Goblins cackled and grunted as they chased his screaming neighbors around with the rest of the horde…
"This can't be real. Someone tell me I'm dreaming," Jordan said to himself.
But he very much wasn't.
Megan had woken him from dreamland. Jordan had a few mixed feelings about that. Had she moved to help Dad, they likely could have fought the Goblin. On top of that, Jordan had already killed two Goblins. He'd felt the realness of their bodies as the sword cut into them.
Speaking of…
The first pursuing Goblin fell to the ground with a thud, rushing toward him. Jordan rounded the side of the complex and nearly ran right over another Goblin Swordsman. Before it could react, his sword was already deep in its chest, and its own weapon clanked to the ground.
Jordan didn't stop, sweeping up the fallen sword and crushing the Essence Orb that appeared in one motion. He rushed past as the silver stream floated after and filled him with that strange heat.
Wet steps rounded the corner, and he looped back into the apartment. Bad idea!
Goblin Minion - 3/3 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Slave Labor
Goblin Scavenger - 4/4 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Finding Useless Things
Goblin Scout - 5/5 HP
Beginner Monster (Tier Zero)
Primary Skill: Poor Scouting
There were more Goblins, but these had different names and weapons. They toted sharpened sticks, rocks in dirty cloth, and a long and heavy stick with a large, rounded top.
He couldn’t waste any time. Taking the initiative, he stepped toward the Goblins. The one with the big stick blocked his first attack. But the second sword Jordan picked up followed his first attack and pierced through the goblin’s chest. Drawing the blade free, the corpse faded to smoke. Jordan stepped to the side of the rock-in-a-sock as it whooshed past his face.
Kicking forward, he pushed the Goblin off balance. With his left sword, he stabbed it. With the right, he failed to block the sharpened stick. Barely noticing it at the last second, he turned his body to the side to mitigate the attack. He hissed as the sharp stick scraped at his side, his thin t-shirt doing nothing to stop the attack.
But now, he brought the two swords to bear against the last Goblin. Within a second, it lay dead at his feet, dissipating into silver mist. The corpses left behind their signature orbs. Jordan crushed each of the Essence Orbs, the invigorating effect instantaneous. His labored breathing normalized, and the pain in his side became itchy as the pain faded.
What is this stuff? That’s… incredible. The thought almost made him feel guilty once he remembered his family. Keep moving!
Tearing through the hall toward the staircase, he hoped to lose the Goblins. But they kept coming, hot on his heels. Every time he ran into another group, he lost any advantage he gained.
But there was merit in slaying the Goblins in his way, something that made him feel… strange. The longer he killed, the more of that power accumulated and the easier the blade became to wield.
What’s going on? This can’t be the effect of some kind of magical adrenaline, right?
Things weren’t making sense. After running and fighting, his body should feel some fatigue. He was a collegiate level athlete and kept his body in good condition. However, he should have felt some kind of sign of exhaustion as he continued to move.
Regardless of what was going on, he didn’t have time to try and unravel the many mysteries. All he could focus on now was just surviving.
He tore up the second set of steps to the third floor. His family waited for him on the fifth, but the sound of the Goblins following him echoed up the stairwell.
Instead of leading them right back to his family, he pushed through the door leading into the hallway. The complex was like a hotel or motel. The halls were long with doors leading to different homes on either side.
He stepped into the hallway, holding the swords at the ready. The Goblins had made a ruckus on their way up. Other doors lay shattered and in pieces. The more he looked, the more he noticed.
Bloody smears painted the halls and walls.
Is the world ending?