Chapter 3

I shut the door as quickly as I could, nearly slamming my fingers in the process. Quickly flipping the lock switch at the upper right hand corner, all I could do was pray that the thin metal bar could withstand the force of the 8’ foot orc that was undoubtedly going to start launching itself at the door…

… which never came.

Sighing a breath of relief, I slumped back onto the wall next to the doorway. Why was there an orc standing in the middle of the hallway? Not even 30 minutes had passed by since I encountered the explosion – yet, I had experienced two unexplainable interactions with two mythical creatures. None of it made any sense.

Lounging around and sulking wouldn’t help anything. Standing up, I once again picked up the cudgel – I highly doubted the orc was friendly, and I needed a way to arm myself. I wasn’t sure how I felt about using the weapon since I had non-existent muscles, but it was better than walking around with my bare hands. At least I could hold it up without difficulty. Unfortunately, the leather armor that the goblin was wearing wouldn’t fit me in the slightest – not that I would even consider wearing it as it was all slathered in blood. At least the cudgel gave me some sort of comfort.

Bzzt!

That sound! The orb was once again buzzing in the same exact fashion as it had before. Gripping the cudgel a bit tighter, I readied myself for whatever it would throw at me this time.

‘Another goblin…?’

It was indeed another goblin, spawning in the exact same order as the other one had. This time, however, its outfit was a little bit different – the armor was clearly of the same fashion but a tad bit darker.

Crack!

Taking the initiative, I swung my cudgel overhead, aiming directly for the head of the spawning goblin. I was certain that I would have at least enough strength to split its skull open, or at least knock it out until I could find another way to kill it.

Until I hit a barrier.

Stumbling back while trying to ignore the ringing in my ears and the buzzing of my arms, I tried to discern what happened. It appeared that the orb had a layer of protection – most likely one similar to the forcefield that had blocked the doorway.

“To prevent immediate spawn killing…” I mumbled.

It made sense. The way the goblin appeared was the exact same, and a protection layer was enveloped around it to prevent damage until it could fully spawn without disruption. All I could do was stand and stare until it fully emerged.

The goblin immediately turned and faced me, clutching what appeared to be an iron dagger – and peered at the lifeless body of the goblin I had killed. Its eyes turned red, flashing nothing but pure hunger and rage at me.

Sneering, the goblin charged at me, throwing an underhand slash with the iron dagger. Trying to avoid the slash, I dashed to the side, narrowly dodging the blade that swept the air I had just been standing in. Sensing the window of opportunity, I immediately swung the cudgel from my hip, feeling its top-heavy weight balance soar through the air, homing in on the skull of the goblin but missed - it was far quicker, dodging the trajectory of the club by ducking underneath the swing. Countering, the goblin rushed forward, attempting to stab me with quick, decisive cuts. I knew I couldn’t keep up with the goblin – If I did, I’d be left with multiple open stab wounds.

I started to think while sprinting back, understanding the key differences between myself and the goblin. It was clear the goblin was slower than me, but made up for it with its short stature – I’d never be able to land a solid, timely blow given its height and ability to dodge.

But what if I didn’t use the club in the manner it was expecting?

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A lightbulb popped off in my head as I stopped running, whirling around to face the goblin behind me. Preparing to swing at it from my hip, I readied my weapon…

And promptly threw it at its shins.

“Yyaaargh!” it screamed, dropping the dagger and grasping at its shin bones.

Now was my opportunity! I sprinted towards it, picking up the dagger that had fallen in front of it and immediately drove it into the back of its neck, hopefully severing the spinal cord. I could feel the knife glide through the skin, separating the bones and cartilage and severing the connection between the brain and body.

Disgusting.

Drawing the knife back out, I readied myself just in case the goblin was alive and still willing to fight. But it slumped forward, the lights in its eyes flickering out until it was a dull white color. I shuddered, still experiencing the sensation of the blade.

[You have slain: Goblin (Lv. 2)]

[Gained: +120/275 XP]

120/275, the goblin xp gain was flat. I’d need to kill at least 3 more goblins to level up. Based on the previous window, it was clear that I’d be getting both attribute points and skill points in return for the levels.

‘Open attribute window.’

Like magic, the previous xp gain popup was shifted to the side, and I was left facing the attribute point page. The points I had gained before remained.

[Class Selection: Locked]

[Primary Attributes Selection]

[Strength: 3/20] [Add +1]

[Agility: 6/20] [Add +1]

[Constitution: 5/20] [Add +1]

[Wisdom: 3/20] [Add +1]

[Intelligence: 8/20] [Add +1]

[Charisma: 3/20] [Add +1]

[Secondary Attributes Selection: Locked]

[Attribute Points Remaining: 2]

I considered investing the remaining points into strength since it was so lacking – it was a major handicap when I fought the goblin. If I had enough strength, I’d easily be able to handle large weaponry and deal major damage. But it was a pretty big “if”, as I had no idea if adding points in this window would cause my body to change. If science classes taught me anything, it’s nigh impossible to modify the human body through methods like this.

‘Eh, what the hell. Add +2 to Agility.’

In a blink of an eye, two text values changed:

[Agility: 8/20]

[Attribute Points Remaining: 0]

I immediately felt a slight shift in my body. It was almost as if it had gotten lighter, with more bounce to my step. Of course, it could’ve just been the fact that I wasn’t holding the cudgel, but feigning dodges to the side was definitely easier and faster than before.

My suspicions were confirmed – increasing these values did change my body composition somehow. How could some arbitrary point system change my body like that? I’d have to do more research on this later, if I could get out of this godforsaken situation.

‘Open skill point window.’

[This panel is locked until requirements have been met]

Locked? I considered briefly what requirements I would need to unlock it but was left completely blank without answers. I’d have to figure that out later.

While staring at the blood-stained dagger in my hands, I retraced my steps back to what had happened. An explosion had generated a field locking me in and spawned two unfriendly goblins. On top of that, a damn orc was sitting outside the door, preventing me from going outside and getting help. Not to mention the panels that popped up in my vision, somehow improving my body without requiring me to exercise and assigning points and titles to my name.

None of it made sense.

Tears began flooding into my eyes, threatening to escape and streak down my cheeks. What had my life come to? Just an hour ago, I was a normal college student studying to become… well, I hadn’t quite figured that out yet. But at least it was calm. Peaceful. Maybe a little bit boring, but at least I was secure.

Now? I’m stuck in a room with two dead goblin shaped bodies, both pooling blood on the ground caused by my hands. In no way did I feel safe, but I felt something deep inside of my heart.

A twinge of excitement, a little kindle of hope.

Sure, I was just some damn cry-baby loser, but that doesn’t mean I have to be hopeless about it. It doesn’t mean I have to roll over and let this situation stab a knife into me. I was a nobody in my high school years, and I was still a nobody in college… but maybe that could change. Maybe it could even make something of this. I still have my wits, I still have my life, and more importantly, an opportunity to change – and that, in itself, is invaluable.

I sat there for a little while, watching the orb flash with light and its black tendrils move in the air.

Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!