Without hesitation, Arsen headed toward the tall tree. He stayed alert, fully aware that a monster could appear at any moment in a place like this.
"Let's check out that tree. There might be something around it," he murmured.
Clang!
After walking for five minutes, a metallic sound rang out. Arsen instinctively raised his blade, just in time to block the sudden strike aimed at him. The ambush startled him, but his sharp focus and constant vigilance saved him from the blow.
Corrupted Goblin.
Arsen quickly recognized the creature that had ambushed him, it was a goblin. Anyone who'd played games knew well what these monsters were capable of, and compared to Rabbier, this one should've been far less intimidating.
Nevertheless, this goblin was different. A dark violet aura pulsed around its body, and its eyes glowed a blood-red, as if it had overdosed on some unholy substance.
Still, Arsen didn't focus too much on the lone goblin, he knew goblins rarely attacked alone. It was safe to assume others were lurking nearby. He scanned his surroundings, only for his eyes to widen in shock.
"What the hell…?"
About fifteen goblins lay sprawled across the ground, lifeless. But it wasn't a peaceful death. If anything, they had died in gruesome, terrifying ways each body a twisted image of violence and fear.
He shifted his gaze back to the Corrupted Goblin, realizing it was the one responsible for the deaths of the others. How could he be sure? For one, the monster before him seemed either unconscious or under someone's control. Moreover, the goblins it had killed still had their typical green skin, a stark contrast to the Corrupted Goblin's appearance.
"I don't know what happened to this creature, but I can't afford to lower my guard," he muttered, keeping his eyes fixed on its every movement. "If it managed to take down fifteen goblins, it must have the power to overpower me too."
Clang! Clang!
Arsen managed to block the goblin's attack, but he could feel the sheer power behind it as his feet slowly slid back. With the possibility of other monsters lurking in this place, it was clear he needed to take down the goblin as quickly as possible.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
He swung his dagger several times, attempting to land a hit, but the goblin easily dodged each strike. Surprisingly, this didn't discourage him—in fact, it sparked an idea on how he could slow the creature down.
Suddenly, the goblin swung its blade in erratic, unpredictable arcs, showcasing its fearlessness and astonishing speed. Arsen struggled to keep up, the goblin's rapid attacks overwhelming him and leaving him with no choice but to take some damage.
-3
-4
-7
To avoid taking more damage, Arsen took a step back and activated his Dash skill. The narrow space worked to his advantage, limiting the goblin's movement and slowing it down.
Stab!
The goblin lost track of its target, giving Arsen the opening he needed for a sneak attack. As soon as he reappeared, he quickly cast his skill, aiming for the monster's neck.
Argh!
The goblin couldn't hide its pain as it let out a guttural groan, the wound from Arsen's strike clearly affecting it. In retaliation, the creature swung its blade toward the spot where it had last seen Arsen, aiming for a quick counterattack.
Swish!
The goblin's blade struck nothing but air, as Arsen had already vanished after landing his blow. As an assassin, concealing his presence was key, he could strike from the shadows, targeting vital points for maximum damage. This was the strategy he'd intended to use against Rabbier, but that monster had disrupted his plans. Its ability to contract its muscles had thrown off Arsen's timing, delaying his movements.
Swish!
Arsen continued to strike the goblin for several minutes, following the same strategy. By now, the creature was riddled with holes from his dagger, dark red blood dripping steadily from its wounds.
Slowly, its health had dropped to 15%, and it was clear the monster wouldn't last much longer.
"It's not good..."
He froze, suddenly halting his attack as the goblin let out an ear-piercing scream. The sound was so shrill that Arsen had to cover his ears, the pain in his eardrums almost making him feel like they would burst.
The goblin was now entering its berserk state, its power increasing exponentially, giving it a fighting chance to survive. Arsen had anticipated this exact moment, knowing the creature would resort to its last desperate measure.
Dash! Stab!
Without hesitation, Arsen closed in on the goblin. Just as he was about to reach it, he slid across the ground, narrowly dodging an attack that was aimed straight for his head.
When he reached the exact distance, Arsen stabbed the monster's ankle. With that, he can hear bones getting crack, at the same time, his dagger seemed like was about to give up any moment.
"I must end this..."
The monster screamed in agony as its ankle was severed, collapsing to the ground as it lost its balance. But Arsen wasn't done. As soon as he regained his footing, he rushed toward the fallen creature, ready to finish what he had started.
Swoop! Swoop! Swoop!
Arsen plunged his blade into the monster's nape again and again, each strike bringing him closer to the end. With a final, decisive blow to its head, the creature let out one last, agonized scream. Its voice grew weaker, fading as consciousness slipped away from its form.
[You have killed the Corrupted Goblin!]
Bam!
Finally, as the system's notification flashed before him, Arsen collapsed onto the ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The battle had drained him, leaving him utterly exhausted.
[Level: 1 13%]
Despite the difficulty of facing this monstrous foe, it still wasn't enough for him to level up.
"This is insane. How many monsters do I have to kill to level up?" he muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
Ding!
A new skill unlocked!
[Parry]
Effect: Parry negates all incoming melee damage and increases dodge chance by 40% for 3 seconds.
Bonus: Grants a burst of movement speed for quick repositioning.
Cooldown: 3 minutes.
All stats increased by 0.40%!
A smile tugged at his lips as he saw the skill. It was a defensive ability that could prove invaluable, especially when facing off against offensive-type monsters. And although he hadn't leveled up, his status had increased by 0.40%—a small but significant boost given the circumstances.
[Ordinary dagger's durability: 0/8]
As he had expected, his weapon wouldn't last much longer. Fortunately, the fight ended before it could be destroyed. Had his dagger broken before he took down the goblin, the outcome might have been very different.
"Now, let's see what I got."
In his hand was a violet stone, gleaming like a crystal. It was the monster's core essentially its heart and an item every player coveted.
It wasn't too small, nor too large, just the right size for his hand to grasp. As soon as he seized the core, the monster's body began to slowly fade, dissolving into particles as if it were disintegrating.
Hunter's Knife
Light, fast, and designed for quick kills in silence.
Type: Dagger / Knife
Rarity: Uncommon
Damage: 22 - 28
Attack Speed: +10%
Critical Chance: +5%
Durability: 60 / 60
Weight: Light
Special Effect: Hunter's Edge: +10% bonus damage against beasts and humanoids
Requirements:
Level: 1-5
Dexterity: 5
Agility: 7
Arsen smiled as he examined the item, knowing it could give him the upper hand against stronger monsters. On top of that, it possessed special attacks that would provide him a significant advantage.
"Let's collect the rest."
Ten minutes passed, and Arsen gathered all the cores from the goblins slain by the corrupted goblin. He also collected the weapons scattered across the ground. While the spears, shields, bows, and knives appeared to be ordinary, they could still hold value if he sold them in town.
"What is this?"
He furrowed his brows, staring at the screen as the system flashed another notification.
[You can increase one of your attributes by 1 in exchange for 5 low-level monster cores.]
Obtaining monster cores was no easy feat, especially for him. He had been fortunate enough to collect 16 low-level monster cores, thanks to the corrupted goblin. Still, raising attributes was a challenge for any player.
"It seems this game won't let us keep the cores," he muttered, placing them carefully into his inventory. "For now, I'll keep them hidden. Let's see if I end up needing to convert them into attributes, or if I should sell them for credits."
Once he had taken care of everything, he turned his attention back to the tree. From a distance, he noticed a dark violet light emanating from beneath it. As he approached, Arsen scanned the area, staying alert for any potential attacks from nearby monsters.
Fortunately, he reached the location without encountering a single monster.
"Is that a treasure chest? But why is it open...?"
Arsen couldn't finish his sentence as he recognized the dark violet light emanating from the chest—exactly like the light given off by the corrupted goblin. It dawned on him that this could be the reason the monster had gone out of control.
As he approached, he looked into the open chest. Inside, he found 30 bronze coins and a dark violet-glowing earring.
seamless ring of metal so black it appears to absorb the very light around it. Its surface is unnaturally smooth, like polished stone, yet cold and heavy with the weight of old, forbidden magic. Intricate arcane runes—worn and nearly eroded by time—are carved along the inner curve of the loop. These runes emit a faint, pulsing violet glow, like distant lightning behind storm clouds, flickering in an unnatural rhythm. This how Arsen describe the earring.
[Corrupted Earring] - information unknown
Effects
Surge – Increases the player's overall strength by 30% for 45 seconds. After the effect ends, the player becomes immobilized for 10 minutes. Cooldown 6 hours.
"It looks like I need to find someone who can appraise this earring," he muttered, then slipped it on, as if preparing to activate its effect if he found himself in another tight situation.