Battle in Ruined City II

[Danger!]

[Your HP will decrease by -5 every minute because of excessive bleeding!]

Yep, that's it, its official. I'm gonna die...

But nope! Not gonna happen. The slash from the goblin rider was hurt as hell. I'm not gonna die with that kind of torture.

I struggled to stay on my feet, but I stumbled and fell. What made it worse was the cruel laughter of the goblin riders, their horrifying, ugly voices piercing the air.

In the midst of my torment, the ground beneath me began to crack and crumble. It felt like my worst fears coming to life.

I couldn't just lie there, so I crawled away from the crumbling ground. However, a dire wolf's roar and a sharp blow to my left foot dragged me back into the nightmare.

Shit! The pain was excruciating, beyond description.

Amid the goblin riders' laughter, one of them threw a spear that pierced my hand. Goblins were truly wretched creatures.

My consciousness started slipping away as I saw the notification on my screen:

[Danger!]

[Your HP less than 35%]

This damn system! I know how bad that was! Stop giving me that stupid notification.

Giving up was not an option; it wasn't about being suicidal anymore, but more about not letting those damn goblins crush my pride.

I pulled the spear from my hand and hurled it toward the goblin riders. It missed them but bought me precious seconds to turn my body into a sprawl.

I muttered, "Triple Bullets," and three goblins were struck, engulfed in flames, causing chaos among the dire wolves.

I seized the chance to escape and reached the edge of the unstable ground. With "Inferno Blast," I created a sinkhole, causing the goblin riders to tumble in.

Standing there with my revolver aimed at the struggling goblins, I delivered a cold, "Goodbye, suckers," before unleashing a harsh shot. First, the three burning goblins, then the rest, and finally, the dire wolf.

As I took them down, I couldn't help but imagine my own face contorted into a maniacal grin, laughing uncontrollably while putting an end to these pesky goblins.

Take that, bastard!

After all done, I wondered how many points I had scored.

Damn, I was lucky to find a sinkhole like that. If I were a character in a novel, I'd surely be the protagonist. But I'll tie the author to a cross and burn him alive if I ever find him

Right now, my priority was to recover. The persistent notification was driving me crazy. My HP was down to just 20%, and I was on the brink of death.

Seeking refuge in some ruins, I tried to figure out how to restore my HP and MP. My current status was grim:

[Player name: Seth]

[LvL: 6]

[HP: 120/600]

[MP: 50/120 + 50]

[ATK: 115 + 170]

[Class: Ranger]

[Killing Points: 2200]

Huh, my killing points were 2200 now? How come? Ah anyway, I need to think of something more important first.

MP could regenerate over time, but what about my HP? Could I purchase potions or something?

The system offered a solution, [You can buy all of the potions in the shop system. Use gold coins as a means for the transaction].

At times, the system was helpful. Most of the time, it was just plain annoying.

I checked the shop and found an array of items, including potions, skills, artifacts, skill points, etc. Each with its own currency.

I purchased health and mana potions, drinking them until my HP and mana were fully restored. The pain and wounds vanished, leaving me relieved.

As I sought to locate Matthias, kept in vigilance state even when I couldn't found any goblins felt.

It didn't take long to find him. The noise of battle filled my ears—the clacking of weaponry and strange gusts of wind that must have been his magic.

From a distance, I could see Matthias with someone else fighting the Goblin Lord. He was the military man I had encountered last night—a tall, muscular figure with dark skin and a bald head.

He wielded a claymore and was locked in melee combat with the Goblin Lord.

Each swing of his claymore was met with skillful evasions by the Goblin Lord. The creature's armor, unlike the typical kind, bore marks of the battle, yet it remained persistent.

I kept my distance, not feeling useful in this fight. However, Matthias' voice caught me off guard.

He gasped for breath but called out, "Don't hide, asshole. Come and fight with me to defeat that damn goblin."

I decided to approach Matthias, asking, "Who is that guy?"

"Check your party information," he replied, his attention still fixed on the battle.

I glanced at the screen and to party information to see the details of our new member:

[Player name: Gideon Lambridge]

[LvL: 8]

[HP: 705 + 150]

[MP: 85]

[STR: 120 + 350]

----------------------------------

[Attributes]

[Attack: 31, Agility: 36, Defense: 80, Stamina: 85 Intelligence: 31]

[Class: Warrior]

[Killing Points: 4500]

Damn! The man was at level 8 with an impressive amount of killing points. It made me wonder how many monsters he defeated

I observed Gideon holding his claymore and muttering words I couldn't comprehend. Suddenly, his claymore began to emit a purple aura.

Thunderous sounds filled the air, and lightning appeared across his body and weapon. It was apparent that this skill had granted him a significant buff.

Gideon swung his claymore at the Goblin Lord, and I heard the deafening crack of thunder as the weapon struck its mark.

While it didn't defeat the Goblin Lord, it did manage to remove one of the creature's arm.

In response to Gideon's attack, Matthias chanted his spell, "Razorwind Strike," once again directed at the Goblin Lord.

The wind transformed into a massive, terrifying laser that could slice through anything in its path, even causing nearby buildings to collapse.

The notifications about the killing points flooded in, likely due to this powerful spell.

In a party like this, you'd earn points even if your comrades did the killing. Moreover party points were more plentiful than what you'd get when hunting solo. It seemed like a win-win solution.

Clear and simple, the fifth rule in this harsh reality was evident: you'd do whatever it took to survive, no matter how much you loathed it.

Amidst the chaos and smoke from Matthias' attack, I glimpsed a shadow of the Goblin Lord. Its armor was tattered, its body wounded, yet it roared loudly.

"Holy crap! We need to get out of here," I exclaimed, my eyes fixed on Matthias.

"No way, I've been trying to take down that damn Goblin Lord all this time. I won't just run," Matthias replied, his gaze unfocused.

It seemed like he had depleted his mana. What kind of monstrosity was that Goblin Lord? Was it too powerful, or were we simply too weak?

I let out a frustrated sigh as I glanced at the remaining time for our game. There were only 3 hours and 3 minutes left. Could we even reach the highest tier with the current situation?

Then, that familiar system voice echoed once again:

[You triggered Hidden Mini Game]

[Frenzy Goblin: You and your party have driven the Goblin Lord into frenzy mode. Defeat the Goblin Lord to earn additional bonus rewards.]

[Reward: +3500 killing points (in addition to the raw killing points earned), 2 skill pass, 1 weapon pass, 15 skill points, 20,000 gold coins, and 800 EXP]

[Special Reward: ]

[Title: Goblin Lord Slayer]

[Punishment for failing the Mini Game: Death]

[Remaining Time: 2 hour]

What the hell, this situation just kept getting worse and worse.