8 Knowledge is power

Despite the darkness of the night and the fact that monsters were destroying everything and eating any humans they could find, the public illumination service was still working. Some areas were completely dark, but Bruce couldn't afford to wait for daylight. He knew that the longer he wasted time, the more dangerous things would become. If he had learned anything from reading fantasy novels, it was that those who became stronger faster had a better chance of survival.

"Saturday night..." Bruce smirked. "What a time to start a magical apocalypse... If it were up to me, I would start on a Monday. That would increase the difficulties even more since everyone hates Mondays and tends to be lazier."

Putting those thoughts aside, Bruce began to think that maybe he should have waited a little longer. The completely dark spots were eerily silent at the moment, and his imagination started to run wild, thinking that some unknown monster might be lurking, ready to devour him whole.

"Well, anything is possible at this point," Bruce said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Now that I think about it, I've never been good at playing horror games or watching horror movies. Fighting at night is the worst situation for me."

Despite his apprehension, Bruce knew that things weren't as bad as they could be on the roads. From the looks of it, the monsters had arrived and killed as many humans as possible in their homes, while those who were on the streets had been slain by a wave of passing monsters. At least, that's what Bruce deduced from the signs around him. He had barely walked a hundred meters when he heard something coming from one of the dark spots. He stopped and prepared himself to fight, but nothing happened. He could sense a presence ahead, but whatever it was, it didn't attack while Bruce remained on guard.

"Shit... I guess I have no choice," Bruce said, grabbing his flashlight. "This will reveal my position, but I can't waste time looking for an alternate route. Crossing those dark areas without light is suicide."

The moment Bruce turned on the flashlight, he froze on the spot. He saw a goblin dragging a disfigured corpse while simultaneously devouring one of its arms. As soon as the light revealed the creature, it abandoned the body and charged towards Bruce. Bruce did the same, dropping his suitcase and readying the buckler on his left arm, while gripping the short sword with both hands. It wasn't the conventional way to wield those weapons, but Bruce had a plan in mind.

Strangely enough, when the monster entered Bruce's range, it prepared for a full horizontal attack. Bruce shifted his shield to intercept the attack, but at the last moment, the goblin lowered its stance and prepared to leap. This monster was different from the others; it knew how to deceive humans. Despite the feint, Bruce wasn't caught off guard. From the start, he had moved his body in a way to decrease the target area, and now that the monster was about to stab him, all he had to do was move his shield slightly to the right.

Bruce managed to block the thrust, but the force behind the attack staggered him, causing him to miss the opportunity to counterattack. The goblin recovered faster from the impact and swung its sword down towards Bruce's head. It seemed the initial feint was just a fluke, or perhaps the goblin gave up after realizing that simple tricks wouldn't work on Bruce. Bruce raised his shield above his head, feeling the impact travel through his left arm. He released the short sword from his left hand and prepared himself. A powerful swing was necessary to take down a cautious beast, but not one that was wide open like this after failing to split Bruce's head. With a single thrust, Bruce made his sword pierce the stomach of the goblin, driving it all the way through.

"You obtained 12 experience points. You obtained 01 spiritual coin," Bruce muttered, wiping the blood from his sword with his right hand. "This weapon is as sharp as hell."

Short Sword (Common) (+0) A common sword that possesses no significant capabilities or effects. Forged by an average blacksmith. Physical Attack: +3 Durability: 8/10 Requirements: 5 strength

All that power came with a price. Although the weapon was potent, it could only exert that power for a short period. Using two sword styles might be impossible for Bruce unless he collected a few more of the same weapon, or he would end up fighting barehanded in some battles.

"Anyway, I'm about to level up," Bruce said after checking his status screen. "Looks like some changes have occurred while I've been busy..."

Status HP: 04/04

MP: 08/08

SP: 04/04

Level 01 (88/100)

STRENGTH: 02

P. Attack: 3 + 3

VITALITY: 02

P. Defense: 3

AGILITY: 02

Movement Speed: 6 meters per second

INTELLIGENCE: 4

M. Attack: 5

DEXTERITY: 3

M. Defense: 5

LUCK: 5

Range: 6 meters

Free Points: 00

Spiritual Coins: 08

Social Status Level 01 (10/100)

Karma: -02

Intimidation: 02

Charisma: 2

Persuasion: 02

Insight: 04

Perception: 04

Presence: 01 Allies:

00 Enemies: 01

Skill List Magic: Physical: Passive: Production:

Bruce's Karma had decreased and become negative two, and he now had an enemy. Although he wasn't sure where or what he did to earn an enemy, Bruce had obtained some experience points in his social status. Unlike the other stats, he didn't receive any information about it.

"Did the way I treated that man change my karma and turn him into an enemy?" Bruce rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He didn't seem like someone who would try to mess with me in the future. Well, maybe he will once he notices that I have the sword that was supposed to be his reward. Good grief... I saved someone's life, and they become my enemy. A magical apocalypse is certainly a crazy event."

Regardless, Bruce was about to level up, but he didn't have to rush. In about twenty minutes, he would receive the Fireball skill book, which would make things easier for him. It was better to proceed calmly to avoid making any mistakes. However, it seemed that things wouldn't go as planned. Suddenly, an explosion occurred a hundred meters ahead. Bruce didn't know what had happened, but it was something significant. He concluded this when he felt the ground beneath his feet trembling.

"Well, someone once said, 'knowledge is power,'" Bruce shrugged. "It might be dangerous, but if a monster caused that, I need to know to avoid surprises later."

That was Bruce's plan before things suddenly became noisy all around him. Bruce felt a shiver down his spine as he realized the noise was coming from all directions. After scanning the area for a couple of seconds, he headed towards a back alley and hid behind a trash container. The smell was nauseating, and the darkness was nerve-wracking,