04 - Danger ahead!

[insignificant corrupt Goblin

Description: Corrupted by the Chaos, an insignificant goblin is small and weak alone, but can become a danger when in large groups.

Grade: F

Stage: 1

Level: 2

Hp: 60]

"Grrrak"

With a savage growl, the creature finally revealed itself to Arthur.

It was a goblin, one of the most notorious and despised beings he knew.

No more than 1.20 meters tall, it carried a blunt blade in its hand. Its ugly face was distorted into a disproportionate facial structure as the corners of its black lips lifted, revealing black and bloody teeth, which still carried the remains of its previous victim alongside their rottenness.

It's black eyes and reddish pupils analyzed Arthur for a few seconds before it finally roared and advanced toward its opponent. In a burst of speed, it threw its body into the air, aiming for Arthur's throat.

A metallic clang echoed through the dungeon as sparks streaked across the atmosphere.

"Shit!" Arthur groaned. Though he defended successfully, his amateurism took a price, causing him to take two steps backwards as the goblin was violently thrown away. After all, the difference in strength and weight was too big for the little beast to overcome by merely taking advantage of Arthur's ineptitude.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur regained his composure and advanced toward the still-stunned monster. With a roar, he attacked.

[Critical hit! Dealt 60 physical damage]

For a brief second, Arthur's world seemed to freeze as he sent a vicious slash toward the small creature. The goblin noticed Arthur's attack and tried to dodge it, but it was too late.

Arthur's ears were greeted by a raw, piercing sound as the edge of his blade tore through the goblin's flesh, breaking its bones and destroying its lungs.

His hands trembled and his eyes widened as the terrifying sensation of flesh being torn by the blade of his sword reached his arms. In a normal situation, this would be terrifying, but in Arthur's adrenaline-blinded mind, he could only get drunk on a strong feeling of power and arrogance.

"Skreeeek!" The goblin screamed desperately, expelling what little air was left in its lungs before it began to choke on its own blood.

With a grunt, Arthur stepped over the goblin's chest and used his foot as support to pull his sword out of the open wound, leading to a flood of dark blue blood gushing out like a fountain.

Arthur did nothing else after that and just observed everything with a strange look on his face.

The goblin didn't disappear in fragments of light, nor did it decay quickly in the wind. He just lay there, agonizing for long seconds as it drowned in its own blood. Its gaze once full of savagery, now only carried a deep terror.

[You killed 'insignificant corrupted Goblin'!

you received 1 XP

First kill! You received 1 attribute point].

[Level up 1 -> 2

You received 1 attribute point]

[XP: 0/7]

The Goblin's body finally stopped moving, and Arthur received a flood of warnings from the system.

Recovering from the intensity of what had just happened, Arthur sheathed his sword but did not remove his hand from its hilt, keeping a high guard.

Leaning his body against a wall and keeping his gaze on the dark path that stretched before him, Arthur opened his Status. He had reached level 2, and with the bonus attribute of the first kill, he had 3 attributes available to use.

Analyzing his current attributes, Arthur let a long, heavy sigh escape his lips.

It was a difficult choice. He liked the idea of being a mage, but he also liked being a warrior, often choosing a hybrid path in most of the RPGs he played.

However, this wasn't a game; he didn't know if he would have access to some kind of respawn when he died. And judging by what had happened to that Goblin, he believed that such a thing would not exist.

His main goal was to survive, and a higher HP would guarantee him that survival.

Without hesitation, he allocated all his free points to Vitality.

A unique sensation washed over Arthur's body as he felt a sudden burst of freshness take over everything; his muscles relaxed and for a brief second his mind calmed down.

[Vitality: 10 -> 13

Hp: 100 - 106]

It was a small change, almost insignificant to most people, but a 6% bonus was something that was far from something that could be despised in a life-or-death situation.

'I think that's enough…' Arthur thought to himself before closing his status menu and looking out into the darkness in front of him. He would be lying if he claimed to be excited to head in that direction, but still, he knew he needed to do it.

He was ready to leave, but he thought of something that made his steps stop.

Turning towards one of the many torches fixed to the wall, Arthur smiled. The torch was attached to the wall by rustic nails and tied by ropes made of plant fibers. Its appearance exuded little reliability, which was certainly compensated for by its great strength.

Arthur used his left hand to hold the torch and kept his right hand on the hilt of the sword.

With that, he was already prepared to leave, but he took one last look at the Goblin's body before walking over to him and picking up the blade he used as a weapon.

[you acquired a 'rusty short machete']

Without even bothering to look at the attributes of that weapon, Arthur waved his hand and the machete disappeared into thin air, as if sucked into a black hole.

Watching that magical scene unfold over his eyes, Arthur smiled before moving on.

***

Without Arthur even realizing it, hours passed as he made his way through the dark corridors, where he could see only a little over 2 meters in front of him.

His stomach rumbled, drawing his attention to a serious problem.

He had been reincarnated on an empty stomach and soon, the effects of hunger began to overwhelm his body.

[You are suffering from the first stage of hunger! Strength and agility decrease by 1 while this effect lasts]

His stomach was haunted by an oppressive pain. And if he hadn't left the Goblin's carcass behind, Arthur might even consider devouring it right there.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur hastened his pace. If this was the first stage, he certainly did not want to face the second.

Soon, his haste was rewarded by a faint ray of light illuminating the stone walls on the horizon. Arthur dropped the torch to the ground and slowed his steps. The loud, dry sound of the wood torch hitting the floor spread quickly through the narrow corridors.

Suddenly, Arthur's steps stopped, and his body shuddered. A nauseating miasma hung in the stuffy air. Arthur, who was heavily breathing, almost vomited as the putrid, grotesque smell invaded his nostrils.

Where he lived, it was not uncommon to smell such odors coming from rotting organic matter. But nothing compared to what he had just experienced.

Struggling to ignore the growing anxiety in his chest, Arthur drew his sword and moved forward. The moment Arthur could finally see what was emanating from that smell, his steps halted once more, and his eyes widened.

As far as his eyes could see, dozens of human corpses lay piled in a heartbreaking scene.

However, what frightened Arthur the most was not the death; what frightened him was what was crowding around the corpses.

A horde of Goblins was feeding voraciously on the corpses. The deafening sound of their sharp teeth tearing through the flesh and bones entered Arthur's eardrums, causing him to take a step back.

At that moment one of the Goblins realized his presence and roared in his direction, alerting all the others.

Arthur could only close the visor of his helmet and pray that his armor would be powerful enough to defend him from it.

[Quest: Getting to the outside world 1/5.

General: You are in a dark dungeon, survive the adversities and find a way out!

01: Choose a path! (completed)

02: Danger ahead!

you find dozens of corpses belonging to those who explored this dungeon before you. but they are not alone. kill all the goblins in front of you!

Rate: B

Rewards: 50 XP, skill; Imbue mana, 1 attribute point,

03:?

04:?

05:?]