Tutorial [6]

A goblin.

As true to its fantasy description...

…..Was disgusting as hell!

That might sound rather prejudiced, but the creature in front of me, despite having the height of a child, looked nothing like one.

Given the right opportunity, as long as a few unfortunate boxes get checked, one would feel their stomach twist at the sight of a goblin.

Like the one in front of me.

It was ugly.

Very.

Ugly.

I was never a superficial person, but damn!

Two short legs, a green, unhealthy skin, a fat, podgy belly, long arms, an ugly face with teeth showing out of its mouth, and a bald head.

It was truly a creature out of this world.

Now I see why those beauty-chasing 'freaks' made these creatures extinct in their world up in the tower.

Their appearance drew the urge to crush them.

Like a cockroach.

Even if it didn't do anything, its appearance alone made one want to crush it.

"It's ugly,"

Even the ever-polite Lionel couldn't help blurting out before closing his mouth in a hurry.

It's okay, Lionel.

You don't have to be polite to these monsters.

Especially if you knew what they did to defenseless women…

And sometimes men…

Now that I think about it...

The author of Tower Ascendance might have had a few problems.

Yes.

That certainly had to be the case.

It definitely wasn't me who continued reading the novel.

"I-is that a goblin?"

Perhaps it was because he had recollected himself, Lionel finally realized the oddity of the creature in front of him.

"But that's impossible!"

"Why?"

"!!!"

Even without turning to look at him, I knew my words had startled him.

I asked again.

"Why?"

"B-because goblins are not real?"

What should have sounded like a statement came out as a question. I could tell he was not so sure of himself again.

"Do you still think we're still on earth?"

"What do you mean-"

Before his words could completely drop, the goblin in front of us, which had been observing us just as we did it, grinned wider and dashed in our direction.

SKREE!

The speed of the goblin was quite fast as it dashed in our direction.

It raised the blunt stick that was in its hand as it grinned hideously.

Thankfully, my guard was up from the very start so I was able to react in time.

Bang!

The stick in the goblin's hand made contact with my shield. My hands shook as I felt the impact of the strike run through my arms, and I took a few steps back.

The goblin was stronger than it looked.

At least it was stronger than me physically by a significant amount.

Surprisingly, its stick was rather sturdy and didn't break from the impact.

SKREE!

Flashing its disgusting yellow teeth at me, it rushed in my direction again.

Quickly, I raised up my shield in anticipation of the second strike.

Thankfully, it didn't come as Lionel, who hadn't acted till now, finally did.

He ran to my front and met the goblin's strike with his sword.

Swoosh!

With a single slash, the stick in the goblin's hands was cut in half.

The goblin was stunned by this and halted its charge as it stood foolishly and glanced at its 'weapon' that had just been cut in half.

Even with its face, I could tell it couldn't wrap its head around how a single exchange ended up in the manner it did.

From the slight exchange between me and the goblin just now, I knew it was physically stronger than me and its stick had an unusual durability.

Logically, with its strength, even if it was a stick, someone with a slender body like Lionel should not have been able to cut the stick in half in the first exchange, but it happened anyway.

I knew the reason it progressed like this though.

While the goblin had strength to boast of, Lionel had techniques and much more under his belt.

The stick being cut in half was not because of his physical strength but due to pure technique.

'It's just as I thought.'

Just because you could hold a sword didn't mean you could use it.

This was why I wanted to have Lionel with me.

At first glance, it looked like I could handle the goblin myself, but as stated, at 'first glance.'

The goblin was way stronger than it looked.

I wonder how many had already died at the hands of its fellow kinsmen in the forest.

Before the Goblin could react, I dashed at it with my shield raised.

Bang!

Its defenseless body came in contact with my shield.

SKREE!

It let out a scream of pain as it fell to the ground.

I didn't give it the chance to recover as I immediately made my way to where its head was.

And I smashed it.

Bang!

Crack!

Skree!

I heard a crack, but the goblin still looked fine.

I smashed again.

Bang!

Skree!

The goblin still looked fine.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

I kept smashing until adrenaline ran through my veins.

Only when the system notification appeared in front of me did I stop.

[You have defeated a goblin (soldier) {G rank}]

[You have gained 7 points]

"Ah… ah."

I breathed heavily as I tried to calm myself down.

I did it.

I survived.

At this point, the Goblin's head was smashed into mud.

Looking at it, I couldn't help but vomit.

"ughh"

I wasn't the only one who couldn't bear it as I heard Lionel vomit as well.

Unlike me, who had nearly nothing in my stomach, his was more profound.

We weren't done yet though.

Just like in other fantasies, goblins were not lone monsters.

If you found one alone, chances were it was not too far from its group.

And just as I thought, seconds after Lionel and I had emptied our stomachs, several noises started to emerge from the bushes beside us.

They were coming.