For centuries, countless theories had been whispered about how the world would meet its end. Some swore it would arrive with the blaring of a holy trumpet on judgment day. Others argued it would be a result of mankind's own undoing, superpowered nations hurling nuclear fire until nothing remained but ashes.
Yet reality mocked every speculation. The end did not come with divine wrath or mushroom clouds. It came with something far more unexpected, an invasion by creatures that had no right existing on Earth.
He stood frozen, gripping a kitchen knife with trembling hands. Before him crouched a being that looked as though it had stepped out of a fantasy game. Its skin was a sickly green, its figure short and hunched, its bald head glistening under faint daylight. A ragged strip of cloth hung loosely around its waist, doing little to hide its hideousness.
His lips parted in disbelief, voice trembling with a mixture of fear and absurdity.
"A… fucking goblin..."
This wasn't how his day was supposed to go. He had come home from school tired, mom still at work, thinking of nothing more than collapsing onto his bed for a nap. Then the rumble began. Walls shook. Windows rattled. Screams erupted in the distance.
At first, his mind scrambled for an explanation. For a ridiculous second, he thought of anime, Eren Yeager had attacked the state, only to scoff at the idea. Yet when he peered through the window, the sight was even worse than fiction. Smoke billowed from ruined buildings. People scattered like ants, their cries filling the air with panic.
He might have stayed locked in his room if the very building beneath his feet hadn't started to quake. That was when survival instinct kicked in. He bolted, but not before grabbing the sharpest thing within reach? A kitchen knife.
And now here he was, standing in a sparse woodland not far from his neighborhood, staring at the impossible.
'What the hell am I supposed to do?'
The answer was obvious. He couldn't run forever. If this thing attacked, it was either kill or be killed.
The goblin snarled, revealing jagged yellow teeth. The sound rattled his nerves. His knees weakened, legs nearly buckling. He wasn't a fighter, never had been. He avoided confrontation whenever possible. But gaming? That was different. In games, he knew how to fight goblins. He knew where to strike, how to win. All he had to do was pretend this was one of those moments.
The creature lunged, claws extended. His pulse spiked, vision narrowing. The only thought that surged through his mind was,
I have a weapon. It doesn't.
He steadied his grip. Breath sharp. Eyes narrowed.
Then he did something that would have been laughable had the stakes not been his life? He closed his eyes and thrust forward.
The blade slid in deeper than expected, puncturing directly into the goblin's forehead. For a split second, shock eclipsed his fear. The monster was even shorter than he had imagined. At five-foot-six, he wasn't particularly tall himself, but this goblin barely reached his chest. A twisted parody of a dwarf.
He hadn't accounted for such luck, but once opportunity opened, there were only two choices: waste it like a fool, or exploit it with everything you had.
He chose the latter.
Withdraw. Thrust. Withdraw. Thrust. Withdraw. Thrust.
His arm became a piston, driving the knife in and out of the creature's skull. He didn't pause to see if it had already died. He didn't dare. Each plunge was driven by fear, adrenaline, and the raw refusal to be the one lying in a pool of blood.
Then it happened.
[Notice! You have exterminated a Lv1 Goblin]
"…What?"
The words weren't spoken by anyone. They appeared, floating, glowing in midair, clear as day. A transparent screen had materialized before his eyes. His breath caught, body stiffening.
[Participant qualification acquired!]
[You have awakened!]
[Character Profile Unlocked!]
[View Profile (Yes / No)]
His hand trembled, still gripping the bloodied knife. The forest, the goblin's corpse, the acrid scent of smoke carried by the wind, none of it felt real anymore. And yet, the glowing interface hovering in front of him was undeniable.
The world had ended. But something else had begun.