"Breathe in. Aim low. Let the sling arc naturally." Henry whispered and took a deep breath.
*Whew*
Two rocks flew, slicing through the air with sharp whistles.
The first struck the lead goblin right between the eyes. His shriek cut off mid-sound as he fell backward, eyes rolling up.
The second rock hit the one behind him directly in the throat. It dropped to its knees, gagging, and then collapsed beside the first.
Henry slumped against the cold stone wall and whispered to himself, voice shaky.
"Living in this world... it's not the same as playing it behind a VR helmet."
[You've killed an Ordinary Goblin x2]
[+20 EXP]
Glancing back, something caught his eye faint lights hovering above the goblins' bodies. Like tiny floating embers.
"Evolution Crystals," he murmured, stepping forward slowly.
The crystals glowed softly, rotating in place as if waiting for him. He bent down, fingers brushing against one, and felt the strange energy pulse beneath his skin.
"The pain" Henry whispered.
The last time he absorbed one, pain had wracked his entire body like his bones were melting and rebuilding all at once. It had left him screaming, curled on the ground, gasping for breath.
Still, there was no other choice, he couldn't afford to leave it behind.
"This is how I grow stronger... whether I like it or not."
He took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and swallowed the crystal whole.
Then he braced arms clutching his sides, knees drawn to his chest. He waited for the pain. But it didn't come.
[Evolution Crystal absorbed +1]
His body warmed. A strange lightness filled his chest, as if a layer of fatigue had been peeled away.
"…Huh?" Henry opened his eyes. No pain, just calm energy humming beneath his skin.
"Was it a weaker crystal?" he wondered aloud. "Or… did my body adapt?"
Questions piled up in his head, but he didn't have the answers. Not yet.
Then, nearby, he noticed the goblins' weapons scattered across the floor.
"These could be sold when I'm out of here, I believe they're merchants that's buys and sell weapons."
He gathered the wooden maces seven in alland searched the bodies for anything else. Nothing.
Breathing heavily Henry opened his inventory and stored the maces.
He sat down, arms resting on his knees, trying to steady his breathing. A soft ding echoed in his mind.
[HP Recovered: You've been unharmed for ten minutes]
[HP: 20/20]
He blinked. "Wait... my HP increased?"
Realization hit him.
"I leveled up!" He spoke and open the system interface.
---
[STATUS]
[Name: Henry]
[Race: Goblin]
[Class: Marksman]
[SP: 5]
[Level: 2]
[EXP: 20/200]
[Evolution Crystals: 2]
[HP: 20/20]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Stamina: 10]
[Vitality: 10]
[Skills: Inspect]
---
Level-Up Rewards:
[Skill Unlocked: Inspect (Lv. 1)]
[+5 Stat Points]
[+5 HP]
---
Henry's heart thumped with excitement.
"My first skill…" he whispered.
Inspect. A basic ability, but one that could turn the tide in the right hands. He focused, and the description appeared:
Inspect (Level 1): View stats of any creature by looking directly for more than a second. No energy cost.
"No energy cost? That's… actually amazing."
His eyes drifted to the floating stat points. "Let's make this count."
Without hesitation, he distributed them quickly:
+2 Strength]
[+1 Agility]
[+1 Stamina]
[+1 Vitality]
'System.'
-----
[UPDATED STATUS]
[Strength: 12]
[Agility: 11]
[Stamina: 11]
[Vitality: 11]
---
He grinned. "Bit by bit, I'm getting there."
Grrrgggkk.
A loud growl rumbled from his stomach.
"…Crap."
He hadn't eaten since arriving in this world. No fruits. No water. No meat. Just adrenaline and desperation.
His body was reminding him he wasn't invincible. Then a chimed was heard.
*Ding!*
[New Quest Available]
Quest: Eat the corpse of a dead goblin to satisfy your hunger.
Reward: +20 EXPERIENCE Point.
Henry stared blankly at the message. "You've got to be kidding me…"
His eyes flicked toward the nearest corpse. Burnt skin. Greenish-gray flesh. The smell already turning sour.
"D…Disgusting," he muttered.
But his stomach growled again. Hunger clawed at him.
"I'll throw up… but I have no choice."
Then an idea flickered in his mind.
'If I roast it… maybe I can pretend it's not goblin meat.'
Henry grabbed his slingshot carved a chunk of meat from the corpse, and walked toward the flickering torchlight ahead. He held the meat over the flames until it blackened, crisping at the edges, the foul smell slowly dulled by the fire.
Henry looked down at the charred meat. "Dinning… with roasted goblin. This is my life now." He took a breath and bit.
The taste was awful, rubbery and bitter. He chewed slowly, face twisted in a grimace. His body accepted it, but his mind rebelled.
He fought the urge to gag. His vision blurred with tears. 'This is survival... just survival.' He slowly swallowed.
[Quest Completed]
[+20 EXP]
"Sorry, brother," he muttered to the corpse. "But I need to live."
He stood up slowly, wiping the grease from his mouth with the back of his arm. He felt sick, but stronger. Better. And most importantly, full.
"Things are falling into place," he said quietly. "I'm going to make it out of here. I'll become a legend again… just like in VR."
He scanned the environment with his eyes once again and noticed one of the stone tiles nearby was slightly raised. Just enough to be noticed.
"Odd…" He whispered, knelt and pushed it down.
*Click.*
A low rumble echoed through the room. The ground shook slightly, and from the far wall, a loud crack split through the stone. Light bled through.
"What... is that?" Henry whispered as he turned.
The wall was opening, stone splitting, revealing a hidden chamber bathed in a pale glow.