Back in the bunker, Kenji thought a lot about going outside now.
"I have been practicing a lot, but this means nothing unless I go out and kill this monster and level up."
"But this also has its own risks. I'm not sure about the level of monsters around. If I encounter something I can't handle, I'm dead for sure."
Kenji murmured to himself in dark training, He remembers the last message he saw about the low-rank goblin king.
"If it's just a low-level E rank goblin, they won't be a problem."
"The goblins aren't strong combatants; they seem to rely on tactics and group attacks," Kenji thought as he pressed forward.
"For now, I can focus on the low-level goblin, then when I'm ready, I will go for the D rank goblin king," This was why he made up his mind to go outside the bunker.
Kenji paused and checked the window on the ground floor. He noticed it had been completely barricaded, covered so the students inside wouldn't be able to escape. Because of that, the narrow hallway was swallowed in darkness, with only a thin thread of moonlight struggling to slip through the cracks. Still, the window allowed just enough light for him to see.
Through that faint glimpse, Kenji saw the outside world for the first time since everything began, and everything was destroyed. The school itself looked twisted, as if it had fused with another world entirely.
"Is this the effect of the territory deployment?" Kenji wondered, eyes narrowing as he took in the warped landscape.
He also remembered what Kage had told him: when Kenji when he woke up, they had been in a huge battle outside Rose High school, sounds of explosions causing the ground to shake constantly like the world itself was fighting this creatures. Kenji couldn't help but wonder what the current situation was between humans and the monsters. But seeing that nothing had been done to save the students in Rose High… it was easy to guess who was winning.
Kenji soon turned away from the window and resumed his hunt.
He noticed movement down a narrow side path; three goblins were approaching. They were only ten feet away.
kenji crept closer to the corner, peering around it for a better look. With his crossbow ready, he aimed at the nearest goblin. The narrow hallway worked to his advantage; he could pick them off individually before they knew he was there.
As Kenji took down the first goblin, the others snapped to attention, eyes widening in alarm. With a fierce shout, they dashed toward him, weapons raised and ready, and the system alert rang out again.
["You have killed a low-tier goblin"]
["You have been rewarded two mana stones."]
Kenji returned the empty crossbow to his inventory in a heartbeat and drew another loaded crossbow. He didn't hesitate; aiming swiftly, he prepared to fire again.
Kenji quickly killed the second goblin, but the last one remained. It charged at him with a fierce battle cry; its eyes narrowed in aggression.
["You have killed a low-tier goblin"]
["You have been rewarded two mana stones."]
As it closed the distance, the goblin leapt into the air, soaring over Kenji's head. It raised its blade, poised to strike down at him.
The goblin's attack came straight at Kenji, but he was ready. With a swift sidestep, he let the creature fly past him. Kenji seized the opportunity.
He reached out and caught the goblin mid-leap from behind while his body was facing the opposite way and slammed it hard onto the ground. The impact was thunderous, echoing through the narrow hallway, and the goblin let out a pained yelp.
The goblin lost its weapon upon impact, clattering to the ground beside it. Kenji quickly sent the crossbow back to his inventory and equipped his previous blade.
Kenji prepared to strike with a determined glance at the dazed goblin, knowing this was his chance to end the fight.
He plunged the blade into the goblin's chest, the steel biting deep. The creature's eyes widened, a flash of pain crossing its face before it crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
["Congratulations! You have killed a goblin. You gain one mana stone."]
The system chimed, an alert flashing before Kenji's eyes.
"No cumulative points for stats again," Kenji thought, glancing at the system window. He had taken down five goblins, yet he wasn't giving any cumulative points to invest in his state. Frustration bubbled beneath the surface as he pondered the mysterious rules of this system.
Player Info after
Name: Kenji Mochizuki
Level: 3
Class: Novice
Yin: Locked
Stats/Attributes:
Agility: 15/15
Strength: 15/15
Stamina: 7/15
Intelligence: 13/13
Unique Skills: Adapt, Heightened Senses
Accumulated points awaiting distribution: 3
There were two ways to gain cumulative points: leveling up or battling stronger opponents. Each low-level goblin granted 100 XP. To reach level 1, all it took was killing a single goblin. Moving from level 1 to 2 required 850 XP, so at least nine kills. Level 3 to 4 demanded 2,000 XP.
Kenji had already slain about 19 goblins, putting him squarely at level 3 and a half, inching toward level 4. He wanted to boost his stats as fast as possible.
"Looks like I have a lot of goblins to kill," he muttered to himself.
Even after receiving the reward for completing his first mission, Kenji had no interest in spending his mana stones. He preferred to wait for an unforeseen event before making a decision. While others might be busy buying flashy weapons in the inventory shop, he wasn't swayed by their allure. They looked enticing, but their durability needed improvement, with most costing over 130 stones for items that wouldn't last. This was the decision he made after checking the weapon purchase part of the system. Kenji glanced down at his blade, recognising that using the goblins' weapons was far more practical.
Kenji noticed more goblins approaching, one, two, three, four. There were more than he had anticipated. The sound of the previous battle had drawn them in from the other side.
In no time, Kenji found himself surrounded. The goblins were enraged, their eyes blazing as they stared at the fallen bodies of their comrades on the ground. They let out a triumphant snarl, revelling in the knowledge that they had the advantage of numbers.
With about fifteen goblins closing in, Kenji felt the weight of their menace. There was no escape now; he would have to face them head-on.
Though surrounded and at a disadvantage, Kenji felt a surge of excitement. In his eyes, the goblins were nothing more than experience points waiting to be claimed.
"You're here to join your brothers," he said with an evil smile, ready to turn the tide in his favour.
Ahead of him loomed a wall of combat-ready goblins, about eight. But behind him, he noticed another group, three archers and several melee fighters, their eyes fixed on him.
Without a second thought, Kenji turned his back to the front line and dashed toward the group with archers, knowing that taking them out first would be crucial to his survival.
The archers loosed their arrows at Kenji, and he dodged what he could, narrowly avoiding the deadly projectiles. For the arrows he couldn't evade, he quickly summoned a broken shield from his inventory, using it to deflect the incoming shots.
In no time, he was closing in on the archers, but as he approached, the melee fighters charged at him, eager to protect their comrades.
Before the goblins could attack, Kenji propelled himself off the narrow hallway wall, soaring above the melee fighters below. He ignored the combatants; his gaze fixed on the archers too busy reloading to notice him. Confident that the combat goblins would provide them the chance to reload.
As Kenji descended, he aimed his blade with deadly intent, plunging it deep into the chest of the first archer. The goblin gasped, eyes wide with shock, before collapsing.
Without missing a beat, Kenji pivoted gracefully, driving his second blade into the abdomen of the next archer. The force of his strike pushed the creature back to the narrow hallway wall, and he felt a surge of satisfaction.
He yanked the first blade free, turning swiftly to face the last archer. With a fierce thrust, he buried the weapon in its neck, twisting it cruelly before pulling it out. The goblin swayed momentarily, blood spilling from its mouth, before it fell to the floor lifeless.
The combat goblins, previously ignored, charged at Kenji, their eyes filled with a thirst for vengeance. But as they surged forward, their bodies began to drop, one after another. Kenji moved with precision, each strike calculated and ruthless as he targeted their weak spots.
Like humans in their structure, the goblins had vulnerable areas that were too easy for him to exploit, their rusty bodies offering little protection from Kenji's blade. With each swift blow, he had already dropped about six goblins
Though Kenji struck with precision, his kills were nothing short of brutal. Goblins collapsed around him, some decapitated, others stabbed in various vital spots. Heads rolled, their lifeless eyes wide in shock as they hit the ground.