He was a smith. And the first rule of the forge was to always have the right tool for the job.
[Ding!]
[First Quest Triggered: Survival.]
[Objective: Kill 3 'Goblins' during the First Selection.]
[Reward: Starter Crafting Kit & 500 Gold.]
The screams began in the hallway. A wet, tearing sound followed, accompanied by a high-pitched, manic cackling.
Han Jin stood in the center of the room, his eyes glowing with a faint violet light. He picked up the heavy textbook and felt the weight. To anyone else, it was paper. To him, it was raw material.
"Arthur," Han Jin said, his voice cold and steady as the screams grew louder. "I'm coming for that sword. But first, I have some leveling up to do."
The door to his room burst open, and a green-skinned creature with yellow eyes and a jagged bone knife lunged inside.
Han Jin didn't flinch, he moved forward quickly.
The Goblin's breath smelled like rotting meat and wet earth. It lunged its jagged bone knife aimed directly at Han Jin's throat. In his past life, Han Jin would have frozen in terror. He would have been just another statistic in the First Selection.
Not today.
With the All-Seeing Eye active, the Goblin's movements looked sluggish, framed by a flickering red outline that highlighted its weaknesses.
[Monster: Lesser Goblin (Level 1)]
Weak Point: Throat, Soft Underbelly.
Condition: Hungry/Frenzied.
Han Jin stepped to the left, a fraction of an inch before the bone knife could graze his skin. Using the momentum, he slammed his heavy metallurgy textbook, a three-pound brick of paper and glue, into the side of the Goblin's skull.
CRACK.
The creature's head snapped back. It stumbled, letting out a pained shriek.
"My turn," Han Jin muttered.
He didn't give it a chance to recover. He drove the metal tip of his heavy-duty crafting scissors into the creature's throat. Dark, foul-smelling blood sprayed across his dorm-room floor.
[Ding! You have slain a Lesser Goblin (Lv. 1).]
[Experience Gained: 20%] [First Kill Bonus: 100 Gold.]
The creature dissolved into black smoke, leaving behind a small, glowing green marble on the floor.
"Jin? What... what was that?"
Sang-woo stood in the doorway, his face pale as a sheet. He was trembling, staring at the spot where the monster had disappeared.
"Lock the door, Sang-woo," Han Jin said, his voice terrifyingly calm. He reached down and picked up the green marble.
[Item: Low-Grade Monster Essence]
Description: A condensed orb of mana. Used for crafting or temporary stat boosts.
"But Jin, the screams... we have to help…"
"If you go out there, you die," Han Jin interrupted, his eyes glowing with a faint violet light. "Listen to me, the world you knew is gone. Right now, you either become a hunter, or you become meat. Lock the door!"
The sheer authority in Han Jin's voice forced Sang-woo to move. He slammed the door and shoved a dresser in front of it just as another cackle echoed in the hallway.
Han Jin ignored the chaos outside. He had a different goal. He turned his gaze toward the wooden chair he had analyzed earlier.
[Requirement Met: 1x Monster Essence Found.]
[Would you like to use 'Extraction' and 'Crafting' to create: [Splintering Club]?]
Yes.
Han Jin's hands glowed with a soft, golden light. He touched the Monster Essence to the wooden chair. For a second, the room felt heavy with mana. The chair didn't just break, it was reconstructed. The wood twisted and hardened, the legs fusing together into a thick, heavy club studded with jagged, bone-like splinters of reinforced timber.
[Ding! Crafting Successful!] [Item Created: Splintering Club (Rank F - Superior)]
Attack Power: 12-15
Durability: 40/40
Special Effect: 10% chance to cause 'Bleed' on hit.
Crafting Experience Gained: 5%.
Han Jin gripped the handle. It felt perfect. In this world, most players were fighting with kitchen knives or umbrellas. He already had a dedicated weapon.
"You... you just made that out of thin air?" Sang-woo gasped, his eyes wide. "Jin, what class did you get? I got 'Standard Warrior,' but I don't even have a sword!"
"I'm a Smith," Han Jin said, testing the weight of the club. "And if you want to live, I'm going to need you to be my shield."
[Ding! Quest Progress: 1/3 Goblins Slain.]
The door to the dorm room shuddered. Something heavy was slamming against it from the other side.
THUD... THUD…
The wood began to splinter.
"They're here," Han Jin whispered. He didn't feel fear. He felt a cold, calculating excitement. In his last life, he had been the one hiding in the corner while others fought. He had been the one begging for scraps.
He looked at the door and saw the red outlines of two Goblins through the wood. He could see their heartbeats. He could see their low durability.
"Sang-woo, when that door breaks, you shove that dresser with everything you've got. Don't look at them. Just shove."
"I... I can't..."
"Do you want to die?" Han Jin's gaze was like ice.
Sang-woo swallowed hard, gripped the dresser, and nodded.
CRASH!
The door splintered open. Two Goblins tried to squeeze through the gap, their yellow eyes hungry.
"NOW!" Han Jin roared.
Sang-woo screamed and shoved the dresser with a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength. It pinned one Goblin against the doorframe, crushing its ribs. The second Goblin tumbled into the room, falling flat on its face.
Han Jin didn't hesitate. He stepped forward and swung the Splintering Club in a brutal overhead arc.
CRUNCH.
The club's jagged studs buried themselves in the Goblin's spine. The 'Bleed' effect triggered instantly. The creature didn't even have time to shriek before it dissolved into smoke.
[Ding! You have slain a Lesser Goblin (Lv. 1).] [Experience Gained: 20%]
Han Jin didn't stop. He turned to the Goblin pinned behind the dresser. It was clawing at Sang-woo's arms, its nails drawing blood.
Han Jin thrust the end of the club like a spear, jamming it into the creature's open mouth and out the back of its skull.
[Ding! Quest Completed: Survival!] [Rewards: Starter Crafting Kit, 500 Gold.] [Bonus: You have reached Level 2!]
A surge of warmth flooded Han Jin's body. His fatigue vanished. His muscles felt denser, his mind clearer.
[Level Up! You have 5 Stat Points to distribute.]
He put all 5 points into Intelligence. As an Artificer, Intelligence didn't just make him "smart"...it increased the success rate of his crafts and the power of his Mana-infused items.
"We... we did it?" Sang-woo slumped to the floor, breathing hard. "Jin, we're alive."
Han Jin didn't answer. He was looking at the new notification on his screen.
[Starter Crafting Kit Opened!]
[You have received: 'Portable Mini-Forge' (Bound), 'Novice Hammer', and 'Recipe: Iron-Grade Longsword'.]