Arthur, Isabella, Jordan, and his three lackeys pushed deeper into the ruined city as Isabella continued to slaughter every monster that dared cross their path.
Broken buildings cast long, jagged shadows across cracked streets littered with monster bones and glowing crystal shards. The air grew heavier, thick with mana pressure that made breathing slightly labored.
Distant roars echoed from multiple directions, reverberating through the ruins, but nothing immediately threatening appeared.
Jordan suddenly halted, raising a hand. His black eyes narrowed as he pointed toward a massive structure dominating the skyline ahead.
"There's a higher concentration of mana," he said confidently. "It's coming from that building. The boss should be there."
The structure was colossal, a ruined skyscraper with its upper floors torn away as if sliced by a giant blade. Black crystalline vines crawled across its surface, pulsing with red veins identical to those of the hyenas they had fought earlier.
The entrance yawned open like a screaming mouth. Massive double doors hung broken from their hinges, revealing nothing but deep, swallowing darkness inside. Faint tremors rumbled from within, shaking loose pebbles from the cracked façade.
Dense mana saturated the air around the building, warping it like heat rising from scorched ground.
Isabella nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "Alright. Let's head to that building."
The group adjusted their course, boots crunching over debris as they navigated collapsed streets and avoided patches of acidic residue left behind by earlier monsters. With every step, the building loomed larger, its oppressive presence weighing down on them.
Halfway there, Jordan deliberately slowed his pace until he was walking beside Isabella.
"Isabella," he said quietly. "There's something I want to talk to you about."
She glanced at him, platinum hair swaying. "What is it, Mr. Jordy?"
Jordan's mouth twitched violently, but he forced a smile. "It's Jordan."
"Oh." Isabella blinked innocently. "Sorry. I won't forget."
She tilted her head. "And could you please call me by my full name? I only let people really close to me call me Bella. I don't even know you, so you can't call me that."
Jordan's lackeys, Marco, Arlo, and Atlas, stiffened as they struggled to hold back laughter. Arthur's shoulders shook behind them, disguised as a cough.
Jordan's eye twitched. "Okay. Okay."
Isabella smiled brightly. "Good. Now what did you want to say?"
Jordan exhaled, steadying himself. "Well, you've been killing all the monsters we run into. And I'm totally fine with that."
He gestured toward his lackeys, putting on a pout. "But my friends here aren't too happy about it."
Marco blinked. "We aren't?"
"Unhappy?" Arlo asked, scratching his head. "Since when?"
Jordan's voice dropped into a sharp growl, eyes flashing with warning. "Didn't you guys say you wanted to gain experience? Fight monsters? Level up?"
Realization struck the trio at once.
"Oh. Right." Marco nodded quickly. "We really need experience."
"Yeah." Arlo nodded hard. "We should fight too."
"Definitely," Atlas added. "Can't let Miss Isabella do all the work."
Walking behind them, Arthur heard everything. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
'Looks like he's starting to set the board,' Arthur thought. 'For me or Isabella. Probably both.'
Jordan opened his mouth to continue.
A guttural screech tore through the silence.
Seven red goblins burst from a shattered alley between two collapsed towers, ash and debris billowing as they emerged.
They moved with sharp, coordinated precision, nothing like the mindless green goblins Arthur had seen before. Each stood nearly five feet tall, crimson skin stretched tight over corded muscle that rippled with unnatural strength.
Yellow fangs dripped paralytic venom. Rusted cleavers and jagged bone clubs reinforced with monster ivory filled their hands. Their eyes burned with cruel intelligence.
A system window materialized before Arthur's eyes.
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MONSTER ANALYSIS
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Red Goblin (x7)
Rank: D-Rank (Tier-2 Equivalent)
Level: 200
Description:
Elite strain of common goblins. Far stronger, faster, and more intelligent than green goblins.
• Enhanced physical attributes (three times green goblin strength and speed)
• Tactical pack hunters that coordinate attacks, use terrain, and set ambushes
• Special Ability: [Battle Rage]
Increases all stats by fifty percent when allied goblins die
Threat Level:
High for F-rank solo combatant
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Arthur tightened his grip on the sword Isabella had given him.
'The game required Tier-1 E-rankers just to fight these guys,' he thought. 'Let's test my limits.'
'System, use Blink if I fail. Swap me with jordan immediately if something goes wrong.'
[Understood, host.]
Isabella stiffened at the sight of the goblins, her hand drifting toward her sword. "We'll talk after I deal with this."
Before she could move, Arthur stepped forward.
He drew the blade with a soft rasp. His stance mirrored Isabella's perfectly.
Right foot forward. Left foot staggered for balance. Grip relaxed at waist height. Blade angled precisely thirty degrees from horizontal. Elbows loose. Shoulders relaxed.
A flawless imitation.
The goblins noticed immediately.
Their leader, a scarred brute wielding a chipped cleaver, screeched an order. The pack fanned into a perfect hunting crescent.
Three advanced from the front. Two moved to the left flank. Two circled right. They used the terrain expertly, smaller goblins ducking behind rubble while larger ones drew attention.
Arthur surged forward.
Not fast enough to rival Isabella, but shockingly quick for an F-rank. His form blurred just enough to trigger instinctive panic. Prey became predator.
The first goblin lunged, cleaver raised overhead.
Arthur snapped his right hip forward and dipped his left shoulder. The sword ripped upward in a clean quick-draw arc, a forty-five-degree slash that cut through collarbone, spine, and jaw.
The head separated cleanly.
The body staggered forward three steps before collapsing, black blood spraying across the stone.
The second goblin darted left, swinging low toward Arthur's knee.
Arthur pivoted, torso twisting. The sword reversed into a horizontal backhand slash, severing the goblin's head at the base of the skull. The corpse slammed into the wall with bone-crushing force.
Jordan froze. The lackeys stared in disbelief. Isabella's eyes widened slightly.
Two D-rank goblins.
Dead in under two seconds.
The third goblin activated [Battle Rage]. Crimson mana veins surged as its muscles doubled in size. It vaulted over debris, cleaver glowing red as it swung down.
Arthur attempted the same technique.
His body failed.
His right shoulder tore with a sickening pop. Ligaments snapped. Muscle ripped free. The blade faltered mid-draw, turning a clean strike into a clumsy hack.
The cleaver grazed his ribs, tearing fabric and flesh.
Arthur gasped as his knee gave out. The sword slipped from his fingers and clattered away.
'My body gave out,' he thought grimly. 'That was a bad idea.'
The remaining five goblins activated [Battle Rage] at once, bodies swelling grotesquely as they charged.
'System, use Blink. Swap me with jordan.'
Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.
Five ice spears materialized instantly, spinning at terrifying speed.
They struck together.
Five goblin skulls exploded. Frozen shards and red mist coated the alley walls. The bodies collapsed mid-charge.
Silence followed.
Arthur exhaled despite the pain. "Wow. That was cool."
Isabella stood ten feet away, left palm extended, frost crackling around her fingers. Her right hand rested on her sword hilt.
'I forgot,' Arthur thought. 'She's good with magic too.'
She walked toward him, boots crunching over shattered skulls.
Jordan rushed forward. "What the hell were you thinking, Arthur?"
"Silence," Isabella said calmly.
Jordan stopped instantly.
She stared down at Arthur. "You. How did you do that?"
Arthur smiled weakly. "Do what?"
"Don't play dumb. That was my Quick Draw."
She crouched meeting his eye level. "I showed it only once. Your execution was almost seventy percent perfect. Sloppy footwork. Inefficient movement. But functional. It took me several hours to reach that level."
Arthur shrugged with his good shoulder. "No idea what you're talking about."
Her eye twitched. "I just saved your life."
"Fine." Arthur raised his hands. "I have an F-rank talent. I can imitate low level physical techniques after observation. Needs repetition. Comes with consequences."
He rotated his limp arm.
"Like this."
Isabella fell silent.
'A near seventy percent perfect execution from viewing it just once.' she thought. 'This guy is not as useless as i thought.'
Arthur stood carefully. "Interrogation over? Jordan had something to say, remember?"
"We're not done," Isabella said. "we will talk about it later."
She tossed him a high-grade healing potion and turned away.
Arthur drank it immediately. Golden warmth flooded his body. Muscles repaired. Shoulder snapped back into place. His ribs sealed.
Good as new.
Jordan cleared his throat. "Arthur. Warn us before you attack. Don't do that again."
"Sorry," Arthur said humbly. "It won't happen again."
Jordan nodded. "Good."
Arthur turned. "You were saying something important earlier."
"Yeah." Jordan smirked. "Why don't we split into groups of two?"
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A/N:
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