I stared at the newest skill floating in front of me.
"Instant Slash..."
It was ridiculously overpowered.
"Rex, how did I unlock this so easily?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Rex admitted.
"Sometimes the System rewards the method used to defeat an enemy."
"You eliminated the Goblins almost instantly."
"Therefore..."
"You received a skill related to instantaneous attacks."
"...I can live with that."
Before I could ask another question—
DING!
Mission Complete!
Goblins Defeated: 5/5
Rewards
Basic Sword
Basic Sword Skill
Basic Armor
New Weapon Acquired
Basic Sword+10 Strength+10 Dexterity
New Skill Learned
Vertical Slash
A powerful downward sword strike.
Basic Armor Equipped
Punch Level Up!
Stalker Level Up!
I couldn't stop smiling.
Yesterday I was sitting at my military base eating canned pork and beans while waiting for orders.
Today...
I was cutting Goblins in half.
Life was weird.
I liked it.
"What's next, Rex?"
DING!
New Mission
Goblin Extermination II
Objective:
Defeat 10 Goblins.
Rewards:
200 XP
Random Skill
Map
Failure:
Death
"So it's a chain quest."
I equipped my new armor and sword.
The blade wasn't perfect...
But it felt comfortable in my hands.
Years of military training made adapting easy.
As I ventured deeper into the forest, strange noises echoed through the trees.
Shouting.
Laughing.
Singing.
Then...
I found it.
A wooden fortress surrounded by sharpened stakes.
A Goblin village.
The guards were barely standing.
Brown liquid spilled from mugs clutched in their hands.
"They're drunk."
"An opportunity," Rex replied.
I smiled.
"I was thinking the same thing."
Using Stalker, I slipped through the entrance unnoticed.
More than ten Goblins lay scattered around bonfires, completely unaware of my presence.
I could kill them...
But something caught my attention.
One larger building stood near the center of the camp.
"That's probably the Chief."
I quietly approached.
Inside...
A massive Goblin slept on a crude throne while two female Goblins rested beside him.
Perfect.
I raised my sword.
"Instant Slash."
"Vertical Slash."
The two skills merged together.
One flash of steel.
Blood sprayed across the room.
The two Goblin women died instantly.
The Chief's chest split open, but he survived.
His eyes burst open.
ROOOOAAAR!!
He charged.
At the last possible second, I stepped aside.
The Chief crashed straight through the wooden wall.
Before he could recover—
"Vertical Slash!"
The blade fell.
His head hit the ground.
Goblin Chief Defeated!
Level 5 Boss Eliminated.
500 XP Gained!
30 XP
30 XP
Vertical Slash Level 3
Instant Slash Level 3
Stalker Level 3
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL 6
I laughed.
"I almost thought attacking the Chief first was a bad idea."
Turns out...
It was the best decision I could have made.
Suddenly another quest appeared.
DING!
Hidden Quest
Conquer the Goblin Base.
Defeat all remaining Goblins.
Reward:
Ownership of the Base.
My eyes widened.
"I can own a base?"
"Yes."
"Many kings begin with far less."
I didn't need any more convincing.
I sprinted toward the front gate.
Running Level Up!
The remaining Goblins were still drunk.
None of them even had time to grab a weapon.
One swing.
Two swings.
Fire Punch.
Vertical Slash.
Within minutes...
The village was silent.
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL UP!
Mission Complete!
Rewards Received:
200 XP
Random Skill
Regional Map
New Trait Obtained
Sneaky
+10 Dexterity
Greatly reduces the chance of being detected while hidden.
Map Acquired
"Equip."
The world around me transformed.
A glowing map appeared before my eyes.
I could see rivers winding through the forest.
Towering waterfalls.
Monster territories.
The Goblin Base.
Most of the world remained hidden beneath black fog.
"So I have to explore to reveal the rest..."
"Correct."
Random Skill Acquired
Cooking
I blinked.
"...Cooking?"
Seriously?
Out of every skill in existence...
I get cooking?
Rex chuckled.
"Even heroes must eat."
"It will prove useful."
"I hope you're right."
"In System World..."
"No skill is truly useless."
As we continued talking, another question crossed my mind.
"Rex..."
"You keep calling us vessels."
"What exactly does that mean?"
"There is a reason humans from Earth are brought here."
"You have already experienced death."
"That makes your souls compatible with divine beings."
"When a god chooses someone..."
"They become that god's vessel."
"So... they take over my body?"
"No."
"You and the god become one."
"You gain unimaginable power."
"And..."
"You become immortal."
I stood there in silence.
This world...
Was much bigger than I had imagined.
200 XP Awarded
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL 8
DING!
You have unlocked two new missions.
You have acquired your first Base.
Would you like to clean the Base?
"Yes."
Cleaning Base...
The ground began to shake.
Broken walls repaired themselves.
Blood vanished.
The wooden buildings straightened.
The air filled with glowing particles.
Then...
The fortress moved.
Doors opened by themselves.
Torches ignited.
The walls shifted.
The entire Goblin Base...
...came alive.