For now, I had to deal with the two goblins blocking my path.
They were approaching me slowly but surely, each taking a different side, waiting for the right moment to attack from both flanks.
"Ah… I almost forgot… Red goblins. Besides their highly sought-after skin in the markets, they're much smarter than regular goblins, even if their level and rank are the same."
'But whatever… I already took down three, so it shouldn't be too much trouble…'
Except that was pure luck. They had probably underestimated me, seeing me as easy prey, which is why I managed to kill more than half of them.
But now, I had a feeling they weren't underestimating me anymore. They were being cautious.
Except for the third one, who was still laughing as he chased after Ho-Bong…
Focusing on my fight, I took a deep breath and watched as the two goblins slowly closed in, each from a different side.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
"Come at me."
Instantly, both goblins lunged at me in perfect sync, their daggers aimed at vital points on my body.
"Die, meat!!"
"Die!!"
I didn't hesitate. I leaped toward the goblin on my left, closing the distance between us almost instantly, which took both of us by surprise for a split second.
'Woosh!'
'Splash!'
"GUAKH!!"
With a swift motion, I sliced off the hand holding the blade. My expression remained unchanged as I followed up with the simplest of strikes.
'Woosh !'
'Slash !'
"GreHK GRAH!!"
A deep gash appeared across his torso, and the goblin collapsed to the ground. But I had no time to rest. The second goblin was already charging at me, aiming to stab me in the back.
"GrIAHH!"
'Great, here comes the second one already.'
I reacted just in time, sidestepping his attack at the last moment.
"Hmph!"
As I dodged, I glanced at the goblin still mid-air and, with one clean stroke—
'Woosh!'
'Kssh!'
—I severed his head with complete composure.
The goblin's body fell to the ground, followed by his head rolling a few meters away. Green blood gushed from his neck. I took a quick look at the other goblin corpses around me.
Strangely, I felt… nothing. It was like that sensation in video games when you kill a monster—you don't really feel guilty because it's not real, and it has no impact on you.
That's exactly what I felt.
It didn't just happen magically. Even though I had gained some confidence after everything that had happened yesterday and the day before, I still felt uneasy before entering the Tower. That knot in my stomach, just thinking about fighting creatures I had never seen before…
So, when I stepped into the Tower, I built a shell around myself.
The same thing I used to be..
'Ugh, forget it.'
Why was I thinking about this now?
But in short… I just kept telling myself that I was inside the novel now, and aside from humans, nothing here was real.
That was the shell I had forged—to kill monsters without hesitation or fear.
[Information: The player's mental state…]
"Don't bother, I already know."
[+1 Red Goblin eliminated]
[4/6]
[You have gained experience]
'Wait, but didn't—'
"M-MR. SUGIL, HELP!!"
Before I could finish my thought, a panicked scream snapped me out of it.
'Damn, Ho-Bong!'
I turned toward the last goblin and saw Ho-Bong on the ground, his hand reaching out in desperation. The goblin loomed over him, raising an axe high, ready to strike.
"Damn it, hold on! I'm coming!"
Dash had been off cooldown for a while now, and the distance between me and them was exactly eleven meters. Then without hesitation, I activated—
[Dash]
___
The goblin was about to bring the axe down on Ho-Bong, who was completely frozen in fear, unable to do anything but scream.
"No… NO!!"
And just as the goblin swung—
"Woosh!"
"KRASH!!"
"KRAHHH!!"
Slowly opening his eyes, convinced he was dead, Ho-Bong instead saw a young boy standing before him, wearing a gray hoodie stained with the green blood of red goblins.
Next to him, the kneeling body of a red goblin lay motionless, its head missing, before collapsing to the ground.
"Oh… OH MY GOD…!"
[+1 Red Goblin eliminated]
[5/6]
[You have gained experience]
[Cooldown time before reusing Dash: 8 seconds]
"Are you alright, Mr. Ho-Bong?"
I asked, my breathing still slightly heavy.
Struggling to find his words, Ho-Bong then gave me a nod.
I reached out my hand to help him up.
"Good, then let's rest for a bit—"
And then, suddenly, I remembered.
'Wait, if I killed five of them, but they're all dead, then that means…'
At that very moment, a loud, blaring sound echoed, like a megaphone.
"Damn it!"
A few meters away, a bloodied goblin held a horn to his lips and blew into it.
It was a distress signal !
[Quest: Reach Level 5 during the entrance exam
Rewards: New card abilities of 1 or 2 stars, gain points in STR and END.
Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in penalties for the next 10 days. Quest difficulty: RANK F.]