A massive floating screen appeared before me, glowing with a bold title at the top: "STATS". Below it, a human silhouette took center stage, flanked by six neatly labeled boxes on either side:
Strength
Agility
Stamina
Dexterity
Luck
Wisdom
At the bottom, a line read:
"Your Level: 1"
"What?! Level 1?" I yelled, my voice echoing with disbelief. "This has to be a joke! Every game starts you at Level 5 with some bonus skill points!"
From behind me, a voice groaned in pain.
"Are you going to help me or not?! I'm... not gonna last much longer!" The bloodied stranger coughed violently, staining the dirt with crimson.
Right. Him. He's still here. But helping him might get me killed-I'm Level 1, and these goblins are clearly Level 5. I don't even have a weapon! But... if I kill them, I'll get EXP. Level up. Maybe get a skill point or two. Heh. Worth the risk.
I turned to the stranger, calling back, "Hold on!" and sprinted toward a nearby bush. My eyes landed on something useful. I yanked it free with both hands.
SYSTEM: "You have obtained: 1x Stick (Common Item)."
"Wow, how fancy," I muttered sarcastically, before shaking my head. "Focus!"
I charged back to the fight, brandishing my mighty... stick.
"HAAAA!" I screamed, swinging it with all my strength at the nearest goblin's leg. The stick barely scratched him.
"Are you kidding me?! What kind of trash strength stat is this?!"
The goblin snarled, clearly unimpressed. "Hmph. Weakling."
With one swift motion, his fist slammed into my stomach like a cannonball.
The air was knocked clean out of me. Blood spattered from my mouth as I went flying back, crashing against a large rock. The pain was overwhelming, white-hot, and blinding. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe.
Curled up on the ground, clutching my stomach, I gasped, "Damn it... this... freaking goblin..." My voice was barely a whisper.
Despite the agony, I let out a bitter laugh. "If I was playing my usual character, this guy would've been toast by now. Haha... what a joke."
I glanced at the stranger being relentlessly beaten by the two goblins. One had lost an arm, and the other's stomach was bleeding heavily. "He... he really fought hard," I murmured. My eyes caught something on the ground near me-small rocks scattered around the base of the boulder. A thought sparked.
"Wait... maybe..."
SYSTEM: "You have obtained: 14x Tiny Pebbles (Common Items)."
"Guess I'll make do," I muttered, gripping the stones tightly.
The stranger let out a weak, hoarse whisper. "I guess... this is it for me..."
One of the goblins sneered. "Hmph. Time to feast, brother-"
Before he could finish, a pebble smashed into his face. His head snapped back, blood dripping from his temple.
"WHO... DID THAT?!" the goblin roared, spinning around in search of the culprit.
Another pebble hit him square in the knee. He staggered, hissing in pain as he instinctively bent down to clutch his leg. That was my opening.
I sprinted forward, jumping into the air with my trusty stick raised high.
"DIE!!!"
The stick connected with his head in a loud, satisfying thwack. The goblin let out a guttural cry, collapsing onto the ground.
SYSTEM: "The goblin is afflicted with: Dazed (Debuff)."
Without hesitation, I grabbed a rock and began smashing it repeatedly into his face.
"Take this! And this! AND THIS!" I yelled, adrenaline surging through me as his snarls turned into gurgles.
"Watch your back!" the stranger suddenly shouted.
I froze, realizing too late that the second goblin had crept up behind me.
"Crap-thanks!" I stammered, leaping backward just in time to avoid a deadly slash.
"Watch out, bro! I'll protect you," the second goblin sneered, stepping in front of his injured ally.
"Ah, so you're the one missing an arm," I muttered sarcastically, realizing how bad my situation was.
"Damn it, that first goblin still isn't dead..." I gritted my teeth, gripping the pebble in one hand and the stick in the other. "Alright, let's dance, you little freak!"
I broke into a sprint toward the goblin. He stood still, watching me closely. This one wasn't as dumb as his friend. As I closed in, I tossed a rock at his feet.
"Haha, what kind of weak throw was that?" the goblin jeered, pulling a sharp shard of flint from his ragged shorts. "I'll eat you alive, human!"
"Pfft, nice rock you've got there," I laughed mockingly, pretending not to care as I charged directly at him.
"Haha!" He grinned, readying his weapon, but I caught him off guard-hurling another pebble right at his face. It smacked him square in the nose. The goblin staggered back, clutching his face in surprise.
That was my chance. I darted behind him and swung my stick as hard as I could into his back.
"Kh!" he growled in pain, spinning around faster than I expected. His jagged flint blade flashed in the light, slashing across my stomach and grazing my arm.
"Aaaah! Damn it, that hurts!" I shouted, collapsing onto the ground. Blood trickled from the wound as the goblin loomed over me.
The pain was unbearable, like getting jabbed with a hot iron. My head spun, and I could barely think straight. I wanted to give up, to just close my eyes and rest. I tried to think, but the agony drowned out every rational thought.
SYSTEM: You have been inflicted with: Bleeding (Debuff). Duration: until bandaged.
SYSTEM: You have been inflicted with: Agony (Debuff). Duration 7 seconds
The goblin raised his weapon high, snarling with triumph.
