The Boost Berry (the berries they found earlier) bush wasn't particularly tall — only up to Noah's shoulder — but the way Emily attacked it, you'd think it was a life-or-death mission.
"Don't just stand there!" she hissed, yanking handfuls of berries and tossing them into the open pizza box Noah was holding. "Grab them before something else does!"
"You're treating this like a supermarket sale," Noah muttered, but he started grabbing berries anyway, careful not to crush them.
[Correct action. Boost Berries are highly valuable consumables that—] Emily's system began.
"Yeah, yeah, special effects, stat boosts, blah blah blah," Emily said without looking up. "I heard you the first time."
Noah's own system chimed in — much quieter, almost formal:
[Inventory storage method: unconventional, but functional.]
Emily glanced at him, still stuffing berries into the box. "Your system… compliments you?"
He shrugged. "It's polite."
"I got stuck with the hyperactive one."
[HEY! I'M RIGHT HERE.]
By the time they were done, the bushes looked like winter had hit early. The two pizza boxes — once the proud home of cheesy perfection — were now filled with plump violet berries that faintly shimmered under the sunlight. Noah wasn't sure whether to feel proud or guilty.
"Alright," Emily said, slamming the lid shut. "We get these somewhere safe, then—"
Grrraaaaaahhh.
The sound rolled through the clearing, deep and throaty. Noah froze. Emily's grip tightened on the box.
"That wasn't the wind," Noah said.
From between the trees, shadows moved. Four… no, five squat figures, each no taller than a child but twice as ugly, stumbled into the open. Their skin was a greasy green, their teeth jagged and yellow, and their eyes glittered with hungry malice.
"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Emily muttered. "Goblins? Of course it's goblins. It's always goblins."
[New hostile entities detected: Goblins. Average stats: Strength 8, Intelligence 4, Dexterity 9.] Emily's system rattled off the info like it was announcing lunch specials.
One of the goblins barked something in a language Noah didn't recognize, and the rest spread out. The nearest one charged — and Noah reacted without thinking. His fist snapped forward like a piston, colliding with the goblin's head in a sickening thud.
The creature dropped instantly.
"…Ow." Noah shook his hand out. "These things have hard skulls."
Another goblin darted in from the left, swinging a crude wooden club. Noah sidestepped, grabbed the weapon mid-swing, and yanked it away, sending the goblin sprawling face-first into the dirt.
"Two down," he said, tossing the club aside.
The third one came from behind. Emily yelped, twisting out of the way. "Do something!"
Noah spun, grabbed the pizza box in one hand, and smacked the goblin square in the face. The box bent but didn't break, and the goblin staggered back with a dazed grunt.
"…Pizza box: 1. Goblin: 0," Noah said.
By the time they'd broken through the treeline on the other side of the clearing, two — maybe three — goblins were down. Emily clutched the berry-filled box to her chest like a newborn.
"Next time, we eat the pizza before we fall into a death forest," she panted.
That was when Noah's vision flickered.
[+30 EXP]
[Level Up: 2]
He blinked as another screen appeared in front of him.
[Skill Unlocked: Metallic Radar]
[This skill has no cooldown and infinite duration until cancelled. It detects metals within a one-kilometre radius. Metals will be marked on your map with their altitude and latitude.]
"…Metallic Radar?" Noah muttered aloud.
[Correct. This ability will assist in locating valuable metallic resources, including ores, weapons, armor, and currency.]
Emily glanced at him. "So… basically a treasure hunter mode?"
"Yeah," he said, lips curling into a grin. "And you know what metals include? Coins. Ingots. Possibly legendary weapons."
[Please refrain from excessive greed. Locating a dragon's hoard may result in death.]
"…Noted."
Emily snorted. "Your system gives warnings. Mine just laughs at me."
[True.]
They kept moving, feet pounding against the uneven earth. Every now and then, Noah's new radar pinged softly in his mind, like a sonar sweep. He could already sense faint signatures — probably iron or copper — buried deep beneath the soil. It was oddly satisfying.
"You know," Noah said between breaths, "if we survive the monsters, I could make us some gear."
"Or we could just not be near monsters at all," Emily shot back.
Her system piped up: [Where's your sense of adventure?]
"My sense of adventure is currently screaming for a locked door, three deadbolts, and an alarm system!"
They didn't slow until the forest behind them was silent again. The goblins weren't pursuing — maybe they didn't like chasing prey too far from their territory. Or maybe they just didn't want a rematch with Noah's fists.
When they finally stopped to catch their breath, Noah crouched to check the berries. Not a single one was crushed.
"You know," he said, "for all the chaos, we actually did pretty well."
Emily gave him a flat look. "We were attacked by goblins, you got a weird metal-sniffing skill, and I'm still waiting for my system to do something useful."
[You got me.]
"I rest my case."
Noah's new radar was pinging in the back of his mind as they trudged through the undergrowth, but it wasn't metals he picked up first — it was movement. Four separate signals were closing in fast.
"Emily," he murmured, shifting his grip on the pizza box of berries.
"What?"
"Company. Four of them."
Before she could ask what kind, a high-pitched screech tore through the air, and four goblins burst from the bushes. These ones looked meaner — sharper teeth, crude metal blades, and leather armor stitched together from who-knew-what.
Emily squeaked and stepped back. "Oh, fantastic. I was just wondering how much worse my day could get."
[Hostile entities detected: Goblins. Strength 9–10, Dexterity 11.] Emily's system's voice was cheerful, as if announcing the weather.
Noah, however, didn't hesitate. "Stay behind me."
The first goblin lunged, swinging its jagged dagger. Noah sidestepped, caught its wrist, and slammed his elbow into the creature's jaw. The goblin went down with a grunt.
The second tried to flank him. Noah pivoted, drove his fist into its stomach, then followed up with a knee to its chin.
"That's two," he said calmly, though his knuckles throbbed.
The third came at him screaming. Noah caught it by the scruff of the neck, lifted it, and slammed it into the ground with a thwack. It didn't get back up.
The fourth goblin froze for half a second — maybe rethinking its life choices — but Noah grabbed it before it could run. He twisted its weapon away and held it still.
"Emily!" he called. "Your turn."
She blinked. "What?"
"Come here. Take it out."
Emily glanced at the struggling goblin, then at her thin arms. "…You've seen my Strength stat, right?"
"I'll hold it still. Just… hit it."
Reluctantly, she stepped forward, raising the crude dagger Noah had disarmed. She jabbed — awkwardly — and the goblin let out a sharp cry before going limp.
[+40 EXP]
Emily's breath came fast, and her hands trembled. "That… was horrible."
"Yeah," Noah said, patting her shoulder. "But now you've officially survived a fight."
A screen popped up in front of her.
[Skill Unlocked: Element Conjurer]
[With this skill, you can summon the first 30 elements in the periodic table. That's it. No upgrades at Level 2. Have fun.]
Emily stared at it. "Wait… what? You're telling me I can summon hydrogen, helium, lithium…?"
[Yes. Also carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, neon… basically everything up to zinc.]
She turned to Noah. "Why do I feel like this could either be incredible or completely useless?"
He grinned. "Depends on how creative you are."
Before she could experiment, her system's voice chirped again.
[Oh! You should eat those berries. You currently have 32 Boost Berries. Divide them between the two of you. Each berry gives 0.1 stat points — so eating 10 will increase a stat by exactly 1 point. This is not overpowered, okay? So both of you will get +1.6 in every stat.]
Emily and Noah exchanged a glance and ate the berries.
[Updated stats incoming… oh, and by the way…] The voice dropped into a cackle. [HEHEHEHE IT'S FUNNY! Systems have a built-in inventory to store things… and you stupid people kept yours in… 😂 PIZZA BOXES!]
"WHAT?!" Emily exploded. "We've been running for our lives protecting these like some priceless treasure, and you're telling me—"
[Yep! Could've just put them in your inventory. No damage, no weight, no pizza smell.]
"WHY YOU—" Emily swung at the air, as if she could punch her system into silence.
Noah chuckled. "Well, at least we get stat boosts now." He tossed one berry into his mouth. The flavor was sweet and tangy, like blueberries mixed with something faintly metallic.
By the time they'd eaten their share, both of them felt… sharper. Stronger. The world seemed a little clearer, their limbs a little lighter.
[Updated Stats for Noah Reed:]
[Strength: 16.6]
[Intelligence: 12.6]
[Dexterity: 13.6]
[Charisma: 13.6]
[Wisdom: 11.6]
[Constitution: 11.6]
[Updated Stats for Emily Cross:]
[Strength: 10.6]
[Intelligence: 16.6]
[Dexterity: 13.6]
[Charisma: 21.6]
[Wisdom: 11.6]
[Constitution: 11.6]
[It's too funny to do this "Updated stats for Emily Cross" 😂]
Emily stretched her arms experimentally. "Huh. I can actually feel the difference."
"That's because," Noah said, "we basically just leveled up without the effort."
They kept walking. The forest slowly began to thin, and the ground grew less tangled with roots.
That was when Noah's system chimed in.
[Alert: Nearby Town Detected]
[Town of Lyrthorne]
Emily's head snapped toward him. "Town?"
"Town," Noah confirmed. "Finally."
Her system hummed. [Ohhh, Lyrthorne. Cute little place. Markets, inns, overpriced soup. You'll love it.]
"I don't care what they have," Emily said. "As long as there's a bed and no goblins."
Noah allowed himself a small smile. "Let's go see what this world's version of civilization looks like."
They started down the dirt path toward the town gates, unaware that the next challenge waiting for them wasn't going to be a monster — but people.