The creature was faster than Kellan could follow. Before he could even aim his spear, the goblin hog smashed straight into his chest.
WHAM!
Hot pain exploded across his ribs. He fell, breath punched from his lungs. Dirt filled his mouth. The world spun. For a split second, Kellan could only hear the pounding of his own heart.
The beast roared, raising its ugly club. It brought it down—KRAK!—splinters flying where his head had just been. Kellan rolled, desperate, gasping for air.
He got his spear up and shoved. To his own surprise, the spear slid into his grip perfectly. He twisted—THWIP!—and caught the creature's wrist.
"Hah—!" he started, but the hog goblin snarled, twisting and hammering its fist into Kellan's face.
CRACK!
Flashes of red and white burst behind his eyes. He hit the ground hard, spear knocked sideways. The goblin raised its weapon, drool and mud flying.
Suddenly—
"GET UP!"
Another guard dove in, spear whistling as it slammed into the monster's side. THUD! The creature screamed, spinning to bite its new enemy.
"Snap out of it!" the man barked, wild fear in his eyes. "The village is under attack! Do your fucking job!"
He sprinted away before Kellan could answer, chasing another goblin down the main street. Kellan blinked as he staggered up, panic crashing into him with each pounding footstep and scream.
He looked around—chaos everywhere. Villagers were running, women grabbing children, men grabbing axes. Guards—just a few—fought to hold a line, their shouts mixing with the screeches and snarls of the attacking monsters. The sky above was cloudy, smoke starting to rise already.
DING—!
A system prompt appeared, floating in glowing letters, cold and electric.
\[TOWER SYSTEM: TUTORIAL STAGE\]
Mission: Protect the village of Earthwood from the Manic Hog attacks.
Objective: Kill at least 20 Manic Hogs.
Total Enemies: 97
Time Limit: 40 Minutes
\[LEVEL DISPLAYED\]
—Kellan Vey: Level 1
—Manic Hog: Level 2–5
\[Mission Rewards: To Be Revealed\]
Kellan stared. Ninety-seven monsters? In just forty minutes?
Insanity.
And yet, his heart thudded fast, wild. Not fear, not quite. Something else. Excitement. He felt alive in a way he'd never known.
He watched a Manic Hog barrel past, chasing a boy through mud and torn grass.
Kellan gritted his teeth and lunged forward, spear flicking up. He aimed for the monster's gut. The beast twisted, moving faster than seemed possible. Its dirty tusks just missed him as it spun around.
Kellan's grip tightened. His mind—just for a blink—cleared.
The spear felt light, balanced. His feet moved without thinking, sliding to the side. SWISH! The spear snapped out in his hands.
SHHHK!
Blade plunged through gray fur, meat, bone. The hog-goblin squealed, eyes wide as it staggered, blood springing to the ground.
DING!
\[Manic Hog Defeated: 1/20\]
Kellan stared, breathless. He'd…done that? It felt natural, right. As if the skill lived in his muscles, his blood, his bones.
He looked down at his hands, still shaking, heart booming.
"This is insane," he whispered.
But for the first time in his life—
—it felt like maybe insanity wasn't so bad.
He glanced up, the village in chaos, and gripped his spear tighter. All around him, monsters howled.
BOOM!
THUD!
CRASH!
Adrenaline burned through his veins. He wasn't helpless anymore.
He gave a small, cold smile and ran to find the next hog.