Kael staggered forward, his breath ragged, the taste of iron filling his mouth. The slums at night were never quiet—but tonight, the silence pressed down heavier than usual. The alleys stretched on endlessly, cloaked in shadows, their walls marked by years of neglect: peeling paint, broken windows, graffiti long since faded into meaningless scratches.
The corpses of the three goblins he had slain moments earlier seemed to follow him in memory. Every time he blinked, he saw them falling, heard their guttural shrieks. For the first time in his life, he had killed something stronger than a rat or a stray dog. For the first time, he felt the weight of death on his hands.
Yet beneath the trembling of his muscles, beneath the ache in his arms, there was something else. A burning. A spark that refused to die.
[ Progress: 3/5 ]
[ Time Remaining: 21:42:18 ]
The glowing numbers floated in his vision, cold and unyielding. Only two more targets remained. The system wouldn't let him stop—not now.
Kael pressed his hand against his wounded shoulder where the first goblin's dagger had grazed him. His palm came away wet and sticky with blood. The sight made his stomach churn, but he clenched his jaw and pressed on. If he gave in to weakness now, it was over.
The smell guided him before the sound did. A putrid stench wafted down the alley—a mixture of rotting flesh, unwashed bodies, and something sour that made his throat tighten. His instincts screamed at him. Danger was near.
He crouched low, his back pressed to a cracked brick wall, and crept forward. Every step was careful, measured. His bare feet brushed against broken glass, but he shifted his weight before it could crunch. His ears strained for movement.
Then he heard it: harsh, guttural voices. Goblins.
Kael peeked around the corner.
Two of them. One sat crouched in the rubble of an old storefront, gnawing on a half-burned bone. Its crooked teeth scraped against the marrow with a sound that made his skin crawl. The other sat sharpening a jagged piece of scrap metal, the rhythmic screech of metal on stone echoing through the alley like a death rattle.
Their yellow eyes glowed faintly in the dark, darting at every shift in the wind. These weren't mindless beasts—they were predators.
Kael's fingers tightened around the iron rod. His arms shook from exhaustion, but his gaze sharpened.
Two left. Just two.
He could almost see Lira's face in the faint glow of the system screens. Her thin arms wrapped around her knees, her soft voice whispering:
"Eat, brother. You need strength."
His throat constricted. That single memory burned brighter than his fear.
I will never let her starve again.
Kael stepped from the shadows.
The goblins reacted instantly, snarling and leaping to their feet. The bone fell from one's mouth with a sickening crack as its jaw stretched wide in a screech. The other bared its teeth, gripping the sharpened scrap like a dagger.
They circled him, spreading out, their guttural chattering filling the air. Their eyes gleamed like predators who had just found fresh prey.
Kael raised the iron rod, his body trembling but his voice steady.
"Come on."
The first goblin lunged with its claws outstretched. Kael's reflexes kicked in. He swung the rod in a desperate arc, the jagged end slamming against the creature's forearm. The goblin shrieked, its momentum broken, but the impact jarred Kael's bones.
The second was faster. Its scrap-weapon flashed toward Kael's neck. He ducked low, feeling the blade slice through the air just above him, close enough to tug at his hair. Sweat trickled down his temple.
He rolled forward, barely keeping his footing, and came up swinging. The rod cracked against the second goblin's ribs with a hollow thud. The creature staggered, snarling in pain, but didn't fall.
Kael's chest heaved. His muscles screamed. Every part of him wanted to drop the rod and collapse. But the system's reminder glared in his vision:
[ Failure Penalty: -20 Stat Points ]
Failure wasn't an option.
He thought of the years of humiliation, of begging guilds to take him only to be laughed out of the building. Of his sister's hollow cheeks when there wasn't enough food to go around. Of the gnawing, endless helplessness that had defined his life until tonight.
Not anymore.
Kael let out a raw shout and charged the nearest goblin. His rod clashed against the scrap blade, sparks flying. Pain jolted up his arms from the impact, but he shoved forward with all his strength. The goblin snarled, trying to push back, but Kael twisted his body and rammed his shoulder into the creature's chest.
It stumbled, off-balance. Kael didn't hesitate. He brought the rod down hard against its leg. The goblin collapsed with a screech, its blade clattering away.
The second goblin leapt onto his back, claws tearing into his shoulder. Kael gasped, his knees buckling under the weight. His vision swam with pain, but he roared and slammed himself backward into the wall.
The goblin shrieked, dazed by the impact. Kael seized the moment, ripping it off and swinging his rod in a wide, desperate arc. The jagged iron smashed against its skull with a sickening thud. The creature dropped to the ground, unmoving.
Breathless, Kael turned to the first goblin. It was still crawling, dragging its broken leg, snarling at him through bloodied teeth. Its eyes blazed with hatred.
Kael raised the rod, chest heaving, sweat and blood dripping down his face. For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Then he brought it down.
Silence.
[ Quest Complete. ]
[ Objective Reached: 5/5 Goblins Defeated. ]
[ Rewards Granted. ]
Blue light filled the alley, banishing the shadows.
[ +200 EXP ]
[ Random Equipment Box Acquired ]
Kael's knees buckled. He sank to the ground, the rod slipping from his hands. His vision swam, but a wild, disbelieving laugh escaped his lips.
He had done it. His first hunt.
For the first time in his life, he wasn't prey. He wasn't a failure.
He was a hunter.
As the glowing box materialized before him, hovering in the air like a divine gift, Kael reached out with trembling hands.
[ Would you like to open the Equipment Box now? ]
His lips curled into a tired grin.
"Yes."
The box shattered into shards of light.
And in his hands, something new began to take shape…