Tangeni climbed out of the cellar through a broken window on the far side, leaving the hobgoblin screaming in the darkness behind him. His arm was still bleeding and his whole body ached, but he had a sword now and that changed everything.
The chipped shortsword wasn't much to look at—rusty blade, worn leather handle, chips along the edge from whoever owned it before—but it was System-recognized and that meant it actually did damage. His pipe was just a pipe, no stat bonuses, no scaling with his strength. This sword was a real weapon.
He found a quiet corner between two collapsed buildings and took a moment to catch his breath. One hundred and thirty-two viewers now, which was more than he ever expected for his first stream. Most of them were probably waiting for him to die, but some of them might actually be rooting for him.
[Chat]
[bestlittlesis: tangeni are you okay??? youre bleeding]
[viewer_47: bro looking rough ngl]
[lonely_ghost: he found a sword tho thats huge]
"I'm fine," he said for the stream, even though he wasn't really fine. "Just a scratch. The real question is what do I do now."
He pulled up his objective again.
[Objective: Defeat the Goblin King]
The Goblin King. Somewhere in this dungeon was a boss he needed to kill, and between him and that boss were hundreds of goblins who wanted to tear him apart. The smart move would be to find the exit and leave, come back with a real party and actual equipment.
But the stream was gaining viewers. People were watching him do the impossible, watching an F-rank hunter survive a dungeon with nothing but luck and a rusty sword. If he left now, he'd just be another failed hunter who gave up when things got hard.
He looked at the sword in his hand, then looked at the fortress in the distance. He could see it from here, a massive structure of stone and wood at the center of the dungeon, goblin flags flying from every tower. That was where the Goblin King would be.
"Alright chat," he said. "We're going to the fortress. If I die, remember me as someone who was really stupid but at least committed to the bit."
[Chat]
[randomgamer42: LETS GOOO]
[lonely_ghost: this man is actually insane]
[bestlittlesis: tangeni please be careful i swear to god]
He started moving through the ruins, keeping to cover and watching for patrols. The sword felt different in his hand than the pipe did—lighter, sharper, more lethal. When he spotted a lone goblin picking through rubble, he didn't run. He circled around behind it, waited for the right moment, and struck.
The blade went through the goblin's back and out the front. It died without making a sound.
[You have slain: Goblin (F-rank)]
[EXP: +5]
"That was way easier than the pipe," he said, pulling the sword free. "Chat, I think I might actually be able to do this."
He killed three more goblins over the next ten minutes, picking them off one by one when they wandered away from their groups. His technique was terrible, all wild swings and desperate stabs, but the sword made up for his lack of skill. Each kill got a little easier, a little faster, a little less terrifying.
One hundred and fifty-eight viewers now.
"This goblin's club is mid," he said while looting a body. "Three out of ten, no creativity. They're all using the same rusty weapons, chat. Where's the variety? Where's the drip?"
[Chat]
[viewer_47: bro is rating goblin fashion now]
[lonely_ghost: LMAOOO]
[randomgamer42: mid goblin fit check]
He was getting cocky. He knew he was getting cocky. But it felt good to finally be winning at something, even if that something was killing creatures in a dungeon that nobody cared about.
That was when the fireball hit the wall next to him.
He dove sideways and the second fireball missed by inches, close enough that he felt the heat wash over his face. His hoodie sleeve caught fire and he slapped at it desperately, putting out the flames before they could spread.
"What the hell was that," he said, scrambling behind a collapsed pillar.
[Chat]
[bestlittlesis: TANGENI THERES SOMETHING BEHIND YOU]
[viewer_47: SHAMAN SHAMAN SHAMAN]
[lonely_ghost: BRO HAS A MAGE ON HIM]
He peeked around the pillar and saw it—a goblin in robes, taller than the others, holding a gnarled wooden staff that glowed with orange light. It was already charging another fireball.
[Goblin Shaman (E-rank)]
[Warning: Enemy exceeds your current rank]
"Oh come on," he said. "They have magic now?"
The shaman fired and he ducked back behind the pillar. The fireball exploded against the stone and chunks of debris rained down on his head.
One hundred and seventy-two viewers. People were loving this.
[Chat]
[randomgamer42: FLANK IT]
[viewer_47: go around bro]
[lonely_ghost: FLANK FLANK FLANK]
[bestlittlesis: tangeni please listen to chat for once in your life]
"Chat wants me to flank it," he said. "Okay, I can do that. I think."
He sprinted from the pillar to a ruined wall, keeping his head down as another fireball sailed overhead. The shaman was slow to aim but the fireballs hit hard, and he couldn't take many of those before he was cooked. He needed to get close without getting burned.
He circled around, using rubble and collapsed buildings as cover. The shaman kept firing but the shots were getting wider, less accurate, and after a minute the glowing on its staff started to flicker.
"It's running out of mana," he said. "Chat was right, I just have to wait it out."
The shaman fired one more time, a weak spark that fizzled before it reached him, then the glow on its staff died completely. It looked at the staff in confusion, then looked at him, and its yellow eyes went wide.
He charged before it could run, closed the distance in three steps and drove the sword through its back. He pulled it out and stabbed again because he wasn't taking any chances, and the shaman collapsed face-first into the dirt.
[You have slain: Goblin Shaman (E-rank)]
[EXP: +25]
Twenty-five experience points, five times what a regular goblin gave him. This thing was actually worth something.
Then another notification popped up.
[Skill Book Dropped: Minor Flame (F-rank)]
[Would you like to absorb this skill book? Y/N]
He stared at it for a second and couldn't believe what he was seeing. A skill book drop, his first ever skill book drop, and it was magic.
He selected yes before the System could change its mind.
[Skill Acquired: Minor Flame Lv.1]
[Creates a small flame in user's palm. Minimal damage. Mana cost: 5.]
One hundred and eighty-nine viewers.
[Chat]
[viewer_47: HE GOT A SKILL DROP]
[lonely_ghost: LETS GOOO]
[randomgamer42: this stream is actually fire pun intended]
[bestlittlesis: TANGENI YOU HAVE MAGIC NOW OMG]
He held up his hand and focused on the skill the way the forums said you were supposed to. A small flame flickered to life in his palm, barely bigger than a candle, weak and unimpressive, but it was his. His second skill, earned through blood and luck and desperate violence in a dungeon nobody else wanted to clear.
[Donation: 5 credits]
[no_life_gamer: name the flame attack skibidi blast]
"I'm not naming it skibidi blast," he said, but he was grinning. "Chat, I have magic now. I'm F-rank with two skills and a sword and I'm about to fight a Goblin King."
He looked at the fortress looming in the distance, closer now than before. He could see goblins patrolling the walls, could hear drums echoing from somewhere inside, and something about those drums made him uneasy. They were getting louder.
The fortress gates swung open and a war party started pouring out, at least fifty goblins with actual armor and real weapons. They knew he was coming.