I thrust the iron rod forward without a shred of emotion.
"How can I kill these goblins as efficiently as possible?"
That single thought consumed my mind.
Survival was my utmost priority, and to survive, I had to eliminate the enemy right in front of me.
Gazing at the goblin's hideous face, I reasoned to myself.
It had eyes, a nose, a mouth—its body structure was much like a human's.
So its weak points had to be similar, too.
Puuk!
The rod pierced straight through the goblin's throat.
Green blood sprayed out.
Kyiek!
The light rapidly faded from the goblin's eyes as its throat was ruptured.
Since it was the first such creature I'd encountered, I'd braced for variables.
But none arose—it died far more easily than anticipated.
"Throat's reliable. Next up, the head..."
I shoved the goblin away with my foot and yanked the rod free.
Then the voice I'd thought was done returned.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Remembering your life and soul.
A bizarre experience.
The voice felt like it was beaming straight into my brain—utterly unobtrusive.
It didn't scatter my focus in the slightest.
"Kirruk."
Puuk!
So I kept moving even as I listened.
The goblin, its eyeball skewered, dropped dead.
"Bones seem softer than a human's?"
Ahead of me, two overturned cars formed a narrow chokepoint.
Goblins rushed at me one after another through that gap.
As I handled their sequential assaults, I sorted the intel in my head.
Even amid all that, the voice persisted.
It covered events since Earth's cataclysm began—factoring in my every action and mindset.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Your first action was murder.
The words didn't make sense at first.
Then memory clicked, and I got it.
"That fat guy?"
On the subway ride home from work, when I sensed the anomaly.
I'd used a fellow passenger for my own survival.
He died as a result. I lived.
"But what's the point of factoring that in?"
My bewilderment over the rambling narrative cleared up fast.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Awakening Fundamental Skill.
Something like a potent will seared itself into my soul.
No other way to put it.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Exclusive Survivalism] Now, everyone is an enemy. You can gain the experience needed for level-up from all enemies.
A supernatural power had taken root within me.
Unbelievable, yet undeniable.
"Level-up?"
Absurdly, it conveyed a concept straight out of a game.
And I realized this power was part of a system—Earth's immune response to the cataclysm.
Kiruk!
A massive shift had occurred, but I betrayed none of it outwardly.
I stared blankly at the leaping goblin.
Puuk!
The goblin vaulted high on legs that looked fragile.
I jabbed the rod at its chest, then drove forward with all my strength, impaling the goblin behind it in one thrust.
"Level-up... it's legit."
That was when I'd slain five goblins single-handedly.
✨ LEVEL UP! ✨Lv 1 → Lv 2
2nd level achieved.
"Feels... a little less strenuous."
I gauged the iron rod's weight in my grip.
The burden had lightened.
Sensing the cascade of changes, I steeled my resolve.
Level up fast.
For someone like me, who always envisioned the worst, this was only natural.
And with every level-up, I'd hear my mother's voice again.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The goblins charged with savage momentum, but the humans wielding weapons put up a fierce resistance.
The battle dragged on.
Weight class and reach made the difference.
Goblins had the numbers, but they were bare-handed.
Compounding that, the wrecked cars on the road served as makeshift walls.
"You small-dicked little shits!"
A man atop a sedan bellowed in frenzy, flailing his weapon wildly.
Couldn't argue there.
"Everyone's holding strong! Stay calm, don't lose it!"
The man in the hat scanned his surroundings and shouted.
He had some breathing room, just like me.
"Damn, won't budge."
"Here!"
A man abandoned his jammed weapon; a woman behind him swiftly passed another.
While he took it, a burly guy shoved the goblins back.
He bulldozed forward with a mangled guardrail.
"They're holding better than I thought... but..."
At first, I'd been ready to ditch the group and bolt at any moment.
Monsters were brutal and feral, while modern folk rarely even wrung a chicken's neck.
I'd figured that gap would settle things quick.
True enough, plenty panicked early and nearly died.
But a few pulled more than their weight.
Their burning zeal rallied the terrified masses.
"Hraaaah! Over here!"
The standout was the hatted man.
He was the one who'd rallied everyone initially.
His booming shout whipped the goblins' heads around.
They lunged toward him, ignoring humans right in their faces.
"He's awakened for sure."
A handful of brave souls and his power had pulled them through the early crisis.
Now even the huddled masses swung at goblins without hesitation, drunk on the eerie fervor.
"Problem is, we're nowhere near safe."
Goblins were smart.
When resistance stiffened, they'd halt attacks and pull back.
Maybe regrouping to grind humans down slowly.
Or fetching tools.
Each time, the hatted man unleashed a skill to lure them back in.
"His face is paling."
How much longer could he last?
His condition screamed "not infinite uses."
Worse problems loomed.
Everyone was way too hyped.
Civilians, all of them, judging by their form.
No matter how fit normally, fatigue had to be setting in.
"Numbers left..."
Still more live goblins than humans.
Eyes wide open, I envisioned the fight's grim end.
Humans lose, eventually.
"If the line breaks, can I punch through?"
I moved with maximum efficiency.
Had to ration strength.
But crisis hit sooner than I'd figured.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
That was when I'd kept slaying goblins to hit level 3.
"Aak!"
A man crumpled with a strangled scream.
A "dead" goblin was gnawing his ankle.
"Fuck!"
The guy beside him overextended.
"That side! Support, one of you help!"
The hatted man barked orders fast.
Support meant the folks ferrying weapons around.
One injured man, three women.
I held my chokepoint and watched their response.
"W-what do we do?"
"Miss, you go."
"Me? No way!"
A middle-aged woman shoved the young woman who'd aided me earlier.
She scampered straight to my position.
"I'll help here instead."
She chucked concrete chunks at goblins from behind me.
Tuk.
No visible effect.
"Fuck! Anyone, hurry up!"
The man now soloing a gap roared savagely.
Overmatched.
"Uuu... sob."
"Student... even the kid..."
Another woman teared up and collapsed.
The auntie shoved the man with a dangling broken arm next.
He bit his lip, gripped a weapon one-handed, and advanced.
"Hraaap!"
He swung for all he was worth.
One-handed.
Power fell short.
The shoulder-struck goblin launched itself at him.
"Aaaak!"
The neighbor bashed its skull desperately.
But in that instant, the downed man's flank got punctured.
"You monster fuckers!"
Hatted man screamed to seize goblin focus.
The rest wrung out their dregs of strength.
"Not holding."
I readied my exit.
Cracks in the dam.
No wild cards, and it'd burst soon.
The card I awaited: someone awakening a Fundamental Skill to seal the breach.
Now? No guarantee it'd come before collapse.
"No clue how awakening even works."
Initially figured killing goblins triggered it.
After observing? Nope.
Everyone fought vanilla except the hatted guy.
Kraaaagh!
Timing my break and scouting alternates.
A wild card dropped from left field.
Kirik.
Another monster emerged from the bridge's south end.
Goblin-like skin, but massively bulkier.
Taller than most men, rippling muscle.
Ah, ugly as a goblin, too.
"Orc..."
The hatted man muttered, tense.
The newcomer's aura was off the charts.
Like a gorilla crashing a monkey troupe.
"Kihihik."
Goblins whimpered at the orc's cry.
The lone rearguard goblin—who I'd pegged as boss—backed away, back exposed.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
Orc charged.
Insane speed.
"Fuck... that thing's packing."
Despair rippled across faces just catching a breather as goblins paused.
Kwaduk. Wooduk.
Orc snatched the goblin boss in a flash.
Hauled it up in a massive paw and snapped its neck raw.
I wheeled around at the sight.
No beating that.
"Hide first..."
Pile-on disaster.
North bridge end? No escape either.
Still, any shot meant evading the orc's eyes initially.
"Uh, where you headed?"
Midst the orc fixation.
The woman beside me spoke softly.
I nodded at the orc, shook my head.
"I'll tag along."
She followed again.
Staying spelled doom in her eyes too.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Balance shattered as predicted.
Orc finished the goblin boss, pivoted to humans.
Lucky break: not goblin allies.
Humans and monsters scrambled every which way—total chaos.
"Hahk... hahk... w-what now?"
I bolted north along the bridge.
Eyed slipping south stealthily? Looked impossible.
Another orc blocked the end.
"Hey!"
Glanced back: three goblins tailing the woman.
Shieek! Puuk!
I braked hard, flowed into my mental script.
Impaled the lead goblin, bludgeoned the next's skull with the rod's butt.
"Kyaaak!"
As the startled woman tripped, I shouldered the last goblin.
It tumbled, fangs flashing for my flesh.
Peok!
Rolled once, popped up, booted its head.
Peok! Peok! Peok!
A few more stomps, and it slackened.
Leveled up simultaneously to 4.
Each level-up nudged strength and stamina higher.
Felt it clear, despite heavy fatigue.
"Ugh... you scared me!"
I reclaimed my rod; she rubbed her scraped knee.
"What now? No more places to run..."
I eyed her, pondering.
While picturing backhanding her face.
Most of my stress stemmed from people.
Imagination's free, though.
Mother's advice: keep fantasies fantasies for society.
"Climb up there."
Two subway cars lay toppled at the ruined bridge edge.
She hesitated in her skirt; I boosted her up first.
"You groped me on purpose."
"Not the time."
I clambered after; she shot me a glare.
Cause: butt-push assist.
Ignored her gripes, scanned our escape direction.
Kwaang!
Orc barreled in, smashing a car.
The long-weapon guy atop it sailed off.
Hatted man.
"W-what do we do? Seriously."
She shook my arm at the scene.
Then the orc eyed us.
"Jump."
"Huh? Where?"
"There."
She saw my pointed direction.
"Nooo? You're insane?"
Finger aimed at the Han River.
Terror-struck, she latched onto me.
"No other options."
Back glance: orc beelining us.
Mulching goblins to paste en route.
"No time. Go."
"Ahh... ugh. Can't swim well..."
"Jump first. I'll aim close as possible."
She gnawed her lip.
Knew it herself: no alternatives.
"Sca... scary. Hah."
"Need a hand?"
"Huh? How?"
No more wrangling time.
Back-hugged her, hurled with everything.
"Uwaaak!"
Short scream as she plummeted.
I tracked her fall intently.
Pungdeong!
Into the Han River quick.
Chwaaaak!
Fierce waters churned soon after.
Insurance toss first.
"Water's out too."
Saw it, scrapped the dive plan.
Long shadow surfaced underwater; blood bloomed fast.
Monsters lurked beyond land.
Kungkungkungkungkung!
And the orc charged me.