“Kieeek! Stop right there! The one who killed my father, my sister, and my brother!”
I’m losing it.
It’s already been five minutes since I started running through this treacherous forest, completely unsure if there’s an end in sight.
With every step, my pathetic stamina has hit rock bottom, and I can feel my ragged breaths escaping.
Can’t we just settle this with a conversation?
Or can’t we just call it a draw and go our separate ways?
“That’s not me!”
“Don’t lie to me! Kieeek!”
As if that could ever happen.
So, to explain why I’m running away from a goblin that’s a whole head shorter than me…
I need to go back five minutes.
“Aaaah… I’m starting to understand the situation…”
The view of the office fades, replaced by the damp, dark forest surrounding me.
In front of me, a suspiciously familiar goblin is charging at me, tears streaming down its face.
I can imagine everyone at my company, except me, panicking in this moment.
But after getting off work, coming home to eat while reading web novels, showering while listening to TTS web novels, and laying down with my vision deteriorating till I sleep, I found it easy to accept this ludicrous situation.
I’ve been reincarnated.
Into the new game my company was developing that flopped spectacularly.
I might wonder about that bearded developer I suspect is the mastermind, or be puzzled by why I’m dressed in such ridiculous armor.
But instead, I’m choosing to focus on the goblin, swinging a club at me.
Its movements are incredibly slow.
Seeing it move like it’s in slow motion, it seems my initial stats far surpass that of the goblin.
[Welcome to Yggdrasil Online.]
[Username: Yoo Jin]
[Age: 21 years old]
[User information verification complete.]
Just then, a translucent window fills my vision.
Yggdrasil Online.
So it really is our game.
What is this text that suddenly popped up??? Am I dreaming??? No need for any nonsense like that, I’ll just remember this; it’ll be good for my personal safety.
[When you clear the game and satisfy the escape conditions, the game will terminate immediately, and you will return to reality.]
[Escape Condition 1: The completion rate for all heroines must exceed 95%.]
[Escape Condition 2: You must conquer the final boss, ‘Draken.’]
[If you fail to satisfy the escape conditions upon clearing the game, you will return to the starting point.]
I can go back.
Thank goodness I wasn’t tossed into this game world without a word of explanation by some malevolent jerk.
Besides, there’s no need to put my life on the line to clear it.
If I fail to meet the first escape condition while trying to conquer the heroines, I can just start over from the beginning.
With no elements of danger and a world I’m familiar with, I can take advantage of that.
Maybe life here could be better than the tedious, bleak future I was facing.
[Initial traits are assigned randomly and the status window is automatically summoned.]
[The status window can be summoned at any time.]
Wow.
And they’re not going to hide the status window in some sneaky way either.
What a friendly system for someone who’s been reincarnated.
The future looks bright.
I’m almost afraid I might clear it on my first try.
What if I start wanting to stay here longer?
[Initial Trait: Guardian Knight]
[Stats are amplified when protecting someone. If not activated, there’s a penalty of -5 to base stats.]
[Base stats are calculated reflecting the actual physical condition.]
[Stats]
[Strength: 9 (-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Stamina: 7 (-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Mana: 12 (-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Agility: 18 (-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
[Luck: 4 (-5) *Guardian Knight penalty in effect]
“Huh?”
This is awkward.
What person do I have to protect in this forest?
So, that means I have to face the goblin without the help of my initial trait, or rather, I’ll have to deal with the penalties that hinder me.
I almost panicked like a newbie experiencing reincarnation for the first time, but quickly calmed down.
There’s no need to be scared.
This game is so friendly by telling me how to escape, informing me of my initial traits, and not throwing monsters at me from behind as I start.
The goblin that had been sprinting at me for a while is still only about ten steps away.
Even though my initial stats have shrunk in half, with its movements being that slow, it seems its stats might only be about 1.
Moreover, I have a sword on my left waist.
“I have no choice. I’ll finish this without pain at least.”
Even if it’s a tutorial, it’s way too easy.
Considering the gap between someone destined to be a transcendent and a mere goblin, I can’t help but feel it’s just a natural phenomenon.
The circumstances are unfortunate, but since it attacked me first, I have no choice but to retaliate.
Mortal. Blame your own weak power.
[That concludes the guidance.]
[Time slowdown effect has ended.]
“Huh?”
Time slowdown…?
Surprised, I reached for my sheath.
“Kieeek! Human! Die quietly! Kieeek!”
“Hey, hey, hey!!!”
The goblin suddenly closed the distance.
Just when I had resolved not to panic, I was ready to freak out.
But if I stand firm and draw my sword, I should easily defeat this goblin with the club…
Clang!
“K-Kieeek! My face was almost slashed!”
“Oh…”
A clear sound reverberated.
Why is the sword that should’ve been in my right hand lying over there instead?
With my exceptional brain honed from playing web novels and games, I quickly began to assess the situation.
First, 1. My base stats are complete garbage; I can’t even hold my sword properly. I might even have worse stats than the goblin.
And 2. Thanks to my boss wanting a “realistic” game, this world’s goblins are intelligent enough to deflect swords with their clubs.
Lastly, 3. I’m totally screwed.
It took only a second to sort out the situation.
Fast.
And my legs were fast as well.
“Kieeek! Stop right there! The one who killed my father, my sister, and my brother!”
“That’s not me!”
“Don’t lie to me! Kieeek!”
Well…
It happened like that.
Feeling wronged seems pathetic.
The system was certainly generous, but it was just bad luck.
Of all the initial traits, I ended up with one that has only penalties.
Earlier, my base luck stat was 4; could I really be at -5 luck now…?
Not good.
This is very ominous.
Historically, low luck stats have been used for the main character’s tragic buildup.
It’s a setting specialized for tormenting the protagonist to serve the author’s convenience.
If I get a chance to raise my stats later, I should prioritize luck.
I don’t want a scenario where the protagonist rolls around, loses their mind, and while a minority of readers go “Ah, this taste!” the majority silently slip away.
The only good news is that aside from my outfit, I’ve completely reincarnated into my original body.
No, it’s not really a reincarnation, is it?
Saying “transferred” would be more accurate.
There’s no need to adjust to someone else’s body or feel dizzy from the owner’s past bad habits.
That’s a huge relief.
“It’s time to settle this!”
I’m running out of stamina.
I feel like I’ll collapse any moment now, but the goblin shows no signs of tiring, so it’s clear my stats are lower than that goblin’s.
Since ancient times, humanity’s strength has been endurance, which means stamina.
No matter how strong, fast, or thick-skinned some giant beast may be, once humans overwhelm it in numbers and wear it down, it’s game over.
I really don’t want to be taken down by a goblin, so I have to end this before my stamina runs out.
Searching my whole body, there’s nothing but the sword I equipped earlier as a weapon.
I’m in full armor, but it’s not heavy full plate armor, and against a club, I can’t expect much in terms of defense.
If I stand still and face it, I’ll become the tragic victim in a story where a vengeful goblin finally exacts revenge and climbs the ranks.
“Ugh!”
“Kekek! Human, weak! Foolish!”
Crack!
Maybe it’s because I’m exhausted.
I just tripped over a tree root that I had easily cleared just moments before.
In a poor position from falling, I couldn’t immediately get back up.
Instantly, the goblin caught up, leaping high to strike down at me with its club.
If things continue this way, I’ll die.
Of course, that’s if things remain the same.
“You can’t even run in a straight line! You keep veering off, and I catch up right away! Kieeek!”
“……”
Without a reference point, people can’t walk in a straight line.
I remember reading somewhere that when there’s nothing to orient oneself with, people tend to lean to one side.
But in this forest, there were plenty of things to use as references, yet I found myself backtracking to where I started after wandering for over five minutes.
Why is that?
To retrieve my weapon.
“I’m sorry. I’m too tired to take you down alive.”
“Kieeek?”
Swish.
With a chilling sound splitting the air, a red line appeared on the goblin’s neck.
Since it was suspended in midair, dodging was impossible, so aiming was easy.
The distance was close, the target large, and the blade wide.
It didn’t matter where I hit; it was all a critical hit.
Thud! The club dropped right next to my face, and shortly after, the goblin tumbled to the ground.
“Keeek! Kieeek! Kreeeek!”
Watching the goblin thrash as blood gushed from its neck evoked a twinge of sympathy.
Even though I wasn’t the one who killed its family, I could understand how it felt blinded by rage.
With my weak hands trembling due to my lack of strength, I brought my sword down.
The goblin’s head fell, and it lay still, no longer squirming.
No light emitting effect made the corpse vanish.
Looks like I’ve entered an earlier version of the game before the updates.
[Achievement Unlocked]
[First Monster Hunt Successful!]
First monster hunt, huh.
Or maybe it’s murder.
Isn’t it the same as killing an intelligent being equivalent to a human?
As I was caught in such thoughts, frozen in place…
[As a reward for unlocking the achievement, you receive ‘Select Stat Buff Potion’x1.]
[Select Stat Buff Potion (Quantity: 1)]
[Permanently increases the chosen stat by 10.]
“Huh! Gulp, gulp, gulp…! Choke Ohh!”
[Luck stat increased by 10.]
With thoughts that a philosopher might utter abandoned, I quickly downed the potion.
The most irksome thing about -1 luck stat is that if a boss monster coincidentally shows up behind me, I’m doomed.
Every moment of hesitation is a waste.
Even with my rushed drinking causing me to choke, I didn’t worry about it going down the wrong way; I just forced it down my throat.
What does it matter if it’s murder or not?
That goblin made a significant contribution to raising my luck stat.
I bet it’s smiling in the afterlife, happy to have helped me.
From now on, I’ll call it Blin to honor its noble sacrifice and ensure I don’t forget.
It’s set.
Each year, today shall be Blin’s memorial day.
