Goblin: Severely Dependent

Xia Nan had mastered a technique meant for knight nobles. His family owned only a mill and a few thin fields, raising three sons and a young daughter. With the eldest two brothers reaching marriageable age, bitter disputes over the meager inheritance filled the small wooden house—arguments about mill profits and kitchen stove schedules. Watching them quarrel over a single candle made his predecessor doubt family bonds, and knowing he would soon be dragged into similar fights, he sought escape. Empowered by his newly acquired skill, driven by youthful recklessness, he registered at the Adventurer Association in a nearby town and joined the “Trash Fish and Shrimp” team.

Now, sitting in a crude camp in the Misty Forest, Xia Nan sighed, recalling his predecessor’s impulsive decision. By the time he crossed into this world, his predecessor was already on the team, and he had muddled through absorbing memories only to find himself deep in the forest with no chance to turn back. The two elder brothers, despite their inheritance struggles, had pooled money to buy him a one-handed sword, which he cherished and maintained. The blade still held considerable sharpness.

As night fell, the campfire flickered. Captain Maji, a hunter, tried to calm nerves, dismissing goblins as no threat. Xia Nan remained silent, feeling the weight of his first adventure. A gnome named Elki, talkative and boastful, started telling tales about the Hothorn Royal Academy. But before he could finish, a dark club studded with iron nails emerged from the darkness behind him and smashed into his face, splitting his skull. Blood and brain matter sprayed out. Enemy attack.

The goblins’ ambush killed Elki instantly. Gagu, the half-orc, leaped up with his two-handed axe, muscles swelling and fangs lengthening as combat instinct flared. Maji scrambled up a tree with his longbow, firing an arrow that saved Xia Nan from two goblins creeping behind him. Shocked into action, Xia Nan swung his one-handed sword in a perfectly executed Whirl Slash, cutting both goblins clean in half. The strike felt effortless; proficiency text flashed before his eyes.

After the battle, the party buried the dead, including Elki, stripped of his gear. Gagu complained about the meager reward of less than two gold coins for five goblin ears. But Maji pointed out that goblins hoard loot in their lairs, and with the main force eliminated, their lair should be lightly defended. Greed ignited; they planned to rest and search at dawn.

During his night watch, Xia Nan examined his reflection on his sword blade and saw his status panel: all six attributes at 5, and the skill Whirl Slash at level 4 with 99 out of 100 proficiency. One more point until level up. He wondered if combat use granted bonus experience compared to training.

At first light, they packed and moved through the misty forest. Maji and Gagu seemed to navigate by instinct, occasionally sniffing the ground like hounds. After three hours, they found a mudstone cave entrance on a small earthen slope, reeking of goblins. Maji ordered Gagu to take point, Xia Nan in the middle, himself bringing up the rear. Xia Nan noted the cave entrance was unusually large for goblins and voiced concern, but Gagu snapped, eager for treasure. They entered.

The cave was not deep. Soon they reached the end. Gagu charged ahead with a bellow, then abruptly fell silent. Xia Nan caught up and saw the horror within: the skeletal remains of women who had been tortured and killed by goblin reproduction methods, a sight that seared into his memory. But what truly silenced Gagu was the huge, hulking figure lurking in the shadows at the deepest part of the cave. Maji’s panicked scream came from behind: “Bugbear!!!”