The creature stood just over three feet tall, its hunched frame wiry with sinew and menace. Its skin was a sickly, mottled green, stretched tight over sharp bones, and its sunken eyes burned a dark, feral yellow. A crooked nose jutted from its twisted face, framed by oversized, pointed ears that twitched at every sound. Its lips peeled back into a snarl, baring jagged teeth still wet with gore. The beast let out a low, guttural growl, deep and primal as it squared its shoulders and turned fully toward Josh, clearly angry at having its feast interrupted.

  With a sudden jerk, it bent down and retrieved its crude stone axe from the forest floor, the weapon still slick with blood from the fallen deer. It gripped the handle tightly, dark fingers stained red, and began advancing with slow, deliberate steps.

  Josh stood frozen, his sword hanging slack at his side, fingers barely holding on to the hilt. His heart thundered in his chest, each beat louder than the last. The world around him felt distant, like he was watching through a fogged window. Then he felt Brett’s hand on his shoulder. A grounding touch. Reality snapped back into focus.

  He blinked, breathing hard.

  “What is it?” Brett whispered from behind, his voice tight with concern. Josh could sense him shifting to try and get a look.

  Josh swallowed hard, forcing words out through clenched teeth. “Some kind of monster and it’s coming straight for us.” Panic threatened to rise again, but Josh shoved it down. He couldn’t freeze, not with Brett here. He had to be the one to act.

  “I’ll draw its attention. Stay to the side, when you get a clear shot, hit it with everything you’ve got!”

  Without waiting for a reply, Josh surged out from behind the tree. He angled his shield forward and gripped his sword tighter, bringing it up beside him. His boots pounded against the forest floor as he charged the creature.

  As he closed the distance, a strange clarity settled over him. The thing was barely the size of a child, but the blood on its axe and the savage look in its eyes erased any illusion of innocence. He grit his teeth and let out a roar, part battle cry, part frustration at the fear he’d felt, at the danger they were in, and at the monster that stood between them and survival.

  The beast met Josh’s charge head-on, both closing the distance in a blur of motion and fury. It let out a rasping screech as it hurled itself forward, slamming into Josh’s shield with surprising force. The impact knocked the shield sideways, exposing Josh’s flank.

  Pain exploded in his thigh.

  Josh hissed through his teeth as he felt the monster’s crude axe drag upward, slicing into the muscle just above his knee. It was a deliberate move, an ambush within the assault. But Josh didn’t have time to panic. His body, fueled by adrenaline and instinct, reacted.

  He lashed out with his wounded leg, driving his knee hard into the monster’s twisted face. A satisfying crack followed, and the creature howled in pain, momentarily stunned. but it didn’t fall away, instead its gnarled left hand gripped the rim of Josh’s shield, clinging on like a parasite.

  Snarling through clenched teeth, Josh twisted his torso, muscles straining as he hauled his sword hand up. There wasn’t enough space to swing the blade cleanly, too close, too frantic. No time for finesse. With a savage growl, he slammed the heavy hilt down again and again into the creature’s twisted, hunched back. The sickening thuds echoed in his bones, each blow jolting pain up his arm as the goblin’s ragged flesh and brittle bones absorbed the punishment. The beast’s ragged breath hitched, breaking into a harsh, rattling wheeze as its body convulsed beneath the merciless assault.

  Josh didn’t stop to think. The pain in his leg, the blood on his hands, the very real threat in front of him, none of it mattered. All that existed was the fight.

  With one last brutal strike, the beast’s claws slipped off Josh’s shield, its grip shattered. It staggered sideways, wheezing, desperate for breath. Josh’s heart thundered in his chest, adrenaline screaming through his veins. Pain throbbed in his side, but he barely noticed. This was his chance.

  He roared, a raw, savage bellow that tore from deep inside him and charged like a man possessed. The world narrowed to the beast before him, every other thought blasted away. His sword thrust forward with reckless fury, aimed directly at the monster’s chest.

  The impact slammed into him like crashing against an unyielding wall. For a terrifying heartbeat, he thought his blade would shatter, or worse, bounce off, leaving him exposed. But then, with a sickening squelch and wet snap, the resistance gave way. The blade tore through flesh, cracking ribs and slicing muscle with a cruel finality. Blood exploded from the wound, splattering Josh’s arms and face as the beast let out a guttural howl of pain and rage.

  The creature’s body convulsed violently, staggering back as life drained from its eyes. Josh gritted his teeth against the burning pain, refusing to let up, knowing this strike might be the difference between survival and death.

  Josh released his grip on the sword, stumbling back a step, stunned by how shockingly easy it had been to take a life. His eyes locked onto the blade buried deep in the beast’s chest, glinting cruelly in the fading light. The creature’s bloodshot eyes were fixed on him, a wet, gurgling rasp escaping its throat. Its hands trembled as it dropped the dripping stone axe, reaching shakily toward the blade protruding from its flesh. With every desperate movement, thick black blood oozed from the wound, soaking the ground beneath it.

  Josh’s heart hammered in his chest. If the monster managed to grab his sword and strike back, he was done for. But before he could act, a searing streak of light blazed across the clearing, and a crackling firebolt slammed into the creature’s side, sending it crashing to the earth. Josh whipped around just in time to see another blazing bolt arc from Brett’s staff, pounding into the beast. Brett gave him a steady nod.

  Summoning his courage, Josh hurried over and yanked his sword free. A sickening, wet sucking sound echoed in his ears, and a hot spray of black blood splattered across his arms and face. He swallowed hard, stomach twisting at the gruesome sight.

  The monster was done, its body lay still, blood pooling beneath it, with two smoking craters marking the firebolt impacts. Josh collapsed beside the fallen beast, the adrenaline finally ebbing away, leaving him drenched in relief and exhaustion.

  —

  As Josh burst from behind the tree, time seemed to slow for Brett. What is he doing?! His mind screamed, frozen for a heartbeat as the beast’s guttural roar shattered the air. The raw panic hit him like a wave, Josh was charging headlong into danger, reckless and exposed.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Get it together. Help him. Now. The command was automatic, primal. His legs moved before his thoughts could catch up, carrying him swiftly around the tree’s side. Brett’s mind raced to plot a path, one that wouldn’t put Josh in his line of fire, one that gave him the best angle to strike without hesitation.

  His heart hammered fiercely as he scanned the clearing, eyes searching for their foe. The stakes were clear: stop the monster before it could hurt Josh. Every instinct screamed urgency, every muscle tensed, ready to unleash the magic he’d barely begun to grasp.

  Brett’s eyes snapped to the shadow barreling toward Josh like a freight train. The sickening crash of the monster slamming into Josh’s shield sent a jolt through him, and he caught the sharp hiss of pain from his friend. For a heartbeat, panic clawed at his chest, Josh, out there, fighting alone, and Brett helpless. But then everything slowed: Josh wrestling with the creature, its squat form blocking his sword’s swing. Suddenly, Josh’s leg lashed out, thwack! a brutal kick to the beast’s snout, making it stagger with a pained howl. The beast clung fiercely to Josh’s shield, its grip like iron claws digging in. Brett’s eyes widened as he watched Josh unleash a brutal barrage of pommel strikes, each hammering blow shattering bone, crushing muscle, and sending shockwaves of pain through the creature’s twisted form. The sickening thuds echoed in the tense forest air, a relentless rhythm of raw desperation and fierce determination.

  Brett’s breath caught in his throat as Josh surged forward as the beast lost it’s grip and fell backward, blade flashing through the air, plunging deep into the creature’s chest. The steel pierced flesh and bone, tearing through with a sickening squelch until the tip burst out the other side. The beast took another step back, it’s breath rattling in its chest, Josh’s hand falling away from his weapon. Horror seized Brett - despite the wound, the beast’s bloodshot eyes locked on Josh, its hands scrambling to rip the sword free, desperate to turn it against its wielder.

  Without thinking, Brett raised his staff, fingers curling around it like a lifeline, and unleashed a blazing firebolt. The fiery streak sliced through the tension and exploded against the beast’s chest, knocking it back with a shower of sparks and a guttural roar. Before the monster could recover, Brett fired again, searing through flesh and bone, driving the creature into the dirt. The forest held its breath as the beast’s ragged breathing slowed and then stilled.

  Brett watched as Josh approached the now motionless monster, relief washing over him as his friend collapsed to the ground, landing hard on his rear. Without hesitation, Brett rushed forward to check on him, but Josh waved him off with a tired smile. “I’m okay, I promise,” Josh said, his voice shaky but steady. “It cut my leg a little, ruined my new jeans, but the bleeding stopped. That was scary, though.”

  Josh pushed himself up just as Brett reached him, only for his eyes to widen in shock before he doubled over and vomited beside the corpse.

  “Er... sorry,” Josh muttered, wiping his mouth. “That was probably the shock and adrenaline catching up with me.” His face flushed with embarrassment as he tried to hold onto some shred of dignity.

  Brett chuckled softly. “No worries. If I’d had to stab that thing, I’m pretty sure my reaction would have been way worse. Are we sure it’s dead, though?”

  Josh glanced back at the beast, hesitating before prodding it with his foot. Then, steeling himself, he grabbed his sword and ripped it free from the monster’s chest, blood and gore trailing behind the blade. “Yeah... I think it’s dead,” he said quietly, covering his mouth as he fought to keep his stomach settled.

  Before either of them could react further, a glowing symbol flickered in the corner of their vision. Brett’s eyes locked onto it as he reached out to acknowledge the sudden message.

  Congratulations, your party has slayed its first monster!

  You killed a Level 1 Goblin!

  Brett closed the message and turned to Josh, his voice low and still tinged with disbelief. “Looks like that was a goblin. Not quite what I expected.” Josh’s eyes remained distant, still flicking over the details of the message, but he gave Brett a slow nod in acknowledgment.

  Their gaze shifted back to the fallen creature. Suddenly, the goblin’s body shimmered with a faint glow, sparkling like embers caught in the wind, then began to dissolve into thin air. Within moments, the corpse vanished completely, leaving behind a small heap of tarnished brown coins, its crude axe, and oddly what looked like one of its ears.

  Brett blinked, trying to process what he’d just seen. “Josh... did you see that?” His voice cracked slightly, still struggling to believe it wasn’t some trick of the light.

  Josh’s brows furrowed, voice uncertain. “Yeah… how does that even happen? One second it’s a goblin, the next, poof, it’s money and an ear.” Brett also observed something else: much of the blood that had soaked Josh’s hands and armour was fading, dissolving into the air as if it were never there.

  Brett shrugged, a hint of excitement creeping into his tone. “Maybe when we kill a monster, the system claims the body and automatically rewards us, like loot drops in a game. It never said we’d need salvage skills or anything. If it just cleans up the mess and pays us, that makes the idea of being a fighter here a lot more appealing.”

  “Hmm, yeah, that makes sense.” Josh nodded, relieved by Brett’s explanation. Brett was always the smarter one, so if it sounded right to him, Josh was happy to trust it. Josh stepped forward and scooped up the coins, the axe, and the goblin’s ear, ready to stash them in his satchel, then paused. “Uh… can I put my food in your sack? I don’t really want my cheese to taste like goblin ear…”

  Brett rolled his eyes but stepped closer with his satchel open. Just then, his stomach gave an audible rumble. “Maybe we should sit down and eat anyway,” he said with a grin. “I haven’t eaten since we woke up, and it looks like you threw up most of what you had.”

  “Oh yeah, good idea… but can we move away from all… this?” Josh said, grimacing at the trampled grass, especially where the body had been. That set them both off laughing again, the tension from the fight finally beginning to melt away. They made their way back toward the tree they'd originally hidden behind, settling down into the grass and leaf litter with heavy sighs.

  As they ate in companionable silence, Brett pulled up his status screen, eyes scanning the numbers. His MP bar had only dropped by 8 points—after two firebolts and a short rest. That seemed to confirm his suspicion: 1 MP per minute of passive regeneration. Not great if they got into a drawn-out fight. Hopefully there’s a skill or stat that can improve that. Otherwise, I’ll have to rely on potions or constant meditation… Do potions exist here?

  He glanced up, chewing thoughtfully, then asked, “Hey, Josh, how badly did that thing mess you up, I saw it got your leg?”

  Josh’s eyes unfocused for a second while he checked his own stats, then he swallowed a mouthful of bread and replied, “I’m at 133 HP. So… not too bad, actually. I think I’ve got a passive skill that softens incoming damage, must’ve triggered when it hit me. Honestly, I thought it was worse than it ended up being.” He glanced down at the ragged tear in his jeans, poking a finger through the hole. “Still… jeans aren’t exactly goblin-proof. I might need to upgrade. These were brand new too.”

  He reached into his palm, holding out the coins. “Want half of this money?”

  Brett took one, turning it between his fingers. It looked like some kind of brown coin, but with a bit of cleaning and light, he could make out the metallic sheen - copper. It was not any type of coin he recognised from Earth. He raised an eyebrow. Okay, we really are in some kind of video game world. Shaking his head, he handed it back. “Nah, you keep it for now. You carry the loot, and I’ll handle the food.”

  Josh gave a quick salute with a crooked grin. “Deal.”

  They finished the rest of their food in peace, enjoying the quiet. The forest still buzzed with distant birdsong and the rustle of leaves, but there was a sense of stillness now, like the woods were letting them catch their breath.

  Josh stood first, brushing the crumbs from his pants and stretching his legs. “Well,” he said, looking ahead into the trees, “how much further do you think we’ve got to go?”

  Brett got to his feet, staff in hand “If we keep moving that way, I think we’ll hit the village before sundown.”

  Josh exhaled through his nose, steeling himself. “Alright. Let’s find Ashenfall.”

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