Chapter 3

'What should I do...'

I can't keep avoiding the monsters and living in the forest like this.

I steadied my mind, took a deep breath, and looked at the goblin.

'Let's give it a try.'

I slowly followed the goblin.

Very close, with just one tree between us.

'Strength Increase.'

In an instant, my whole body was filled with strength.

I ran straight at the goblin.

Bang!

A clear, satisfying sound of impact.

Thud.

One goblin fell to the ground.

"Kee! Keeek!"

The goblin beside it opened its eyes wide and looked at me.

It immediately retreated with a nimble movement.

The goblin raised its sword and charged at me.

Thanks to the Strength Increase, the goblin's movements seemed relatively slow.

The rusty, old sword slowly approached my thigh.

I swung the frying pan with all my might at the incoming sword.

Clang!

'This is a new frying pan...'

A special sale item for 9,900 won.

The diamond-patterned Teflon coating seems to work very well.

Using a snap of my wrist, I deflected the goblin's sword.

I then struck the goblin's head forcefully with the edge of the frying pan.

The goblin quickly raised its shield to protect its head.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The cheerful sounds of impact continued.

The goblin's shield was dented.

I quickly kicked the goblin away.

"Keeek!"

The goblin tumbled backward.

'Ah... No, I can't. My strength will run out soon.'

I quickly followed the rolling goblin and struck its head with the frying pan.

"Keeek! Kee... ek."

The goblin slumped over.

'Phew...'

My strength drained, and my hands trembled.

Two goblins lay on the ground.

Someone else might come.

I moved into the forest, my trembling body leading the way.

My status window updated.

'The achievements are easier than I thought.'

I accidentally stepped into the portal, but it seems I was the first person to enter this place.

Wandering through the unknown jungle forest, I reflected on my thoughts.

'At least it's not Earth...'

In the clear sky, a planet ten times larger than the moon was visible.

Seeing people actually dying on the streets, I knew this wasn't an illusion or a simulation.

'There's a game-like system guiding me, but how far does it go?'

Several questions suddenly came to mind.

Is it impossible for other Awakened to enter the Sujeong Station intersection?

This is an important issue.

If multiple people enter, it will be relatively easier to seal the portal.

Are the spaces of each portal different?

The first time the portal appeared, I saw on TV that the monsters were over three meters tall.

If I enter a portal where such monsters appear, it will be hard to avoid death.

Finally, what is the purpose?

My life changed overnight.

Without any warning, the world fell into chaos.

'I have to survive first.'

Whatever the purpose, if the container disappears, I'll really have nowhere to go.

I must make the best choice to survive until the end.

Lost in thought, I walked aimlessly and soon smelled something smoky.

'Is it the smell of cooking? Meat?'

Rumble.

The smell of cooking meat filled the forest.

Clutching my rumbling stomach, I followed the smell cautiously.

'Is there someone here?'

If monsters can appear, there's no reason why people can't.

'Are the people here Koreans? What if we can't communicate?'

I carefully pushed through the bushes, thinking of the Spanish fleet that invaded South America.

'That's... that's the one from back then?'

Beyond the bushes, on a wide plain, three goblins were roasting something over a fire.

One of them was clearly taller than the others.

It was definitely the one that had stared at me in Sujeong Station before fleeing.

'That one seems to be a shaman...'

Why does the shaman have a sword and shield?

Do goblins normally cook other monsters?

Or, do monsters even eat anything?

My head was filled with confusion.

If I look at it very positively, without the sword and shield, it feels like I'm watching the daily life of a strangely shaped monkey tribe.

'It would be difficult to ambush and take out those three...'

This is a plain, not a forest.

If I just charge in, my position will be easily revealed.

'I need to use another point.'

I opened my status window and checked the available research options.

- Researchable: [Flame Arrow] [Ice Arrow] [Healing] [Strength Increase] [Archery] [Swordsmanship] [Domain Development] [...]

'Strength Increase requires 3 points.'

It seems that to reach a higher level, like upgrading a defense tower, 3 points are needed.

'Archery and swordsmanship are a bit too much for me.'

I don't have any weapons, and I hate fighting.

Even when playing games, I prefer support roles and have never been a jungler.

I touched Ice Arrow.

- Ice Arrow: The defense tower fires additional icy arrows, slowing the target.

- Maximum Range: 40 meters

- Required Points: 1

- Do you want to acquire it? Y/N

'Damn.'

It's a skill to upgrade the defense tower.

'A skill for grinding in tower defense.'

Flame Arrow would probably be similar.

I touched Healing.

- Healing: Instantly restores the target's maximum stamina.

- Cooldown: 5 minutes

- Required Points: 1

- Do you want to acquire it? Y/N

'Stamina...?'

The description is vague.

Seeing "target" made me worry if I can't use it on myself.

The ambiguous use of "stamina" also bothered me.

'Does using Strength Increase drain stamina?'

I walked back the way I came, avoiding the goblins roasting meat.

In a quiet spot, I touched Y.

To test it, I used Strength Increase.

My concentration was so high that I could count the leaves trembling in the gentle breeze.

I was filled with quick movements and powerful strength.

Soon, my body felt heavy, and my strength drained.

"Ugh. Huh. Huh."

I wanted to lie down and take a nap right there.

I steadied my fading consciousness.

'Healing.'

"Ughhh."

An indescribable feeling.

It felt like a sponge absorbing water, with energy being absorbed through my skin.

My mind cleared instantly.

With a clear mind, my brain started working.

'That's amazing. It's definitely a stamina recovery.'

But my stomach was still empty.

It had been a long time since I felt this light, like in high school.

It seems to restore my stamina to my body's limit.

There are some restrictions, like cooldown and not breaking the limit.

'Still, it's useful.'

Thinking about the cooldown, I moved toward the goblins again.

The goblins were focused on their meal, having finished roasting the meat.

I waited for the cooldown to end, gripped the frying pan, and steadied my mind.

'Phew. I can do this!'

I took a deep breath and ran out of the forest toward the goblins.

Tap tap tap tap.

"Uaaaaa! You bastards! Die!"

"Kee? Keekee! Keekee!"

The goblins panicked, dropping their meat and searching for their weapons.

'Now.'

While they were still unarmed.

I charged at the weakest-looking goblin.

Bang!

I struck the goblin's head with the edge of the frying pan.

Thud.

The goblin fell to the ground.

"Kee! Kee!"

Clang!

The remaining two goblins picked up the fallen swords and charged at me.

'Strength Increase.'

Thump thump.

Thanks to the accelerated speed of my body, the goblins seemed to move in slow motion.

The shaman swung its sword at me.

At the same time, the other one circled around behind me.

'They're smarter than I thought...'

Considering my back.

They weren't like the mindless mobs in games.

To avoid exposing my back, I moved to the side of the shaman.

I kicked the shaman's side with my knee.

Punch!

"Kee!"

The shaman flew into the air and rolled backward.

The remaining goblin, startled, turned to look at the flying shaman.

'Now.'

I twisted my waist and swung the frying pan with all my might.

The powerful swing caught the goblin's jaw.

Smack!

The goblin flew about a meter into the air and fell to the ground.

"Kee! Kee!"

The rolling shaman threw its shield at me.

The shield flew like a frisbee.

I deflected it with the frying pan.

Clang!

The shaman, holding its sword with both hands, charged at me.

Twist.

'Ugh.'

My strength drained.

I fell to one knee, barely holding myself up.

"Keeeeee!"

The shaman increased its speed and stabbed at my face.

'Hurry. Healing.'

"Ughhhh!"

Instantly, my body was filled with strength.

'Strength Increase.'

I entered the accelerated state again.

'...!'

The tip of the shaman's sword was already at my nose.

I sat down, instinctively lifting my legs.

Punch!

I felt something pop.

"Kee."

Thud.

The goblin clutched its groin and fell to its knees.

'Ah.'

The goblin, unable to even scream, lay on the ground, writhing.

It seems monsters can have everything.

There's no time to mourn.

I quickly stood up before the Strength Increase ended, gripping the frying pan tightly.

"I'm sorry. I'll ease your pain."

Bang!

The goblin's body went limp under the force of my strike.

I was covered in sweat and dirt.

Seeing the message, I laughed bitterly.

'Is this how I'm supposed to seal the portal?'

I wanted to go back and sleep deeply.

The world brightened, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster.

"Wh-What's that!"

"It's a person! A person came out of the portal!"

As soon as my vision cleared, the area was noisy.

Looking around, a few people on the sidewalk were pointing at me in shock.

'Really came back. Phew.'

After the Strength Increase skill ended, everything felt annoying.

I wanted to collapse and sleep right there.

Most of all, I was hungry.

I stumbled.

Dizziness overcame me, and I fell to the ground.

Turning my head slightly, I saw a pillar of light rising from the portal into the sky.

'The portal is gone.'

I felt a sense of accomplishment.

Like a hero.

"Did the place where the monsters come from just disappear?"

"Is that a human? Is it a monster?"

People were whispering, looking at me.

Some were even taking pictures of the disappearing portal and me with their phones.

'Damn. They won't even help!'

Sighing, I forced myself to stand and walked toward the container.

'I need to eat some squid.'

"Ah! It's a monster!"

"Someone, call the police!"

'After all the hard work to close the portal, this is what I get.'

I shouted in frustration.

"Hey, that's a person! Someone who lives in Sujeong! Don't treat him like a monster!"

My shout echoed down the quiet street.

"Person?"

"Well, you should have said so earlier. Alright."

Finally, people sighed in relief.

"Anyway, it's gone."

"Did the monsters retreat?"

Two men approached me on the sidewalk.

"Can you spare a moment?"

Two neatly dressed men in black suits were visible.

"Huh? Where are we going?"

"It's not appropriate to talk here."

One of the men handed me a business card.