Block! I must block this! His mind raced as the hobgoblin’s blade came down like judgment.
Steel shrieked against bone as Coilbreaker caught the strike, sparks spraying like fireflies. The impact rattled his arms to the bone, but he held.
“Go, Nera!” Corvin roared.
The serpent blurred into motion, her horn flaring like a newborn star as the Holy Horn detonated in a burst of blinding light. The Hobgoblin staggered, crimson aura flickering as its eyes squeezed shut.
“We need to wear him down, fast,” Corvin shouted as he rushed back into the cave.
Mid-sprint, Corvin stored the blade and hurled a spear that appeared from thin air, its tip slick with venom. The Hobgoblin sensed it too late as the weapon buried itself in his thigh.
The system, which started adapting to Corvin’s fighting style, started feeding him info about the status of the battle.
[System Perk Unlocked: Real-Time Feedback activated]
[Poison applied: HP drain initiated. - 5 HP per second]
The monster roared, ripping the spear free, green blood hissing as it hit the ground.
Corvin’s breath hitched. That’s new, at least it’s helpful, but I have no time to waste.
“Nera, help please!”
The serpent jumped out from the other side from within the darkness and coiled like a living shadow, crushing the Hobgoblin’s torso. Bones cracked under her crushing grip. The monster bellowed, trying to break free as its muscles bulged and a skill flared, its body shining crimson red while red veins littered its skin. It elbowed Nera and bit into her body, spitting out a torn chunk.
“Nera, move now, let him go, he will break you! Neraaaaa!” Corvin roared, scrambling for an opening to strike again, another spear forming in his hand.
Nera hissed in pain and recoiled as the Hobgoblin dashed out of the snake's embrace, panting.
[Hobgoblin Swordsman Lv. 103] [HP: 9,659 / 10,659] [MP: 294 / 500]
Then, in a burst of speed and madness, the Hobgoblin whipped its blade free and lunged, moving almost instantly, carving a line across Corvin’s ribs.
Pain exploded as Corvin’s HP plummeted.
[HP: 112 / 850]
“Fuck you, green bastard!” Corvin roared and dodged to the left, gripping his wound, but the monster followed and dashed to his flank, trying to slash once more to finish him off.
Corvin clenched his teeth, blood soaking his side. He summoned Coilbreaker again, its venomous spine pulsing as his Vitality surged for a heartbeat. He swung, a desperate, heavy arc toward the incoming goblin.
The monster was already moving to dodge the slow swing of Corvin’s when he bellowed, “Nera, acid! NOW!”
The serpent unleashed hell. Acid rained down over the Hobgoblin’s back, melting flesh into sludge. The stench of burning meat filled the air as the monster shrieked, its strength faltering.
It’s scream tore through the clearing, raw fury echoing like a war horn. Acid hissed across its flesh, eating through muscle and bone, but the monster didn’t fall. It staggered forward, eyes blazing crimson, blade dripping with venom and Corvin’s blood.
[HP: 6,212 / 10,659]
[Status: Poisoned | Bleeding | Acid Burn]
Corvin’s breath came ragged, his ribs screaming with every movement. Is he still standing? Damn it, this bastard’s tougher than the last one somehow. His grip tightened on Coilbreaker. I have one more strike in me. I need to make it count.
He snatched the last three potions from his storage and downed them in a rush. Warmth surged through his veins as wounds knitted, barely.
[HP: 412 / 850]
Better than nothing, I guess.
The Hobgoblin roared as his back burned and bled, his vision slowly growing blurry from the poison. Its blade flared with fading light as another skill ignited.
It ignored Nera completely, locking onto broken and tired Corvin. It dashed in a zig-zag pattern, sending curved arcs of razor-sharp light screaming toward him.
“Aaaah, not today!!” Corvin roared as he stabbed his Coilbreaker into the ground and hid behind the wide body of the blade. The arcs slashed across his legs and arms, carving shallow wounds, but he lived.
“Nera, grab him, please! Don’t let him swing again!” Corvin barked, voice cracking under strain.
Nera obeyed instantly, her body a blur of obsidian as she lunged and wrapped around the Hobgoblin’s torso. Bones groaned under the pressure, but the monster roared and activated another skill. Its skin ignited with searing heat, burning against Nera’s scales until they cracked.
She writhed in agony as her HP plummeted, bruised by the Hobgoblin’s thrashing limbs. Desperation flared in her eyes. With the last of her mana, she sank her fangs into its neck.
Her Venom Fang activated, sending surges of venom into its already poisoned body.
Corvin’s heart clenched. She can’t hold him long. We need to finish it now, or we’re dead.
“Nera, back away. Daddy got this!” He screamed as she released her deathly hug and exploded back into the night. Her body a bloody mess.
Corvin lunged into the darkness as it clung to his skin like armor as Nocturnal surged through his veins. Speed and power spiked, while Coilbreaker arced downward in a savage slash, biting deep into the Hobgoblin’s exposed flank.
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[Critical Hit!]
[Weapon Effect: Hemorrhage – Bleeding Intensified]
[HP: 802 / 10,659]
The Hobgoblin howled, blood spraying like a fountain. Corvin grinned through gritted teeth, then froze as the blade was caught by the bloody claws of the monster, its veins bulging, muscles swelling with unnatural strength.
“Not… today!” Corvin roared, summoning every ounce of rage as he pushed the blade forward and let go, making the wounded goblin stumble while he jumped inwardly and drove his knee into the Hobgoblin’s gut. The impact staggered it just enough for Corvin to take out the other Hobgoblin’s spear he had stored beforehand and propel it with all his strength into the monster's chest, sending more poison into its body.
The Hobgoblin’s scream tore through the cavern, echoing into the night as it staggered backwards and braced somehow on its feet long enough to hurl its blade like a javelin.
The weapon flew, slashing the air as it slammed into Corvin’s chest, driving him to the ground.
His HP nosedived toward zero. Darkness closed in. Is this it? His mind clawed for hope as he heard Nera hissing and shrieking in agony, then, when his body was about to shut down, the system echoed like salvation.
[Level Up!]
[Your Beast Leveled Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your Beast Leveled Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Your Beast Leveled Up!]
Corvin rose to his knees, chest heaving, blood dripping from his torn ribs as he pulled out the blade and moved it to his inventory. Notifications flickered like stars in his vision, but he barely saw them. His hand trembled as he reached for Nera, who hissed softly, her scales glistening with gore. Both of their bodies started to heal under the effect of the level-ups.
“We… we did it,” he rasped, laughter bubbling up like madness. “Fucking goblins… not today.”
***
*** Title Unlocked: [Goblin Slayer] ***
Deal 30% more damage against goblins and activate the fear debuff against the goblin race when equipped.
Fear debuff is proportional to the difference in levels.
*** Skill Unlocked: Stabbing Resistance Lv. 1 ***
*** Skill Level Up: Basic Spearmanship Lv. 2 ***
*** Skill Unlocked: Spear Throw Lv. 1 ***
Corvin lay sprawled on the ground, light flashing before his eyes from the barrage of pop-ups. Beside him, Nera gnawed on a goblin’s leg, calmly recovering.
“Now you give me this. Really, System? Now?” Corvin shouted at the sky. “Fine. Knowing my luck, I’ll need this damn title sooner rather than later.”
He glanced at Nera and sighed. “Did you know, my child? Every time something bad happens to Daddy, it’s goblins. Every single time. It’s like I’m cursed; goblin bait incarnate.”
Grumbling, he pulled up his level screen and checked his extra stat points.
[ STATUS ]
Name: Corvin Moraine Valtieri (The Night Lord)
Level: 23
Experience toward the next level: 50%
Class: None
Title: The Last Crow | First User | The Night Lord | Goblin Slayer
Age: 16
Race: 78% Human | 14% Demonic | 7% Divine | 1% Unknown
Status Points: 51
HP: 940/940 | MP: 100
Strength: 20 [+5]
Agility: 13 [+10]
Intelligence: 16
Vitality: 30
Magicka: 10
Mana Regen: 4 / per 5 seconds
Luck: 6
Skills: Passive: [Valtieri Greatsword Arts Lv. 2, Basic Swordsmanship Lv. 5, Fishing Lv. 1, Dungeoneer Lv. 5, Novice Swimming Lv. 3, Night Vision Lv. 3 (Nocturnal Lv. Max), Enhanced Hearing Lv. 2, Sneaking Lv. 2, Basic Spearmanship Lv. 2, Shared Instinct Lv. Max]
Active: [Appraisal Lv. Max, Iron Lungs Lv. 1, Echolocation Lv. 3, Miasma Breath Lv. 1, Spear Throw Lv. 1]
Resistances: Holy Lv. 4, Darkness Lv. 6, Lightning Lv. 3, Poison Lv. 4, Fire Lv. 2, Stabbing Lv. 1
“Okay, that’s not bad. Got a ton of levels from these damn goblins.” Corvin muttered, scrolling through his stats. “Now… how should I use these points? Speed and power were definitely lacking. And what was that about a critical hit? That never showed up before. Hmmm… what changed?”
He spoke aloud, half to himself, half to Nera, who was still chewing on a goblin leg like it was the finest steak, her wounds knitting together as she recovered.
“Maybe luck? It did feel lucky when that attack landed; it took a huge chunk out of that bastard’s health.” He rubbed his chin, thinking. “Alright, let’s do it like this: five into Strength, ten into Agility, twenty into Magicka, ten into Luck, and the remaining six into Vitality.”
The system chimed in acknowledgment as numbers climbed and his body shifted to match. Muscles tightened and grew more defined, his legs felt spring-loaded with power, and deep inside, his Magicka root pulsed as it absorbed more mana.
Corvin flexed his muscles, grinning. “Nice. Now… I’ll have to figure out how to boost Mana Regen. If I can get that going, I’ll be unstoppable once I unlock some heavy spells.” He nodded to himself, then swiped open Nera’s status screen.
Name: Nera
Level: 47
Age: 0
Race: Celestial Neather Boa
HP: 2639/2639 | MP: 240/240
Strength: 20
Agility: 40
Intelligence: 20
Vitality: 37
Magicka: 24
Mana Regen: 11.4 / per 5 seconds
Skills: Passive [Poison Blood Lv. 2, Nocturnal Lv. Max, Echolocation Lv. 5, Exoskeleton Lv. 2, Heat Vision Lv. 5]
Active: [Miasma Beam Lv. 1, Holy Horn Lv. 1, Strangle Lv. 2, Venom Fang Lv. 1, Acid Lv. 2]
Resistances: Darkness Lv. Max, Holy Lv. 5, Poison Lv. 2
“Bravo!” Corvin clapped from where he lay, his body still aching. “Your stats get assigned automatically, I see. Good girl!”
He pushed himself up just in time to see Nera swallow the Hobgoblin’s monster core whole.
“Nooooo! My moneeeeey! Nera, bad girl, spit it out!” Corvin wailed as the boa happily digested his payday.
She hissed in pure satisfaction, coiling up as the core’s energy seeped into her body.
“That’s what I get for praising you,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “Bad girl.”
With a sigh, he opened his inventory. “Alright, let’s see what I’ve got.” A new screen popped up, and Corvin pulled out four pouches, sitting cross-legged as he sorted through the loot.
“Hmm… quite a few potions, oho, three more bombs. And what’s this?” He held up a torn piece of parchment, its faded ink forming part of a map.
[Map of the Forbidden Lair x1 (Unique)]
A fragment leading to the old hideout of the Three Generals, lost after the Territory War. Rumors say a priceless treasure lies within.
Piece 1/3
*** Quest Accepted: Demise of the Three Generals ***
Find all three map fragments and defeat the remnants of the old world to discover secrets of this realm.
Rewards:
Unique Weapon x1
Unique Armor x1
Rare Skill x1
“Holy shit! This is insane!” Corvin jumped up, cheering. “But wait… does this mean I have to hunt other enemies for the rest of the pieces? Well… shit.” He sighed, then shrugged. “Nothing I can do about this now. I’ll stash it for now. What happens, happens.”
“What else did I get?” He pulled out the spear he got from the Hobgoblin and the curved blade of the other.
[Sturdy Steel Spear]
Rarity: Uncommon
A weapon that served its old master for countless years. It had absorbed some of its master's Magicka. When wielding raises Agility by 10 and gives increased regeneration.
Health + 2/second
[Enchanted Scimitar]
Rarity: Uncommon
Steel blade infused with Sharpness magic, far deadlier than ordinary steel.
Raises user’s Agility by +15
“Not bad,” Corvin mused. “I think I’ll stick with the blade for now.” He stored the rest and checked his new skill.
[Skill: Spear Throw (Active)]
Launches a spear at high speed toward the target. If the weapon is unequipped, it summons a spear from storage. Requires a spear to use.
Deals more damage the further the target is. Damage dealt is affected by the user’s Strength stat.
Cooldown: 5 seconds
Mana Cost: 20 Mana
“A ranged skill, huh? And I can use it right now. Just need more spears. Hehe.” Corvin grinned, feeling like luck was finally on his side.
“Nera, how are you, dear?” He stroked her sleek head as she hissed and slithered around him, looking revitalized.
“You look brand new. Alright, let’s head out. Night should be falling soon.” His grin widened into something manic. “I’ve got a place to visit… and a new skill to test!”
Laughing like a madman, Corvin strode out of the cave with Nera at his side. “There’s a harpy that owes me a debt!” he shouted, his laughter echoing into the dusk.
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