(I forgot to say MC's name is Jon)
[System successfully booted]
[Name: Jon
Race: Goblin
Level: 1
XP: 0/50
HP: 12/12
MP: 0/0
Strength: 5
Vitality: 6
Intelligence: 6
Agility: 7
Abilities: None ]
Jon blinked at the floating blue screen in front of him. Somehow, this felt familiar. Then he remembered—when he was a kid, he used to read fantasy novels. There was one story he devoured over and over again where the main character had a system just like this. Jon had always fantasized about what it would be like to have something like that. Now, it wasn't fiction. It was real.
It seemed the goddess had forgotten to strip it from him.
Suddenly, a desperate scream pierced the quiet forest air.
"HELP!!!"
Jon's pointed green ears perked up. The voice came from behind him. Instinctively, he crouched low and crept toward the source of the sound, weaving through the thick underbrush. As he got closer, he pushed aside a large leaf and froze.
A massive black wolf stood in a small clearing, its dark fur matted with blood. Underneath it, a young man—likely an adventurer—struggled weakly, his armor shredded and body soaked in crimson. The wolf lunged again, sinking its teeth into the man's chest. A gurgling scream followed. Jon winced and ducked behind a tree, heart pounding.
Then a new message echoed through his mind like a whisper:
[Hint: Try using the analysis command]
Without fully understanding how it worked, Jon simply thought the word.
Analysis.
Instantly, two new windows popped up in front of his eyes.
[Black Mountain Wolf | Level: 28]
[Human | Level: 12]
Jon's breath caught in his throat. There was no way he could fight something like that. The wolf would rip him apart in seconds. Instead, he decided to wait. If the adventurer died, maybe Jon could loot whatever was left behind. Weapons. Armor. Food. Anything would be better than what he had now—nothing.
He crouched quietly, watching as the adventurer's screams turned into weak gasps, then silence. The wolf began to feast. Its fangs tore through the man's arm first, gnawing greedily. Minutes passed. Blood pooled into the soil. After nearly seven minutes, the wolf had devoured an entire arm and leg, then slowed, as if sated. It let out a low grunt and began to dig with its front paws, throwing dirt into the air.
Jon squinted. The wolf was digging a pit. For several minutes it kept going, and when the hole was big enough, it dragged what remained of the adventurer's body and shoved it in. With methodical movements, the beast buried its kill, covering it with soil until no trace remained. Then, it turned and slowly padded away into the trees.
Jon stayed still.
Five minutes passed. Then ten. Only when he was sure the wolf was far gone did he move. He scrambled to the burial site and started digging.
"That fucking goddess," he grunted in his raspy goblin voice.
Even now, he couldn't say anything properly. Just more dry croaks and rough sounds. His thin goblin arms ached from the effort, and the damp soil was heavy. His fingers burned with every scoop. After three minutes, he'd barely made any progress, and he cursed again in his thoughts.
After nearly thirteen minutes of exhausting digging, Jon finally reached the adventurer's corpse. His chest heaved from the effort, his body trembling as he dropped to his knees. He rested for a moment, breathing hard, then grinned weakly.
"Looting time."
He searched the battered body. Most of the gear was either destroyed or too large for his small frame. But he did find a few things: a small money pouch, a dull iron sword, a short dagger with a blackened edge, and three glowing crystals that pulsed faintly in his hand.
Inside the pouch were one silver coin and eight bronze coins.
Another message popped into his mind.
[Hint: Analysis can also be used on items]
Again, he thought the word.
Analysis.
[Iron Sword | Quality: Poor]
[Money Bag | Contents: 1 Silver Coin, 8 Bronze Coins]
[Monster Cores:
- Goblin | Level: 8
- Blue Slime | Level: 6
- Goblin | Level: 5]
[Iron Dagger (Core Extractor) | Quality: Poor]
Jon stared at the items, thinking.
Looks like he was just a beginner... probably on his first quest.
The sword was too big for him—useless. But the dagger? That, he could use. He kept the money and the crystals too. They might be useful later. He decided to leave the sword and anything too bulky behind.
Another message appeared in his head.
[Hint: Use the inventory command to open the storage space. You currently have 0/10 items stored.]
Jon nodded to himself and thought, Inventory.
A new interface opened before him. One by one, he mentally selected the dagger, coins, monster cores, and crystals. They vanished from his hand and appeared in the digital space.
[Inventory: 5/10]
He glanced around, satisfied for now. But just as he stood, ready to leave, he heard something.
Branches snapping. Leaves rustling.
A low growl behind him.
Jon slowly turned around.
Something was coming.