-'Could it be… that the system itself took control of my body?'
That was the only theory that made sense to me. If not, then who the hell was this?
As I was deep in thought, I—or rather, the thing controlling my body—suddenly dematerialized the short sword in its hand.
-'What the hell is this lunatic doing?! Is he trying to get me killed? I'm not ready to die!'
And just as the sword disappeared, a pink cushion with rose patterns materialized in its place.
-'Wait… The cushion with a strong will?!'
Why had he chosen That thing ? Does he have any death plans?
[the cushion with a strong will] I was sure that I would never use it but here this 'thing' having taken my body uses it.. is it there to harm me?
When stared at the thing controlling my body, and despite everything, it still had that same confident look on its face.
My once-normal blue eyes now shone with an intense, almost otherworldly glow.
The Grand Goblin Red paused for a moment, tilting its massive head as if trying to understand what just happened. Its glowing crimson eyes locked onto *me*—or rather, my body—now holding a ridiculous pink cushion instead of a weapon.
A moment of silence passed.
Then—
-...GrRh.."
The monster let out a confused, almost insulted roar. It probably felt like I was mocking it.
-'No, seriously, what the hell is happening?!*'
I was still watching from outside my body, completely unable to do anything, while this… thing controlling me held the cushion with absolute confidence. My muscles weren't tense. My stance was relaxed, almost lazy.
And then—
'I moved.'
My body dashed forward with flawless precision, closing the gap between me and the Grand Goblin Red in an instant. The monster reacted immediately, swinging its massive hache down with a devastating force.
'Dodge! Dodge, you idiot!!'
But instead of avoiding it, my body simply *tilted* its head slightly, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth. The wind pressure alone sent debris flying behind me.
Then, with a smooth and controlled motion—
I raised the cushion.
And slammed it into the Grand Goblin Red's face.
'POMF!'
The impact was soft. Comically soft. It made a sound like someone landing on a bed.
For a brief moment, absolute silence filled the battlefield.
The goblin froze. I froze. Even the dust in the air seemed to stop moving.
-'I can't believe it..did I just—?!'
-heh.."
Suddenly, the thing that occupied my body gave a satisfied smile
Then, in an instant—
'BOOOOOM!!'
The air exploded as the Grand Goblin Red was sent flying backward, crashing through multiple rock formations before slamming into a ruined wall, reducing it to rubble.
-…?!"
I was speechless.
The thing controlling my body simply adjusted its grip on the cushion, completely unfazed.
'W-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT CUSHION?!'
[The Path to Victory has been fully activated : 100%]
[Calculating the most optimal strategy…]
[Enemy Analysis Complete]
[Executing best possible combat sequence]
Before I could even process what was happening, my body dashed forward again—this time, straight toward the groaning Grand Goblin Red buried in the rubble. The monster's body twitched, but before it could react—
-'POMF!'
Another devastating cushion strike smashed into its stomach, sending shockwaves through the ground. The goblin's eyes bulged.
-'POMF! POMF! POMF!'
A flurry of cushion strikes rained down, each one landing with that same absurd softness yet dealing catastrophic damage. The Grand Goblin Red's body convulsed violently with every hit, its massive muscles trembling as if they were being crushed under an invisible force.
'WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL IS GOING ON?!'
How was that possible? Normally my stats are all at rank F and no higher. How am I just throwing bastard punches?!
At that moment, one thing became crystal clear to me:
This wasn't just a cushion.
It was a weapon of pure, unexplainable destruction.
.
-
'POMF! POMF! POMF!'
"GraAHHRGH!!"
-Hahaha! It feels so good to beat up an ogre with this cushion!"
The other me spoke with a demonic grin.
It had already been over ten minutes since he started pummeling the Grand Goblin Red without restraint. Honestly, the scene was both tragic and hilarious.
Meanwhile, I had already received the rewards for the alternative quest—just two points in INT.
-'Not much, but it was just the appetizer…'
But even though the cushion was undeniably powerful, it still didn't explain why *I* had the upper hand against an E-rank monster while being only an F-rank with barely any points in STR.
It reminded me of something…
-'Hmm… I feel like some unknown force is helping me right now…'
Soon enough, the other me had completely incapacitated the Grand Goblin Red after an endless barrage of blows.
-Phew… That took a while… but man, that felt good!"
[+1 Grand Red Goblin eliminated]
[You gain experience.]
[Information: You have completed a secondary quest.]
[You gain experience.]
[Level Up]
[You have been awarded points in STR and INT]
[You obtain a 3 star-card.]
The other me wiped off the blue blood that had splattered on him while grinning from ear to ear.
-'Haa… he's terrifying…'
I thought, watching him, but I don't care, as long as I've earned my rewards.
Suddenly, another system window appeared before me.
[Information: The effects of the skill *The Path to Victory* are wearing off. The player's morale is returning to normal.]
Then, without warning—
A strong force, like an invisible magnet, yanked me back into my physical body.
-W-Whoa?! Woaaah—!'
__
-Ugh… my head…"
The moment I regained control, my head was spinning.
-'Was this a side effect of the skill?'
Probably. As I slowly gathered myself, the first thing that entered my sight was the corpse of the Grand Goblin Red sprawled on the ground.
-Heheh…"
A twisted grin formed on my face.
-'More money…'
I fully intended to skin it and sell its hide—just like the other Red Goblins I had killed before.
-MUWAHAHAHA!!"
Oh, right. Because of all the cushion strikes I had landed, the goblin's face was barely recognizable, and its entire body was bruised black and blue.
…Maybe, without realizing it, I was turning into a monster myself.
___
-Khrkh! He… he killed the Chief! W-What do we do now?!"
Hidden in the shadows of the ruined city, a group of Red Goblins watched in horror as Sugil was laughing mischievously above the corpse of the Grand Goblin Red.
"Keukh… W-We… we have to run…!"
One of the goblins stammered before turning tail.
One by one, the others followed, disappearing into the ruins.
___
-Huh? Thought I heard something…"
I muttered while casually picking my ear.
[Quest: Reach Level 5 during the entrance exam
Rewards: New card abilities of 1 or 2 stars, gain points in STR and END.
Failure to complete the quest within the time limit will result in penalties for the next 10 days. Quest difficulty: RANK F.]