Taking a deep breath, Subutai slowly exhaled, forcing himself to calm down.
He quickly picked up a small stone from the ground and threw it at one of the goblins. The stone struck the goblin squarely in the back.
The goblin stopped eating, lifted its head, and glanced around in confusion for a moment then returned to chewing on the corpse.
Subutai held his breath and whispered,
"So it won't come just like that…"
He picked up another stone and threw it harder this time.
The goblin immediately turned around, stood up, and began walking toward Subutai while gripping its wooden club.
When the goblin reached the tree where Subutai was hiding, he decided to end it quietly.
He lunged forward, clamped a hand over the goblin's mouth, and dragged it behind the tree before the other three could notice.
The goblin struggled violently, its sharp claws slashing at Subutai's arm, but gritting his teeth, he managed to pull it fully behind the tree.
With his left hand tightly covering its mouth, he gripped the wooden spear with his other hand and drove it into the goblin's abdomen.
Each time he stabbed and pulled back, green blood splattered everywhere.
Unable to breathe and wracked with pain, the goblin tried to scream, but with its mouth sealed, only muffled, choking sounds escaped.
Finally, its strength faded. Its movements slowed, its eyes widened and it died.
[You have killed a "Goblin."]
[You have leveled up. Congratulations!]
"Only things this terrifying… this dangerous… make me truly feel alive,"
Subutai whispered, a faint smile forming on his face.
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1, Perception +1. You have gained 5 status points.]
He could clearly feel his body becoming lighter and stronger.
"So that means ordinary people only get 4 stat points when they level up," he thought.
Slowly, he read each new notification that appeared.
[Congratulations. You have reached Level 1 and gained the right to climb the Tower.]
[The Tower consists of 80 floors. The higher you climb, the stronger the monsters you will face.]
[Would you like to enter the 1st Floor now?]
[Warning]
[You will be automatically transported to the 1st Floor after one day.]
"Yes" "No"
Glancing at the three goblins still devouring the corpse behind him, Subutai selected "No."
"I don't really understand what this Tower is… but at least now I know where I am," he thought, feeling slightly relieved.
[You will be transported to the 1st Floor in 1 day.]
[23:59:59]
Ignoring the countdown, Subutai focused on how to distribute his stat points.
In the end, he allocated 2 points to Strength, and 1 point each to Agility, Spirit, and Perception.
[Status]
Name: Subutai
Class: ??? King
Level: 1
Mana: 144
Strength: 13 (+2.6)
Agility: 12 (+2.4)
Spirit: 12 (+2.4)
Perception: 14 (+2.8)
Status Points: 0
Feeling the power surging through his strengthened body, Subutai raised his hand and gripped his wooden spear tightly.
"I don't fully understand what Spirit and Perception are used for yet, but I can't ignore them," he thought.
"I need to increase my stats evenly."
Only then did he remember the three goblins behind him.
Pulling the spear out of the dead goblin's abdomen, he checked the tip it was nearly blunt.
"It should still be enough to finish the remaining three."
Abandoning the idea of throwing stones, he decided to fight them head-on.
Scooping up a handful of dirt, he kicked the goblin corpse hard, sending it flying.
The body slammed into the ground with a loud crash.
Thud!
The sudden noise shattered the silence and immediately drew the attention of the three goblins that had been feeding.
They stopped chewing and turned around, their eyes locking onto the corpse.
This time, Subutai didn't hide.
He slowly stepped out from behind the tree.
The three goblins spotted him and charged, roaring like beasts, blood and saliva dripping from their mouths.
One goblin rushed him first, swinging its club wildly.
Subutai dodged and hurled the dirt straight into its eyes.
"Graaah!"
Blinded, the goblin screamed and dropped its weapon.
Without hesitation, Subutai drove his spear forward with all his strength, piercing straight through the goblin's heart.
The wood tore through flesh and shattered bone. Green blood burst forth as the goblin collapsed, screaming.
[You have killed a "Goblin."]
He immediately turned and stabbed the second goblin in the neck. As he pulled the spear free, the goblin tried to scream but no sound came before it collapsed.
[You have killed a "Goblin."]
Seeing this, the last goblin's eyes widened in terror. Screaming, it turned and tried to flee.
Smiling coldly, Subutai gave it no chance.
He hurled his spear from behind.
The spear pierced into the goblin's back, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Grahh! Grahh! Gahh!"
Bleeding heavily, the goblin tried to crawl away, but Subutai ignored its struggle. He walked up calmly, pulled the spear from its back, and thrust it straight into its heart.
The goblin's eyes widened, its mouth frozen open as it died.
[You have killed a "Goblin."]
Subutai looked around at the goblin corpses scattered across the ground.
"Maybe it's because I leveled up… but killing goblins feels easy now."
The sharp stench of blood assaulted his nose, and without lingering, Subutai quickly left the area.