At midnight, the city wore a different face.
The streets were quieter than usual, but not entirely silent. Faint streetlights flickered against the roads and the small houses.
A man strolled alone through the streets.
He wore a black hoodie and black pants. The hood was pulled low over his head, casting a shadow across his brow, while a black mask concealed the lower half of his face.
His eyes scanned the surroundings, sharp and alert, as if he were searching for something—or someone.
He walked calmly, his steps unhurried but deliberate.
His gaze swept across alleys, balconies, and rooftops.
Suddenly, shouts erupted ahead.
Curiosity drew people toward the noise. A small crowd began moving forward, drawn by the noise.
Lucian, too, moved slowly in that direction, neither rushing nor lagging behind as his eyes scanned every shadow, every alley.
Before reaching the source, he noticed people pulling out their phones.
Flashlights flicked open to see the view before them clearly, or to record.
"What is that!?"
"Is there a shooting going on?"
Most were filming, their faces pale under the flickering streetlights. The light there was sparse, as only a few weak streetlights functioned.
"H-hey, is that a dead body?"
Lucian stopped several meters behind them.
He didn't push forward, since he didn't have to.
"No… no, it's moving…"
"W–What is that!!?"
The crowd parted slightly, some stepping back, others leaning forward despite their fear.
That was when Lucian saw it.
In front of them crouched a being no taller than a child—roughly a meter tall—small, wiry, hunched over.
Green skin.
A dull, sickly green colour of skin covered its entire body.
It was hunched over to the man below as it gnawed at the man's body, making disgusting chewing noises.
The man beneath it wasn't fully dead.
His eyes were open, but unfocused, and dull, his pupils dilated in shock.
His mouth moved weakly, as his lips trembled trying to say something, but no words came out.
Blood pooled beneath him, soaking into the cracks of the road.
He was being eaten alive.
A wave of horror swept across the crowd.
"What the fuck is that!!?"
The shout echoed.
The creature froze.
The chewing sounds stopped.
Then its head snapped toward the sound with a sharp, unnatural motion.
The creature's long ears twitched.
Its grotesque face was fully revealed now—sunken cheeks, a wide mouth filled with jagged teeth, and gums dark with old blood.
Fresh crimson blood dripped from its chin, splattering onto the street.
A goblin.
Panic exploded.
"Aaaahh!!!"
People screamed and scattered.
Their faces turned pale.
Most ran without looking back.
But not all of them.
A few idiots—driven by shock, disbelief, or the hunger for their social media attention—kept filming.
One man stood in place, frozen with fascination.
He aimed his mobile camera at the goblin with trembling hands.
"This is insane—this is real, guys, look—"
Before he could finish, the goblin lunged, snatching the phone.
Its movement was sudden, fast.
In a blink, before the man could understand, it had crossed the distance and taken the phone out of his hands.
"Grll… grll…"
The flashlight annoyed it, making it throw the device aside.
It fell on the floor, its screen cracking as it went black.
Then the goblin's gaze settled on the man, who was rooted in place by fear.
He fell on his butt, his body trembling as he tried to mutter something, but only incoherent words came out.
The goblin chuckled at his terror-stricken face.
A wet, gurgling sound escaped its throat as it raised a crude bone knife, its blade chipped and darkened with old blood.
It swung its knife, aiming straight at the man.
But the strike never landed.
Clang!
A crowbar intercepted the strike mid-air.
Lucian threw his full strength into the move, stepping into the swing.
The impact sent the goblin flying sideways, its small body slamming into the road.
"Run!" Lucian shouted.
The man snapped out of his stupor.
He tried to get up, but froze again, paralyzed by fear.
His limbs trembled as he tried to get himself to stand.
Seeing this, Lucian clicked his tongue and turned his gaze back to the goblin.
'Disgusting.' He thought as he looked at the monster before him.
[Ding!~]
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
[New Quest Generated!]
[Quest: First Kill]
Main Objective:
– Kill a goblin.
Reward: +5 AP
Bonus Objective:
– Kill 10 goblins.
Bonus Reward: +10 AP
Difficulty: C
Time Limit: None
Failure: ???
He dismissed the screen without even reading the details.
He had no time for that.
Right now, his entire focus was on the monster dragging itself upright before him.
The goblin, the corpse—everything was real.
Lucian's hands trembled slightly around the crowbar.
It wasn't that he was immune to fear.
This was his first time facing a monster—something that he hadn't even seen much in his past life.
Suddenly, the goblin screeched and lunged at him, slashing its dagger toward Lucian in a wild arc.
Lucian barely raised the crowbar in time.
Clang!
The sudden impact numbed his arms.
He almost lost his grip, but tightened it before the crowbar could slip from his fingers.
The goblin's attacks weren't very strong, but it was fast.
Too fast.
It darted sideways, slashing again, forcing Lucian to take a step back.
Lucian's heart hammered against his ribs.
One slash, and he could die.
This wasn't a game.
This wasn't a drill.
This was real.
The goblin attacked again.
This time, Lucian blocked, twisted his wrist, and swung the crowbar with everything he had.
The clawed end of the crowbar smashed into the goblin's temple.
Crack.
The goblin screeched loudly, then collapsed to the ground, rolling and twitching violently.
Lucian staggered back a step, breathing heavily.
'I did well choosing a crowbar.' He thought grimly.
Having a crowbar in his car wasn't suspicious, and like a great Anime character once said, crowbars were very deadly if you used them properly.
He stepped forward cautiously as he studied the goblin before him.
It wasn't dead.
Its hands twitched, trying to strike him again.
Lucian didn't hesitate.
He plunged the crowbar straight down, stabbing its heart.
The goblin trembled once more… then went still.
Lucian stood there, staring at the blackish-green blood splattered across the ground.
He had killed something.
Yet he didn't feel much—maybe because it was a monster, not a human.
'Speaking of human…'
He glanced back; the terrified man he had saved had fled into the distance.
'Hm?'
He checked the quest again that he had received.
Then—
[You have completed the main objective of the Quest: First Kill!]
[You have been rewarded 5 AP.]
He received the rewards—but something was wrong.
"What about my awakening?" Lucian frowned.
Suddenly, his body swayed.
His mind felt light, yet unbearably heavy at the same time.
{DING!~}
A chime rang out—different from Akasha's.
Sharper. Louder.
Then came a cold, monotone voice, devoid of emotion.
{First kill confirmed.}
{Recording data.}
{Initializing status window.}
{...}
{...}
The voice ceased.
Silence settled in his mind.
Lucian frowned, but before he could ask Akasha anything, his skin tingled.
He jumped back just in time as a dagger sliced through the space where he had stood.
Lucian's eyes widened.
Blood trickled onto his stomach—a small cut tearing through his clothes.
Had he not moved in time…
'Calm down.'
He forced his breathing to steady as he carefully assessed the situation.
There were two more goblins nearby—and in the distance, he could see more approaching.
'Right'
He suddenly remembered something.
"Analysis!"
[Analyzing…]
[Analysis Complete.]
[Status Window]
Race: Goblin
Rank: F
Bloodline: Lesser Greenblood
— — —
Before he could finish reading, the two goblins attacked.
But this time, he was ready.
He defended swiftly, blocking the strike.
He kicked one goblin away, stabbed the other in the chest—
But missed.
He twisted the crowbar, striking its head with the claw.
The goblin staggered.
The goblin he kicked screeched, charging recklessly, abandoning all defense.
Lucian blocked and felt the strength difference—this one was stronger.
The impact made him stagger back.
More goblins were approaching.
"Increase agility by 1, perception by 4."
[Your Agility has increased by 1.]
[Your Perception has increased by 4.]
[Attribute Points: 33➝28]
His speed increased.
His senses sharpened.
He could now see their movements more clearly.
He dodged and attacked, this time more swiftly.
Before the goblin could react, he stabbed its eyes and pulled back instantly.
Then he twisted the crowbar and stabbed it into the other goblin's heart.
More goblins arrived.
Seven in total, encircling him.
"I am not going to die… right?"
Despite his words, a smile curved his lips.
How long had it been since he felt this alive?
The pain, the tingling sensation every time they attacked.
It was exhilarating.
[Good Luck.] Akasha said.
"Thank you."
With that, Lucian charged forward, crowbars in both hands.
Thankfully, he had set his bag aside—otherwise, he would have exhausted himself far sooner.
"Increase all of my stats to the max."
He dodged and kicked a goblin as he ran in between. It was difficult to kill all of them at once since there were too many.
Thankfully, he was both faster and stronger than they were, but it was still difficult.
[Your Strength has increased by 1.]
[Your Constitution has increased by 1.]
[Your Intelligence has increased by 2.]
[Your Charm has increased by 2.]
[Your Stamina has increased by 1.]
[Attribute Points: 28➝21]
One kill.
Two kills.
Minutes blurred.
He moved faster, stronger, slicing through them.
Kill after kill—he went on.
His perception kept him from serious injuries.
Wet, dark green blood soaked the street.
By the fifth kill, fatigue set in.
Small cuts and bruises covered his body, but he continued, crushing a goblin's neck with his leg and stabbing another's heart.
After the last, Lucian dropped to his knees, gasping.
Before him, 10 goblins lay dead, along with the first unfortunate man.
[You have completed the bonus objective!]
[You have been rewarded 10 AP.]
"Ha… ha… ha…"
He looked up.
"Akasha… what about my status? I still haven't awakened."
He saw his status window again, but nothing had changed.
Titles, bloodline, mana—they were all still locked.
He couldn't even increase his stats beyond 10. It was as if a restriction bound him from going higher.
Silence.
"Akasha?"
[Just… hold on.] She said, her voice solemn.
Lucian frowned.
"Wha—"
Before he could respond, the same cold, monotone voice returned.
{Initialising Status Window.}
{...}
{...}
{Error!}
{Error!}
{Unknown Entity Found!}
{The entity doesn't exist in the Records.}
{Unknown Bloodline Found!}
{The bloodline doesn't exist in the Records.}
{Terminating entity.}
{Disintegre$$@$@$*$&@$}
{Error!}
{Error!}
{Error!}