The Goblin Slayer

Reed, staring at the group, tightened his grip on his dagger, the dagger resting in its sheath at his side; he prepared himself as things where about to go down.

The goblin holding his healer staff snarled and barked orders at the others. Immediately, the goblins surged forward, their weapons raised, ready to strike.

The first goblin lunged at Reed, its rusty long sword aimed at his chest. With quick reflexes, Reed's hand shot to his side, drawing his dagger from its sheath. In an instant, he slashed through the air.

The goblin's head fell from its shoulders before it even realized what had happened, its body collapsing to the ground with a dull thud.

The other goblins stopped in their tracks, stunned by the speed of Reed's attack, pausing to analysis the threat.

Reed's presence was way, different form the last time he fought. To the goblins they sensed nothing like a defenseless healer and more like a wild breast ready to takedown any who dare venture too close.

The goblin leader, recovering from its shock, screeched louder, rallying the others to attack all at once. Reed smirked, feeling the significant increase in his attack speed, all thanks to his new accessory.

Two goblins came at him from either side, their crude axes swinging in wide arcs. Reed dodged to the right, avoiding the first blow, and then spun around to the left, his dagger cleanly cut through the second goblin's arm, severing it at the elbow. The creature howled in pain, dropping its weapon and clutching its stump.

Another goblin leapt at Reed from behind, but he spun around, swinging his dagger. The blade carved a deep wound across the goblin's chest, sending it tumbling to the ground.

Reed didn't pause, his movements were swift, slaying goblin after goblin with, lethal strikes.

A particularly large goblin, wielding a spiked club, charged at Reed with a mighty roar. Reed stood his ground, waiting until the last possible moment before sidestepping the attack. As the goblin stumbled past him, Reed swung his blade in an arc, severing its ankle. The goblin crashed to the ground, unable to stand.

Seeing their comrades fall one by one, the remaining goblins began to retreat, overtaken by fear. The goblin leader, realizing it was losing control of the battles, and decided to attack him itself. With a final snarl and lunged at Reed with the healer staff.

Reed met its charge head-on. Taking a deep breath, he placed his blade back in its sheath, waiting for the right moment.

The goblin wasn't a healer, it wielded the staff like sword heading for Reed. Without warning, Reed pulled out his dagger, swung his blade vertically downs.

The goblin leader's split form head to toe, dropping too the ground along with the healer staff.

Breathing heavily, Reed surveyed the carnage around him. Next to the cave was littered with goblin bodies, their blood staining the grass. He sheathed his dagger, bent down and picked up his staff.

"Stupid goblins, weak and foolish till the end," he muttered then walked past the lifeless goblin leader, kicked its body aside.

The system prompted [Player has levled up and is now at level 8]

With that he made his way into the cave adjusting his Ring on his finger, knowing the real battle was about to begin.

On reaching the mouth of the cave, Reed paused, staring down into the darkness beyond. The daylight outside only focused on the contrast, making the cave's interior seem like a void.

Reeds breath slowed as he considered his options. Without a light source, navigating the cave would be would be nothing short of suicide.

What if they were still goblin and besides fighting the goblin assassin in the dark would be impossible. You can't kill what you can't see.

He glanced around the area, searching for anything that might help. The dead goblins offered no immediate solution. Most had rusty melee weapons and scraps of armor, but nothing that could serve as a light.

Reed's turned to his healer staff. It was rough, but noticed intricate carvings along its length, something he didn't notice back then when he was using it, he inspected it, and noticed faint runes etched into the wood. The runes pulsed softly.

Despite it being a common grade it had runes, proof that the gift of being the 10 millionths player was no joke.

An idea sparked in Reed's mind. In his research, he recalled lessons about imbuing objects with magical properties (mana), a practice common among healers and warriors alike.

Although Reed's experience as a healer mainly involved treating wounds rather than working with mana, he had learned enough to spot potential when he saw it.

Closing his eyes, Reed focused his thoughts on the staff, willing the latent energy within the runes to awaken. He visualized light, imagining the staff as a beacon piercing through the darkness. Slowly, warmth began to emanate from the staff, the runes glowing brighter in response to his intent.

A soft, white light flared from the tip of the staff, casting a gentle glow around Reed. He smiled, satisfied with his success. The light wasn't strong, but it was steady enough to illuminate the cave's entrance.

Reed held the staff before him, its glow pushing back the shadows as he ventured into the cave. The air inside was damp, carrying the faint scent of moss. The light revealed jagged rock walls and skeleton skulls along the narrow passage ways.

Reed, after moving for a couple of minutes, saw a soft light ahead, different from the magical glow from his staff.

As he got closer, Reed entered a spacious chamber. A small hole in the ceiling allowed a shaft of pale light to pierce through the darkness, illuminating the center of the room.

The chamber was large compared to the narrow passage. It was vast, with walls that seemed to reach up into the unseen heights of the cave. In the middle of the room, under the spotlight, was a gruesome sight.

Piled high were bones and skeletons, a proof of the many lives lost in this place. On top of the bones sat the goblin assassin.

Its lean, frame was hunched over, eyes glinting with malice, deadly blades at its side, ready for battle.

"I'm back, why don't we pick up form where we left off," Reed said playfully with a smirk.

The goblin assassin's grained, its eyes narrowing with cruel delight.