Chapter 13:Spinner
Kain groggily woke up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and made his way out of the closet where he had spent the night. He stretched and yawned, feeling the stiffness from yesterday's efforts.
"System, what's the daily?" he asked, eager to get started.
A prompt appeared before him:
```markdown
**Daily Quest:**
- Kill 10 monsters
- **Reward:** 1 Stat Point, 1 Skill Point
```
Kain pondered the quest. "Hmm, the system quests are all over the place. I can go to the goblin dungeon and get some resources—killing two birds with one stone. Then again, I don't know many places, so it has to do."
Determined, Kain knocked on the door to the forge. Vulcan opened it briefly, handed him a piece of bread, and closed it without a word. Kain found the blacksmith's conduct peculiar but shrugged it off, focusing instead on his task. He ate the bread quickly and set off toward the dungeon.
As Kain approached the dungeon entrance, he noticed another individual entering at the same time. However, once inside, the familiar sensation of being pulled into a different space overwhelmed him. He found himself in a vast cavern that looked entirely different from his previous visit. He scanned his surroundings but saw no sign of the person who had entered before him.
"Maybe they put you in different areas. That's convenient," Kain mused aloud.
He began to explore the labyrinthine tunnels, his senses alert for any sign of danger. Before long, he spotted his first goblin. As he moved closer, the creature remained oblivious to his presence until Kain was within about 20 feet.
Kain noted that he wasn't exactly being stealthy, yet the goblin seemed unaware of him. The cave was lit by luminescent crystals embedded in the walls, casting an eerie glow over the surroundings. "These goblins must have poor eyesight or just be really unobservant. Maybe both," Kain thought.
The goblin, armed with a one-handed hammer similar to Kain's, finally noticed him and charged. Kain readied himself, using his longer reach to his advantage. As the goblin neared, Kain swung his arm from right to left in a wide arc, aiming for the creature's head.
The goblin, undeterred by the imminent threat, ducked slightly and tackled Kain with its shoulder, causing him to miss his target. The force of the goblin's charge knocked Kain to the ground, his breath escaping in a huff.
"Owww! The fuck! Get away from me!" Kain shouted, trying to disengage from the goblin's grasp but failing.
Seizing the opportunity, the goblin swung its hammer at Kain. Despite his evasive maneuvers, the blow landed painfully on his knee.
"Ahhhhh," Kain cried out in pain, triggering a surge of adrenaline that heightened his fight-or-flight response.
Determined to fight back, Kain kicked the goblin in the knee with his uninjured left leg. The goblin retreated, emitting a high-pitched scream.
"Yeah, how does it feel!" Kain taunted, seizing the moment to rise to his feet, though he was visibly unsteady. By the time he had partially stabilized himself, the goblin was ready for action once more.
"Oh, you ready for round two? Then come get some, you green fuck," Kain challenged.
The goblin advanced towards Kain again, albeit at a slower pace than before. In response, Kain performed a right-to-left horizontal swing similar to his initial attempt. This time, the swing connected successfully, incapacitating the goblin.
Kain didn't waste any time. He assaulted the goblin with repeated blows until it was clear that it no longer could cause problems.
+15 EXP
"15? Is that it? There's no way that's right," Kain muttered in disbelief.
He proceeded to extract the goblin core with the recently procured knife, placing it in the cloth sack designated for such purposes. The knife made the process significantly easier.
Kain examined the core, conducting a thorough inspection:
**Item:** Core
- **Attribute:** N/A
- **Level:** 2
*This core came from a goblin.*
"I call bullshit on that one," Kain muttered, frustrated by the low experience points.
He resolved to level up his Inspection skill, hoping it would eventually provide information on creatures as well. Taking advantage of the brief respite, Kain decided to check his stats.
"System, show me my stats," he commanded.
A detailed display appeared before him:
```markdown
**Stats**
- **Name:** Kain
- **Race:** Human
- **Age:** 14
- **Level:** 1 (80/100 XP)
- **HP:** 95
- **MP:** 10
- **Strength:** 2
- **Defense:** 3
- **Stamina:** 2
- **Agility:** 3
- **Dexterity:** 3
- **Intelligence:** 5
- **Charisma:** 1
- **Perception:** 1
```
"That was only 5 damage and it hurt that bad? I mean, nothing appears to be broken, but damn," Kain remarked, shaking his head.
He then walked over to the fallen goblin's hammer and inspected it.
```markdown
**Unnamed, single hand hammer**
- **Rank:** Unranked
- **Maker:** Dungeon
*This is a hammer created by the dungeon for use by a goblin.*
```
"Oh, interesting. So the dungeon is the maker of the weapons as well. That explains where the goblins are getting their weapons from," Kain mused.
After a short rest, Kain resumed his exploration of the cave. It wasn't long before he encountered another goblin, this one wielding a sword nearly double the size of his own weapon. The goblin appeared more formidable than the previous one, and Kain steeled himself for the impending battle.
Observing the goblin's movements, Kain realized this would be a tougher fight. He adjusted his grip on his hammer and prepared for the confrontation. The goblin, sensing Kain's readiness, let out a guttural growl and charged forward.
Kain waited until the last moment, then sidestepped the goblin's initial strike. Using the goblin's momentum against it, he swung his hammer with all his might, aiming for the creature's midsection. The blow connected, causing the goblin to stagger but not fall.
The goblin recovered quickly, swinging its greatsword in a wide arc. Kain ducked just in time, feeling the rush of air as the blade narrowly missed him. He retaliated with a swift strike to the goblin's knee, causing it to roar in pain and drop to one knee.
Seeing an opening, Kain delivered a series of rapid blows, each strike weakening the goblin further. With a final, decisive swing, Kain struck the goblin's head, ending the battle.
Breathing heavily, Kain took a moment to steady himself. He inspected the sword, noting its craftsmanship and size. He then extracted the goblin core and placed it in his cloth sack.
Kain observed a goblin wielding a greatsword and couldn't help but let out a brief, mirthful sound before proceeding towards the creature. As he closed the distance to about 30 feet, the goblin began to advance rapidly toward him. Noting that the goblin had identified him more promptly and was significantly faster, Kain felt a surge of panic.
"How are you even running that fast carrying that big-ass sword?" he wondered aloud.
When the goblin was only about seven feet away, it started making a sweeping motion with its arms and body.
"Don't tell me..." Kain muttered, his eyes widening in realization.
The goblin began to rotate the greatsword with considerable velocity, an unexpected and surprising movement. Seeing the whirlwind of steel coming his way, Kain turned on his heel and ran as hard as he could, the goblin hot on his heels.
The chase was on.
Kain's pace began to diminish, and he was subsequently struck by the blade. The brief ordeal, which felt like a race against time, lasted for about ten minutes. It ultimately concluded when the goblin became so fatigued and dizzy from the spinning that it collapsed.
Kain, on the other hand, was experiencing dizziness from a different cause: blood loss. He had sustained at least 20 lacerations, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't outpace the goblin.
Realizing this might be his only chance to strike back, Kain decided to seize the moment for retribution.
Kain advanced towards the disoriented goblin with his hammer, making a downward swing aimed at the goblin's head. The blow connected, knocking the goblin even more off balance.
He persisted with his method, repeatedly striking the goblin's head until he received a notification. The process took considerably more time than his previous battles, leaving him with severe muscle fatigue and a sensation of imminent loss of consciousness.
**Congratulations, Host, on killing a Level 5 Goblin.**
**Reward: 45 Experience.**
**Congratulations, Host, on leveling up.**
**Reward: 3 Stat Points.**
Kain was absolutely over the moon to receive these notifications! He felt an incredible rush of joy and excitement as he basked in the amazing feeling that leveling up gave him.
With renewed energy, Kain got up off the goblin, feeling invigorated and ready to take on the world.
"System, open my stats," he commanded.
The system responded with a detailed display:
```markdown
**Stats**
- **Name:** Kain
- **Race:** Human
- **Age:** 14
- **Level:** 2 (25/150 XP)
- **HP:** 100
- **MP:** 10
- **Strength:** 2
- **Defense:** 3
- **Stamina:** 2
- **Agility:** 3
- **Dexterity:** 3
- **Intelligence:** 5
- **Charisma:** 1
- **Perception:** 1
- **Stat Points:** 3
"So it really did heal me fully—that's awesome," Kain exclaimed
Kain commanded, "System, add 2 points into agility and 1 into stamina."
A detailed display appeared before him:
```markdown
**Stats**
- **Name:** Kain
- **Race:** Human
- **Age:** 14
- **Level:** 2 (25/150 XP)
- **HP:** 100
- **MP:** 10
- **Strength:** 2
- **Defense:** 3
- **Stamina:** 3
- **Agility:** 5
- **Dexterity:** 3
- **Intelligence:** 5
- **Charisma:** 1
- **Perception:** 1
Kain was experiencing the same incredible feeling he always did when he upgraded his stats. "Never gets old," he mused, grinning.
"Now that my agility is higher, I can outrun the goblins. And with my increased stamina, I can run for longer."
Satisfied with his adjustments, Kain decided to conclude his pursuit and collect the spoils. He then made his way back to Vulcan's workshop. After cleaning himself at the river, he resumed his journey and reached the workshop. Once there, he positioned the greatsword against the wall and took a moment to recuperate.
Kain knocked on the door to the forge. Vulcan opened it and immediately spotted the greatsword.
"Come in and bring that with you," Vulcan said, pointing at the greatsword.
Kain walked into the forge, carrying the heavy weapon.
"I see you got a spinner. Good job. Now you can give me that sword to help pay for the food I've been giving you," Vulcan remarked, a hint of approval in his voice.
Kain reflected on the matter and concluded that the greatsword had few practical applications for him at the time. He resolved to set it aside until he could enhance his abilities.
"Fine, you can take it," Kain said, handing the weapon over to Vulcan.
With the exchange complete, Kain felt a sense of accomplishment. He was ready to rest and prepare for whatever challenges awaited him next.