The Siege of Eldrin’s Hollow
The village was a storm of motion.
Fires burned in the torch sconces, casting long shadows as men and women rushed through the streets, hammering wooden planks into makeshift barricades, gathering weapons—pitchforks, rusted swords, hunting bows.
Eldrin's Hollow was not a village built for war.
But war was coming.
Dain stood at the village entrance, his bronze sword strapped to his waist. The weight of it felt familiar now—comforting, even.
He had fought. He had bled.
And now, for the first time, he would be fighting not for himself—but for everyone.
The system's warning still burned in his mind.
[Warning: Hobgoblin Warband Approaching]
Time Until Arrival: 18 Hours
They were coming.
And Eldrin's Hollow had less than a day to prepare.
Edric's voice cut through the chaos.
"We need defenses in place by sundown!" the warrior barked, overseeing the village militia as they scrambled to fortify the entrances. "Archers on the rooftops! Fighters on the main road! We don't let them reach the homes!"
Dain approached. "What's the plan?"
Edric turned, his expression grim. "We don't have the numbers for a real fight," he admitted. "There's no way we win in open battle."
Dain frowned. "So what do we do?"
The older warrior ran a hand through his beard. "We control the battlefield."
Dain's gaze followed Edric's line of sight—toward the narrow bridge at the village entrance.
"We bottleneck them."
A notification appeared.
[New Sub-Quest: Hold the Bridge]
• Objective: Prevent the enemy from entering Eldrin's Hollow.
• Reward: +100 Experience, ???
Dain's stomach twisted.
The system wants me to be in the thick of it.
Edric clapped him on the shoulder. "You're one of the best fighters we have, Dain."
The words should have filled him with pride.
Instead, they made his chest feel tight.
Because Edric was wrong.
Dain wasn't a soldier.
He was a farmer.
But he was also the only one with the system.
And that meant he had to be better.
The last hours before nightfall passed in a blur.
The village was fortified as best as possible. Wooden barricades lined the main road. Oil lanterns were placed strategically to light up the entrance. Traps—simple pits and sharpened wooden stakes—were set near the bridge.
It wasn't much.
But it would have to be enough.
As the sky darkened, a final notification appeared.
[Warning: Enemy Approaching]
Time Remaining: 1 Hour
Dain exhaled sharply.
This was it.
The first true battle of his life.
And there was no running from it.
The first sign of the hobgoblin warband was the sound of rustling trees.
Then—low, guttural voices, speaking in a tongue Dain didn't understand.
The militia tightened their grips on their weapons.
A shape appeared in the treeline.
Then another.
Then dozens.
A small army of hobgoblins, their glowing eyes flickering in the darkness, their weapons—rusted swords, iron maces, crude spears—clutched tightly in clawed hands.
At the front, a hulking brute of a hobgoblin stepped forward. Unlike the others, his armor was metal, not leather. His weapon—a massive cleaver, half the size of a man.
A notification flashed.
[Enemy Identified: Hobgoblin Warlord (Lv.10)]
• Health: 120/120
• Threat Level: Extreme
Dain's breath caught in his throat.
Level 10.
That thing could kill him with a single blow.
The warlord raised his weapon, pointing toward the village.
And roared.
The hobgoblins charged.
The first hobgoblins rushed the bridge.
The villagers held their ground.
Arrows rained down from the rooftops, striking the creatures. A few fell, shrieking as they tumbled into the pit traps.
But the rest kept coming.
Dain stepped forward.
A hobgoblin raider lunged at him, its spear thrusting forward.
Dain parried, sidestepping smoothly. His sword flashed—slashing the creature's throat.
[Enemy Defeated: Hobgoblin Raider]
+35 Experience Gained
Another attacked.
Dain ducked, twisting his sword upward, driving it deep into the hobgoblin's chest.
[Enemy Defeated: Hobgoblin Fighter]
+40 Experience Gained
The battle blurred into chaos.
Screams. Clashing steel. The stench of blood.
Dain fought like a man possessed.
His Basic Swordsmanship skill guided his movements. His stamina held firm as he cut through enemy after enemy.
Then—
A mace swung toward his head.
Dain barely dodged—but the impact clipped his shoulder, sending him sprawling.
Pain shot through him.
A new notification.
[Health: 18/50]
Dain gritted his teeth.
He wasn't done yet.
The hobgoblin warlord stepped onto the bridge, its massive cleaver gleaming under the torchlight.
The militia hesitated.
Dain forced himself to his feet, his chest heaving, blood trickling down his arms.
The warlord locked eyes with him.
It recognized his strength.
And it was coming for him.
A new quest appeared.
[New Sub-Quest: Defeat the Warlord]
• Objective: Survive.
• Reward: ???
Dain swallowed hard.
The warlord charged.
The world slowed.
Dain could see everything.
The warlord's cleaver descended toward him, a brutal overhead swing.
He knew instantly—he couldn't block it.
So he moved.
He rolled aside, barely escaping as the cleaver slammed into the earth, carving a deep trench in the dirt.
Too strong.
Dain retaliated.
He lunged, aiming for the warlord's exposed side.
But the creature was fast—too fast.
A metal-clad fist slammed into his chest.
Pain exploded through his ribs as Dain was sent flying.
His back hit the dirt hard, his vision flickering.
[Health: 4/50]
The world blurred.
His ears rang.
The warlord loomed over him, its cleaver rising for the killing blow.
Then—
A chime echoed.
[Skill Activated: Last Stand (Passive)]
• Speed and attack power increased by 50%.
• Pain resistance activated.
A shockwave of energy coursed through Dain's body.
The exhaustion vanished.
The pain faded.
The warlord swung down.
But this time—
Dain was faster.
He rolled at the last second, the cleaver burying itself in the dirt where he had been.
Then—he struck.
His blade flashed, slashing across the warlord's wrist.
The creature roared, stumbling backward.
Dain pressed the attack.
Every movement felt sharper.
Every strike felt deadlier.
He dodged effortlessly, weaving between the warlord's attacks, his sword carving deep wounds into the monster's flesh.
The warlord tried to retreat.
Dain didn't let it.
With one final burst of speed, he drove his sword deep into the warlord's throat.
The creature gurgled, its massive body convulsing.
Then—it fell.
Silence.
A chime rang in Dain's mind.
[Enemy Defeated: Hobgoblin Warlord]
+150 Experience Gained
[Level Up!]
Level: 6 → 7
The battlefield fell silent.
The remaining hobgoblins saw their leader fall.
Then—they fled into the night.
The war for Eldrin's Hollow was over.
Dain staggered back, his heart still racing.
His body was numb, his vision swimming, but he had survived.
He had won.
But deep down, he knew—
This was only the beginning.