The Beady eyed monster

**Good luck surviving the tutorial.**

**The tutorial will last for two hours.**

Then the voice disappeared.

Following that, the light from the bulbs vanished as well, leaving only the faint moonlight to guide my vision.

Activating Hunter's Instinct.

A more robotic voice than before informed me. As it spoke, my night vision sharpened. Though not as clear as daylight, I could now see much better in the dark.

CRASH!

GLASS SHATTERING!

The hallway window at the corridor's end exploded inward, and a small creature tumbled in, hitting the floor with a dull thud. The moonlight illuminated its hunched form as it clumsily stood up.

Nearly a meter tall, its faint green skin glistened faintly in the moonlight. Its wrinkled features twisted into a sinister sneer, and its mouth stretched unnervingly from ear to ear. A ragged cloth, possibly tanned animal skin, hung loosely around its waist.

"Is that a freaking goblin?" I murmured, recognizing the telltale features of the creature from countless fantasy stories.

It tilted its head, beady eyes glinting as they locked onto mine—and it took a step forward.

My breath caught in my throat as adrenaline surged through my veins. Panic seized me. I bolted back into my apartment, slamming the door shut and locking it with trembling fingers.

I tried turning on the lights. Nothing. I reached for my phone—dead. My laptop—unresponsive. Every electronic device was useless.

The distant screams of my neighbors echoed through the walls. Some yelled that they couldn't see anything, while others shrieked in pain. My pulse pounded in my ears as I rushed to the kitchen, yanking open drawers. I grabbed every knife I could find—four in total. I shoved them into my pant pockets, the cold steel pressing against my legs.

(Thump! Thump!)

My heart froze as two more goblins jumped onto my balcony, their claws scraping against the glass door. Their eyes gleamed with hunger as they slammed their fists against the glass, cracks spiderwebbing across the surface. My breath came in ragged gasps. There was nowhere safe. Nowhere to hide.

(CRASH!)

The glass shattered. The goblins leaped into the room with terrifying speed. My heart pounded in my chest as they lunged. Yet, despite the panic gripping me, my heightened senses kicked in. I could feel their intent—the way the first goblin shifted its weight before slashing its knife at my chest. I ducked just in time, the blade slicing through the air above my head. My body moved as if guided by instinct. With a burst of motion, I lashed out with my knife, slashing across the goblin's abdomen. Its eyes widened in shock as blood sprayed the floor. It twisted and collapsed, twitching before falling still.

A Goblin has been killed

10 coupon points awarded

The second goblin shrieked and lunged with clawed hands, its movements erratic. My sharpened reflexes kicked in. I sidestepped its attack, feeling the air shift as its claws grazed past my ribs. My eyes tracked its every movement, anticipating its next lunge before it even moved. Seizing the moment, I grabbed a heavy skillet from the counter and hurled it. The pan smashed into the goblin's head with a sickening crack. Staggered, it let out a guttural growl. I lunged forward, plunging my knife deep into its throat. The creature gurgled, blood bubbling from its mouth as it collapsed.

A Goblin has been killed

10 coupon points awarded

Breathless and trembling, I stepped back, my grip tightening on the blood-slick knife. My senses stayed heightened, ears straining for any sound, eyes scanning every shadow. The air hung heavy with tension, the faint echoes of distant screams reminding me that this nightmare was far from over.

"Maybe it's not absolutely hopeless," Kanisk thought, his chest heaving as he stood over the corpses of two goblins. His knife, slick with blood, dripped onto the floor. Despite the terror coursing through his veins, he hadn't suffered a single wound.

But just as the tension in his shoulders began to ease, a faint scratching sound reached his ears. His heightened senses kicked in—Hunter's Instinct sharpening every sound, every movement in the room. His gaze snapped toward the balcony railings where something small and quick began to crawl over the edge.

"Is it an insect?" Kanisk wondered, his breath hitching in his throat. "I can take just one," he thought.

Before the thought could fully settle, more of them began to pour in—legs clicking against the glass shards and tile floor. A dozen. Then two dozen. Their shiny black bodies glistened under the faint moonlight, eyes reflecting a faint blue glow.

"Damn it," Kanisk cursed under his breath. "I jinxed it," he muttered as his pulse spiked.

His body moved before his mind could catch up. Trusting his instincts, he leapt forward, stomping down hard on the nearest spider. A sickening crunch echoed through the apartment.

**One Paralysis Spider killed. 2 points granted.**

Another skittered toward his ankle. He pivoted, stomping down again.

**One Paralysis Spider killed. 2 points granted.**

Kanisk spun, stamping one after another. The system notifications flooded his mind like a rhythm of survival.

**One Paralysis Spider killed. 2 points granted.**

**One Paralysis Spider killed. 2 points granted.**

The notifications blurred together as his legs moved on their own. His muscles burned, and adrenaline coursed through his veins, guided by Hunter's Instinct. Every movement felt sharper, faster—his reflexes dialed up beyond human limits. But even as he crushed spider after spider, their sheer numbers began to overwhelm him.

"Paralysis spiders?" The realization hit him like a jolt of ice. "Woah, maybe I shouldn't stomp on them with my legs anymore." He glanced at his bare ankles, half-expecting a bite that could drop him in seconds.

As if summoned by his fear, dozens more swarmed over the balcony railing, flooding in waves across the floor. Panic clawed at his chest. His heart pounded against his ribs.

"I need to get out—now."

Hunter's Instinct flared inside him—a primal sense of awareness that illuminated the environment in his mind. His eyes darted to the kitchen. His brain calculated the distances, obstacles, and timing in milliseconds. The stove. The gas line. An idea sparked like a flame in his mind.

Kanisk bolted, weaving through the advancing swarm. His enhanced reflexes guided each step, dodging the spiders that leapt toward his legs. He felt the faint rush of air as one missed his calf by mere inches.

Reaching the kitchen, he snatched the stove's knob, twisting it hard. The faint hiss of gas filled the air almost instantly. Heat prickled his skin as sweat slicked his palms. He spun around, racing toward the door as the spiders closed in.

"Come on, come on!"

He yanked open the door with a grunt. Just before slamming it shut behind him, he struck a match from the box in his hand. The flame danced at his fingertips. With a swift flick of his wrist, he hurled the burning matchbox into the kitchen.

He shoved the door closed, bracing his back against it. The second stretched into an eternity.

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the entire apartment. The door burst outward with a deafening crash, slamming into Kanisk and propelling him backward into the corridor wall. Pain shot through his spine as he crumpled to the floor. Smoke and heat rushed out in waves, and the sound of shattering glass and splintering wood echoed through the hallway.

Coughing, Kanisk clutched his ribs and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. The world spun around him, and his ears rang with a high-pitched whine. Still, Hunter's Instinct pulsed faintly in his mind—keeping him grounded in the chaos.

He groaned, staggering to his feet. Through the lingering haze of smoke, the notifications appeared before his eyes.

**Multiple Paralysis Spiders killed. 248 points granted.**