Goblin King, Sword Master

The Goblin King barreled forward, earth trembling beneath its feet. Its gigantic body loomed in the narrow passage of the dungeon. It had crazed eyes, and it's sharp teeth glistened in the small light, dripping in spittle. Eris's eyes went wide.

"Oh crap, " she muttered, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. "We're definitely larger than I expected…"

Leon, naturally, had his own opinions. "Well, this is the part where I get to say 'I told you so,' but I'm going to let you off the hook for now. You know, for dramatic effect."

The Goblin King didn't appear to appreciate Leon's sarcastic commentary. The thing was too busy bellowing in Eris's face, rattling even the dungeon walls with rage.

Eris, not one to be too experienced with adventure, was still swinging Leon around like a glorified baseball bat. Her hands shook, but she held her ground.

"Alright, Leon. You can do this. I can do this!" she said, psyching herself up, even though she was shaking like a leaf in a high wind. "We've got this!"

"Yeah, sure. And don't hurt yourself," Leon joked to no one, but the familiar, pulsing feeling of the System activating signaled otherwise.

[SYSTEM ALERT: Adventurer Mode: Novice Initiated]

[System: New Skill: Beginner's Will Activated: You have increased determination under pressure.]

[SYS NOTE: Command: Engaging battle protocol. Enabling battle options.]

"System?" The voice burst within her mind, and Eris blinked, shocked.

"Yeah, yeah. That wasn't the most graceful entrance but let's see what you can do now," Leon thought with the flow of energy rushing through him. The System was beginning to crystallize, just as it had when Eris had first gripped him.

The Goblin King lifted his massive club and leveled it at Eris. Instinctively, she leapt aside and barely avoided getting squashed by the swing. The Goblin King bellowed in agitation, but Leon sensed something else this time. His Sword Mastery has been slowly rising with it, and along with it, a little ashava more control.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Sword Mastery Level 1/10: Training Mode]

"Wait, Sword Mastery?" Eris said, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Leon, are you like, leveled up or something?"

"That's right, kid. Not so fast, however. I'm still just a sword, but it seems like the system's got our back."

Eris focused on the fight, shaking her head. The Goblin King was not hanging around for her to wrap up her telepathic dialogue. It charged again, swinging its club with savage velocity. This time, Leon led her motions. She made a quick sidestep, and, bolstered by the system, punched Leon. The sword hit the Goblin King's side, spilling dark green blood.

"Got it! I got it!" "We beat you!" Eris yelled, her voice triumphant. She fell back, panting, but smiling.

It was hard not to feel a sense of pride with the system's glow still active through Leon's veins. "Not bad."

But it wasn't over for the Goblin King. It lifted its colossal cudgel one more time, the air suffused with sound, my ribs cracking as it hammered downward with enough force to cleave rock. Eris just barely ducked out of the way, already struggling with exhaustion.

"C'mon, System, don't leave me high and dry now! Eris gasped, her voice trembling. "Help me out here!"

[ SYSTEM NOTICE: Skill Acquisition — "Evasive Step" Gained. ]

[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Evasive Maneuver Level 1/10: Speed and Agility Enhanced.]

The system's energy flowed into Eris, and all of the sudden, her body moved more quickly, her steps more exact. The Evasive Step had kicked in, and she leapt just in time to avoid the club that smashed where she had just been an instant earlier. She hit the floor, rolling as she went to evade the club's deadly arc by merely inches.

"That's more like it." Leon thought, impressed. "Maybe there's hope for you yet."

Eris was not overly long in recovering. Leon already held aloft over her head, she was back on her feet. The Goblin King was growing increasingly agitated, its eyes narrowing as it turned to her. But Leon felt it, too — the transformation of Eris's energy, the cumulative confidence that the system was only helping. It was as though a match had been struck inside her.

"Alright, Leon. Time to finish this!" Eris shouted, her face aglow with determination.

The Goblin King took another swing, but it was sluggish this time. Empowered by the System's improvements, Eris lunged, her blade shining as it pierced Leon deep within the Goblin King. The shock reverberated through her arms, but it was suffient to pierce the creature's defenses.

Eris twisted the blade and the Goblin King howled in pain. The creature's body convulsed in agony before it crashed to the ground with a resounding thud.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Battle Over — Goblin King Vanquished.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Rewards: +10 EXP, +2 Skill Points]

[SYSTEM NOTICE: New Skill Acquired: "Goblin Slayer's Strike" (Active)]

Eris looked up at the fallen monster, breathing heavily from the effort. "We… we did it…"

"Not we, kid. You did it." Leon thought, a peculiar warmth swelling inside him. Pride? Maybe. But more than that, there was a healing sense of what he hadn't felt in a long time — purpose.

[SYSTEM NOTICE: Acquired New Inventory Item: Goblin King's Fang (Unique Item)]

Leon sensed the change in Eris's energy as she lifted her head, her eyes still wide with disbelief. She looked down at her hands, and despite the awkward grip she always had, she somehow did not see with the System's backing, something felt different.

"Check it out, Leon! We got a reward!" she said, her eyes shining as she opened the inventory window and revealed a shiny, jagged tooth. "This is from the Goblin King… does this mean we'll be able to get even stronger now?"

"I told you this was only the beginning," Leon thought. "Now the real fun starts."

However, the dungeon was not done with them yet, and even if Leon was getting accustomed to the System and Eris's maturity. When Eris began to heal, she realized something. The walls of the dungeon started to move, and a creaking sound echoed from the far corridor.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Eris whispered.

[WARNING — SYSTEM: Secondary Dungeon Boss Encounter Detected]