Survival Quest

Evan slowly woke up with a soft groan as his eyes started to open. At first, everything was blurry, like he was staring through fogged-up glass. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear his vision. A quiet mumble slipped out.

"Damn... I mocked Kael for drinking too much milk, and looked at me. I couldn't even stay awake for the game countdown."

His words suddenly stopped.

His mind froze. His mouth hung open, but nothing came out.

Because this wasn't his room.

The familiar feeling of his room was gone. So was the hum of his game console and the cozy orange light from his desk lamp. Replaced with giant trees that stood tall around him, like silent giants watching over the place. Long vines hung down from their branches giving that nature appearance. The ground was covered in soft, damp grass. The air smelled fresh and sweet, nothing like the dusty, stuffy air in the city. Birds chirped somewhere above, and a gentle breeze touched his cheek like it didn't have a care in the world.

"What the f**k?" Evan blurted out, eyes wide as he scrambled to his feet.

He looked down at his hands.

They weren't his.

His soft, chubby fingers were gone. Now his hands looked lean, strong, and toned. He touched his face, then his chest. Everything felt... different. Lighter. His arms had some muscle. His core felt firm and solid.

He looked down at his clothes. He was wearing an old warrior's tunic made of leather and dark fabric. It looked worn out, but it fit him well. The kind of thing a fighter in a post-apocalyptic movie might wear. It reminded him of what Sunny wore in Into the Badlands action movie.

"No way..." he whispered.

Then it hit him like a punch to the stomach.

He wasn't just playing the game anymore.

He was inside it.

"This has to be a dream," he muttered, shaking his head hard. He lifted one hand and slapped himself across the face.

It stung.

"Sh*t!"

The pain felt real.

He shut his eyes tight, trying to will himself back to his room. Back to the blinking lights of his console. Back to the safety of his bed.

Nothing happened.

Then suddenly, a glowing screen appeared in the sky like a hologram.

It hovered above him, bright and silent, impossible to ignore.

---

[ DING…. ]

....NEW QUEST...

[ >> Make it back to Azra alive <<. ]

---

"What does that even mean?" he asked, squinting at the floating text. "Where am I? Why does my first quest sound like a freaking survival horror challenge?"

Before he could take another breath, the ground began to shake.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Heavy footsteps. Loud. Fast. Getting closer.

Evan spun around. His back hit the thick trunk of a giant tree. His heart thumped in his ears. Then, from just over the hill of roots in front of him, a massive shadow appeared.

It stepped into view.

His jaw dropped.

It was a goblin—but not like the tiny ones from those old RPGs. This one was huge, at least thirty feet tall. Its skin looked like swamp moss, and its muscles were thick and hard like stone. A long scar stretched across its cheek. In one hand, it held a battle-axe as big as a canoe. Its eyes glowed yellow.

For a moment, the two just stared at each other.

Then it roared.

The sound ripped through the forest like thunder.

"NOPE!" Evan yelled, ducking just in time as the goblin swung its axe with full force. The blade smashed into the spot where Evan had just been. Dirt exploded into the air.

He rolled, scrambled to his feet, and took off running.

"Okay! Okay! Not a dream! Definitely not a dream!" ahhhhh!! he shouted running like madman.

As he ran, he noticed something glowing above the goblin's head—a floating window, just like the one earlier.

[Level 12 – Forest Goblin Elite]

[HP: 15,000 / 15,000]

Evan didn't stop to read the rest.

Didn't even want to.

All that mattered right now was staying alive. It was only his first day, and this crazy game had somehow become real.

The Goblin snarled, showing off its nasty yellow teeth, then flung its massive axe straight at him.

"Holy shi—!" Evan dropped low, just in time.

The spinning blade sliced clean through the air above his head and buried itself deep into a nearby tree with a loud thunk. The tree groaned and tipped over instantly, crashing to the ground and blocking the narrow forest path. Evan stared at the fallen trunk, breathing hard.

"If I had crouched a second later…" he muttered, eyes wide, "my head would've been a watermelon slice right now."

He jumped to his feet, adrenaline kicking in hard.

"Nope. Not dying here. Not today," he said, clenching his teeth. His voice shook with panic. "I should've picked the First Prince. If I knew I'd end up inside the game as my character, I would've chosen someone useful! Why didn't anyone say anything?!"

Then it hit him. A thought, fast and bright.

"Wait... Inventory! I think I saw something earlier. Maybe a weapon?"

He paused. "Uhh… how do I make the system pop up again?"

As if the game was listening, a holographic screen flickered to life before him.

---

[ Player Stats. ]

[ Name: Evan. ]

[ Rank: E. ]

[ Mana Level: 5. ]

[ HP: 100. ]

[ Agility: 15. ]

[ Stamina: 20. ]

[ Sprint: 15. ]

[ Intelligence: 25. ]

[ Strength: 50 / 1000. ]

[ Special Class: Locked. ]

[ Skills: None]

[ Points Gained: None. ]

Inventory: [Empty]

......Quest Log.......

> > Make it back to Azra alive

Nil

Nil

[ … ]

---

Evan froze. His mouth opened in disbelief. Then....

"F***!" he screamed, arms flying up in frustration. "Empty?! Why the hell is the inventory empty?! What kind of broke-ass player system is this?!"

The Goblin roared again in the distance. The heavy sound of its footsteps thundered across the leafy ground, getting closer.

Evan spun around, scanning the area like a lunatic. "Okay okay okay… think, Evan, think… weapon… weapon…"

"Help! Please, somebody, anyone!" a woman's voice screamed somewhere nearby.

He heard it—but survival instinct won the vote. "Sorry, princess. I can barely save myself right now."

Then something caught his eye.

Hovering just above a patch of grass, a glowing icon rotated lazily.

[ Knight Crossbow ]

[ Damage Level: 200. ]

Evan bolted toward it. "Please let this work…"

He grabbed the crossbow, aimed it— with surprising calmness, thanks to all those hours playing survival games his hands were steady and then he fired.

Thwip!

The arrow lodged deep into the Goblin's left eye. The beast stumbled, screeching in pain.

[HP: 12000 / 15000]

"Yes! I got you, you ugly troll-faced bastard!"

Another shot.

Thwip!

Right eye. Direct hit. The Goblin screamed, completely blinded.

[HP: 9000 / 15000]

It swung its arms wildly, smashing trees and tearing through bushes. Even with no eyes, it kept sniffing the air, searching.

"Of course. Of freaking course," Evan muttered. "It's got a bloodhound nose."

He grabbed the last two arrows, his heart pounding, and he scrambled up the nearest tree.The bark of the tree scraped against his hands. Sweat was rolling down his temple and his breaths came fast and shallow.

His legs trembled, not from the climb—but from pure fear. His hands were slippery with sweat but the gloves on his hands helped him. His stomach clenched like it wanted to fold in, on itself. But somehow, his body moved. This new body could do things his real-world body can only dreamed of.

The Goblin stumbled forward, nostrils flaring, sniffing at the base of the tree like a dog hunting a bone. Blood gushed from its ruined eyes.

Evan gritted his teeth. "Time to end this."

He launched himself off the branch and landed on the back of the Goblin's neck with a heavy thud. The beast roared, but Evan didn't give it a chance.

He jammed both arrows straight into its ears with brutal force.

"Die, you oversized freak!"

[HP: 7000 / 15000]

He stabbed again.

[HP: 5000 / 15000]

Again.

[HP: 2000 / 15000]

He twisted the arrow deeper.

[HP: 900 / 15000]

The Goblin roared in agony, flailing.

[HP: 500 / 15000]

One final strike.

[HP: 100 / 15000]

And then.

[HP: 0 / 15000]

The creature collapsed with a mighty crash, shaking the ground as its body fell still, blood dripping from both side that it was constantly stabbed.

Evan tumbled off, landing hard on his side. He groaned, rolling over to catch his breath.

Then the system blinked into view again, brighter than before.

[. System Notification... ]

You have defeated a Level 12 Forest Goblin Elite

Points Gained: +20

New Weapon Acquired: Elite Goblin Axe

Damage Level: 500

[ Mana Gained: +2 ]

---

Evan lay on the forest floor, dirt smudged across his face, chest rising and falling like a dying engine.

"…I am never… playing support class again," he muttered.

He pushed himself to his feet. The desperate voice echoed again, sharper this time, "Help, please, somebody help me!" No time to waste. He moved in the direction of the cries, his boots crunching the damp grass. Along his path, bodies littered the ground, goblins this time, much smaller than the giant he'd fought before. Knights, too. They lay tangled with their killers, each one clad in matching armor, their chests marked by a carved crest—Az... The same stylized symbol was pressed into the black leather glove on Evan's arm.

"Azra knights," he muttered, running his thumb across the faded crest on his glove. The earth was scarred, overturned soil, broken swords, blood soaking the moss. A fresh battleground.

He bent low and pushed past thick, stubborn vines. The rest of the world faded as he finally saw what was calling out: a swarm of goblins crawled over each other, cackling and jostling for space. In their midst, a girl lay on the ground, trapped. She was nothing like ordinary folk. Furry ears poked through tangled hair; a long, plush tail lay draped over her thigh. Definitely not human—more like a beastkin, the kind Evan heard about in old stories. Her body trembled, her eyes wet with fear as the goblins clawed at her. Her top was torn, exposing a generous curve of her chest, her underwear visible between thrashing legs as goblin hands pressed her down.

Evan's heart hammered. He locked eyes with the goblins; the creatures snarled in irritation, their twisted faces scowling at the interruption. For a second, all movement stopped.

"Oh fuck," Evan said, the words slipping out before he could help it.

But it was too late for regret. The goblins were already launching themselves at him, howling, their teeths and claws flashing like a zombie chasing its prey.