[First Trial: Prove Your Worth]
Quest: Survive the Horde of Goblins and Escape Alive
Reward: 500 Gold Shard Stones
Penalty for Failure: Death
[Beginning now...]
The moment the notification flashed in front of everyone, the sound of a metallic clang cracked through the store like a gunshot.
The front doors, which had refused to budge moments earlier, blasted open with a thunderous bang.
The glass didn't shatter—it simply slammed back like it had been yanked by something monstrous.
Wind didn't rush in. There was no light beyond the threshold. Only darkness.
But in that moment—seeing the door finally open, an outlet to escape—most of them saw hope.
One of them, a young man—wiry and fast—dashed forward.
He didn't think. He didn't hesitate.
The moment the door swung open, only one thought filled his head:
This is my chance to escape.
He sprinted, vaulting over a knocked-over display of ramen, lungs burning, shoes slapping against the tile.
The exit grew larger in his vision.
Freedom. Safety.
But he never made it.
Halfway through the threshold, he froze.
His eyes widened, mouth dropping open as he saw silhouettes loom just beyond the doorway.
Small.
Crooked.
Green.
"Goblins!"
Their greenish skin glistened as they stepped into the dim emergency light, revealing warped bodies—hunched shoulders, too-long arms, spines jutting out like jagged bones under paper-thin skin.
Their teeth gnashed like broken saws, rusted blades clutched in filthy hands.
The young man, upon seeing the little monsters come into view, stumbled backward.
He lost his footing and crashed onto the ground with a grunt.
His hands scrambled at the tile as he tried to crawl backward.
But one of the goblins lunged, and its knife sank deep into his neck with a wet crunch.
His scream turned into a gurgle, and blood shot out in a hot, arcing spray.
The store went silent.
A stillness more terrifying than any scream.
They had just witnessed a slaughter.
And in that moment, they realized—
This… whatever this was… wasn't CGI.
This wasn't a dream.
It was real.
These were monsters.
SCHLICK!
The goblin yanked its blade free, flicking crimson across the tile. Its dead, black eyes scanned the store—and when it hissed, the others responded.
The rest poured in—fast, erratic, animalistic.
And panic erupted.
Screams exploded from every direction as people bolted between the shelves, knocking over displays.
"Run—RUN!"
"No! Don't go that way!"
"Ahhh!"
The goblins attacked with ferocity, stabbing any human they caught to death.
They sprinted after prey, knives raised, giggling with high-pitched, feral delight.
Amid the chaos, Jude stood still.
His breathing was shallow. Eyes focused.
His body wanted to run.
His instincts screamed at him.
But logic cut through the noise.
There was nowhere to go. No way out. The backroom was sealed. The walls unbreakable.
The only exit now led into the monsters.
Escaping wasn't what he should be thinking of. Fighting was.
The condition for passing the trial had clearly stated: survive the goblins. Kill them to pass.
But the penalty for failure was death.
If they failed, they would all die—goblins or not.
So running wasn't really an option if he wanted to live.
His eyes scanned the room.
Then he moved.
His heart was hammering, but his thoughts were crisp and detached.
He spotted a goblin about to overtake a young woman.
She tried to crawl over fallen shelves, but the creature was gaining—fast.
It raised its blade and lunged.
But Jude burst from cover.
He tackled the goblin mid-leap, shoulder crashing into its side, sending them both sprawling.
They hit the tile hard. The goblin screeched in surprise, but Jude slammed its head into a metal rack.
CLANG!
Again.
CLANG!
The knife slipped from its clawed fingers.
Jude didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the rusty blade. In that moment, the goblin shrieked, claws lashing out.
It swiped wildly, scratching his arm.
But Jude stabbed.
The blade pierced up through the goblin's chin, slid into its brain, and out the top of its skull.
The goblin jerked.
Twitched.
Then collapsed.
Lifeless.
A notification chimed softly in his ears.
[Goblin Slain! You have been awarded 100 Shard Stones]
[You have been awarded 20 Experience Points]
Jude exhaled, his hands trembling. The blood on the knife was sticky and warm.
He stared at the dead creature for a moment, then stood, eyes already scanning for the next threat.
Across the chaos was another figure—Michael.
A bulky man in his early forties, beard flecked with grey, eyes steeled with determination.
He had watched Jude act. Watched the kid dive headfirst into a fight none of them were ready for.
And something inside him shifted.
Michael gritted his teeth and grabbed a fallen mop from the cleaning section.
He snapped the plastic handle over his knee, creating a crude, makeshift spear.
Then he roared.
Charging forward, he slammed the sharpened mop into a goblin's chest with enough force to lift the thing off the ground.
It shrieked, clawing at him as blood poured down its body.
He twisted the handle. The goblin coughed blood, then slumped.
Michael ripped it free.
"COME ON!" he bellowed, turning to face two more goblins.
Meanwhile, the store was now a battlefield.
Three goblins hunted a woman hiding behind the magazine rack.
One chased a man through the cleaning aisle.
Another ripped into a teenager cowering near the soda machine.
Everywhere was blood.
Everywhere was screaming.
And from atop the fridge, lounging like royalty, Gulgi munched on a bag of potato chips.
His tiny legs dangled over the edge, ears twitching with amusement.
"Ohohoho… what a delightful mess," he said, licking salt off his paw. "Humans truly shine when they're cornered."
Back on the floor, Jude was facing another goblin.
He ducked beneath a claw swipe, kicked the goblin's knee out from under it, then jammed his stolen knife into its throat.
Another chime.
[Goblin Slain! You have been awarded 100 Shard Stones]
[You have been awarded 20 Experience Points]