When I heard a loud noise coming from the bushes, I turned towards it, but what I saw terrified me and left me speechless. It made me tremble like jelly. It was a strange green creature much shorter than me, holding something resembling a sharp stone dagger in its hand. The head of this dreadful monster was wide horizontally with long ears, bald, lacking muscles, resembling a stick with a thick belly. Its only garment was a bronze rag covering its lower body. It was practically half-naked, but what scared me the most was not its strange appearance but its gaze. The way it saw me and slowly emerged from the bushes, heading towards me with that sharp stone dagger.
*It's a goblin,* the system said, adding, *You should run; you are currently too weak.* I could sense that the system was very uneasy and stressed, as if something unexpected was happening.
"Back off!" I shouted angrily, ready to fight the approaching goblin, who started to smile. Suddenly, when the green creature was about 5 meters away from me, it began to run towards me. This made me realize that it wanted to kill me. What was terrifying was that the goblin was incredibly fast compared to its small and weak body structure. It was about 135 cm tall, while I was around 180 cm at that moment. I was also well-built from frequent gym visits. Normally, I would have attacked the goblin, but it had that sharp stone knife, so I feared for my safety and tried to escape.
After 10 minutes of continuous running, I got tired, and the goblin was still chasing me. Slowly, I started to lose the distance between us and stumbled over a branch, landing straight into a large tree. I quickly turned my back to the tree, facing the goblin, and grabbed the nearest stick. When the goblin lunged at me with the knife, I kicked it in the stomach with all my strength and then swung the stick as fast as I could. However, the goblin got up, even angrier. I knew it would come after me, and if it hit me with that weapon, I would be defenseless. I cried out, "God, save me," hoping for some miracle.
Suddenly, a giant pine cone fell from the tree at high speed, hitting the goblin's head almost smashing it. Seeing the pool of blood, I was shocked but also relieved. I stopped trembling, realizing I was fighting for my life. I quickly ran towards the goblin, took its strange stone knife, and looked at the goblin, who was slowly losing consciousness. I quickly asked the system, "Is he alive?" sarcastically, knowing that the goblin would soon die. I smiled and added, "So, this is a goblin, huh?" I sat next to the goblin to rest a bit after the continuous fear and running for my life.
*Finish him off,* The system ordered with blatant disgust.
"Wait, is he still alive?!" I said, shocked again after a moment of calm and relief.
*Examine him and think if you want to see his status,* the system suggested, hinting at some guidance. Without further questions, I prepared for the fight again and focused on the goblin.
- Green Goblin HP 7/100
Seeing the description above the goblin's head, similar to games, I focused and said, "Are you sure it's okay to kill him?" with concern, as I had never killed anything larger than a fly or mosquito.
*Listen to me, John. You live on a planet where monsters live. The idea is to kill or be killed. So, don't show compassion to a goblin who just tried to kill you, or he will do it to you,* the system stated, sounding angry and annoyed by my foolishness.
"I understand. I'm sorry," I knew the system was telling me not to hesitate to take a life, but it was hard to do. I looked at the goblin, who was unconscious at that moment, and reluctantly drove the knife into its throat. I felt a disgusting sense of taking someone's life, making me want to vomit immediately, so I did in the opposite direction from where the goblin lay.
*You did well, John. I'm sorry you had to do it, but it's for your own good and the good of all innocent beings,* the system comforted me with proud and caring voice. I had tired and regretful eyes looking down at the now dead goblin.
- Green Goblin HP 0/100 *dead*
Suddenly, another message appeared in the same place where the goblin's health information was displayed.
- +2 Exp +6 Good Exp
Surprised, I wondered if it was related to the leveling system I had seen before. After a moment, I calmly said, "System," looking at my status.
- Mitsuaki lvl. 0 points 2/10
- Good lvl. 0 points 6/100
- Evil lvl. 0 points 0/100
"Wow, just like that?" I happily smiled, unable to believe that leveling up would be so easy.
*Yes, John. I hope you will grow stronger quickly to fend off the monsters' evil intentions,* The system was glad to have me as its master- others may not have been as kind and calm in nature.
"You're amazing, system! I love you!" I said, very happy to realize that I could become incredibly strong if I survived for some time. But after a moment, I reconsidered and added, "System, would you mind if I gave you a name?" I also explained, "I feel bad calling you just a system as if you were an object," hoping for approval.
*...,* the system remained silent for a moment, then added, *I really don't mind. I'm just a system here to help, an object to be us...* When the system was about to finish the sentence, I interrupted and said, "We are friends so let's act like one," feeling proud of myself.
*I understand, John. Call me whatever you want. Thank you,* the system said, filled with joy to have found a good master.
Thinking about various names in my head, sometimes whispering, "Tanya?... no," then a moment later, "Nova? Sounds good, but something's missing..." Suddenly, I lifted my head cheerfully and shouted, "I know! What do you think of Clare?" feeling happy and confident that the name suited her. After a moment, I explained why, "It reminds me of 'Clear,' signifying purity, certain and true information, or a person who understands and quickly adapts to the environment, or someone who understands a situation and makes problems pass smoothly."
*I like that name. From now on, call me Clare, please,* she expressed her gratitude and happiness with her voice.
"Let's go, Clare, drink some water after all that running and... getting rid of that unpleasant feeling. My throat hurts," I stated, putting the sharp stone dagger the goblin carried into my pocket and walked to the nearby river. "What do you think, Clare? Is this river suitable for drinking? The water looks crystal clear," I asked, just to be sure.
*Yes, in these areas, the river is pure because there are only animals nearby, likely also cleansing slimes because you can see their characteristic trails near the stones by the river. If you look closely, you'll see slimy and rubbery jelly-like blobs around the stones. This means they often come here to drink. The light blue color of the blobs indicates they are cleansing slimes, so drink calmly. It might upset your stomach a bit, but it shouldn't be harmful,* Clare explained after careful observation.
"Wow, Clare, you're so wise!" I praised her, feeling safe to have such a friend nearby.
*Haha... It's nothing, but thank you,* she accepted my praise with joy.
After drinking the refreshing water from the river, I headed for another walk, this time to leave the forest and reach the nearest meadow. When we arrived there, I saw a multitude of beautiful flowers. I'm sure all gardeners would go crazy at the sight of them, claiming they were in paradise. They also made a pleasant impression on me, calming me down. At least the flowers in the meadows were grouped together, unlike the variety in the forest. It was nice to see these characteristic groupings of units in places. The only flowers I could distinguish were violets, roses, and sunflowers. The rest were surprisingly beautiful but unfamiliar. There were also flowers similar to those on Earth, but I couldn't remember their names.
Suddenly, I heard a strange sound, like a bouncing mass, something like jelly. After a moment of contemplation, I understood. "Slimies! It must be them. " When I turned around, I saw...