It was clear now that Justin's earlier assumption—that anyone who wasn't elderly or weak could easily handle a goblin—was completely wrong. The situation was far worse than he had imagined.
"People are too terrified of the monsters," he thought to himself.
If they could just pull themselves together and fight, they could win easily. Instead, they were being attacked without even trying to fight back. Those, like the woman he encountered earlier, who quickly locked their doors and took refuge inside, were the lucky ones. Judging from the mix of screams, cries, and death rattles, many people had already died.
Though he found it mildly concerning, Justin wasn't inclined to go out of his way to investigate or help. If people couldn't even defeat a goblin, then even if he saved them now, they'd likely die soon after. He left behind the sounds of people screaming and followed the quest marker displayed in his HUD.
"Quest! We have to complete the quest!"
"Stop talking nonsense and stay still!"
"Uwaaah! Uuuhuh!"
"Shut up, you're too loud!"
"You shut up! Do you think this is some kind of joke?!"
Shouting echoed from all directions, but not a single person came outside. Everyone seemed holed up inside their homes, waiting for the situation to pass. As a result, Justin crossed the eerily empty streets alone, heading toward the safe zone indicated by his quest. Along the way, goblins occasionally appeared to attack him, but they posed little danger.
"Black Missile."
"Kieeek!"
"Energy Drain."
"Keeek...!"
Justin's method was simple: hit the goblin with Black Missile, then finish it off with Energy Drain to restore his magic. Whenever an opportunity arose, he recharged his spells to full capacity and kept moving forward. It was a repetitive process that became so monotonous it almost felt boring.
Yet, in this very monotony, Justin realized the true power of the Warlock class.
"A warrior, or even another type of mage, couldn't go around slaughtering goblins with such ease."
Warriors, no matter how strong, needed to get close to their enemies for combat. While they could easily defeat goblins, they always had to be wary of ambushes or being surrounded. Additionally, close combat drained stamina, meaning that even against weak opponents, extended fights had to be avoided whenever possible.
As for mages, they could fight from a distance and stay relatively safe, but as their spells ran out, they'd become increasingly anxious. Once out of magic, they'd be forced to meditate, leaving them vulnerable. Only Warlocks, like Justin, could seamlessly transition between combat and recharging magic, thanks to Energy Drain.
"Ding!Your level has increased. You have gained 1 stat point."
"Ding!You have reached level 5."
"Sounds good," Justin muttered to himself.
Unlike the tutorial dungeon, where experience points were limited, leveling up here was happening relatively quickly. After allocating his newly gained stat points into magic, Justin closed his status window.
Clank
"Uh, mister..." a voice called from nearby.
Justin turned to see a woman sitting on the ground a short distance away. Looking closely, he noticed two goblins lying nearby with their heads smashed in. The woman, who appeared to be a college student, was trembling slightly as she looked up at him.
"Sorry, but could you help me up? My legs gave out after fighting," she said, her voice shaky.
Justin couldn't help but notice that despite her claim of exhaustion, the two goblins' heads had been completely shattered. She had dealt with them cleanly, using a mace she was holding. It was a curious sight—her face looked like that of a model, but her hands gripped a bloody mace. Despite the urge to comment, Justin suppressed it and extended his hand.
The young woman grabbed his hand and, with some effort, stood up. She sighed deeply, clearly relieved.
"Thank you. I was fine during the fight, but as soon as it ended, I lost all my strength," she said.
"That's normal for your first battle. I understand," Justin replied.
"Oh, I didn't even introduce myself after you helped me. I'm Rachel Parker," she said, smiling slightly.
"Justin," he replied without hesitation.
Revealing his name felt natural. In a world where most people were too scared to fight, it was refreshing to meet someone actively willing to fight. Rachel seemed to feel the same, as she looked at him curiously.
"Is that baseball bat all you have? Didn't you get a warrior's weapon when you chose your class?" she asked, glancing at his gear.
"I'm a mage. I brought the bat just in case, but I mostly fight with magic," Justin explained.
"M-mage?! You can really use magic?!" Rachel's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Although she had chosen the warrior class to survive, it seemed she secretly admired magic. Justin chuckled and pointed at a nearby wall with his finger.
"Black Missile," he muttered.
Boom
Rachel gasped as a brick wall crumbled into dust with a single hit. It was understandable—one clean hit from that spell would be enough to send anyone to their grave. While others risked their lives fighting in close combat, Justin walked around as if he were carrying a crossbow that never ran out of bolts.
Excited, Rachel grabbed both of Justin's hands and exclaimed, "Hey! How about we form a party?"
"Uh, a party?" Justin replied, confused.
"Oh, I misspoke. I mean, let's form a team!" she corrected herself quickly.
A party, huh? Justin thought to himself. Clearly, Rachel hadn't played World Breaker, but she must've played plenty of other RPGs. Seeing Justin hesitate, she must've assumed he was about to refuse, so she started rambling in desperation.
"I'm a warrior, you know? I'm confident I can handle the role of a tank... a shield, I mean!" she said quickly.
"A tank, not a damage dealer?" Justin was genuinely surprised.
He could understand if she'd chosen to be a damage dealer, but a tank? Was she really offering to act as a meat shield, blocking monsters while Justin attacked? In theory, it was an ideal combination, but the tank position was incredibly risky. The fact that she'd recovered so quickly from the battle's shock and was willing to take on such a dangerous role spoke volumes about her mental fortitude.
Hearing Justin's muttered surprise, Rachel smiled brightly. "You know what a tank is! That's great! So, what do you think of my proposal?"
"It's a tempting offer, no doubt..." Justin began.
Both in terms of skill and mental strength, she was an excellent candidate. For a random encounter, Rachel seemed like the perfect teammate. In fact, it was harder to find a reason to refuse than to accept.
However, seeing the hope in her eyes, Justin let out a wry smile.
"I'm afraid it might be difficult," he said quietly.