When I woke up, I felt a jolt that made my world shake completely. The first thing I could sense was the smell. It was as if someone had left rotting meat in that place for weeks.
I tried to breathe deeply, but the air was heavy and filled with humidity. The metallic taste seemed to stick to my tongue.
I slowly opened my eyes, and what I saw made me want, for a moment, to close them again.
My hands... They were no longer the same.
They were small, green, and grotesque. It was as if someone had ripped them off a poorly made rubber doll and stitched them onto my body.
I ran my fingers over my face, my flattened nose and rough skin. "What is this?!" My voice came out thin and hoarse, sounding like a grunt.
I looked around. I was in a dark cave, full of bones scattered on the ground. Not far away, there was a small fire, with small shadows around it... creatures.
Small, deformed, sharp teeth, and glowing yellow eyes. Goblins, they were Goblins. And, by all indications, I was one of them.
"This can't be..." I said to myself, but my heart already knew.
I remained still as I watched them laugh and devour pieces of meat that I didn't even want to imagine where it came from. Each bite echoed through the cave.
Suddenly, one of them looked at me. He was the largest of them, covered in scars. The leader, it seemed. He pointed a crooked spear in my direction and grunted.
"You! New! Here!"
I hesitated for a moment. My instincts told me to run, but where to? I didn't know what to do, so I just walked toward him. My short, awkward legs made me trip over my own feet.
The Goblin assessed me like he was looking at a piece of meat. "Weak. But useful. Eat."
He threw a piece of meat in my direction. I grabbed it reflexively, but when I looked at it in my hand...
"No, I can't..."
"I can't eat this."
It was red, slimy, and smelled rotten. Flies buzzed around the meat.
"I... I won't eat this." My mouth opened and the words escaped before I could think.
The Goblin growled, bringing the spear closer to my chest. "Eat. Or I eat you."
I swallowed hard. I had no choice, but my stomach was about to cry for help. I took a deep breath and brought the piece of meat close to my face. The smell made me want to vomit, but at the last moment, I closed my eyes and bit into it.
The Goblin grunted again, satisfied, and turned back to the fire, ignoring my existence.
The taste of rot traveled down my throat to my stomach. I turned my back to the dark part of the cave and vomited.
"I need to get out of here..." I thought as nausea still overtook me, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.
I looked around. The group of goblins kept laughing and devouring the rotten meat.
"How do I get out of here?"
I looked at the cave entrance, and there were two smaller goblins standing, holding stone spears and whispering in a language that seemed a mix of grunts and clicks.
My mind was overwhelmed with everything happening. I'd rather die than spend another second in that place.
I kept looking around the cave and, nearby, there was a cage where a human woman was imprisoned. She was thin and visibly weak, but her gaze was still alive.
At that moment, one of the goblins approached. I instinctively turned and saw him holding a sharp stone in his hand. He pointed to the ground where I had vomited.
"Waste. Eat." He pointed the stone at me, ordering me to do something even more disgusting than eating that rotten meat.
I looked at him and wanted to laugh. But not a laugh of joy, but one of desperation. Me? Clean that? Eat that? No. There was no way. My whole body twisted at just the thought of it.
The Goblin grunted, taking a step forward and raising the stone. "I'll do it, I'll do it!" I raised my hands and crouched slowly.
I glanced quickly at the woman's cage and then at the goblins by the entrance. Fighting was suicide, but staying there obeying everything those creatures told me was the same as dying slowly.
I grabbed a small stone from the ground, pretending to pick up the vomit with my hands. Then, I threw the stone toward the fire, and the impact caused sparks to fly and hit the goblins nearby.
Before the goblins could react, I turned and ran toward the woman's cage. My short legs almost made me fall, but I managed to keep my balance.
"Calm down, I won't hurt you," I said, trying not to scare her even more.
She looked at me, confused and distrustful. And I couldn't blame her.
"I'll get you out of here, but I need you to help me," I whispered, trying to sound at least a little convincing.
The cage was made of wood but was sturdy. There was no complex lock, just a thick knot tying the door. I looked at my small hands and hoped they would be useful for something.
I started undoing the knot, while the goblins behind me began to stir. The confusion caused by the embers was fading, and now some of them were pointing their spears in my direction.
The largest Goblin stood up with a roar, holding his spear. At that moment, my heart raced.
"Hurry up!" I told myself as my fingers trembled and pulled at the last knot.
With a sharp snap, the knot came undone.
"Let's go!" I pulled the door of the cage open, creating space for the woman to exit.
The goblins were getting closer, and I knew that if we didn't run faster, we'd be dead in seconds.
Just as I was about to step into the cave entrance, a spear pierced my chest, going through me and making my blood gush out.
"What--?!" I grunted, slowly turning back. My vision was blurry, but I could still see.
The largest Goblin was smiling, his hands were empty, it was him who threw the spear. My chest hurt, and quickly, my mind went blank.
"I... I'm going to die..."
Everything around me disappeared—the rotten smell, the goblins' screams, the weight of the spear still lodged in my chest. Everything vanished, as if it had never existed.
...
Ding!
[SYSTEM TUTORIAL COMPLETED]
[EVALUATING...]
[YOU DIED!]
DUE TO YOUR LIMITED MIND, YOU FORGOT THAT YOU'RE A GOBLIN AND THOUGHT YOU COULD ESCAPE CARELESSLY FROM A LARGER GROUP. YOUR PERFORMANCE WAS PITIFUL.
[RESTARTING NEW LIFE...]
[DO YOU WISH TO RETURN?]
[YES/NO]
-
"What is this?"
"This system is saying it can revive me?"
"I... I don't understand. Go back just to be killed again by those monsters?" Even if this was some kind of delusion, it's not like I had many options.
"What happens if I choose 'no'?"
[IF YOU CHOOSE "NO", YOUR SOUL WILL VANISH COMPLETELY, AND YOU WILL CEASE TO EXIST. IF YOU CHOOSE "YES", YOU WILL RETURN TO THE CAVE OF THE GOBLINS ONE HOUR BEFORE YOUR DEATH.]
"One hour...?"
"I understand..."
"If that's the case... I choose..."
Ding!
[YOU CHOSE "RESTART"]
[YOU WILL BE IMMEDIATELY TRANSPORTED TO THE CAVE OF THE GOBLINS]
...