"Listen," Jihan said, pointing toward his apartment door. "You need to stay inside. It's not safe out here."
The girl shook her head hurriedly, her face pale but resolute. "No, you don't understand. You have to help my friends! They're trapped in a building nearby. They... they helped me escape so I could find the police or military, but there's no one out here!" Her voice cracked. "I was going back to them, but those rat things chased me. Please, you have to help."
Jihan sighed, glancing at the girl. He didn't know her, didn't owe her anything. But she might have more information about what was going on. Besides, he needed to go out anyway.
"Alright," he said, nodding. "But first, let's slow down. What's your name?"
The girl blinked, realizing her urgency had overshadowed everything else. "I'm... I'm Ha-eun. Sorry for not thanking you properly earlier, or even introducing myself." She bowed slightly, her hands trembling. "Thank you for saving me."
"Seo Jihan," he said, offering a small nod in return. "Let's focus on what's ahead. Here."
He handed her a bottle of water and some food, which she accepted gratefully. After a moment of rest, they stepped out into the streets together. Jihan picked up his umbrella, handing it to Ha-eun.
"Make sure you take care of this," he said with a smirk. "It's come in clutch when I needed it."
Ha-eun looked at the umbrella, confused, but nodded and gripped it tightly. "Thank you."
As they approached the building Ha-eun had mentioned, Jihan froze in his tracks. Ahead of them, near a crashed car leaning against an electric pole, was a group of goblins.
Five of them.
Three carried crude swords, their posture marking them as warrior goblins. The other two had bows slung across their backs—they were archers.
Jihan's heart sank. He could barely handle a single Slinkrat, let alone five goblins. Blood splattered the scene, evidence of what had caused the crash. The goblins were clearly the culprits, scavenging around the wreckage.
"We can't fight them head-on," Jihan whispered, his mind racing. "There's no way past them either; the other routes are blocked by rubble and a truck."
Ha-eun looked at him nervously. "What do we do, then?"
Jihan's eyes darted to the car. It was leaking petrol, forming a small pool beneath it. An idea sparked in his mind, but it was risky.
"Wait here," he said, grabbing a battery and wire from his bag. Quickly, he fashioned a makeshift sparkler, twisting the wire around the battery.
Ding!
You Made a Sparkler!
Your skill, Resourceful Crafter, has leveled up. You can now make traps and enhanced tools.
A smile tugged at Jihan's lips as the notification faded. He stepped closer to the car, careful not to draw the goblins' attention, and threw the sparkler toward the pool of petrol.
The goblins noticed the movement and turned toward him, but it was too late.
The petrol ignited in an instant, the fire spreading rapidly before triggering a massive explosion. The blast roared louder than he had anticipated, almost like a hand grenade.
Ding!
You just killed a Goblin Warrior x3. +140 EXP
You just killed a Goblin Archer x2. +160 EXP
You Leveled Up!
You Leveled Up!
You Leveled Up!
Ding!
🎉 Congratulations, player! You are now Level 5 🎉
You have unlocked the Exclusive Shop and gained access to your Chat!
Jihan stared at the notifications, overwhelmed. Exclusive shop? Chat? What the hell is this?
Before he could process what had just happened, Ha-eun grabbed his arm. "That was amazing... but more could come. We need to move!"
Snapping out of his daze, Jihan nodded. There would be time to figure out the new notifications later. For now, they had to keep going.