I woke up the next day on a mattress. Me and my only friend rented out a single room of a very inexpensive inn.
I was homeless, but not without a place to stay.
The only downside was that it was far from the dungeon. A two-hour long walk. Also, as we were in the poorer areas of Orario, being robbed is a very real risk. Not that we have anything of value. I wouldn't want to lose my sword, though.
The floor creaked from my steps. I navigated the dark room in silence. Alen was still asleep, and he'll be like that for another hour. He works as a store clerk for a flower shop now and is going to make most of the income for the next while. If I can get accepted into a Familia and get a god's blessing, our situation would change for the better.
But I doubt anyone would take in someone as poor as I.
Anyways.
Tomorrow's objective is to kill 5 goblins.
This week's objective is to try to get into a Familia.
As for Today's?
Survive so I can make those optimistic goals reality.
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I'm back in the dungeon. This time I don't feel so terrified. Sure, I haven't physically grown from my last experience. And for as long as I lack exillia – the source of power that blessed people accumulate to increase their parameters – I will be the same old me. This time, however, I know I can win. That doesn't mean I'm going to be arrogant about this whole thing; pride, ignorance, and lack of professionalism are the main causes of death for adventurers of all stages. I guess that's one of the benefits of being all on my own. I will never be comfortable with my measly strength.
At first, I was confident in my survival, and that's when I remembered that monsters could emerge from EVERY wall of the dungeon. Yeah, no amount of adventuring will ever get me used to this. Whether it be from the vertical or horizontal axis, goblins will always be able to spawn. I need to constantly watch all my blind spots. The goblin I saw last time took 5-6 seconds to morph, and the one who attacked me made hardly any noise. The creatures are sneaky little fucks.
It took thirty minutes for my first goblin to spawn. Why so long? Mostly because I chose this small area a few meters away from the dungeon wall to the right. Also, there were a variety of groups doing the same tactical positioning as me. I observed their fights whenever I could, in three second segments. I didn't learn much. Don't be afraid and always look for the killing blow.
"Grrrragh!"
And now it was time to use these tips.
This guy was an exact replica to my first fight. Same shade of green, same nose and body, and I'd say his claws were of the same length too. The madness in its eyes didn't change.
No time was spared to talk or size each other up. Before I knew it, I had engaged in combat with the goblin.
He first tried to hook his claws into me by advancing quickly and flinging its arms in any direction. It doesn't sound too potent or scary but my inexperience, lack of seasoned spatial awareness, sloppy swordsmanship and his unpredictable movements led to a few scratches and many trails of blood. At every moment, the goblin growled in rage. Half a minute of this quick-paced fighting continued until the goblin's movements began to slow down. He began to pant rapid breaths as his claw swipes lost speed and power.
I was still in the strange pure-focused mindset, and I was able to recognize an opportunity to strike. I took a step back, but the monsters took a tired, half-step forward. His knee was bent, and he was about to advance one more time in what seemed to be his final and strongest attack. I could have dodged the desperate move but ending this fight quickly was my main priority.
I charged with a harsh grunt, gripped my sword with both hands, took a powerful step into his striking range, and swung the blade down diagonally as I aimed for its thin neck. I missed my target. Instead, I pierced its shoulder. Pumped full of adrenaline, I used my entire pool of energy to cut through its ENTIRE upper body. From its left shoulder, down to the right of its torso.
I sliced him in two.
*Poof*
Once it disappeared, I grabbed the magic stone and ran back up to the surface. I'd sustained way too many injuries to continue fighting.
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Being poor is really a pain in the ass.
No money for equipment, no money for potions, no money for housing, no money for fun, no money for food, and the list goes on.
A lot of people will tell you that being poor is just a mindset and being broke is only a state of living. In order to get out of this lifestyle, you need to think optimistically, and opportunistically.
But as a legit poor fuck, let me tell you, that's all-complete bullshit. No amount of optimism can feed my belly, and it definitely can't heal my wounds. It can't stop possible infections, but it can help me make jokes.
That's what I did for the next hour. Not that there was much to do on Babel's first floor.
I bandaged what I could, analyzed my fight, and made corny jokes about the people I saw wandering around. There were a few just like me up here.
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We circled each other. A slow, tense walk. My body was completely facing him, and he did the same to me. I could feel my senses expand, encompassing not just us, but the distant noises and smells around us. There was this instinctive special awareness I felt.
The best way to explain it would be like having a clear image of the area my eyes had covered. Where did this come from? I don't know.
Was it the sense of dread, did my body enhance my perception to boost my survival? Is there some inherited hidden ability I am not aware of? I sure hope so.
My right hand gripped the handle of my sword. My heart was surprisingly calm, my breaths came out steady and rhythmic, it was just like my last endeavor but slightly different. I didn't feel stronger per say, but there was this inkling in my brain that told me I had improved. I zeroed my focus on the goblin, I could see it's impatience with the way its palms clenched, his stance lowering ever so slightly, and the extended growls it let out.
With a war cry, it went for a tackle. I noticed how its feet had launched it above the ground. His advance was brutish and simple; an all-out tactic to secure the win within the first move.
I let it fly to me for a second before pushing against the ground and twisting away far too close from its spread-out arms. The goblin hugged at air, its chin crashing as its elbows smacked harshly onto the floor. While it was stunned, I attacked it with a myriad of slashes.
A large gash across its back, deep slashes across its nape, and cuts across its legs, where I believed its tendons were.
I had met with a lot of adventures when I was in the orphanage. Some where patrons looking to do a good deed, while others were casual encounters. Through them, I learn lots of tips and tricks when it came to the dungeon. It seems they were right.
The goblin cried and whimpered on its way back up. It was clearly struggling to bite back the pain of standing on the few muscles I had missed. I didn't want to be reckless as I had earlier. It had been a last-ditched effort that came from my desperation to survive. I had heard stories of the same thing happening, but I knew it was unwise to rely on such things. If I wanted to have a career as an adventurer, I needed to use the abilities at my disposal, not just luck.
With that in mind, I cautiously circled the goblin again. It moved its head to keep tack of me, but its body was slow the respond. It stared at me in absolute rage and anguish. At one point, I made it behind him, before he could fully face me.
In a dash, I went for the kill.
The goblin recognized the threat, quickly forcing it body to meet me head on, hands in the air. I slashed his forearms, chest, thighs, and shins.
"GRAAH!" it cried.
The creature lost its balance, in due part from my momentum and the pain. I brought my sword up, taking one moment to watch the panic and fear on its face. His eyes begged for mercy.
I obliged.
I freed it from its pain.
*Poof*
I gave myself a moment to calm down. Only now did I realize how hard and fast my pulse was going. I was taking breaths in quick succession while my eyes burned from the intense focus. I blinked until I felt my body cool down. The adrenaline had faded but there was only a slight ache coming from my back and wrists. My forearms were tight with strain, and my chest was heavy from exertion.
All-in-all, I had done remarkably well. I could keep going and hopefully walk out of here with a thousand valis on my person.
[ After reading through this again, I'm realizing how side brained this is. Like, why not just kill it off the bat?
Well, Its a lapse in my judgement for sure. I don't want to outright erase all I've wrote, so I'll leave this here to acknowledge my bad writing.
I'll keep an eye out for any future dumb decisions like this, ok? But be real, this world is a shonen so aura farming is a guarantee.
Most things occur it very small time frames, thats why there so much action and thought come in segments. If you see any problems, please let me know, I'll try to make it seem more in line with the story.
But do keep in my that this is from the lense of a 16 y/ol boy with his own dreams of granduar, even thought he may not see them now.
Happy readings !]
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I had assumed it was midday when I saw the adventures in the "beginner's road" going to the dungeon stairs to eat lunch. They left a lot of free space for the rest of us, and I wasn't sure whether to stay and fight or go back.
For one, there was a risk of security. Without all the other groups here, there would be a larger chance for me to get caught in a 2 v 1 fight. On the other hand, I had not seen another goblin since my fight from an hour ago.
Honestly, I had recovered almost completely. I couldn't do anything about the rumbling in my stomach, but that was something I had grown used to. Not to say the orphanage didn't feed me. They were great to me and the others. But as a growing boy, I need a lot of food to grow. A delicious stew soup wouldn't be enough to get me through the day.
Well, I didn't want to be here all day waiting for my next kill. I would need to take the opportunity given to me.
So I moved with purpose, looking for the best place to continue my hunt.
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I was in trouble.
A couple minutes after choosing my hunting spot, a wide spot near the middle of the first floor, a goblin had spawned. It was a fairly easy fight up until now.
The goblin rushed at me almost immediately after forming. It swung its claws in wide, hook-like motions, trying to either grab me by the shirt or slice its claws across my frame. There was no rhyme or rhythm to its strategy. First it swings its right arm, then its left, both in diagonals from my torso to my shoulder, and then it would throw its arms to bear-hug me.
I sidestepped, clashed against his claws, and kept a good distance from his lunges. It was easy to keep track of his movements. Every time is attempted to slash, he would lean back in preparation. His clawed digits would stiffen, and his eyes would dart at the path it intended to take.
There were a couple of opportune moments to attack but they risked putting myself into his range. I choose against it. I was amazed at my progress.
Within only three fights, I have been able to adapt to the speed, strength, and 'techniques' of these goblins. It was unnerving in a way. I credit these improvements to the focused-calm state I feel when I engage these monsters. Since I'm not panicking at the wound(s) I receive or my close calls to death, I have time to analyze their movements and predict their unpredictability.
I know its unnatural how at ease my mind is. Even though all of this fighting is happening within mere seconds, it doesn't feel too fast.
*Clash!*
The goblin shot its claws at me the way you would a spear. I blocked his thrust with my blade, musing at the durability and sharpness protruding from the goblin's digits compared to my weapon.
I was aware of the quality of my blade. It was worth a mere 2 thousand valis. It sounds like a lot, but the gear set of the average level 1 adventurer is in the tens of thousands, perhaps over a hundred thousand if you're in a good familia. Even if mine is better than trash, it would face wear and tear after a while. A fight like this will only work to speed up that process. This sword should last me two weeks, if I maintain it properly.
It had been about two minutes since I began fighting.
The goblin was clearly unable to keep the tempo. Its attack power had halved and its speed so slow, I had enough time to predict its movements incorrectly but still uphold a strong defense.
That's when I noticed a change in its demeanor. Its chest was heaving, muscles twitching from exertion, bloodshot eyes once full of fury and madness were now tired but still mad.
'It needs a breather', I thought.
As if.
I dashed into its range, giving it only time to hold up its arms and protect its neck and heart. I grunted in amusement, stomped my right foot against the floor, spread my stride as you would to stretch, put my sword-wielding hand parallel to my abdomen, and struck with all my momentum and strength.
The thrust went straight through its mid-section. I twisted the sword, the goblin screamed. It desperately tried to push the sword away but I did not relent. I made it so the blade was now horizontal, and a gaping hole was left behind from my carving.
I tensed the muscles of the upper part of my body all at once, drawing as much strength as I could once again and pushed my left hand against the cross guard.
The fuller went through the goblin's left side, smeared with blood and gore as the goblin fell onto its back, writhing in pain.
Its screams and howls almost seemed to want to attract the neighboring goblins. It bled and bled, slowly losing strength from blood loss. It looked at me with fear and an unwillingness to die. But no matter how hard it tried; it couldn't stop the inevitable.
*poof*
That was the easy part.
The stakes began to rise when I heard two growls becoming louder each passing second. Frankly, I wasn't too exhausted. I didn't sustain any injuries this time and I was lucky not sick from the wounds of yesterday. They healed up quickly. My pulse was racing, my breaths rapid, but my stamina isn't bad enough to be taken down by this.
I turned to face a goblin rushing at me from behind. The other was a few paces behind. The creatures were definitely enraged.
I was at a loss. How do I fight a two on one?
There was no time to strategize.
*Screech*
The grating sound of metallic objects clashing filled my ears. The goblin had taken the initiative to push against my sword with both hands. Like my first fight, we were at a standstill, only this time I had spread my stance to not fall on my ass. It was a little improvement I thought of. Despite my scrawny appearance, I held my ground.
I glanced behind his shoulder; his companion was almost at swinging distance. When he tried putting more force into his shove – to the point he began putting his palms on the blade vertically -, I took it as a chance to disengage. Sacrificing my sword, I let him push the blade while I twisted so his momentum would charge him forward.
If I had luck, he'd tumble on the floor for a larger time window.
My sword fell in a clang, next to me.
My second adversary decided to lunge at me; I'd seen the way he dropped his stance and stretched his arms forward. I pushed my sword in the direction of my roll and escaped...to be continued
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Okay! So for now, that's about it. I spent a considerable amount of time mauling over this little writing of mine. Lots of back and forth between wanting to write and being content with reading fanfictions.
I probably only spent like 5 hours in total writing all this. Then 5 months wondering what to do 💀
There are a two things I must make note of.
1) Unintentionally, I went with a journal entry kinda writing. A couple of the things is explained by Victor himself, and some things you are expected to know. It helps me flow better and I don't like explaining everything. There's some blatant elements of foreshadowing from himself.
2) Because its a First Person POV, I thought it would make most sense to try to make a writing style where the Protagonist feels like a character from that reality. Obviously thats impossible, and I have much to learn before pulling it off correctly, but I thought it would be worth a shot. If anyone sees inconsistencies in this, tell me!
Thats all I have to say really.
Thank you for reading! Give me feedback 🙏 🥺 And have a good day and life!