Zane ran.
The world blurred into streaks of green and black as he ran through the dense jungle, lungs burning, heart hammering like a war drum against his ribs.
Behind him—death followed.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps crashed through the undergrowth. Not running, not sprinting—just moving, like a storm that didn't need to hurry because it knew nothing could escape.
'How the fuck is this real?'
'I'm here? In the fucking game?'
His foot snagged on an exposed root. He hit the ground hard, face slamming into the dirt. He panicked as he scrambled to his feet, claws digging into the mud as he pushed off, sprinting blindly. His muscles were in pain, but adrenaline drowned it out.
A blade hissed through the air behind him.
Zane ducked instinctively. The massive sword cleaved through the space where his head had been, biting deep into a tree with a wet CRACK, splinters exploding.
Bark rained down as he ran again, his heartbeat louder in his ears, as if it were a clock ticking toward his death.
He crashed through a curtain of vines, sliding down a muddy slope covered in blood—goblin blood, dark and sticky. His hands scrabbled for something to grab, but he tumbled, rolling hard until he slammed against a rock. Dazed for a moment.
Zane staggered to his feet, his vision spinning, but fear shoved him forward.
Then—he heard new sounds. Shouts. Screams. The clash of steel against steel.
Zane burst through the undergrowth and skidded to a stop on the edge of a clearing.
And then he saw it.
Humans.
Dozens of them.
Men in armor, wielding swords, greatswords, axes—cutting through goblins like they were nothing more than weeds.
Goblins screamed, fought, fled—but it didn't matter. They were being slaughtered.
Huts set ablaze.
He wanted to turn back, but then...
THUD. THUD. THUD.
That armored man was right behind him.
'Fuckkkkk.'
Zane turned sharply. He sprinted away from both the armored butcher and the massacre unfolding in the clearing.
'I need to hide. I need to—'
A sharp whistle echoed through the air.
THWIP!
An arrow pierced clean through his calf, the iron tip jutting faintly from the other side.
Zane screamed—a raw sound that tore from his throat.
His leg buckled, sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
The searing pain was intense, drowning out every other thought.
Through the haze of agony, he heard a voice shouting from behind.
"Got one trying to escape!"
'No. No. No.'
Zane clenched his teeth. His claws dug into the dirt as he forced himself up, blood streaming from the wound, staining the ground beneath him.
He stumbled, nearly collapsing again, but pure instinct kept him moving.
Each step hurt, the arrow shifting inside his leg and shooting pain up his back. He limped badly, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
'Shit shit shit... I just need to hide.'
That thought echoed in his mind, a fragile hope he clung to.
If he could just find somewhere—anywhere—to crawl into, they'd lose interest. Once the raid was over, they'd leave. They had no reason to keep hunting him.
'I can survive this. I just need to disappear.'
He dragged himself toward a cluster of thick roots, half-collapsed against a fallen tree.
His heart pounded, not from fear this time, but from the fragile hope that maybe—just maybe—he could make it.
But then—
"Thanks for the support, Jaren!"
A voice spoke.
Zane froze.
Slowly, he lifted his head, dread settling in his chest like ice. There, just a few feet away, standing tall—was him.
The armored man.
His towering figure cast a long shadow, sword gleaming with fresh blood. The helmet tilted slightly, as if acknowledging Zane's feeble attempt to escape.
Zane's breath hitched. His legs refused to move.
'No. No. No. Not yet. I—'
The sword rose.
Zane's eyes widened.
Then the blade came down.
A sickening, wet SHLACK filled the air as steel slashed through flesh and bone.
Zane didn't even have time to scream.
His world split apart—literally—cleaved from abdomen to spine.
He could no longer feel his legs... and soon blood pooled around him.
'Fuck…'
'He got me.'
The pain was distant now, numbed by shock or maybe the fact that he was already dying.
Through the fading haze of consciousness, he heard footsteps crunching over dirt and leaves.
The armored man—the butcher—turned away, his blood-soaked sword resting casually on his shoulder.
"We're done here," the man said, calm and indifferent, because Zane had been nothing more than another goblin.
The others murmured in response, their armored footsteps growing fainter as they left.
Zane just… lay there. His body wasn't even his anymore. It was just meat, cooling under the jungle canopy.
But his mind raced.
'H-How the hell did this even happen?'
'What... the actual fuck?'
One second, he'd been sitting in his crappy chair, gaming like always. His friend had told him, "Hey, try this game out. It's sick."
He did. He clicked play. Simple as that.
And now—this?
'This can't be real.'
'It's a dream. A nightmare. A glitch. Something.'
But the blood felt real.
The pain had been real.
The fucking sword splitting him in half—hell, it was real.
'Damn it…'
His thoughts grew slower, fuzzier, like someone was turning down the volume in his head.
'What was the point of all this? Is this really it for me?'
Then—
Nothing.
Only darkness.
But then—
『Host found. System binding...』
Zane's fading consciousness jolted.
'What…?'
『Ding!』
『You have met the necessary conditions!』
『Ding!』
'What the fuck is happening?'
Zane wanted to move, to speak—but he had no mouth, no body. Just awareness suspended in the void.
Then the voice spoke again.
『You have awakened the Goblin Clan Master System.』
'Goblin… Clan Master?'
'Wait... I died. Didn't I?'
『Notice: First Quest has been issued!』
『Start a new clan.』
'A quest? Like in the game?'
『Description: Your clan has been hunted to extinction by a group of adventurers. The responsibility now lies on you to ensure your clan lives on.』
『Quest details: You have been revived. Now, capture a human female that will birth your new clan members.』
Zane's thoughts screeched to a halt.
'Wait… what?'
『Quest duration: 30 minutes.』
『Objective: Capture a human female.』
『Failure penalty: Revival shall be undone, and your death shall be permanent.』
『Rewards: Crest of lust (B rank), Some supplies, Stealth skill (B rank) 』
The words hit harder than the sword had.
Permanent death.
'Shit.'
Before he could process it further, sensation slammed back into him like a train—pain, cold, the stench of blood and dirt. His eyes shot open, glowing faintly green in the dim jungle light. His chest heaved, ragged breaths filling his lungs.
He was alive.
But something was wrong.
He looked back where he had been killed earlier the dead body was there, arrow in the leg, body split in half.
"What… the actual fuck?" he spoke for the first time.
"Huh… well, I guess that's one way to cheat death. Damn, I'm literally beside my own dead body, this is all sorts of messed up."
Suddenly. A blue system window appeared before him.
『Quest Timer: 29:59』
He then smiled, "Well I guess I should get going and grab myself a female."
The countdown had begun.