With their oddly assembled party now official, Joseph, Kara, and Lily gathered around the quest board in the Adventurer's Guild.
Joseph was half-paying attention as Kara and Lily argued over which job to take.
Because his mind was still stuck on something else.
The dream. The goddess. The so-called 'blessing' he'd received.
Joseph hadn't forgotten Alexandra's words.
But then she also gave him a warning. Something about this world being dangerous and how, despite not being chosen, he would somehow end up in the middle of things anyway.
And then there was the "blessing."
What had she done to him?
Joseph had been expecting something obvious. A power boost. A stat increase. A glowing magical ability.
Instead? Nothing.
He still felt exactly the same—weak, broke, and barely functioning.
Was it just a trick?
Or… was there something more to it?
"Alright, this one," Kara announced, slamming a quest sheet onto the table.
Joseph snapped back to reality. "What are we fighting?"
Kara grinned. "Goblin extermination."
Joseph blinked. "Goblin? As in, not rats?"
Kara nodded. "Yep. A small goblin nest outside the city. Easy work, decent pay—ten silver."
Joseph did a double take.
Ten silver?! That was a hundred copper!
Compared to the rat quest that only paid five copper, this was actual money.
"What's the catch?" Joseph asked, suddenly suspicious.
Lily looked at the job description. "Umm… it says the goblins have been raiding farms at night. The local guard is too busy to deal with them, so they put out a bounty for adventurers."
Joseph crossed his arms. "And we're sure this isn't, like, a suicide mission?"
Kara smirked. "Oh, come on. It's just goblins. They're like rats with knives."
Joseph hesitated. He'd seen enough fantasy games to know that low-level goblins were rarely just 'easy work.'
But at the same time…
Ten silver.
If they pulled this off, he could actually afford an inn room.
Maybe even actual food.
"…Alright," he sighed. "Let's do it."
And just like that, their first real monster-slaying quest was officially underway.
As the trio made their way out of the city, following the dirt road toward the farmland where the goblins had been sighted, Joseph couldn't shake a growing sense of unease.
Not because he was scared—okay, maybe a little—but mostly because he knew something that Kara and Lily didn't seem to grasp.
Goblins were not just rats with knives.
And if they weren't careful, this could go very, very wrong.
"Alright, hold up," Joseph said, stopping in the middle of the road.
Kara turned, raising an eyebrow. "What? You tired already?"
Joseph rolled his eyes. "No, but I need to make sure we don't all die a horrible death in a goblin-infested ditch."
Lily tilted her head. "Aren't goblins, like… super weak, though?"
Joseph sighed. This was exactly the problem.
"Okay, listen," he said, rubbing his temples. "I don't know what kind of stories you two have heard, but goblins? They're not just weak trash mobs."
Kara scoffed. "They're small, ugly, and stabby. We'll be fine."
Joseph shook his head. "No, you don't get it. Goblins are crafty. They set traps. They fight dirty. They don't believe in fair fights—they ambush people. And most importantly?"
He pointed at them.
"They never, ever fight alone."
Kara frowned. "…Okay, so?"
"So," Joseph emphasized, "if we go in blind, we're dead."
That got their attention.
Lily bit her lip. "S-So what do we do, Boss?"
Joseph took a deep breath. "We need a plan. Something that keeps us from getting swarmed or caught off guard."
Kara crossed her arms. "Alright, genius. What's your idea?"
Joseph thought for a moment. In games, goblin encounters usually worked the same way.
They lived in nests—caves, ruins, or abandoned buildings.They used the terrain to their advantage—pitfalls, crude spike traps, and hiding spots.They attacked in packs, overwhelming enemies with numbers.
With that in mind, he came up with a simple strategy.
"First," he said, "we don't charge in. We scout the area first, check for traps, and figure out how many there are."
Kara grumbled but nodded. "Fine."
"Second," Joseph continued, "we lure them out in small groups instead of fighting them all at once."
Lily nodded. "That sounds smart!"
"And third," Joseph added, "we set up a spot where we control the fight. Somewhere open, where they can't surround us."
Kara rubbed her chin. "So instead of a straight-up brawl, we play it smart."
Joseph nodded. "Yes, exactly. "
Kara stared at him for a moment, then shrugged. "Huh. You actually sound like you know what you're doing."
Joseph laughed nervously. If only she knew he was just winging it based on video game logic.
With a solid plan in place, the trio continued toward the farmland.
Joseph still had a bad feeling about this quest…
But at least they weren't going in blind.