The corrupted goblins snarled, their jagged black blades dripping with an eerie, shifting mist. Their bodies twitched unnaturally, as if reality itself struggled to hold them together.
Haneul took a step back, his breath shaky. How am I supposed to fight without a weapon?
He clenched his fists. He had no sword, no armor—nothing. The only thing he had was the strange system that had appeared earlier.
[Skills Available – Activate at Will.]
Skills. That meant he had powers now, right?
Haneul tried to activate one. In the game, he would have pressed a button—but now? There was no controller.
How do I use them?
A goblin lunged, blade swinging down toward his shoulder.
Haneul flinched—
And suddenly, the world shifted.
[Skill Activated: Eclipse Step]
For a brief moment, everything turned dark. His body flickered, phasing through the attack like a shadow.
Then, in the next instant, he reappeared behind the goblin.
The creature stumbled forward, confused. Haneul staggered as well, his vision swimming. What the hell just happened?
Then—another goblin charged.
Haneul reacted instinctively, raising his hand—
[Skill Activated: Wraith Claw]
A spectral claw of dark energy erupted from his palm, slashing across the goblin's chest. The creature let out a distorted shriek, its body flickering as if it were being erased from existence.
[Phantom Burn Applied – Enemy Weakened.]
Haneul panted, his eyes wide.
I get it now. The skills weren't activated with buttons. They responded to his intent.
If he imagined it—if he willed it—the system would react.
His fear began to fade.
Instead, something else took its place.
A grin spread across his face. Time to fight back.
A goblin lunged again. Haneul willed himself to move, and—
[Eclipse Step]
He flickered out of existence. The goblin's blade swung through empty air.
Haneul reappeared behind it and swiped his hand—
[Wraith Claw]
A phantom slash tore through the creature. It let out a screech before dissolving into particles.
The remaining goblins hesitated. Their glowing red eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Haneul cracked his knuckles.
Now you're scared?
He rushed forward.
One goblin raised its sword—he phased through the attack and retaliated with Wraith Claw, leaving it writhing in agony.
Another swung wildly—Haneul dodged effortlessly and raked his spectral claw across its throat.
Within minutes, the battlefield had changed.
[You have defeated Corrupted Goblin (x10) – +100 EXP]
The system message flashed, but Haneul barely had time to process it.
Because—
A deep, guttural growl filled the cavern.
The air became thick with malice, and the ground trembled beneath his feet.
Haneul turned slowly—
And froze.
From the shadows, a towering figure emerged.
[Boss Monster: Corrupted Goblin King]
Beside it, two elite guards stepped forward, their black armor gleaming under the dim green light.
Haneul swallowed hard.
His first real fight had just begun.