Chương 25: FIRST KILL

"Why is a damn goblin here?" Jimin let out. The whole situation was absurd. It was too much to process at the moment. But one thing became clear to him. It's a Rift Outbreak. The realization hit him with a chill that crawled up his spine. Which meant one thing. The monsters were now rampaging. And the screams meant that Rifters hadn't arrived yet. Which means it had just opened. Before he could think any further, a hoarse groan pulled his attention back to the ground. The injured man was still alive. Somehow.

He was dragging himself forward with trembling arms, his palms scraping against the pavement, leaving smeared trails of blood behind him. His breathing was ragged, every inhale sounded like it hurt.

"H-Help…" the man croaked, his voice cracking.

"P-Please…" Ji-hye froze beside Jimin, her face pale. Jimin's chest tightened. I have to fight. The thought surfaced with terrifying clarity. There was no time to hesitate. No one else was here. Just him, Ji-hye, a dying man; and a monster. Shit… But I don't even have a weapon. Before he could move, the goblin noticed them. Its head snapped in their direction, long ears twitching. Its yellow eyes locked onto Jimin and Ji-hye; pupils narrowing as something feral bloomed inside it; as it grinned. It was bloodlust.

Perverted bloodlust. Jimin felt it almost pressing against his skin like invisible hands. The goblin let out a low, gurgling chuckle. Then, it turned its gaze to the dagger lodged deep in the man's back. It started moving. But Jimin had somehow realized it on the spot. Shit! His instincts suddenly kicked in. The goblin rushed forward, its movements jerky but fast, feet slapping against the pavement. It reached the wounded man and wrapped its fingers around the dagger's handle. The man screamed.

A raw, horrifying sound tore from his throat as the goblin yanked the blade out without a shred of hesitation. Blood sprayed out violently, splattering across the street as the man convulsed. The goblin straightened, while its dagger was dripping red. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. As soon as the goblin looked ahead, it saw Jimin rushing in with his fist up and clenched. Jimin had already dashed in. The goblin's lips curled into a grotesque grin.

It raised the dagger, clenching as it prepared to slash. But it never got the chance. The goblin's face suddenly squashed in; as blood burst out violently. It looked like something almost invisible had crashed into its face. There was a sickening crunch. The goblin's head snapped back violently. Its body lifted off the ground and flew backward, crashing into the pavement a meter away. The dagger slipped from its fingers and skidded across the road.

Jimin stood there, still in his punching stance; arm extended, fist clenched mid-punch. His entire body was shaking. Telekinetic Barrier… It worked. But-"Damn it. It still isn't dead," he muttered, panic creeping into his voice. The goblin twitched, groaning as it tried to push itself up, its face caved in unnaturally. Wait… The dagger. Jimin's eyes snapped toward the fallen blade. Without hesitation, he seized control of it with telekinesis. He lifted the dagger. He didn't hesitate any further and drove it down.

The dagger pierced straight through the goblin's chest, plunging into its heart. Blood erupted outward violently. The goblin let out a final, shrill scream before its body went limp. It didn't move anymore. Jimin staggered back a step. He just stood there, taking heavy breaths. Everything happened so fast, he couldn't process all of it. But he felt relieved. I… really killed it. Suddenly, a notification popped up.

————————————————— 【An E-Rank 'Goblin' has been killed】 Reward: +30 LP Total LP: 640 ————————————————— He blinked.

"Woah…" The feeling hadn't even fully sunk in before another notification slammed into his vision. ————————————————— 【Achievement: First Monster Kill! 】 Reward: +500 LP Total LP: 1140 ————————————————— His breath caught.

"Five hundred…" A shiver ran through him, sharp and electric, crawling up his spine.

"H-Hell yeah," he yelled softly under his breath, as a grin started to appear on his face. I really did it. I killed a monster. I survived. I even saved that man- His gaze snapped back to the injured man. His grin vanished instantly.

"Shit! He is like a fountain of blood." The man's body was trembling violently, blood pooling beneath him at an alarming rate. His breathing was shallow now, each breath weaker than the last. Jimin rushed toward him. Only to freeze. He heard some screeching noises approaching. Two figures jumped into sight from around the corner. Two more goblins. They paused and looked at the corpse of their comrade. Their heads tilted, eyes narrowing as they scanned the scene.

Actually, as the man had crawled toward them, the fight just now couldn't be seen by the monsters. But since Jimin's punch had sent the goblin flying into their line of sight. That was enough to lead to this situation. Their gazes shifted. Locked on Jimin. They had marked their target. Their lips split into grins filled with jagged teeth, saliva dripping as their perverted bloodlust let loose. Jimin's instincts kicked in. He jumped backward, creating distance. Shit! What the hell is this situation?!

One goblin raised a crude club. The other tightened its grip around a jagged knife. They charged towards him. Tch… Now of all times. My 'Dash' is still on cooldown. For a split second, he panicked. But then- Wait… He grinned. He recalled his dagger back. The dagger shot forward like a bullet. It cleanly stabbed into the back of the neck of the goblin that was lagging behind. It let out a faint, choking groan as it collapsed. It startled the one ahead for a second. It froze. Just for a second.

But that was all Jimin needed. He didn't let the opportunity slip. He charged toward it to distract it. As he used telekinesis to pull out the dagger and stabbed this one in the same way. Blood sprayed. Both the goblins were down. Jimin let out a huff. Damn bastards.

"Jimin!" Ji-hye's voice kicked in as she ran past him and dropped to her knees beside the injured man.

"I'll handle him!" she said urgently. Her movements were quick. After all, she was a healer type. She placed her hands over the man's wound and activated her skill. A bright golden glow spread from her palms, bathing the man in warm light. Her brows furrowed.

"Oh! This guy's a Manaborn", she muttered. That's why he's still alive. She swallowed. But… he's in bad condition.

"I can stabilize him," Ji-hye said.

"But we need to move him to a safer place, Jimin" But Jimin didn't pay attention to anything that she said. What she saw was that Jimin was staring ahead blankly. Notification windows: ————————————————— [Level Up] You have leveled up. You are now Rank E, Lv. 2 ————————————————— Another followed immediately. ————————————————— 【Achievement: First Level-up! 】 Reward: +500 LP Total LP: 1700 ————————————————— His thoughts blanked. Jimin let out,"Huhhhh…….."