The goblin chief raised his massive rusted cleaver, drool spilling from his fanged mouth. His red eyes glowed with malice as he roared, shaking the battlefield. Behind him, more than two thousand goblins screeched, their voices blending into a wave of chaos.
Anos staggered, panting heavily, blood dripping from his lip. His body ached, his stamina nearly drained, and his legs trembled.
The system's alarm rang in his ear:
[Warning! Your stamina has reached critical levels.]
[Warning! Agility too low to evade chief's next attack.]
"Damn it," Anos muttered, gripping his stick sword tightly. "System… put half of my points into stamina and the rest into agility!"
There was a pause, then—
[Command accepted. Distributing points…]
[Stamina +150 | Agility +150]
A surge of power coursed through his body. His legs stopped shaking. His lungs expanded like a freshly forged engine, and his arms felt light as feathers. His vision sharpened until he could see every twitch of the goblins' muscles.
The goblin chief swung his cleaver downward, expecting an easy kill—
But Anos was gone.
"Hu-hu-huuu?!" The goblin chief's growl turned to confusion as the cleaver smashed into the dirt, leaving a massive crater.
The goblins blinked, searching around. Even Molar and the villagers couldn't track him.
High above, standing on a jagged rock, Anos flipped his hair back with one hand. His eyes glowed a piercing light blue, colder than frost yet blazing with pride. The villagers gasped.
"W-Whoa… he looks like some kind of… heavenly warrior," one muttered.
"More like a demon god," another whispered.
Anos smirked, lowering his stick sword. "If I can't use skills… then I'll use my legendary super stick sword!"
The villagers blinked.
"…It's a stick."
"…That's just a stick."
"…Bro really called that thing legendary."
Even Molar facepalmed. "Master, please… not the stick again…"
But Anos didn't care. To him, it wasn't just a stick—it was the chosen weapon of the one above the fourth wall.
He vanished again, moving so fast the world blurred. The goblin chief spun, trying to follow, but his giant body was too slow.
WHACK!
Anos' stick sword slammed against the chief's ribs. It wasn't sharp, but the sheer force cracked bones. The goblin chief coughed blood and stumbled back.
The other goblins screeched and charged.
Anos flickered through them like lightning, his stick glowing faintly blue as his agility let him swing at supersonic speed. Goblins were launched into the air like ragdolls, their bodies folding awkwardly before crashing back down.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The ground shook with each goblin he struck.
"System," Anos said between swings, "I think… I'm starting… to like this stick!"
[Affirmative. Legendary Super Stick Sword is synchronizing with host.]
"See?" Anos shouted proudly as he smacked three goblins at once, sending them flying like bowling pins. "Even the system agrees!"
Meanwhile, Molar cheered from the village wall, her tiny fists pumping. "Master Anos! Smash them all! Show them the power of your… um… super stick!"
The villagers joined in, chanting awkwardly:
"Stick! Stick! Stick!"
"Legendary Stick Sword! Legendary Stick Sword!"
The goblin chief roared angrily and charged, his cleaver raised. His body was covered in wounds, but his monstrous strength hadn't faded. He swung horizontally, aiming to slice Anos in two.
Anos crouched low, his eyes glowing brighter. "Too slow."
He vanished again, reappearing directly above the chief's head. His hair flowed behind him as he raised the stick sword high.
"Take this—Super Stick Sword: Heaven-Splitting Smack!"
CRAAAAACK!
The stick slammed down onto the goblin chief's skull with a thunderous sound. The chief's eyes rolled back as his body collapsed like a toppled mountain, shaking the entire battlefield.
Silence followed. Every goblin froze, staring in horror at their fallen leader.
Anos landed gracefully, flipping his stick onto his shoulder. He exhaled calmly and muttered, "Boring. Just a bunch of ants."
The system's alarm rang instantly.
[Ding! You have slain Goblin Chief Lv. 25.]
[Ding! Due to protecting a village without skills, rewards x3 multiplier activated.]
[Level Up! Lv. 20 → Lv. 24]
[Reward: High-grade loot box obtained.]
Anos smirked. "Finally… a proper reward."
The villagers cheered wildly, their fear melting into relief. Molar ran up to him, nearly crying. "Master! You did it! You beat them all!"
Anos chuckled, patting her head. "Of course. Did you doubt me?"
"…Yes," she said honestly.
"…Tch." Anos looked away dramatically.
The villagers surrounded him, bowing and thanking him for saving their lives. Some even knelt, calling him their hero. Anos felt a strange warmth in his chest. He didn't know why, but their gratitude… it felt heavier than the fight itself.
Then, just as the cheers reached their peak, the system alarmed again:
[Time limit reached. Trial complete.]
[Participants will be teleported out.]
A flash of light enveloped them all.
Anos blinked, and suddenly he was outside the tower again. The cold night wind hit his face. Around him, hundreds of hunters stumbled out, exhausted, wounded, and terrified. But there were fewer than before. Much fewer.
Anos' smirk faded. His eyes scanned the crowd. So many… had died.
He clenched his stick sword, his knuckles white.
"This world…" he muttered under his breath, his voice low. "So much blood… just for survival."
For the first time since entering the tower, Anos understood. This wasn't just about leveling up. It was about the price of life.
The system's voice cut into his thoughts:
[Congratulations. You have survived the third trial.]
[Warning: The fourth trial will be far deadlier.]
Anos sighed, glancing at Molar, who clung to his sleeve with worried eyes. He forced a smile.
"Well," he said, raising the stick sword, "at least I've got my super stick sword. As long as I have this, nothing can stop me."
"…Master, please," Molar said, holding her forehead. "It's still just a stick."
"Shut up," Anos replied dramatically. "It's legendary."
And so, as the survivors looked on in awe and confusion, Anos stood tall—ready for whatever the tower would throw at him next.