Part 1: The First Domino
The lead Hobgoblin was a brute named Grak. He was Level 10, a veteran of three tribal wars, and he wore a helmet made from the skull of a Cave Wolf. He marched into the mushroom cavern with the confidence of an apex predator entering a buffet. He saw the glowing mushrooms and grinned, exposing yellow, rot-infested teeth.
He took a heavy step forward, his eyes fixed on the loot, completely ignoring his feet.
Snap.
The high-test fishing line, invisible in the dim light of the glowworms, caught Grak's shin just as he shifted his weight.
"Guh?"
Physics took over. The massive upper body of the Hobgoblin continued forward while his feet stayed planted. He toppled like a felled tree, arms flailing.
He didn't hit the ground. He hit the "Welcome Mat."
Thud. Crunch.
Grak landed face-first on the patch of uneven stone Ren had seeded with rusty nails. The nails, coated in the purple sludge of the Toad's poison sac, punched through the gaps in Grak's leather armor and sank deep into his chest and knees.
"GRAAAAGH!" Grak screamed, a sound that bubbled with confusion and agony.
The poison was fast. The Giant Sludge Toad was a Rank E+ monster, and its venom was a potent neurotoxin. Grak tried to push himself up, but his arms trembled and gave way. His veins turned black around the puncture wounds.
[Trap Activation Successful.]
[Poison Inflicted: Heavy Paralysis.]
Part 2: The Domino Effect
"Ambush!" one of the Goblins behind Grak shouted.
Panic, rather than discipline, ruled the Goblin ranks. Seeing their leader fall, the instinct of the ten smaller goblins behind him wasn't to retreat, but to rush forward to either help or secure the loot for themselves before the others could.
They surged into the tunnel mouth, pushing and shoving.
"Move, you runts!"
They stepped onto the slope leading down into the cavern. The slope Ren had basted with a gallon of cooking oil.
It was a slapstick comedy turned into a horror show.
The first goblin slipped, his feet flying out from under him. He slid down the rock face like a bobsledder. The goblin behind him tripped over him. The third tried to stop but was pushed by the fourth.
In seconds, a tangled ball of green limbs, screeching voices, and clattering weapons slid uncontrollably down the ramp.
They crashed into the paralyzed body of Grak at the bottom, forming a writhing pile of goblin flesh.
"Get off!"
"My leg!"
"It's slippery! Why is the floor slippery?!"
Ren watched from behind his boulder, his heart hammering against his ribs. He held the Butane Lighter in a trembling hand.
"Strike," Ren whispered.
Part 3: Fire in the Hole
The pile of goblins struggled to untangle themselves. The oil coated their skin, their rags, and their weapons.
Ren picked up a small stone. He wrapped a piece of cloth soaked in the same oil around it. He flicked the lighter.
Click. Whoosh.
A small, humble flame danced on the stone.
"Sorry," Ren muttered, his golden eyes cold. "But I need the XP."
He threw the burning stone. It arched through the air, a tiny comet in the darkness.
It landed right in the center of the oil slick, directly next to the bloated, gas-filled stomach sac of the dead Toad that Ren had positioned there.
The oil caught instantly. A wave of orange fire whooshed across the floor, engulfing the trapped goblins.
Then, the gas sac ignited.
KA-BOOM!
It wasn't high explosive, but it was a massive release of expanding gas and fire. The shockwave knocked the standing Hobgoblins in the rear back onto their asses. The fireball consumed the pile of screaming runts.
The cave lit up with hellish light. The smell of burning goblin flesh and ozone filled the air.
[System Notification Spam]
[You have defeated Goblin (Lvl 2).]
[You have defeated Goblin (Lvl 3).]
[You have defeated Goblin (Lvl 2).]
[You have defeated Hobgoblin (Lvl 10) - Assist Bonus.]
The notifications scrolled by faster than Ren could read.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Ren: Level 6 $\rightarrow$ Level 8]
Part 4: The Ones Who Walked Away
The fire burned hot but fast, the oil consuming itself quickly on the stone floor.
Silence returned to the cave, broken only by the crackle of embers and the groans of the dying.
But not everyone was dead.
From the smoke, shapes emerged.
The four remaining Hobgoblins who had been at the back of the line stepped through the haze. They were singed, angry, and terrifying. They hadn't fallen for the tripwire. They hadn't slipped in the oil.
They were the veterans.
At the front was a Hobgoblin with a scar running across his nose. He held a rusted iron spear. He looked at the charred remains of his squad, then scanned the room.
His eyes locked onto the boulder where Ren was hiding. He saw the small, green head peeking out.
"Tinkerer!" the Scarred Hobgoblin roared. He recognized Ren's evolution. He knew this wasn't bad luck; it was engineering.
The four Hobgoblins raised their weapons and charged. They didn't run blindly this time. They spread out, flanking Ren's position to cut off his escape.
Ren scrambled back, his back hitting the cold cave wall.
"Traps are done," Ren realized, panic rising in his throat. "I have no prep time. I have 25 Mana. Four Rank E enemies."
He couldn't blow them up. He couldn't out-muscle them.
"Think, Ren! What do you have?"
He looked at his inventory.
Anime Figures? No.
Cards? No.
Games? No.
He needed a weapon that didn't rely on his strength. Something that leveled the playing field instantly.
His eyes fell on the [Sports Equipment] folder.
Part 5: The Tinkerer's Gamble
The Scarred Hobgoblin lunged, thrusting the spear at Ren's chest.
Ren dodged to the left, the spear tip sparking against the stone wall. He was faster now—his Agility was 22 after the level ups. But he couldn't dodge forever.
Another Hobgoblin swung a club at his legs. Ren jumped, scrambling up the side of the boulder.
"Cornered rat!" the Hobgoblin sneered.
Ren stood on top of the boulder, looking down at the four monsters surrounding him.
"I'm not a rat," Ren panted. "I'm a collector."
He extended his hand.
"Manifest: Chainsaw."
[Item: Ryobi 16-Inch Gas Chainsaw]
[Status: Full Tank]
[Summon Cost: 25 MP]
[Item Mastery Discount: 22.5 MP]
[Current MP: 2.5/50]
A heavy, orange machine appeared in Ren's hands. It was heavy, vibrating slightly.
The Hobgoblins paused. They had never seen such a weapon. It looked like a weird box with a sword attached. They didn't know what it did.
That was their mistake.
Ren grabbed the pull cord.
"Groovy."
He ripped the cord.
VROOOOM-RAGH-RAGH-RAGH!
The engine roared to life, the sound echoing like a dragon's growl in the enclosed cave. The chain spun at terrifying speed, blurring into a death-loop.
The Hobgoblins flinched, stepping back in fear of the noise.
Ren didn't wait. He leaped from the boulder, the chainsaw screaming in his hands.
He didn't aim for the armored chest. He aimed for the spear.
ZZZZZT!
The chainsaw teeth met the wooden shaft of the spear and shredded it into splinters in a microsecond. The Scarred Hobgoblin stared at his broken weapon in shock.
Ren swung the saw upward.
"This is for the truck that hit me!"
The spinning teeth bit into the Hobgoblin's shoulder.
Blood, bone, and armor flew in a gruesome spray. The chainsaw didn't cut cleanly like a sword; it chewed. It tore. It was messy, loud, and absolutely terrifying.
The Scarred Hobgoblin didn't even have time to scream before he collapsed, his arm nearly severed.
Ren revved the engine, the noise deafening. He turned to the other three.
He was covered in blood, holding a screaming orange demon-machine, with madness in his golden eyes.
"Who's next?"
End of Chapter 7
Summary of Assets:
Current Level: 8
Current MP: 2.5/50 (Critical Low).
Active Weapon: Gas Chainsaw (Fuel consuming).
Enemies Remaining: 3 Hobgoblins (Terrified).
Status: Berserk Mode (Psychological).