As the group watched Ryu Min, mouths agape, they soon turned their gaze with tense eyes.
"Wow, he's amazing in battle… Who is he?"
"Dude! He's so strong!"
"Black Scythe—that nickname sounds badass too!"
Everyone was amazed by Ryu Min, but their admiration was cut short as goblins began approaching.
They couldn't just stand there in awe.
"We can do this. Goblins are just fodder in the game, right?"
"This isn't real life, it's a well-crafted virtual reality game."
"If he can slay hundreds of them alone, they can't be that tough."
Was it Ryu Min's brutal slaughter that gave them newfound confidence? Suddenly, the fear in their eyes vanished, replaced with hope.
But it was short-lived.
Thwack, thwack, thwack!
"Aaah!"
"Ouch, that hurts!"
As the goblins swarmed them, stabbing with daggers, fresh screams echoed across the battlefield.
Those who had underestimated the goblins, calling it child's play, now cried like helpless children, begging for their lives.
"Please stop! It hurts so much!"
"You monsters!"
"Aaah, my arm! My arm!"
Some were hit with clubs and collapsed unconscious. Others were stabbed and bled out. Some tried to flee but stumbled and fell underfoot. Others crouched helplessly, paralyzed by panic.
But the goblins kept coming, thrusting their blades into chosen victims without pause.
No one thought it was a game anymore. There was no room for such delusions.
Survival was the only thought left in their minds.
Their instincts took over and ruled them.
Though many tried to escape, some stood their ground and fought back when goblins came too close.
Whack! Whack!
"Die, you monster bastards!"
They swung fists desperately, managing to knock a few goblins down.
But that was all.
Killing was another matter entirely.
Modern humans, who'd never killed even a small animal before, were in no position to break a goblin's neck.
Thud!
Instead, they collapsed, powerless, after being stabbed.
What could they do?
Thump, thump, thump, thump...
Surrounded by goblins running like hyenas, they were trapped and helpless.
Kekeke, this is amusing. Goblins are eating the humans alive.
The angel watching from above giggled.
To her, this fight was no different than watching a cat and dog scuffle—simple entertainment.
Even if the opponent is a child, there's no chance of survival when dozens charge at you. Especially with daggers pointed.
However, one person withstood the dozens of attackers.
The human who had been slaughtering goblins since the start.
"Who is that human? And what's up with his name, Black Scythe?" the angel Briel asked, intrigued.
She didn't know his true name, and even as an angel, system regulations prevented her from seeing players' status windows. Naturally, she couldn't tell what kind of rune he had.
"Such a dog-like system. They let us see quest progress but block player info," Briel muttered with a frown.
She disliked being assigned as a guide. It clashed with her nature.
But that had changed now.
Her lips curled up watching the human bloodbath.
"As a noble being, being in charge of a bunch of inferior humans is humiliating, but…"
The fierce, brutal scene fit Briel's tastes.
Honestly, she hadn't expected much from a fight between humans and goblins.
Kekeke. But it's more fun to watch than I thought, isn't it?
The desperate faces, agonizing screams, and blood-soaked battlefield amused her.
"Kill them! Kill them all, you worthless vermin! Fight each other like the insects you are! Kekeke."
As Briel watched, her eyes suddenly shifted to a different area.
Unlike the rest of the field, soaked in red blood, this spot was filled with green blood.
In the center stood the player nicknamed "Black Scythe."
"That human again? Still alive?"
Watching him emerge victorious from his first battle, she felt a flicker of excitement.
She thought maybe he had found a powerful rune granting him an advantage.
But that was fleeting. She quickly looked away, knowing his stamina would run out, and he'd meet the same fate as others.
Yet, to her surprise, he was still alive, fighting fiercely.
He tore through goblins like mad dogs, having slain seventy so far.
Even Briel, tracking quest progress, was impressed.
It's his first time in battle, but he fights like he's done this before.
His movements were swift and precise. His weapons danced with deadly accuracy.
Even the goblins were momentarily stunned by his intensity.
Could a human on Earth truly be a killer by profession?
As she watched Ryu Min, her mood lifted.
She didn't know what lay ahead, but this was more interesting than expected.
Briel's mouth curved into a satisfied smile.
Sshh—!
"Kieeeek!"
The goblin, blind in both eyes, writhed in pain as it fell.
Ryu Min flew through the air, plunging his dagger into its neck.
Thunk!
[You have defeated a goblin!]
[Experience points +4%]
[Gold +10]
[Level up!]
[Quest progress: Goblin 75/100]
[Remaining goblins until quest completion: 25]
Ignoring the level-up message, Ryu Min rolled aside.
Thunk!
The dagger plunged into the ground where he had just been.
He quickly sprang up.
"Kiiiiiiieeeeek!"
He pierced the chest of a goblin and turned, seeking his next target.
A constant stream of relentless movement.
No time for carelessness.
Ryu Min's eyes scanned rapidly.
"Kiiiiiiiii..."
Nearby goblins backed away, fear on their faces.
All around him had been slain.
At last, he could breathe for a moment.
"I can take a breather."
Ryu Min, now composed, opened his status window.
He was level 4.
His fingers moved quickly as he allocated stat points.
"For now, all in Agility."
Each level-up granted two stat points.
At level 4, he invested all into Agility.
His agility, previously at 3, now skyrocketed to 9.
Agility is the most important stat right now.
Among strength, intelligence, agility, and luck, agility was crucial.
It increased evasion, attack speed, and movement speed.
Ryu Min glanced toward his allies, about thirty meters away.
Goblins and humans were tangled in chaotic battle.
"Help me! Aaah!"
"Die, monster bastards, just die!"
That side of the field was a gruesome mix of red and green blood.
On this side, Ryu Min stood alone amid a pile of goblin corpses—a completely different world.
"But it's inevitable. These people are facing goblins for the first time."
No matter how old or experienced, killing goblins is terrifying.
In actual combat, fear can freeze anyone.
Ryu Min knew this well; he had fled multiple times during his first encounter.
"But running won't solve anything."
It had taken him two regressions to realize that running might buy time, but wouldn't change the outcome.
"The angels will release goblins again, and we'll have to fight eventually."
Despite the grassland's spacious appearance, it was surrounded by invisible barriers in all directions.
"It's like a rat trapped in a box. Even if we evade the angels' gaze, we're still trapped."
Escaping this hell meant completing the quest.
Only half of those who succeed can return.
"The system sends back only the first to finish, so standing still is a disadvantage."
Better to kill as many goblins as possible than to run.
Though killing 100 goblins alone wasn't easy, Ryu Min thought it possible.
"Not insurmountable. More people means attention is spread out, which helps."
To put it nicely: the attention was dispersed.
Bluntly: many people could act as meat shields.
"People will start to feel it sooner or later."
Whoosh!
Ryu Min threw a dagger, hitting a goblin's forehead precisely.
Of course, teamwork helped—but only great contributors increased their kill count.
"Still, two heads are better than one."
Humans had another advantage.
Goblins were smaller than adults—and even smaller than the middle school student here.
In reach, humans had the upper hand against the goblins.
"Although humans don't have weapons like clubs or daggers like the goblins…"
Ryu Min's gaze dropped to the ground.
"If we had weapons, things would be different."
For now, weapons scattered on the ground were all they had.
These were the goblins' weapons from before they died.
"But even then, it'd be difficult for them to fight like me."
Ryu Min and others had one thing in common:
Basic stats all started at 3.
Regardless of muscle or thinness, everyone began equal.
Meaning others could move like Ryu Min, but—
"It won't be easy. It takes experience to be this proficient."
Unless you're a movie assassin, it's hard to move like Ryu Min.
Plus, now he was more agile than ever.
"Well, now that we have the angel's attention, shall we finish this?"
As Ryu Min advanced, nearby goblins backed away.
He grinned, picked up a dagger from the ground, and threw it without aiming.
"Khughaaaa!"
It struck a goblin's chest; others startled by their fallen comrade writhing.
"Aren't you coming to me?"
The goblins kept retreating.
Ryu Min grabbed another dagger and threw it.
Another goblin fell.
Still, the goblins backed away, shivering.
Ryu Min sighed.
"If you're not coming, then I'm coming to you."
He closed the distance instantly and unleashed a flurry of sword strikes.
Green blood splattered everywhere.
After defeating the last goblin before him, Ryu Min was flooded with notifications.
[You have defeated a goblin!]
[Experience points +4%]
[Gold +10]
[Level up!]
[Quest progress: Goblin 100/100]
[You have completed the first round of the quest!]
With a hundred goblins defeated, Ryu Min was surrounded by a translucent column of light—a protective barrier isolating him from remaining monsters.
"The first round was easy," he thought, relieved.
The barrier's appearance meant he had cleared half the quest.
Failing each round within the time limit meant immediate disintegration.
"It shouldn't take longer. Everything is going according to plan."
"I did go a little crazy slaying goblins—not just to survive but to gain the angels' attention and claim the top spot," Ryu Min admitted.
His efforts paid off.
A congratulatory message popped up on his screen.
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest in first place for this zone!]
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest in first place for the entire world!]
[Your nickname will be included in the rankings.]
"Being the first to finish definitely helps," he thought, knowing faster completion boosted rankings.
Rewards were distributed by ranking, with top three players in each category receiving the best prizes.
"Rewards are based on ranking for both zone and entire game."
"Claiming the top spot worldwide usually grants the highest rewards."
"And I—out of 1.8 billion players—am the first to complete this quest."
Moments later, another message appeared detailing his rewards.