The sound came again.
BANG.
James had just finished storing the last of his supplies when the noise slammed into his apartment door, rattling the frame so hard dust shook loose from the ceiling. The impact wasn't random. It was measured. Curious.
Testing.
James's breath caught.
Another bang followed—slower, heavier, wood groaning in protest.
"…So it's here," he whispered.
His hands went cold instantly. Not fear like panic, fear like ice creeping up his spine. His fingers trembled as if they no longer belonged to him. This wasn't a screen. This wasn't text on a page.
This was his first monster.
James think instinctively, scanning the room, looking for something to hide at.
He slipped into the cabinet beside his bed, folding himself into the narrow space as quietly as he could. The darkness wrapped around him. Dust scratched his throat. His heartbeat thundered so loud he was sure it would give him away.
From his inventory, he pulled out his heaviest knife.
The weight of it grounded him, solid, real, sharp.
Think.
Wait.
Don't rush.
The door splintered.
Wood cracked violently, fragments flying inward as the lock gave way with a sharp snap. The door collapsed against the wall, hanging uselessly from one hinge.
A shape stepped inside.
Low. Hunched. Moving with a predatory hesitation that made James's stomach twist.
A wet, guttural sound rolled from its throat.
James tried to move.
His body refused.
Not shock—fear.
The kind that freezes muscles, locks joints, turns thought into static. His lungs forgot how to breathe. His legs felt bolted to the floor.
Then-
A window burst into his vision.
WARNING
Monster detected nearby
James flinched.
His elbow struck the cabinet wall.
THUD.
The sound echoed.
The creature reacted instantly.
A shrill screech ripped through the room as the monster lunged forward.
James burst out of the cabinet just as a blade flashed toward his face.
CLANG!
Metal collided violently. The impact jolted his arm numb, sending pain screaming through his wrist. He stumbled backward, barely keeping his footing as sparks skidded across the floor.
Now he saw it clearly.
A goblin.
Short, wiry, skin stretched tight over sinew and bone. Its yellow eyes gleamed with feral intelligence, lips peeled back to reveal sharp, uneven teeth. In its grip, a rusted dagger, stained dark.
It moved again—fast.
James barely raised his knife in time.
The goblin slashed low, forcing James to hop backward. The cramped room worked against him, bed, desk, chair, all obstacles. His heel caught on the carpet and he nearly fell.
Another window appeared.
STATUS UPDATE
User emotional state: Nervous
Focus reduced
"Not now!" James shouted.
The goblin attacked again.
James parried, blades scraping loudly. The force rattled his bones. The goblin twisted, feinted, then kicked James in the knee. Pain flared and he crashed into the desk, knocking over the chair.
More windows flooded his vision.
STATUS UPDATE
Fear response detected
Muscle tension elevated
Reaction speed unstable
"SHUT UP!" James roared, swinging blindly.
The goblin ducked—
—and stabbed.
White-hot pain exploded in James's abdomen.
The world stuttered.
He looked down in disbelief.
The dagger was buried in him.
Warmth spread rapidly beneath his ribs, soaking his shirt. His breath hitched violently, lungs seizing as if they'd forgotten how to work.
I'm dying.
The thought hit him with terrifying clarity.
The goblin screeched triumphantly, wrenching the blade—
James screamed.
Not in fear.
In refusal.
He surged forward, ramming his knife into the goblin's chest with every ounce of strength he had left. The blade sank deep. The goblin shrieked, thrashing wildly, claws raking James's arms, tearing skin.
James stabbed again.
And again.
Each strike was messy, desperate, fueled by panic and pain and years of quiet endurance.
The goblin collapsed, twitching violently before going still.
Silence slammed down.
James's knees buckled.
He hit the floor hard, breath coming in broken gasps. The dagger remained lodged in his abdomen, cruelly keeping the wound from bleeding out completely—but blood still leaked, warm and unstoppable.
His vision blurred.
As the room spun, memories surfaced unbidden.
A child lying awake in a dark room, listening to silence.
Teachers never asking if he was okay.
Years of surviving alone, exhausted, unnoticed.
I didn't endure all that… just to die here.
His eyelids drooped.
But then-
A faint glow cut through the darkness.
Near the goblin's corpse, a small stone pulsed with soft light, stained red with blood.
James's unfocused eyes widened slightly.
"…A rune," he whispered.
Hope flickered, small, fragile, but real.
Then his vision finally gave way to black.
And the room went quiet once more.