My Precious

The sensation of floating in my body, followed by a sudden drop. Passing through the darkness, I braced myself for the fall, distributing the impact by landing on both legs with controlled force and propping myself up with one hand as I touched down.

Thud! After that flawless landing, I scanned my surroundings.

"Hmm, just like in the game."

A horde of goblins surrounded me completely. Every single one clutched a vicious weapon: clubs, rusted daggers, massive animal bones, bone-sharpened spikes, stone maces, and the like. Crude as they were, these were plenty threatening to any ordinary person.

Whatever.

"You know what this is?"

Not that it mattered. I immediately pulled Al Capone's Tommy from my cube and aimed it at the goblins encircling me.

"Those shitty crude weapons can't stop a gun."

In an instant, blood, bone fragments, chunks of flesh, and screams filled the dark cavern. Stunned by the overwhelming violence and firepower, the goblins turned tail and tried to flee deeper into the cave—but no matter how desperately they scrambled, they couldn't outrun bullets.

I swept the Tommy gun back and forth like a comb, advancing steadily, when a standout goblin caught my eye up ahead.

"...Found you."

Unlike the withered olive-green goblins, this one gleamed with a radiant golden hue—an oddity. Realizing this was the Golden Goblin I'd been hunting, I charged straight at it, grabbing its head with my free left hand—the one not holding the Tommy.

"Kieeeek—!!"

"One down."

I snapped its neck to silence it. The Golden Goblin was a mutant variant, a bonus mob lurking in dungeons everywhere. Unlike regular goblins, its mana stone shimmered with faint gold—a feature that, in the game, earned extra points for the Semi-Ranking Tournament when submitted to the academy.

"...They have no idea how hard I'm grinding down here."

Despite these being run-of-the-mill monsters, I was going all out for one reason: the Semi-Ranking Tournament was that crucial. A class's rank determined the academy support, facility access, and even the curriculum itself. In game terms, how you handled this event could lock out entire routes—hence the term "rank reset," where players reran it endlessly even after clearing everything else.

Discrimination? Sure, but as an institution training heroes for humanity—not average students—it was allowed. Heroes weren't for the masses; they were for mankind.

"Just gotta extract the stone, right."

I plunged my hand into the Golden Goblin's chest and pulled out its mana stone, which sparkled with a brilliant golden sheen unlike the others. Stashing it in my cube, I recalled how Golden Goblins hoarded treasures and glanced in the direction it had been heading.

"Nest that way, huh."

One trait of Golden Goblins: an instinctual love for treasure, collecting it in their own nests. That meant this dungeon's hidden rewards were there. Sure, only early-game useful stuff, but grabbing them wouldn't hurt with future events in mind.

Closing my eyes and focusing, I sensed lifeforms nearby, trembling in fear of me. Their nest threatened, they were hiding in ambush spots despite their terror.

Of course.

"Goblins are still just goblins."

I fired bullets at suspected hiding spots, pressing forward. Midway, I felt a familiar mana probing—likely the kids above searching since I'd vanished.

"They'll handle it."

This was a goblin dungeon, after all. Ji ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Suhyun had airlifted us to this uninhabited island just for today; no way they'd fail. Even if something went wrong, with Famiglia kids around, they'd outpace other classes without me.

Silently advancing, I snapped necks when goblins peeked out, extracted stones, tossed rocks to flush them, and pushed on until—

"Perfect, just like I remember."

The entrance to what I figured was the Golden Goblins' nest came into view. I had three golden stones in my cube already. Dungeons typically had about ten Golden Goblins; they fled to nests on intrusion, so the rest were likely inside—a treasure trove.

And even better—

"FBI OPEN UP!!!"

I kicked down the crude bone door and stormed in. Amid the startled Golden Goblins stood one particularly bizarre figure.

"Found you."

The real prize: the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Golden Hobgoblin. This was the dungeon's hidden boss.

"Keeek! Kyaek! Human! Human! Human!"

Spotting me, the Golden Hobgoblin shrieked hysterically, hopping mad in place.

"Yeah, it's your human lord. You been good with my treasures?"

"Human! Intruder! Kill! Kill!"

Already hyped from seeing me, it bellowed nonstop. No point expecting dialogue, so I drew the Tommy and aimed.

"Dance for me, then."

I unleashed a hail of bullets at it and the surrounding Golden Goblins. Six dropped like flies.

"...Won't go down easy, huh."

Suddenly, one clung to the ceiling, glaring down—the Golden Hobgoblin. Its game nickname: Golden Flash, for vanishing in a sparkle. Perfect for treasure-grabbing escapes. Fitting for the king of Golden Goblins.

No need to waste time here. Quick and clean.

I stowed the gun, rolled up my sleeves, and locked eyes with it. It glared, poised to strike any gap.

"You wanna kill me? Come on."

I beckoned with my fingers. A flash—and it was in my face.

"Come get some."

"Kiiiiiik!"

I taunted with a guard up. Enraged as expected, it flashed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠forward.

"Die, human!"

Its dagger thrust at my chest. Force equals mass times acceleration, right? Liberal arts major here, but point is: that speed meant instant death if it connected.

If I let it, anyway.

"That's why I grinded this in the game."

Anyone who'd fought it knew: first strike always heart-targeted. Easier to block than a telegraphed punch.

I caught the dagger barehanded—gloved, but still—with my pre-positioned hand over my heart. It tried piercing hand and heart, but leather held; must've been baffled.

"Good, right where I want you."

It hurt, though—the impact transferred through, nearly piercing my palm. Time to counter with that pain.

"Kieeeek!"

My fist hammered down like an iron mace. But escape expert that it was, it dodged the clean hit—dropping the dagger and rolling at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠last second.

It yanked the embedded blade free and aimed again.

"The instructors outside must be sweating bullets."

This thing was way beyond freshmen. Without my heads-up to Ji Suhyun, they'd have reversed-summoned for safety.

"Alright, let's play for real."

I smashed the side door with a wallop, sealing escape. Needed its hoard to climb back anyway—no retreat for me.

Flash.

Sparkle hit my eyes; I swung.

"Grk—!!"

Fist smashed its face.

"You only come straight-on, anyway."

The moment it showed speed upfront, it was over. Flash, then 0.5 seconds. Its pattern.

I reached for its collar—another flash; it fled back.

"Where you going."

I charged; another flash. Gone—but I ducked low, whipping a kick behind.

"Kyak?!"

"Yeah, knew you could come from behind too."

After all those neck-snaps, I'd memorized it. It toppled backward; I mounted up.

"Ta-da. No flashing now, huh?"

"H-human! Don't kill! Treasures—"

"Everyone knows your interdimensional pouch, dumbass."

I pummeled its face like a sledgehammer.

"Splat—!!"

Teeth flew airborne. CS players knew: its "warehouse" was public knowledge.

"Here! If I! Believe you! And let go! You'll flash to your pouch! You little shit!"

I mashed its face to mush, silencing it.

"Brings back memories, you punk."

Once, I fell for its talk—non-lethal route, negotiate post-beatdown. It opened a portal and bailed with loot. Gutted. Next non-lethal run, half-killed it and stole the key.

"Key. Mine now."

I gripped its trembling right arm and wrenched the thumb free.

"K-key... kieeeek...!"

"Shut it."

One more smash to seal the mouth. I examined the thumb: a tiny rune etched on it.

"—Found it."

My precious.