The Variable Crushed
[Elite-grade monster: Blood Goblin Shaman has been summoned.]
The light faded, slowly revealing its silhouette. It was much smaller in stature than a regular goblin, but the pressure it exuded was undeniable. On its head sat the skull of a beast with massive horns, and in its hand, it gripped a staff woven from bones.
"Do these things rank themselves by how they look?" I raised my Shadow Fang.
The shaman didn't charge at me immediately. Red light flickered behind the eye sockets of the skull. "Kreeek, k-k-k-k..." Soon, a sickening sound began to pour out—a bizarre, incomprehensible language. Just as I was about to lunge at the ominous creature, the shaman slammed its bone staff hard into the ground.
BOOM!
Blood Goblin Shaman casts Frenzied Crimson Mist.
A deep red mist erupted from the tip of the staff like an explosion. A blood-colored tsunami instantly swallowed the intersection. And then—
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
The Blood Orcs and goblins—the dozen or so monsters that had survived—roared. The state of the monsters that inhaled the mist changed grotesquely. The veins all over their bodies bulged as if they were about to burst. Even the small goblins saw their muscles expand. Their eyes rolled back to show the whites, and they breathed in ragged, heavy gasps.
[14 surrounding monsters have entered a Frenzied state.]
[All stats of the affected monsters increase by 30%.]
[Pain sensation is lost. They will not stop the slaughter until their last breath is extinguished.]
"...Look at those effects." I bit my lip without realizing it. A 30% increase to all stats. It was an absurd figure.
"KWOOOOR!" An orc shattered the ground as it rushed toward me. Its speed was incomparable to before. I reflexively twisted my body and swung the Shadow Fang.
SLASH!
The short sword sliced halfway through the orc's neck. It was a fatal wound that should have sent it collapsing in a fountain of blood. But—
"GAAAAH!"
The creature didn't stop, even as it sprayed blood everywhere. Instead, with its neck dangling, it brought its axe down toward my head.
"You crazy...! Why is this suddenly a horror movie!"
CLANG!
I hurriedly parried the axe with my short sword and retreated with a large step. My wrist throbbed. 'This is completely different.' I furrowed my brow. The problem was that this wasn't the end. The reason the quest hadn't completed even though the boy had run away was clear.
"Save me...!! Please save me...!!!"
The student was backed against a wall, doing nothing but screaming. 'Of all the places to run, he chose a dead end...' He was in front of a restaurant wall. Whether he hadn't been looking properly or not, there were goblins standing at both ends.
"Hoo..." I sighed. If I could avoid fighting, I would, but if I had no choice, my task was clear.
"S-stay away! Stay away!!"
The ear-piercing sound rang out again. The monsters slowly narrowed their encirclement around the student. '...Why are they going that way?' It was an incomprehensible action. I had killed an orc just moments ago, so the aggro should have been on me. Yet, their gazes weren't directed at me.
[Target: Park Jin-woo (50th Survivor)]
[Status: Near-death / Full body to be crushed by orc in 3 seconds]
It was certain. The rescue flag hadn't triggered yet. If that kid died, the hidden quest would likely fail. Even the information Spoiler was showing me right now...
"It feels like it's forcing me. I'm not imagining that, right?" I let out a dry laugh. It was so absurd that I was having all sorts of thoughts. I threw my body forward without hesitation. Now that their attention was focused on the student—
'Status Window. Block all.'
The system notifications that had been clouding my vision disappeared. All that remained was the Spoiler trait. My vision, which had been flashing red, began to read only the movements of the monsters. Texts flooded in.
[Orc A / Right-side horizontal slash predicted in 1.1s]
[Goblin B / Frontal leap predicted in 1.3s]
[Goblin C / Dagger throw predicted in 1.5s]
[Orc D / ...]
Dozens of characters poured into the air. Perhaps for recognition, names like 'Orc A' and 'Orc B' floated above their heads.
Dash!
Just before the orc's axe could fall on the student's head, I dove under its armpit.
SHING! STAB!
The Shadow Fang pierced its heart precisely. But it was different from before. Even while vomiting blood, the hand holding the axe twisted and swung toward my neck.
'It doesn't stop even with a heart strike?'
A lump of flesh that didn't know pain. I gripped the hilt tightly and shoved it upward.
CRUNCH!
From the heart to the collarbone. A horrific sound of nerve bundles being severed entirely. Only then did the orc's body lose control and collapse.
"Disgusting."
I stepped on the back of the collapsing monster and leaped. Two goblins were thrusting spears from both sides. I couldn't just slash them clumsily. I had to crush their brains or sever them completely.
THUD! SLASH!
I rotated my body in mid-air and slammed my heel into the goblin on the right's forehead. Its skull caved in. At the same time, my short sword cleanly sliced the neck of the remaining one.
Thump, roll.
The headless body staggered and crashed to the floor. In an instant, three monsters were silenced. The male student looked up at me with dazed eyes.
"H-hero...?"
"You couldn't even see me a second ago, so stop talking nonsense and just hide. If you move, I'll really kill you." I replied coldly, scanning the surroundings. A bit of space had opened up, but there were still about ten monsters left. Ultimately, the most important thing was—
'I have to take the head.'
My gaze shifted to a spot a little further away. The goblin shaman stood there, leaning on its bone staff and watching the situation. Perhaps it felt my gaze.
"KIEEEEE!"
The shaman shrieked, raising its staff. Instantly, the scattered monsters stopped moving in unison. They turned their heads toward me. As if to protect the shaman, they began to block my path.
'It's definitely smart.'
"KWOOOOR!" The orc rushed in first, swinging its axe. I checked the trajectory with Spoiler and dove into its guard.
WHOOSH.
The axe blade ruffled my hair as it passed. I slipped past the orc and parried the incoming goblin's spear with my short sword.
CLANG!
A heavy recoil struck my wrist. I used that force to spin my body like a top. A goblin's dagger followed. It was an angle too late to dodge perfectly.
RIP.
A shallow slice of flesh was carved from my shoulder.
"Ugh..."
Still, I couldn't stop my feet. A notification window popped up before my eyes.
[Goblin Shaman / Shield activation prep in 2s]
Only 2 seconds until the spell was complete. I slid between the legs of the last orc. It brought its axe down, but it was already too late. The shaman's red eyes were filled with panic. Its bone staff pointed at me. 1 second left until the shield deployed. I poured all my weight and muscle power into the tip of my short sword.
"Die."
There was no hesitation. The blade extended toward the space between its eyes. The time for the shield Spoiler mentioned was approaching. But I was faster. I was certain. This strike would hit. However—
ZZZZZING!
Just before my blade touched the shaman's forehead, a blue notification window turned red and let out a deafening roar.
[Warning: Someone is intervening for smooth story progression.]
[Target: Forcibly increasing the equipment grade of the Blood Goblin Shaman.]
[D-grade 'Beast Skull Helmet' ➔ Evolved to B-grade 'Skull of a Beast with Mana!']
"...What?"
There was no time to be flustered. The dead beast's bone twisted with a tearing sound. Mana was overlaid on the helmet, and the material of the bone transformed into steel. Even—
CLANG!!
The beast's jaw snapped open and bit my short sword blade directly. My momentum was halted. The recoil surged back into my wrist and shoulder.
"...Ugh!!!"
The sound of joints snapping. The flickering red eyes looked straight at me.
[Item: Durability of Shadow Fang is dropping rapidly.]
'No, you son of a... Story progression, my ass...!'
Fury surged from deep within my chest. What kind of nonsense was this? Even in this changed world, they couldn't stand to see me have it easy? Even as my vision spun, my eyes were focused on the goblin shaman.
[Blood Goblin Shaman / Blood Wedge omnidirectional barrage predicted in 1s]
The Spoiler window flashed red. The creature let out a laugh and slammed its staff into the ground.
BOOM!
A magic circle floated in the air. Dozens of sharp, blood-red wedges flew toward the front. I instinctively rolled on the floor. But my center of gravity was already broken. The shaman's magic range was too wide to dodge completely.
STAB! SLASH!
"Ugh...!"
Two wedges pierced my left thigh and right side. Hot blood gushed out along with the pain. My breath hitched.
[Agility stat temporarily decreased by 5 due to excessive bleeding.]
[Current Agility: 16]
My body felt heavy, as if weights were attached to it. To make matters worse, monsters were rushing at me from behind. In front was a shaman spamming area-of-effect magic. Behind were meat monsters that knew no pain.
'...This is really pissing me off.'
I ground my teeth. I didn't know who it was, but I hadn't been hit by unfair interference just once or twice in my life.
'Status Window.'
The spare points remaining in the corner of my vision.
[Remaining Bonus Stats: 6]
There was no reason to hesitate. I dumped 4 points into Stamina and 2 into Agility.
[Stamina increased by 4.]
[Agility increased by 2.]
[Excessive bleeding status removed!]
Crack, crunch!
My stamina reached 20. At that moment, every cell in my body boiled. The muscles in my thigh and side knit together by force. The bleeding stopped. My agility returned to normal.
"Hoo..."
I exhaled a rough breath and lifted my head. My body felt as light as a feather. The effect was better than I had expected. I fixed my eyes on the Spoiler window again.
[Frenzied Monsters: Pain loss, intelligence and friend-or-foe identification impossible]
Friend-or-foe identification impossible. 'Right, so they can't see anything in front of them?'
This time, I didn't run toward the shaman. Instead, I twisted my body and dove into the middle of the monsters.
"KWOOOOR!"
[Orc E / Downward strike predicted in 1s]
[Goblin D / Spear thrust predicted in 1.2s]
[Goblin Shaman / 'Blood Wave' magic launch predicted in 1.5s]
Countless texts floated in the air. Every trajectory was predicted. In this situation, my plan was simple. The moment the giant orc raised its axe, I slid between its legs—its blind spot.
BOOM!
The orc's axe sliced through the air where I had been. And right in that spot I had vacated, the magic the shaman fired at me flew with ferocious momentum. It struck the orc's chest dead center.
CRUNCH!
"G-gack...?"
The orc, its chest blown away, collapsed to the floor. It might not feel pain due to the frenzy, but if its chest was blown away, it should die. 'One.'
I curled my lips and stepped on the next trajectory. I leaped, using the back of a rampaging goblin as a stepping stone. I thoroughly hid my body behind the monsters.
[Goblin Shaman / Blood Wedge launch predicted in 1s]
Magic was used again from the shaman's fingertips. I kicked the goblin's neck and changed direction.
THUD-THUD-THUD!
"KIEEEEE!"
Three goblins were skewered like hedgehogs and fell to the floor. The formation collapsed. The monsters blindly chased me, and every time, the shaman's magic killed its own team.
"Kie... KIEEEEE...?"
The shaman's eyes, which had been relaxed, shook violently.
[Goblin Shaman / Emotional State: Bewilderment, Anxiety]
[Scanning surroundings, 2s delay in spell chain occurred!]
'Still just a goblin.'
In those 2 seconds when the hand holding the staff hesitated, I stepped on the orc's head and exploded forward. I wouldn't repeat the mistake from before.
"Let's see if you can upgrade this too."
My body reached right in front of the shaman. It panicked and raised its bone staff. "KIEEEEE!!!" But my hand had already dug into its neck. The Shadow Fang, its durability worn down. The direction of the blade was from bottom to top. I shoved it toward the soft flesh under its chin.
STAB!
"G-gack...!"
The metal pierced through its chin. Red blood sprayed through the gaps in the skull helmet. Its eyes rolled back to white.
Squelch.
I twisted the hilt to pull it out and kicked the corpse to the floor. At the same time, the red mist filling the air vanished completely. The monsters that had been rampaging also collapsed in a group, foaming at the mouth. It seemed to be the aftereffect of the frenzy. And behind them—
"Haa, haa..."
My final objective, the 50th student, was trembling while having wet himself. 'That guy still hasn't managed to run away.'
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Notification sounds began to pour down like a waterfall.
[Survivor rescue successful! Progress: 50/50]
[Hidden Piece achieved!]
[Condition: Tutorial Day 3, you have met the condition of rescuing 30 additional survivors during the wave.]
[Reward: You have acquired the title 'Skilled Emergency Responder'.]
[Evolution Effect: Strength +1, Stamina +2, Agility +1 applied.]
An overwhelming sense of fulfillment wrapped around my body. How much I had suffered. The notification window continued.
[You have solo-killed the Boss-grade Elite monster, Blood Goblin Shaman!]
[You have acquired massive experience.]
[Level Up! (Lv.10 ➔ Lv.11)]
[Level Up! (Lv.11 ➔ Lv.12)]
[6 bonus stat points have been granted.]
[You have acquired 231 copper coins.]
'2 levels...' Even this wasn't the end. A soft golden aura bloomed over the shaman's corpse. The notification window in the air glitched, then drew a brilliant golden emblem.
'One Who Tramples Variables, huh.'
I knew instantly why I had earned it. Because I had overcome the interventions that had occurred twice. Whatever this system was, it felt good. And then—
[Reward compensation system activated.]
[The C-grade equipment box originally scheduled for distribution is forcibly upgraded as an intervention-overcoming reward!]
[B-grade Weapon: Blood Demon's Bone Short Sword acquired!]
"B-grade?"
I opened my eyes wide. A weapon one grade higher than the Shadow Fang I had been using. A sleek, red short sword fell slowly from the air.