Rejection and the Goblin Horde
Behind the hulking architecture building—a path rarely used unless someone was sneaking a smoke—a man and woman stood facing each other. The woman's expression was awkward, while the man looked utterly tense. He spoke first.
"Go out with me!"
Without a moment's hesitation, the woman replied to his bold confession. "Sorry... I have class soon... gotta go..."
"W-wait... why...? Not again...!"
The answer was rejection, and she slipped away in an instant. He didn't even have time to grab her. The man hung his head in disappointment... or so you'd think. He quickly lifted it again, shaking off the blow.
"Nah, I'll find someone great someday!"
Full of spirit, he strode off down the same path she'd taken. Watching this scene from inside the building, through a window by chance, were two women: Han Seo-rin and Jeong Da-on.
Seo-rin remarked on how composedly the guy had walked away despite the rejection. "Kang Do-hyun... got shot down again today!"
Da-on noticed Seo-rin's slightly flushed cheeks and teased, "Unnie, you look kinda happy about it?"
"W-what? When did I ever say I was happy...?" Seo-rin trailed off, flustered.
Da-on flashed an innocent smile. "You've gotten a confession from Do-hyun oppa before too, right?"
"W-well... yeah, a while back...?"
"So why'd you turn him down?"
"Why are you even asking that―?!"
"I'm just curious... Honestly, Do-hyun oppa's not bad-looking, he's tall, smart... good at everything!"
"Well..."
Seo-rin recalled the moment Do-hyun had confessed to her, pondering her reason for refusing. She answered casually soon enough. "The guy's too flighty... You know his nickname, right?"
"Slut pigeon, or 'Serial Confessor'? He confesses to so many girls, that's how he got those names. Pretty much everyone at school knows him in the worst way."
"Exactly... I can't stand someone that casual! Kinda pervy too!"
"I'd welcome a perv like that."
"For real?"
"Kidding."
Seo-rin shot back at Da-on, who was grinning to herself. "Fine, what about you? You've gotten a confession from him too. Why'd you turn down Kang Do-hyun?"
"Me...? I already have a boyfriend."
"You have a boyfriend...?"
"Yeah. You didn't know?"
Though Da-on was a year younger, she and Seo-rin were friends. Seo-rin looked genuinely shocked—she really hadn't known about Da-on's relationship.
The mood turned awkward, so Da-on changed the subject. "Unnie, class is starting soon. Let's go."
"R-right... yeah..."
Da-on led the way. "He had a girlfriend...? Makes sense, she's so pretty... When will it be my turn...?"
"Unnie, hurry up!"
"Coming!"
"Do-hyun, you sure you want us to head out first?"
I was still sitting at a desk in the empty lecture hall, focused on my assignment. My friends by the door prodded me. I mumbled a half-hearted reply. "Yeah, yeah... go on ahead..."
"What's up with him?"
"Hey, let's clear out. Do-hyun needs time to heal from his heartbreak!"
"Pfft, if getting dumped in one second counts as heartbreak!"
The conversation swiftly pivoted to my latest rejection.
"Get outta here already!"
"Alright, alright. Good luck wrapping up!"
"Those jerks..."
Now alone in the lecture hall, I swallowed my frustration. This happened so often it barely fazed me anymore. Still, their teasing stung a little. My concentration broken, I took a breather, staring at the ceiling in a daze.
"When am I gonna get a girlfriend...?"
I pictured a beauty in my mind: perfect curves that dipped and swelled just right, looks that put celebrities to shame. How amazing would that be?
"I wanna date too!"
But that required a girlfriend, and my record was a string of losses... The fantasy faded, reality crashed in. Back to the assignment...
I hammered away at my laptop for hours. When I finally finished, the sunset painted the outside world orange. The hallway was deserted; most people had gone home, save a few stragglers.
"Ughhh~!"
My body ached from sitting so long. I stood, stretched, and cracked open a window to let in the crisp spring breeze. It cleared my head.
"Feels nice~! Time to head home... I'm starving."
I grabbed my stuff and hurried out of the lecture hall.
"What the...?"
As I passed through the empty hallway toward the front door, something suddenly appeared before my eyes. Too shocked to move, I stared intently.
The world will soon perish. Prepare yourselves.
A holographic screen with an utterly unrealistic message. But it was so vivid I couldn't just dismiss it. Rubbing my eyes or swiping at it did nothing—it stayed right there.
"Not a hallucination... right...?"
Then what? Did I accidentally take something...?
Grulk.
"Huh―?"
A beastly growl made me whip my head toward the door. Struggling to push it open was a green-skinned doll-like creature... I'd never heard of a race with green skin. It wasn't human—that much was clear. Three of them stood before me now. My eyes widened, and floating in the corner of my vision were nameplates above their heads.
"Goblin...?"
No way—the goblins I knew from games? Green skin, stunted height—only up to my waist. They kinda looked human from afar, but up close? Aside from bipedal stance, zero similarities. Hideously ugly, enough to turn your stomach. Why were fantasy monsters from games and novels right in front of me? Hallucinations like that message? No, these were even clearer.
Grulk―!
Grulk― grulk―!
They seemed to converse among themselves, then charged at me. Definitely not a friendly greeting. I stumbled back in shock, but a thought flashed: Should I just run? Or fight?
I turned away; they sped up...
Grooooh~!
They were aiming for this! "Uwaaaah―!"
In a flash, I yanked off my bag and swung it with all my rotational force at the lead goblin. Heavy with laptop and books, and me twice its size— it flew. The goblin slammed into the wall, trailing red blood to the floor.
A new message popped up before me.
Defeated Goblin. Acquired 200 Coins.
'【Coin】...?' Not the priority now. Two goblins left.
They'd chased eagerly, thinking I was fleeing—now panic showed on their faces as one fell.
Grul...?
Humanoid enough for readable expressions. Running was tempting, but the only open door was this one. I'd have to come back anyway, and honestly, I thought I could win. Scary-looking, sure, but kid-sized. At 182cm, if I couldn't handle this, I'd might as well cut it off...
"Haa... haa..."
――But it wasn't as easy as I'd thought. My hand trembled on the bag strap. Game monster or not, this was a living, breathing thing right in front of me. I'd killed mosquitoes aplenty, but nothing this big. Revulsion was inevitable...
Grrruuuk―!
"Whoa―?!"
No time for sentiment. They charged again, vengeful. Sharper this time—no easy win. Still, I swung the bag, smashing down on the nearest one.
"Haaah―!"
Grooook―?!
Its head cratered the floor; dark red blood sprayed, splattering my shoes and pant cuffs.
Defeated Goblin. Acquired 200 Coins.
Disgust aside, the last one leaped over its buddy toward me. No time for a full swing. Instinctively, I raised my left arm—its filthy claws tore flesh from my forearm.
Grraa!
"Gah―?!"
It hurt! But bearable. I twisted away, creating distance, then swung the bag into its back.
Guk―?!
It flew forward, tumbling. No kill message. Still twitching on the floor. No hesitation—I smashed down repeatedly.
"Die...! Die―!"
The strap snapped, sending me tumbling onto my butt. Only then did I stop.
"Ow―?!"
Defeated Goblin. Acquired 200 Coins.
"Haa... that was brutal...!"
I'd moved on pure autopilot. Superhuman strength in crisis? Something like that? I'd figured something this size would be easy, like any animal—but nope. Lesson learned: no more messing around...
I caught my breath, then stood. The bag was trashed—strap broken, contents probably smashed, covered in goblin blood. No touching that.
"Gotta get outside...!"
Finally out... but it wasn't great.
"Kya aaaah―!!"
"S-save me―!"
"..."
Goblins everywhere, attacking lingering students. No escape routes visible... If I'd run like them, would I be screaming too? No time for hypotheticals—decide now.
Back inside the building. Can't punch through dozens...! I locked the door and retreated to the lecture hall where I'd been working.
Slumping into a chair, I steadied my ragged breaths. "Haaa... what the hell is going on...?"
No clues. But one thing explained the chaos a bit.
"Message...?!"
I'd gotten those 【Coins】 too... How to see it again? The vanished screen sparked an idea.
"【Status Window】...?"
No way it'd... "Huh?"
It actually appeared before my eyes.
"A game or what...?!"