A lone goblin stood in an open field, sniffing the air and scanning the horizon with its beady eyes. Its green skin glistened with sweat under the midday sun, and its nose twitched, trying to catch the scent of prey or danger. A crude dagger, rusted and chipped at the edges, dangled from one hand. The creature looked around warily, ears twitching at every sound. Birds chirped overhead, their melodies a stark contrast to the goblin's snarls, and a soft breeze rustled the tall grass that stretched out in all directions.
Then, without warning, a voice cut through the serenity.
"Fireball!"
A brilliant sphere of flame materialized in mid-air a few meters from the goblin, crackling with intense energy. It pulsed for a heartbeat, casting flickering shadows across the field, then shot forward with a sharp whoosh. The goblin barely had time to react. The fireball slammed into it with explosive force, engulfing the creature in a burst of heat and flame. The resulting explosion rattled the surrounding grass and sent smoke billowing into the sky. When the flames finally died down, there was nothing left of the goblin but a blackened patch of scorched earth.
A few yards away, Arth stood frozen, mouth agape, staring at the scene in disbelief. "Wow... the goblin got disintegrated," he said, genuinely impressed. He had fought many battles in his time, but this level of magical destruction from such a small spell was shocking.
Soo-woon blinked at the still-smoking ground, a hint of surprise on his own face. "Yeah… that might've been overkill. I only used a basic spell. Must be the result of having a B-rank ArcMage skill."
With a flick of his hand, he brought up his status screen, a translucent blue interface appearing in front of him. He tapped the skill section and opened the details.
*** Arcmage(B) ***
The strongest magical skill set, encompassing a vast range of spells. More become available as the user levels up.
Magic available:
Fire ball (5Mp), Stone bullets (5Mp), water wall(20Mp), Bolt(10Mp)
*** ***
"I've only got beginner spells for now," Soo-woon said, studying the list. "More will unlock as I level up."
He then pulled up his full status screen.
*** Lee-soo-woon ***
Lvl: 3
HP: 4 | AGI: 3 | Stamina: 3
STR: 2 | DEF: 1 | Mana: 100 (+5)
INT: 20 | Luck: 2
Points: 10
Skills: Item box(F), Translation(B), Summoning(S), Arcmage(B),
Online shopping(E)
Titles: Transmigrator(mana +5)
*** ***
He stared at his stats, eyebrows raised. "I'm already level 3 and have some spare stat points." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Looks like I gain five stat points with each level-up. But when did I gain two levels?" He paused, thinking back to their recent battle.
Then it hit him. "Oh yeah, the wolf that Arth took care of back then. That must've given me experience points."
He scratched the back of his head. "If Arth is my summon, then he must be sharing a portion of the experience he earns from defeating monsters with me. That explains how I leveled up so quickly."
As Woon finished checking his other spells.
He closed the interface and turned to Arth to explain his future plans.
"Listen up, Arth!" Soo-woon said, now adopting a mock-serious demeanor, like a teacher delivering an important lecture. Arth, who was currently seated on the trunk of a fallen tree, looked up attentively.
"From now on," Soo-woon declared, "whenever we're around others, we're going to pretend to be a father and son duo trying to start a new life."
Arth raised an eyebrow. "Father and son...?"
"Yes," Soo-woon said firmly. "You're the father, a former adventurer who left the adventuring life behind after your wife got pregnant. You took up a less dangerous job to support your growing family. Everything was going well until one day, your wife died of an incurable disease. You lost everything but your son, who you're now raising on your own."
He continued dramatically, pacing a bit. "You've been teaching your son how to survive, how to fight, and now the two of you have decided to become adventurers officially. You're heading to the nearest town to join the Adventurers' Guild and begin your new lives together."
He paused for effect, arms folded across his chest. Then he looked back at Arth—only to find the knight sitting with tears welling in his eyes, lip trembling.
"Waaahhhh… sob… such a tragic tale… such a noble father and son…"
Soo-woon blinked, taken aback. "Hey, calm down! It's just a backstory!"
Arth wiped his face, nodding solemnly. "I understand. It's beautiful."
Once the emotional moment passed, the two of them sat down and spent the next hour refining their cover story. They hashed out everything from their fake names to the details of their fictional hometown, including the timeline of their journey and plausible answers to any questions they might be asked by nosy villagers or guild officials.
They practiced their lines several times until both felt confident in the roles they'd play.
"Just remember," Soo-woon said, "no dramatic speeches. Keep it simple and believable."
"Understood, my son," Arth replied with a straight face, before cracking a smile.
With their roles set, they resumed their trek through the woods. The sunlight had begun to dim, the forest growing cooler and quieter as evening approached. A chorus of insects serenaded them as they walked, the soft crunch of leaves underfoot the only other sound. Despite the challenges ahead, there was an unspoken sense of camaraderie growing between them. The path was uncertain, but for the first time, Soo-woon felt a strange sort of excitement.
He wasn't just surviving in this new world—he was starting to live.
To be continued...