Part 1: The Law of the Cave
The darkness wasn't empty. It was heavy, suffocating, and alive.
Ren pressed his small, trembling green back against the cold, slimy wall of the cavern. His eyes, now possessing the night vision inherent to the Goblin race, scanned the gloom. The "cave" was more of a massive, hollowed-out subterranean chamber, its ceiling lost in shadows. Stalactites dripped harsh, mineral-rich water onto the stone floor, which was littered with bones.
Some bones were small—rats, bats, perhaps other goblins. Others were disturbingly large, resembling human femurs.
The growl he had heard earlier rumbled again. It came from the center of the chamber, where a fire pit smoldered with glowing embers. Around it sat three creatures that looked like nightmares made flesh. They were Goblins, yes, but they were nothing like Ren. They stood nearly four feet tall, their muscles wiry and taut like steel cables under scarred, dark green skin. They possessed crude weapons—sharpened rocks tied to sticks, rusty iron shivs—and they were tearing into the carcass of a giant, wolf-like beast.
This is bad. This is catastrophically bad, Ren thought, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. Those are clearly regular Goblins. Maybe Level 3 or 4. And I'm...
He looked down at himself again. His limbs were stick-thin. His stomach was distended from malnutrition. He felt weak, dizzy, and overwhelmingly hungry. He wasn't just a goblin; he was a "Runt"—a genetic failure even by monster standards.
In the lore of the games Ren used to play, Runts were usually killed by their own kin for stealing food or just for sport.
"Grak!" one of the larger goblins snarled, tossing a bone over its shoulder. It landed with a wet thud near Ren's feet.
Instinct took over. A primal, burning hunger that Ren—the human salaryman—had never experienced in his life surged through his brain. Before he could stop himself, his clawed hand snatched the bone. It had a scrap of raw, gristly meat left on it.
Don't eat it! It's raw! You'll get salmonella! his human logic screamed.
EAT. SURVIVE. EAT, his goblin instincts roared back.
Ren bit into the meat. It tasted like copper and rot, but his stomach rejoiced. This was his reality now. The hygiene standards of Tokyo were a distant memory.
Part 2: The Social Hierarchy
As he gnawed on the bone, Ren took stock of his surroundings. He wasn't alone in the shadows. There were other smaller goblins—maybe ten or twelve of them—huddled in the crevices of the cave walls. They watched the fire pit with envious, fearful yellow eyes.
They were the bottom feeders. The cannon fodder.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the entrance of the cave. A massive shadow blocked the dim light filtering in from the tunnels above.
It was a Hobgoblin.
Standing nearly six feet tall, it towered over everyone. Its skin was a deep, bruised purple, and two tusks protruded from its lower jaw, scraping against its nose. It wore rudimentary leather armor made from stitched-together skins and carried a heavy wooden club studded with jagged stones.
[Ding!]
Ren's Appraisal skill activated automatically.
[Target: Goblin Soldier (Hobgoblin Variant)]
[Rank: E]
[Level: 12]
[Status: Angry]
Ren stopped chewing. Rank E? That's a whole rank above me. And Level 12? If he sneezes on me, I'm dead.
The Hobgoblin marched to the center of the cave, kicking a smaller goblin out of the way. The goblin flew three meters and smashed into a wall with a sickening crunch, falling silent. The Hobgoblin didn't even look back. It dropped a fresh kill—a massive, centipede-like creature—onto the fire.
"KIGYA!" the Hobgoblin roared, pointing at the tunnel entrance.
The message was clear, even without language: Get out. Hunt. Bring food. Or become food.
The three larger goblins by the fire scrambled up, grabbing their weapons and rushing toward the tunnel. The other runts in the shadows hesitated, shivering. The Hobgoblin swung his club, smashing a stalagmite into dust.
"GYAAA!" The runts panicked and scrambled toward the exit, tripping over each other in a desperate bid to escape the cave boss.
Ren didn't wait. He dropped his bone and blended into the stampede, running on all fours. His body felt surprisingly agile despite his weakness, his long arms pulling him forward along the rough stone floor.
He had to leave the "safety" of the nest. He was being forced into the dungeon.
Part 3: The Inventory of DreamsRen
scurried away from the main group, finding a narrow fissure in the cave tunnel that branched off from the main path. He squeezed his small body into the crack, hiding behind a cluster of glowing moss.
His chest heaved. He needed a moment to think. He needed a weapon.
"Okay... okay... calm down, Ren," he whispered, his voice sounding like scratching sandpaper. "System. Open Inventory."
A translucent blue grid appeared in the air before him. It was a grid of infinite squares, and it was beautiful.
Ren's eyes watered. There it was. His life's work.
[Item: 1/7 Scale Figure - Holy Knight Alaria]
[Item: Limited Edition Die-cast Mech (RX-78 Series)]
[Item: Trading Card Binder (Rare Cards)]
[Item: Replica Buster Sword (Full Metal)]
[Item: Box of Retro Game Cartridges]
Thousands of items. It was a treasure trove of otaku culture.
"I'm saved," Ren grinned, his sharp teeth showing. "I'll just summon my Replica Buster Sword and slice everything apart. Or maybe summon the Holy Knight Alaria figure to protect me!"
He focused on the [Replica Buster Sword].
[Summoning Cost Calculation...]
[Item Rank: Uncommon (Steel)]
[Mass: 40kg]
[Mana Cost: 50 MP]
[Current MP: 10/10]
[Error: Insufficient Mana.]
Ren's smile froze. "Fifty? I only have ten!"
He frantically looked at the [Holy Knight Alaria Figure]. If he could bring her to life as a real knight...
[Summoning Cost Calculation...]
[Entity Rank: A (Living Construct)]
[Mana Cost: 500,000 MP]
"Five hundred thousand?!" Ren wanted to flip a table, but he didn't have a table. "I'm a Level 1 Goblin! I'm broke!"
He began scrolling frantically through his inventory.
Die-cast Robot? 15,000 MP.
Legendary TCG Card (Blue-Eyes)? 80,000 MP.
Replica Handgun (Airsoft)? 25 MP.
"Damn it! Is there nothing I can use?"
His collection was high-quality. That was the problem. He was a collector of premium goods. He didn't collect trash. But right now, his high standards were his downfall. He needed trash. He needed something cheap, light, and deadly.
Then, his eyes landed on a miscellaneous folder in his inventory labeled: [Junk Drawer / Unsorted].
He opened it. Old receipts, spare batteries, a half-eaten bag of chips... and there, sitting innocuously in the corner of the grid.
[Item: Tac-Force Folding Pocket Knife (Gas Station Purchase)]
[Description: A cheap, "edgy" looking knife bought on impulse. Stainless steel. Rainbow finish.]
Ren focused on it.
[Summoning Cost: 8 MP]
"Eight Mana," Ren whispered. "I can afford it."
Part 4: First SummonRen took a deep breath.
He held out his shaking green hand.
"Manifest."
He felt a sudden drain on his energy, a wave of lethargy that made his knees buckle. The blue light in his veins dimmed.
In a flash of digital particles, a solid object materialized in his palm.
It was tacky. It had a dragon engraved on the handle and the blade shimmered with a cheap iridescent rainbow coating. In his human life, he kept it in a drawer because it was cringe-worthy.
Here, in the dark tunnels of Asura Terra, the sharp click of the blade locking into place sounded like salvation.
"It's heavy," Ren muttered. For a goblin runt with Strength 2, even a pocket knife felt like a dagger. He gripped it tightly. The cold steel gave him a sliver of confidence.
[Mana: 2/10]
He was almost empty. He felt lightheaded, but he was armed.
Skitter... Skitter...
Ren froze. The sound came from deeper down the narrow fissure he was hiding in.
He slowly turned his head.
Emerging from the darkness was a Cave Rat. But calling it a "rat" was an insult to rodents on Earth. This thing was the size of a corgi. Its fur was matted and oily, its eyes glowed red, and its front teeth were yellow chisels capable of biting through bone.
[Target: Dire Cave Rat]
[Rank: F-]
[Level: 2]
It was Level 2. Higher than Ren.
The rat hissed, smelling the intruder. It crouched, muscles bunching up to spring.
Ren's back was against the wall. There was nowhere to run.
"Come on then," Ren hissed, mimicking the posture he'd seen in a hundred anime battles. He held the rainbow knife in a reverse grip. "I didn't spend thousands of hours studying blade fights in anime for nothing!"
Narrator: Watching anime does not actually teach you how to knife fight.
Part 5: The First Kill
The rat lunged.
It moved faster than Ren expected. A blur of fur and teeth.
Ren panicked. He didn't dodge gracefully. He didn't parry. He flailed. He threw his arms up to protect his face, screaming, "Get away!"
The rat collided with him, the weight knocking him flat onto his back. Its claws raked across his chest, tearing the thin goblin skin.
[HP: 3/5]
Pain flared hot and sharp. The smell of the rat's breath—rotten eggs—filled his nose. It snapped at his throat.
"Die! Die! Die!" Ren shrieked.
He thrust his right hand upward blindly.
The rainbow-colored blade sank into soft flesh.
Squelch.
The rat shrieked—a high-pitched, ear-splitting sound. It thrashed wildly, biting Ren's shoulder.
[HP: 2/5]
Ren roared, fueled by adrenaline and terror. He ripped the knife out and stabbed again. And again. And again. He didn't stop until the warm, sticky blood coated his hand and the heavy weight on his chest stopped moving.
Ren lay there, panting, his heart beating so hard it hurt. He pushed the carcass off him.
He was bleeding. He was covered in rat gore. He was trembling.
[Ding!]
A beautiful sound rang in his ears.
[You have defeated a Dire Cave Rat (Lvl 2).]
[Experience gained.]
[Level Up!]
[Ren: Level 1 > Level 2]
A warmth flooded his body. The pain in his chest and shoulder dulled as his HP was restored slightly by the level-up effect.
[Status Updated]
HP: 4/7 (Increased)
MP: 12/12 (Restored & Increased)
Strength: 2 >3
Agility: 4 > 5
Ren sat up, wiping the blood from his eyes. He looked at the dead rat, then at the cheap pocket knife in his hand.
He had survived. He had killed.
But as he looked at the rat carcass, his stomach growled again. Louder this time. The level-up had consumed energy. He was starving.
Ren stared at the dead rat. In his past life, the thought would have made him vomit. But now....
"It's a loot drop," Ren whispered to himself, trying to rationalize it. "It's just... survival mechanics."
He brought the knife to the carcass. He had to eat to recover HP. And he had to grow stronger. Because he knew that in this cave, a Level 2 Rat was just a snack for something bigger.
And he refused to be a snack.
End of Chapter 2
Summary of Assets:
Current Mana: 12/12
Inventory: Rainbow Pocket Knife (Summoned), vast collection (stored).
Status: Level 2 Goblin Runt.
Current Location: Narrow Fissure, Goblin Nest.