"Strip."
'What?'
Standing before the handsome, black-haired guy was a goblin woman. She was exactly how one would imagine while reading novels.
Her entire body was green, but her pupils were yellow.
'A goblin? Am I dreaming right now?'
And she wasn't alone. More than twenty goblins were standing in front of him, analysing his body.
Ryan's body felt hot; he was sweating buckets.
His hands were locked in steel shackles, and he was currently kneeling in front of them.
On both sides of him, there were more than fifty males kneeling in the same posture.
"You. Human with red eyes."
Her finger pointed at Ryan. By now, he had quickly realised: he had been transmigrated into another world.
He tried to move his body, but he felt weak, his breathing becoming laboured.
'Why can't I move?'
"You wanna die, human?" The goblin before him spoke in an irritated tone, her face twitching in anger.
Among the rows of kneeling men, he was the only one with clothes. That only increased the curiosity of the goblins.
They were tempted to see him naked.
One of the goblins walked to his side, tearing the cloth on his body.
"No... wait."
"You dare resist, slave?" She lifted her leg to kick him.
"Stop." A voice echoed through the cave.
The goblin stopped and turned towards the entrance.
It was Mira. She was their leader, put in charge of this bunch of humans.
"What are you doing, Kee?" Mira came closer, giving off an intimidating presence.
"He is not obeying," she mumbled, slowly moving back.
Mira's gaze then fixed on Ryan. "Your queen sold you, human. We will not feed you until you obey orders."
But Ryan was on the ground, panting.
Mira extended her hand to check what was wrong. His body was hot. So hot she quickly pulled her hand back.
"This human is sick. No use today. Pick someone else."
The goblins surrounding him let out disappointed sighs and moved on to others.
"You come with me." Kee pulled the guy near Ryan, dragging his body on the ground to the other side.
"No... please, not today." His cries echoed, but she didn't care. She wanted to let out her anger on someone.
Every goblin there chose a guy quickly afterwards and started moving out.
"Ah... Yes... Fast..."
A few seconds later, moans from multiple people could be heard from the outside.
Ryan, lying still, moved his gaze towards Mira.
She was already looking at him. "Do not think you've escaped."
"It will be your turn tomorrow. With me."
Her mouth formed a creepy smile as she turned back.
Ryan's vision slowly faded as a screen appeared in front of him.
DING
[CONGRATULATIONS HOST, FOR UNLOCKING CONQUEROR'S SYSTEM]
The blue screen was the last thing Ryan saw before darkness swallowed him completely.
It wasn't sleep born of exhaustion; rather, his body was forced to shut down.
[System Initialisation: 10%... 45%... 89%...]
[Host Body Scanning: Complete.]
[Emergency Protocol Activated: Fever Reduced. Vitality Stabilising to normal.]
Ryan gasped, his eyes snapping open.
The heat that had been boiling his insides was gone, replaced by a cool, unnatural clarity that washed over his nerves.
He pushed himself up, his palms scraping against the rough ground of the cave floor.
It was only him now.
The main holding area was empty, save for the scattered rags of the men who had been dragged away.
There were also torches fixed inside the caves to light the way in the darkness.
From the tunnels leading deeper into the goblin nest, low sounds drifted back to him. It was a mixture of guttural laughter and pained, muffled whimpers.
Ryan's stomach churned uncomfortably.
The reality of his situation crashed down on him. He had bought himself twenty-four hours because of a fever, but that fever was gone now.
"Tomorrow," he whispered, his voice hoarse but steady. "She said tomorrow."
Mira's face flashed in his mind: the sharp, uneven teeth, the yellow pupils, and the terrifying strength she hid behind that small frame.
He looked down at his hands. In this place, he was just cattle to them.
Unless the dream was real.
"System," he murmured.
DING.
The translucent blue panel instantly appeared in the air before him.
[Welcome, Host. The Conqueror's System aims to reshape the hierarchy. In a world of subjugation, you are designed to rule.]
[Current Status: Slave (Temporary)]
[HP: 80/100 (Recovering)]
[Strength: 40]
[Agility: 50]
[Stamina: 4]
[Mana: 0]
[Charm: 9 (Locked due to status)]
Ryan carefully looked at the status.
Weaker than the average human back on Earth, probably due to the transmigrator's body.
[New Quest: Survive the Night.] [Reward: Beginner's Gift Pack.] [Notice: Beginner's Gift Pack is available for immediate claim to ensure Host survival.]
"Claim it," Ryan hissed immediately. He didn't have the luxury of hoarding resources.
[Opening Gift Pack...]
[Received: Skill - 'Insight' (Lv. 1)]
[Received: Passive - 'Pain Tolerance' (Low)]
Ryan felt a strange relief.
[Insight (Lv. 1): Allows the Host to view basic information, stats, and hidden weaknesses of targets and objects.]
He immediately shifted his gaze to the heavy iron shackles binding his wrists. A smaller window popped up next to it.
[Goblin Cuffs] [Durability: 42/50] [Weakness: A sharp impact at a 45-degree angle can shatter the pin.]
A small smirk formed near his lips. He was going to get the hell out of this shithole and get revenge on those who looked down on him.
He wasn't helpless anymore.