It was mid-morning when I finally walked back through the gates of Megiddo. I was covered in a thin layer of grime, my cheap leather armor was scuffed and stained, and I probably smelled like a wet dog that had been sleeping in a goblin latrine. The heavy burlap sack was slung over my shoulder.
I pushed open the doors to the Adventurer's Guild. It was just as loud and busy as I remembered. The same groups of armored men and women were drinking, boasting, and laughing. Gideon and his cronies were at their usual table, holding court. They saw me enter. Gideonâs face, which had been mid-laugh, twisted into a sneer of contemptuous amusement. He nudged his friend. They were expecting me to come crawling back, a failure.
I ignored them. I ignored all of them. I walked a straight, steady line to the counter where Talia was busy stamping documents. She looked up, her professional smile faltering as she took in my state. Pity flashed in her eyes.
"Stephen," she said, her voice soft. "You're back. I'm so glad you're safe. Don't worry about the quest, we can justâ"
"I'm here to report the completion of the Goblin Nest Culling quest," I said, my voice flat. It cut through her gentle dismissal.
I heaved the heavy sack off my shoulder and dropped it onto the wooden counter. It landed with a deep, wet, sickening thud that silenced the conversations nearby.
Talia stared at the sack, then at me. "Completion?"
I didn't answer. I just reached for the knot at the top of the sack and pulled it open. I reached inside, my hand gripping something large and coarse. I pulled it out and placed it on the counter for all to see.
The massive, ugly, tusked head of the Goblin Champion stared up at the ceiling with dead, glassy eyes.
A single, sharp gasp from Talia was the first sound. Then, it spread. A ripple of shocked silence radiated out from the counter, extinguishing the noise and laughter of the guild hall until the only sound left was the crackle of the fire in the hearth.
Gideon was on his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floorboards. "Impossible!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "That's not... there's no way! You probably found that head somewhere!"
I ignored him and tipped the sack over. A cascade of dozens of large, pointed, leathery earsâHobgoblin earsâtumbled out onto the counter, surrounding the Champion's head.
Talia's hands were trembling as she looked at the pile of proof. She picked up one of the ears, her face pale. The sheer quantity was an undeniable statement. This wasn't a scouting mission. This wasn't a lucky kill. This was a massacre.
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"By the Elders," a deep voice rumbled.
A man I hadn't seen before was approaching from a back office. He was older, with a grizzled grey beard and a web of scars around one eye. He moved with the authority of someone who had seen real combat. The Guild Master. His eyes flicked from me to the head on the counter. He stopped, his gaze fixed on the trophy. He leaned in, examining the size, the tusk formation, the crude metal studs hammered into its brow.
His eyes, which had been calm and appraising, widened in genuine shock.
"This..." he breathed, his voice low but carrying through the dead-silent hall. "This is a Goblin Champion. A B-Rank threat."
He straightened up slowly and turned to me. The entire guild was frozen, watching. Gideon looked like he'd been punched in the gut.
The Guild Master looked at the simple, unadorned iron plate hanging on a chain around my neck. The plate that identified me as a Novice, the lowest possible rank. He looked at the B-Rank monster head on the counter. He looked back at me.
The silence stretched, thick and heavy.
In a quiet, tense voice that demanded an answer, he asked, "Who... in the world... are you?"
Talia was just staring at me, her brown eyes wide, filled with a mixture of fear, awe, and something that looked disturbingly like worship.
I didn't answer him. I just looked inward, at the only answer that mattered.
[STATUS]
[Name: Stephen]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Novice]
[Level: 50]
[HP: 300/300]
[MP: 125/125]
[Stats]
[Strength: 75] (+10)
[Agility: 60]
[Stamina: 50]
[Intelligence: 25]
[Wisdom: 25]
[Luck: 5]
[Unspent Stat Points: 0]
[Skills]
* [System's Favor (Unique)]
* [Blunt Weapon Mastery (Lv. 12)]
* [Unarmed Combat (Lv. 4)]
* [Throwing (Lv. 3)]
* [Mana Shot (Active, Lv. 6)]
* [Mana Strike (Active, Lv. 9)]
* [Stealth (Active, Lv. 7)]
* [Detect Presence (Active, Lv. 5)]
* [Minor Heal (Active, Lv. 5)]
[Equipment]
* [Champion's Jagged Axe (Rare)]
* [Crude Iron Mace (Common)]
* [Worn Leather Cuirass (Common)]
* [Worn Leather Vambraces (Common)]
* [Worn Leather Greaves (Common)]
* [Simple Boots (Common)]
[Inventory]
* [Goblin Champion Head (Quest Item)]
* [Hobgoblin Ears x34 (Quest Item)]
* [Crude Goblin Dagger (Trash)]
* [Burlap Sack]
* [Gold Coins: 2]
* [Silver Coins: 8]
* [Copper Coins: 127]