NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: Exit
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
"I need a weapon though...the goblin's sword will have to do for now....even if it's rusted."...he said while staring at his "Task".
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[Task Available: Survive the First Night]
[Task countdown : -15 hours left ]
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"Ahh...well just 15 more hours...nothing bad can happen during those 15 hours right??, right System?....ahh let me just get the Rusted sword." He cleared all the tabs except the "gear & Accessories"
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Rusted Goblin Dagger | Weak weapon, but better than bare fists. | 15 points|
*
[Click to purchase item]
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"I squandered all my points already, I hope this sword holds up" Riven's breath came in short, uneven bursts as he crouched behind a twisted tree...he had to move from the open plains, the tree's bark slick with Veil-mist.
The moon above had turned a deeper shade of violet, casting long shadows that slithered across the ground like living things.
He clicked on the interface to purchase the "sword".
A sorry excuse of a sword appeared on the floor with a poof....
It even had brown rust falling of it.
"Damn, this sword does look like trash....I have to use this for now...at least I know how to use the System's interface now".
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> [Item Acquired: Rusted Goblin Dagger]
> Durability: 12/30
> Attack Bonus: +3 attack while fighting against Goblins
> Passive: "Bone Splinter" – 10% chance to cause bleeding
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It wasn't much. But it was better than bare fists....but It also deals extra damage to goblins it seems.
His Vitality had climbed to 22 after the elixir, and his body had stopped screaming with every breath.
But he was far from healed. His muscles still twitched involuntarily, and his vision blurred at the edges.
The forest rustled.
Riven froze.
A low growl echoed through the trees, guttural and wet, like something dragging its lungs across gravel.
Then he saw it.
A hulking goblin....twice the size of the ones he'd fought before....emerged from the mist.
Its skin was a sickly green-black, veins pulsing with dark energy. Its eyes glowed faintly red, and its jagged teeth were stained with blood.
[Ting]
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> [Threat Detected: Goblin Berserker – D Rank]
> Vitality: 180/180
> Strength: High
> Speed: Moderate
> Emotion Signature: Frenzy / Bloodlust / Hatred
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Riven's heart dropped.
It turned it's sight towards Riven.
"Nope. Nope. Nope."
He turned and ran....how many goblins are there!!!?
The Berserker roared, the sound shaking the trees, and thundered after him.
Riven's boots slammed against the forest floor, kicking up dirt and mist as he sprinted through the underbrush.
Branches clawed at his face, and roots threatened to trip him with every step. Behind him, the Goblin Berserker howled again...closer this time.
The system interface light up again.
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[Warning: Vitality 22/100. Sprinting drains stamina.]
[Advised: Seek shelter or concealment.]
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"I know! I know!" Riven hissed, ducking under a low-hanging vine. His lungs burned, and his legs felt like they were filled with molten lead. He couldn't outrun this thing forever.
The Berserker was faster. Stronger. And worst of all.....relentless.
Riven's eyes darted around, searching for anything....anything...that could help.
Then he saw it.
A hollowed-out tree, gnarled and ancient, its trunk split wide like a yawning mouth. The inside was dark, damp, and just barely wide enough to fit him.
He dove in.
The bark scraped his arms, and the stench of rot filled his nose, but he didn't care. He curled into the fetal position, clutching the Rusted Dagger close to his chest, and held his breath.
The Berserker thundered past.
Riven didn't move.
Not even when the goblin stopped a few meters away, sniffing the air like a bloodhound. Its claws scraped against the ground, and its breath came in ragged snarls.
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[Emotions Detected]
[Target's Emotion: Confusion / Frustration / Bloodlust]
[Target : Goblin Berserker ]
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Riven watched through the cracks in the bark, heart pounding like a war drum.
The System interface glowed faintly in his vision, outlining the goblin's emotional state in red.
It was looking for him. But it hadn't found him.
Not yet.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours. Time blurred.
Eventually, the Berserker growled and stomped off, vanishing into the mist.
Riven didn't move until the System chimed.
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> [Threat Level: Decreased]
> [Emotion Looting Efficiency Normalized]
> [Host's Vitality: 19/100]
[Task countdown : -9 hours left ]
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He exhaled slowly, his body trembling.
"I'm alive," he whispered. "I actually survived that."
The final hours were a blur of blood, silence, and the System's cold indifference.
Riven crouched beneath the shattered husk of a Veil tree, its bark pulsing faintly with residual emotion.
His breath came in ragged bursts, each one scraping against the inside of his ribs.
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[System Notification]
Task Progress: 98%
Time Remaining: 02:14:07
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He didn't move. Not yet. The Veil was quiet now, but quiet here meant something was watching.
Two more hours. He could survive that.
Then, the final task.
Is just to survive for the next 2 hours...I hope that goblin won't come here.
He kept on waiting around the tree, afraid that a goblin might pop out again.
He looked around the tree for anything that might help him in a long run but couldn't find anything.
He did find some bones, it looked like it was the remains of a four leg beast...
"I gotta go back before I get killed" he walked back to the big old tree he hid in before.
Riven approached the tree, blade in hand, and whispered the System's command.
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[System Notification]
Task Complete.
Reward: Exit Granted.
Bonus: Veil Crate [Unclaimed]
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"Finally!" He almost screamed in ecstacy.
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[Does host want to leave the gray Veil?]
[Y/N]
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"Whick kind of question is that!?, of course I wanna leave, right this instant" he said with a annoyed voice, he clicked the "Yes".
The air shimmered. A tear opened in the fabric of the Veil, jagged and pulsing with light.
Riven staggered toward it, every step a rebellion against the weight of the place.
He didn't look back. ...of course he didn't...he barely survived his last fight after all.
As he crossed the threshold, the Veil screamed behind him...not in pain, but in hunger. It would miss him....this won't be his last ascend into the Veils.
His vision blurred.
He collapsed on the other side.
He was out.
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