TheShingPen
Into the Fray
Zarin barely avoided another swing from the goblin’s sword, the blade whistling past his ear as he stumbled backward. His heart raced as he realized how close he was to becoming goblin stew. Now darting wildly around, the chicken wasn’t exactly the magical reinforcement he had hoped for.
The goblin hissed and growled in frustration, but Zarin could tell from its wild, sloppy swings that it wasn’t trying to kill him outright. His Combat Insight Skill had become sharper since the fight started. He could read the goblin’s intentions like an open book: non-lethal, incapacitating strikes aimed at knocking him out, just like it had done with the adventurer earlier.
‘It’s not trying to kill me—just knock me unconscious,’ Zarin thought as he dodged another clumsy blow. ‘That gives me some time, at least. And I’m sure the adventurer isn’t in any real danger. Still, it won’t do me any good to get knocked out, too.’
He shifted his stance, trying to position himself better to counter the goblin’s next move. But before he could plan his next step, something unexpected happened.
The girl—the damsel Zarin had been so focused on saving—suddenly sprang into action. With a swift, deliberate motion, she pulled a small dagger from underneath her dress. She drove it into the goblin’s back with surprising precision. Zarin blinked, stunned.
The goblin cried out in pain, stumbling forward as blood trickled from the wound. It turned, snarling at the girl with apparent shock in its eyes.
Zarin’s Combat Insight skill flared again, and he noticed something strange: despite the stab wound, the attack wasn’t fatal either. The blow, while painful, was calculated to cause injury without being lethal.
Before he could voice his confusion, the girl stepped back, her expression shifting from one of fear to something far more sinister. Gone was the helpless damsel; her lips curled into a sneer, and a cold, malicious glint appeared in her eyes.
“You really thought you were saving me, didn’t you?” Her voice dripped with mockery as she tossed the bloodied dagger aside. “Pathetic.”
Zarin’s stomach dropped. “Wait, what?”
As he stared in disbelief, the girl’s form began to shimmer and distort. Her long hair shortened and darkened, and her figure slimmed until her curves vanished altogether. Her skin paled, and she transformed into a completely different entity before Zarin’s eyes.
The illusion faded, revealing a sleek, androgynous figure with pale, featureless skin. Their chest was flat, with no facial features—no eyes, mouth, or gender. The being’s unsettling form stood eerily still, watching Zarin with its blank face.
Zarin’s heart pounded. “What… are you?”
The creature tilted its head slightly, its movements too smooth and unnatural. “I am a Faceless, a being with no true form, “it said, its voice echoing eerily in the clearing. “And you… you’re a fool. “
Zarin’s mind raced. “Wait a second, why didn’t you kill the goblin? You could’ve ended it right there.”
The Faceless gave a hollow laugh. “Because that was never the plan, you idiot. I didn’t need to kill her. My job was to capture her, not end her life. Her father will pay more if she is alive. “
It all clicked into place. The goblin hadn’t been attacking with killing intent, nor had the Faceless. This entire fight had been about capturing, not killing. The Faceless had staged the scene, using a fake damsel act to lure in unsuspecting adventurers—like Zarin.
The person even started blubbering the truth in front of him, considering that he had no chance to escape and would just die in a few moments.
He cursed under his breath. ‘Damn it. I should’ve seen that coming.’
But as the realization dawned, so did something else. His Combat Insight skill was evolving. It was no longer just about reading movements—it now let him detect the intent behind actions. He had been gaining more clarity, his mind piecing together strategies and motives in a way that had felt almost subconscious.
As if on cue, a notification window blinked before his eyes, one he had ignored earlier in the heat of battle.
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Skill Leveled Up*
Combat Insight reached Level 5
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‘So that’s how leveling works,‘ Zarin realized. ‘The more I use my skills, the stronger they get. This world… it’s designed for growth.’
Before he could dwell on it further, the Faceless took a menacing step toward him, extending its unnaturally long, sharp claws.
“And now,“ it hissed, “you’ve made yourself a nuisance. I suppose I’ll have to deal with you, too.”
Zarin’s Combat Insight kicked into overdrive, the Faceless’s attack becoming as clear to him as if it had announced its next move. The creature’s posture signaled a killing strike, something far more deadly than before.
But this time, Zarin didn’t panic. His leveled-up skill gave him confidence.
The Faceless lunged at him, claws swiping with blinding speed, but Zarin sidestepped with a precision he hadn’t known he had. His heart was pounding, but something inside told him he could handle this.
‘Time to roll the dice,‘ he thought, activating his class skill again, which was just out of cooldown. The translucent die materialized and spun before crashing to the ground. Zarin’s breath caught as he watched it roll.
Please, something good this time.
It stopped.
A 6.
Zarin felt a surge of energy like nothing he had ever felt before. His hands tingled with power as a brilliant beam of light formed in his palms, fueled by the dice roll. Without thinking, he thrust his hands forward, and the energy exploded from him in a wave of light.
The beam shot forward and struck the Faceless in the chest. It didn’t even have time to react before the light enveloped it, consuming its entire form in a brilliant flash. The creature’s body disintegrated into a cloud of black smoke, scattered by the wind before it could reform.
Zarin stood there, stunned, his hands still glowing faintly with the residual energy. The Faceless was gone—completely obliterated.
The clearing fell silent. The only sound was the soft rustling of the leaves and the distant clucking of the chicken, still wandering aimlessly nearby.
Zarin exhaled, his breath shaky. “Did that really just happen?“ The sheer power of the attack left him in awe. He had obliterated the Faceless with a single hit.
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Enemy Defeated
Target: Faceless (Lv. 10)
EXP Gained: 400
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Skill Leveled Up
Fate Dice-d6 reached Level 2
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Class Leveled Up
Gambler of Fate reached Level 4
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Zarin’s eyes widened as multiple level-up notifications flooded his vision. His class had skyrocketed thanks to the power of defeating a higher-level opponent.
The rush of energy began to fade, leaving him both exhilarated and exhausted. He had become stronger in an instant, and the potential for growth in this world suddenly felt real and attainable.
Zarin stood alone in the now eerily quiet clearing as the last notifications disappeared. The adventurer still lay unconscious on the ground, and the chicken clucked absently as if nothing had happened.
Zarin let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Guess I’m not too bad at this after all.“
And though the world he entered was unpredictable, he knew he had a fighting chance.