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The Apocalypse Grinder - Chapter 7
🕑 Added 2025-06-18 08:41:06 +0000 UTC<< Chapter 6 | Index | Chapter 8 >>
Right before they were snatched from the endless field of mud, Ronan noticed something strange about the tag hovering over Keith’s head. When they’d entered stage 2 of the tutorial, it had said the guy was a measly Lv.1.
Not so measly, given that Ronan had been the same, but not all men were created equal. Ronan had reached Lv.3 after taking down both of the lesser goblins, but when he saw Keith’s flavour text it hadn’t been the same as his.
[Human Lv.2]
Ronan guessed that Keith hadn’t gained any experience for defeating the lesser goblin warrior. Which was fair enough given that he’d done fuck all while Ronan risked life and limb, putting his precious forehead on the line to slaughter the damn thing.
Not that knowing how experience was allocated would help in future fights. However useless Keith was, he’d shown up when it counted. Ronan hoped he’d be able to do the same again now that the guy had pushed through his initial fear.
The weightlessness vanished and he only stumbled a single step as he touched against solid stone. Ronan was growing used to the sudden stops and starts between the stages of the tutorial.
Keith didn’t fare so well. He stumbled as he touched down on the stones and then fell on his ass. Ronan chuckled as he hauled him to his feet.
“You gotta lean into the fall, mate. You don’t want to get caught off guard if we land in the middle of a horde of goblins,” he explained, bending his knees as he demonstrated how to land properly.
Keith nodded, though he wore a scowl on his face. Ronan turned his attention to their surroundings.
The scenery had changed completely. There was no longer a trace of nature, but instead they were in a room built from stone bricks and lit with torches set in metal braziers.
Unlike the seemingly infinite landscapes of the first two stages of the tutorial, this room was only about five metres across both ways. In every single wall except one there was a stone archway in the centre.
The capstone of each arch had a glowing symbol carved into it. One was a bow, one a sword and shield, and the third and final arch had the symbol of a staff.
Ronan instantly guessed what the symbols represented and his guess was proven correct a moment later when the symbol of the sword and shield stopped glowing. A goblin carrying a metal shortsword and a wooden buckler stumbled out of the darkness and let out an ear piercing screech.
It gained its balance as it surveyed its surroundings, its gaze coming to rest on Keith and Ronan. Hatred erupted in its eyes and it let out a garbled squeal while raising its shield and pointing its blade towards them.
[Lesser Goblin Warrior Lv.5]
Keith scoffed. “Only one? This will be a piece of cake.” He turned to Ronan with a smirk on his face and met a stony glare.
“Don’t say stupid shit like that again Keith, or I’ll break your nose,” Ronan retorted, sighing deeply.
Everyone knew that you never tempted fate… Everyone except Keith apparently. Honestly, he wasn’t surprised but at the very least the chubby bastard had decided to fight. Baby steps.
The symbol of the sword and shield had started to gather light as soon as the goblin stumbled out and was a quarter full already. Meanwhile, the symbol of a bow had faded and another goblin stumbled out.
[Lesser Goblin Archer Lv.6]
The two goblins started screeching at each other while waving their weapons menacingly at the two men. With the numbers now even, the monsters’ confidence grew.
Their levels were only a little higher than the pair they’d defeated in the last stage of the tutorial, but Ronan knew the system wasn’t this kind. When the symbol of a staff faded and the tallest, lankiest goblin he’d ever seen walked out he clenched his fists tightly.
[Goblin Shaman Lv.10]
The bow symbol refilled at a much slower rate than the sword and shield, while the symbol of the staff moved at a crawl. He was glad for that. One lv.10 foe was plenty.
Keith’s face paled and he took a couple steps back so that Ronan was in front of him. “Hey, Ronan, remember when I offered you all that money? What if I-”
Ronan cut him off with a growl as the goblin shaman screeched at the two lesser goblins. Not only was it a higher level but seemingly a more evolved form of goblin.
It had less warts and it was far taller, while its nose was sharper and less bulbous. It even wore jewellery made from bones and had teeth that were a paler shade of yellow.
Rather than the discombobulated screeches of the lesser goblins it had a harsh and resonant voice that commanded respect and attention. The lesser goblins snapped to attention when it spoke.
The warrior advanced towards Ronan and Keith while the archer raised its bow and nocked an arrow. The shaman started muttering under its breath as its crusty fingernails glowed red.
Garbled cackles filled the stone room, the goblins’ hideous forms casting ugly shadows across the walls in the flickering light of the braziers. The lesser goblins’ bodies glowed red as whatever magic the shaman was casting took effect.
The warrior puffed out its chest as its muscles swelled and stepped towards Ronan with a confident swagger, flashing its disgusting teeth. The archer loosed the arrow and it whizzed towards Keith.
“Focus, Keith! They’re just ugly green bastards. You can do this,” Ronan shouted, startling the man out of his terrified daze.
Keith threw himself to the side at the last moment and avoided the arrow. “Fuck, this is crazy. Why did this have to happen to me?” he spluttered.
“It’s happening to everyone. We gotta suck it up and fight our way through like real men. Are you a real man, Keith!?” Ronan roared, making the goblin halt for a moment.
Another goblins stumbled out of the sword and shield arch. The shaman immediately hissed at the two warriors and the newly spawned goblin rushed to join its comrade in facing down Ronan and Keith.
Despite his shaking hands, Keith stepped up beside Ronan. “Of course I’m a fucking man,” he insisted, though even his voice trembled.
Ronan slapped him on the shoulder. “That’s the spirit. Let’s kick the shit out of these ugly green goons,” he chuckled.
[Lesser Goblin Warrior Lv.6]
The new warrior was a level higher than the first, indicating a worrying pattern. Ronan wasn’t sure whether the stage would end when the arches stopped summoning goblins or when they managed to clear the room of them, but either way it would be his toughest challenge yet.
And that made his heart race and his blood boil. Ronan was scared, but that only made him human. His old life had been torn apart and yet he felt nothing but excitement for what lay ahead.
The goblin shaman would be their biggest problem, but it had already retreated behind the two warriors and even the archer. In order to take it down they’d need to tear their way through the lesser goblin grunts.
Ronan lunged forwards, uncaring of the sharp steel that swung towards him as the goblin warriors squealed and met his charge. He avoided the two clumsy swings and used the same strategy he’d employed against the last goblin warrior.
His shoulder smashed into the wooden buckler of the lv.5 warrior and sent it stumbling backwards. The other goblin turned fast and moved to strike him from behind, but Keith had finally mustered his courage.
Before the second goblin warrior could stab Ronan in the back it found a furious overweight office worker swinging his fists at its face. The haymaker was wide and clumsy, but the lesser goblin hadn’t been prepared for it.
Keith’s pudgy fist smashed into its cheek and it fell backwards, spitting blood as its sword went wide. He stepped into the strike and followed with another blow, but his fist met the hard wood of its shield.
He grunted in pain, stopping to shake his injured hand. That gave the warrior a chance to recover and it stood a few steps away from him, eyes burning with hatred.
A squeal echoed through the room the next moment. Ronan was relentless. He’d honed his skills through killing the first three goblins and had perfected the art of breaking their defenses open.
He tore the shield from the warrior’s grasp and proceeded to smash it into the monster’s chest while hooking its ankle with his foot. The gnarled green goblin fell on its backside, but before it could even catch its breath Ronan fell on it with the fury of a berserker.
Squeals of pain mixed with grunts of exertion as he caved its skull in with the edge of its own shield. He winced as an arrow buried itself in his shoulder, halting his murderous rampage. However, the lesser goblin warrior was already dead.
But Ronan’s fury was barely quenched. He turned cold eyes on the archer, making it freeze even though there was an entire room separating them.
At that moment, another archer stumbled out along with a third warrior, who spawned right beside Ronan. The goblin shaman instantly screamed at the top of its lungs as it cast another spell.
The battle was just beginning.
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