Blood-curdling screams resonated across the grassy plains as waves of Goblins crashed into the human ranks. The Goblins ripped, clawed, bit, and stabbed their way through the crowd causing the beautiful green hills to become marred in shades of red. The ferocity and barbarism inflicted by the Goblins caused many to drop their weapons and run to escape the onslaught. Any semblance of discipline and order was soon forgotten, with no consideration given to new skills or fellow teammates.

Joe watched on in horror as the goblins carved their way through the group in front of him. The screams and howls caused his blood to curdle. Yet, he didn't have time to relax and stare. Thirty goblins quickly broke through and veered towards his group. Their yells discharged mass amounts of vile spit that caused the air to smell like rotten meat and weeks-old milk. Beatrice was closest to the Goblins. They pounced on her, stabbing and biting like rabid dogs. She screamed and swung frantically, attempting to dislodge them, yet the Goblins refused to let go. The group could only watch on in horror while they swarmed over her. Eventually, Beatrice fell to the ground. Her screams became whimpers until, finally, silence. She was dead.

"You bastards!!" The first to respond was Smokey. He lifted his claymore and activated his [Great Bear Transformation]. His arms, legs, and body grew tufts of fur, turning him into something resembling a werebear. He had triggered a partial transformation to give himself enhanced attributes while remaining in human form. His eyes gave off a red glint, and he leaped into the mass of Goblins. The power of his jump launched him several feet in the air, and he swung his claymore violently, bisecting three goblins in one go. All this had occurred in only a few seconds, but his impressive display woke the others from their stupor. Jones yelled out as he activated his [Summon Elemental] skill. A complex formation appeared on the ground, calling forth a 6ft ice elemental with fingers and arms covered in spikes of pure ice. The elemental roared out, responding to its master's distress, and it charged forwards and thrust a spear of ice directly through the closest Goblins torso. It died before it even knew what hit him. The ice elemental quickly threw the dead Goblin to the side before bounding towards its next victim.

Other group members who had kept their cool or hadn't run away began to release wave after wave of attacks at the Goblins in a fit of revenge. Balls of fire, earthen spears, arrows, and other summoned beasts soon fell on the arriving Goblins. Goblins dropped left and right as many burst into flames or were pierced by spears and arrows. Yet the response was not without consequence. In fits of panic, many skills landed on allies. People began swinging weapons without consideration for the human teammates standing next to them. Balls of fire and other attacks rained down on groups of Goblins even if allies were interspersed between them. The number of casualties continued to pile up. Humans and Goblins alike began to litter the ground, turning the fields red.

"Get into formation! Stand firm!" Adam and Rick, the two leaders, shouted orders in an attempt to reform the lines. Yet their sounds were drowned out by constant screams and yells of goblins and humans alike. The lack of coordination had turned the battle into an all-out brawl.

Joe swung his sword through the air, smashing the edge into the head of an unsuspecting goblin. Blood and brain matter erupted from the wound, causing the Goblin to collapse in a heap on the ground, convulsing. The little prick had tried to jump him when his attention was focused elsewhere. He had managed to shift out of the way just in time to avoid being stabbed. While the Goblin tried to reorient itself for another lunge, Joe took the initiative with a downward swing that struck the Goblin right in the skull. Once the Goblin died, he unexpectedly heard a 'ding' sound of a system notification.

Weak Goblin Lv1 Killed, +100 exp, +50 divine points.

'What the hell was that?' Joe's attention had only shifted for a moment when another Goblin ran up from behind and stabbed him in the thigh. It happened so quickly that he hadn't even seen it coming. The dagger dug into his leg, making him cry out in agony. The Goblin cackled, enjoying the feeling of inflicting pain on its victim. It ripped the blade out and prepared for its next attack. Joe wanted to drop his weapon and clutch his wound in pain, but his instincts told him he needed to focus no matter what. He lifted his sword and readied for the next attack. His hands gripped the handle tightly, and he waited until the Goblin jumped. As soon as the Goblin was in the air, Joe lunged out, aiming the tip of his sword directly into the Goblin's trajectory. He only needed to watch as the Goblin impaled itself in the gut, dying instantly.

Weak Lv1 Goblin Killed, +100 exp, +50 divine points.

"System shut the hell up," Joe couldn't help but scream out, cursing it for distracting him at a critical moment.

'Ding'

'Notifications disabled.'

He sighed in relief and extracted his sword from the now limp Goblin corpse. His eyes darted across the battlefield at the scene of carnage, wary of the next threat. However, by this point, only a few dispersed Goblins remained. Once the elite fighters jumped into the fray, the rest of the Goblin forces were quickly extinguished. Joe managed to watch Adam with his halberd, slicing apart multiple enemies with a single swing. His halberd glowed a light red hue as it effortlessly bisected goblins with unnatural speed. The weapon had to have a remarkable ability to slice through enemies like a knife through butter. Many other elites prowled the battlefield like hunters looking for their prey, unleashing powers beyond anything the Goblins could throw at them. Many elites laughed at the buffet of free exp.

Joe tried to stand, but the pain of his wound caused him to collapse to the ground. The feeling of nausea hit him like a freight train, and a glance down showed his trousers had become saturated red in blood. His wound was a mangled mess of muscle and tissue. He tried to put pressure on the wound, but it continued to bleed relentlessly. No doubt it would become infected if not treated. The daggers the goblins used were rusted and covered in filth. Who knew what diseases festered on those blades.

He managed to sit up and drag himself to his pack. He sifted through his items until he came across the first aid pouch he had purchased from the store. He pulled out the disinfectant and bandages. He didn't know the exact procedure, only that the wound needed to be cleaned first. It took 10 minutes of fumbling before he finally managed to stem the flow of blood and wrap it securely. With his injury treated to the best of his ability, he lay back on the ground, sweat pouring down his brow. He could barely believe it. It was only the first floor, and he had already come this close to death. Scratch that, not even the first wave. If he didn't get the wound professionally checked, he might still be minutes away from Respawning.

"Haha. Joe, ya bastard, you're still alive!" Smokey walked up, his sword and clothes covered in blood from battle. The old man had gone on an absolute killing spree. Wasn't this guy 70 years old?

"Hmph. I won't be killed that easily, Old Man." Joe pulled himself up with Smokey's help. The lush fields of grass had turned into areas filled with death. The deceased's blood had drenched the earth, turning the ground muddy. The whole site now had a red tint that made it look like a horror movie set.

"Haha, glad to hear. Let's get you to the healers" Smokey lifted Joe up with one hand. The old man's strength shocked Joe. He must have leveled up and gone all-in on strength. The bastard had to be as strong as an actual bear by now.

Joe hesitated at first but decided to ask the question that continued to gnaw at him. "How many did we lose?" The battle had turned into a sh*t show the moment the Goblins spawned. They had been caught with their pants down even though they knew it would happen. Joe thought back to all the mistakes they had made. How they had allowed Beatrice, their one healer, to be left unprotected left a bitter taste in his mouth. He hadn't even thought about healing since he obtained the [Respawn] skill. Now, looking at his mangled thigh, he realized how naive he had been. An errant dagger was all it took to take a person out of the fight. The idea of needing to respawn every time he got injured made him shudder, especially since he didn't even know if the skill worked yet.

Smokey's face scrunched up before looking down solemnly. Joe could see the man was pained by the loss of those under his charge.

"Too damn many. Beatrice, Alex, Mark, Susan, Rodriguez," Smokey spat. He turned his head left and right before continuing, "Those pricks from the vanguard force left us high and dry. The moment the Goblins were distracted with us, they jumped in to mop up the points without care." Joe could feel Smokeys muscles tense up as he recounted what happened.

Joe's eyes narrowed at the thought. It did seem strange. How were the leaders meant to direct a battle from the back of the line? Weren't they supposed to lead the charge? More could have been done to prevent the resulting chaos if a few elite fighters had been mixed in at the front. The sad atmosphere hung in the air as Smokey and Joe made their way to the makeshift healer's tent. Joe was impressed by the speed they got this thing up and running. Or that they even had one at all. It had only been 10 minutes since they arrived. Yet, scores of people were furiously working on setting up a defensive perimeter.

The healer's tent was just a simple miscellaneous item that could be purchased from the shop in different sizes and models. The one used here only provided basic cover from the elements. It was sparse, with no tables, chairs, or beds. Most of the injured stood or lay on makeshift sheets of clothing. It was unlikely that anyone wanted to waste points on furniture at this stage. The only way to store it would be a spatial storage device, even if they did.

Once they entered, they were hit with the thick stench of blood, sweat, and bodily fluids. It made Joe want to recoil and throw up. Only with a deep breath could he hold down the food ration bar he had eaten earlier. Inside, dozens of wounded men and women littered the floor. Some had superfluous injuries with a few scrapes and bruises. They were given a quick slap on the wrist before being sent off. Others, however, sported horrifying wounds. Joe could see those with burn marks, their faces or bodies marred by flames. Joe could only assume they had been hit by friendly fire. He was pretty confident the goblins didn't have any spell casters. Others clutched their necks or other body parts as they attempted to stem the loss of blood from bite and stab wounds. Interspersed among the injured, men and women in various outfits ran about to assist the most critically wounded. In one case, an unassuming woman sat next to a man bleeding profusely at the neck. She held her hands up to the man and seemed to mutter something. A second later, a beautiful hue of blue and white emerged from her hand. Suddenly, the wound was gone as though it had never existed. The same scenario repeated across the tent as those with healing skills worked their miracles.

"Woah.." Joe whispered while watching the healers at work.

Eventually, a middle-aged woman came up to them. She was wearing a simple white robe with a few sigils etched on the fabric. Joe couldn't help but notice her outfit was still in pristine condition, even in a place like this. Once again, this reaffirmed his suspicions that those sigil designs were not as simple as they appeared. Unlike her clothes, her face was covered in traces of dirt and sweat. She had likely been working furiously since the fighting started, and already Joe could see the signs of exhaustion from repeated skill usage. Yet the woman kept her professionalism as she gave Joe a once over before directing him over to a free space at the side.

"Alright, Kid, I better get back. The system quests haven't ended, so we're in for more trouble. Just focus on getting better." Smokey placed Joe down before patting him on the shoulder. The power of his grip caused Joe to flinch. 'Jeez, did this guy not know his strength?'

"Ah, sorry bout that. Haha. Just leveled up and increased my strength stat." Smokey quickly made a beeline out of there before Joe could respond. As Joe lay there waiting to get treated, all he could think about was that Smokey was right about one thing. The quest hadn't ended yet. He needed to get healed as fast as possible before the next attack arrived.