It didn't take me more than 10 minutes to find the dungeon, or lair, or whatever it was. The smell is what led me to it. I watched, crouched low over a hill a few hundred feet away. There were about seven of the stinky green things milling about outside of a rock outcropping with a large cave entrance.

"I should have taken a stealth character or a ranged class," I mumbled to myself, "Well no pain no gain," I said, backing down the little hill. I wanted to test my new skills out, and although, I didn't know the goblin levels they looked exactly like the ones I killed earlier. If that was the case I would continue into the cave. If they were significantly higher level or more numerous than I thought I could handle I would run.

I checked the time of day from the position of the sun learning about how to do it from some nature show, seemed to be around early afternoon. That gave me three or four hours before dusk, plenty of time. Heck, even the sun was in my favor coming from my back as I approached the cave. All my buffs were topped off and my mana had recharged. I glanced at my stats as I was on edge for the fight ahead.

Strength: 11(+2)

Endurance: 15

Agility: 12(+2)

Perception: 12(+1)

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 13

Charisma: 11

Luck: 12

HP: 363

Mana: 308

Mana Regen(min): 52

I now had a respectable mana regeneration rate of almost one per second. It wouldn't keep me going long but I wouldn't have to stand around forever after refreshing my spells either. I was nearing the closest spot I could get to without being spotted, still a good fifty feet away from the cave entrance.

I waited until all the little green pukes were looking the other way, then I made my move. I sprinted another 15 feet before one of the goblins spotted me, squeaking out an alarm. I cast Earth Fist on the one that spotted me, the spell cast differently than my healing or buff, there was no vocal component to it. I just had to think the name and direct my intent to where I wanted the attack to emerge from the ground, and bam. The Kerbal space program is born.

"Godspeed, Jeb," I said, giving it a quick one-finger salute.

'It's not the speed that kills you it's the sudden stop,' I thought, as an XP notice appeared when the creature hit the ground. I was close enough now to see the goblins' levels.

Goblin | Outcasts | Level 1

The six remaining green skins charged at me, well, when I mean charge more like they tottled over to me at a speed slightly faster than my walking speed. These things were weaker than an anti-vaxer's kid. I sidestepped the first green missile as he leaped toward me bone dagger ready to slice me open.

Already I could tell my adrenaline wasn't surging as much as my previous fights. These creatures didn't stir thoughts of panic or danger like with the Bear, or even those weird dog-like things in the forest. That was good for me, it meant I could be a little more experimental with my attacks.

I stepped to the side opposite the goblin's dagger hand and gave him a cheery smile. He gave out a squeal of rage as he realized he couldn't swing his arm back far enough to hit me on this side. I hauled back my foot and booted him in the rib as he flew past, sending him sprawling. The next one managed to stab me in the leg, the knife barely sharp enough to cut through my jeans. I hissed and pulled my leg back, not expecting the attack. My focus on the one I kicked the little green bastard had buried the short dagger into my thigh. Right in the meaty bit.

"Ow, you wee bastard!" I muttered angrily, avoiding putting too much pressure on that leg until I healed it.

Before he could reach over and jerk the knife out of my thigh I snapped my staff down across his twig-like arm. The snap of bone and accompanying scream from the goblin was worth the pain I was experiencing. It dropped to the ground clutching at its mangled arm. I ripped the dagger free with a grunt of pain and a gush of blood, tossing it aside as I cast my Rejuvenate spell. That's one down two out for a bit.

I met the next two goblins with a wide sweep of my staff; one was even smart enough to dodge. The other made the mistake of trying to block my strike with his club, which was no more than a thick stick. The force behind my blow pushed his weapon and my weapon into his head followed by another XP notice. I quickly backpedaled away from a slash at my belly nearly falling over as I put weight on my still healing leg. Managing to stay upright, I grabbed the offender around the arm and tossed him into the other goblin trying to jab me with the pointy end of a stick. They both went down in a heap and I was about to finish them off when something stabbed me in the back.

My back arched away from the pain reflexively as I screamed, "Motha fu."

I spun around meeting the gaze of the goblin that had come at me first, the bastard I had kicked away. Realizing I had been an idiot to turn my back on the creature while it still lived. I could feel the knife moving in my lower back. While it wasn't long enough to hit any vital organs it still caused me a great deal of pain as I moved.

Luckily I was still healing. In my rage mostly at my idiocy, I pulled the weapon out and returned it to him blade first as the goblin looked at me in shock. He must have thought that attack would do me in. I smashed the bone dagger down so hard into his head that the handle snapped off in my hand. My anger not sated I wheeled around smashing another goblin in the ribs as he tried to sneak up on me. As he doubled over from my blow I smashed him over the head, that's four down. The two I threw into each other were finally getting up and the one with the broken arm was still rolling on the ground crying.

I lunged at the stick-wielding goblin and he screamed in surprise as I smashed his face in with a quick jab. The force of my blow knocking him back to fall over his friend that was trying to get up, knocking them both down again. I dispatched the three remaining goblins with quick strikes.

After the fight, I looted the bodies and got five credits for my troubles. There were, of course, the weapons and goblin ears but I tossed them. I didn't want that nasty shite in my bag. I stopped to reevaluate the goblins and my chances of surviving. I liked my odds so I decided to carry on, looking toward the cave opening. It was tall enough for me to stand upright which was good but it wasn't very wide, certainly not wide enough for me to swing my staff horizontally. I would have to keep that in mind while attacking.

"Well, let's go say hi to the neighbors," I said, entering the dark tunnel.

I thrust out with my staff and another goblin fell clutching his chest. My staff blow, easily caving in his ribs. I lost count of the little green shits after they tried swarming me. They weren't all that bright though and managed to get stuck shoulder to shoulder as they all trying to rush me at once. I had been a bit scared at first seeing the mass of goblins heading towards me. But the cave was so tight in spots that I barely fit through, making it perfect to control the enemy numbers.

I simply stayed out of reach of the goblins and tried aiming for spots that I know would disable or cripple the creatures. As the goblins managed to break through one bottleneck I made the mistake of firing my pistol at them in panic. My ears were still ringing from that shot so I put it away.

Instead, I now carried my flashlight, which was a windup powered gizmo I had purchased last year. Turns out it still worked after the System came into being. I did have to stop and wind it every thirty minutes or so and it wasn't all that bright but it was enough to see by so that's all that mattered. I thrust out again at a goblin trying to crawl over the dead and injured that blocked the tunnel ahead of me.

My staff hit in the wrist and it yowled in pain dropping its weapon. I was conserving my mana at the moment, just waiting for the tide of stinky green goblins to stop. The fear and trepidation I first felt had fled as I was filled with the joy of battle, which seemed to grow as more experience flooded into my body. Each spell I cast heightening the thrill I felt. Primal energies flowing through my body, it all made me feel... so alive!

When my mana maxed out I cast Earth Fist on the corpse pile scattering the bodies and those behind. This would usually kill any injured in the pile and disrupt the ones behind for a few seconds. I took advantage of this momentary calm to sprint forward and bash three more goblins. This went on for a good half hour before quiet finally took over.

What I had come to call my battle lust faded as the battle ended. Glad I wasn't suffering withdrawal symptoms as I took this time to have a drink from my bottled water and an energy bar. I figured this lust was a combination of adrenaline, experience, and the arcane powers I wielded, mixing to create something that put what a normal adrenaline junkie felt to shame. I just hoped it wasn't addictive. While I enjoyed the feeling and the fighting, I didn't want to have to live the rest of my life going from fight to fight just to feel something.

I also took the time to look at my experience bar. I still needed more time and a safer spot before I went over all the damn notifications that were piling up.

You have reached level 4, modifiers increased by 1

I had managed to sort out the level up notification while fighting and it was the only one I was willing to read at the moment.

HP: 310/380

Mana: 262/322

Mana Regen(min): 65

I cast Healing Touch on myself and moved on down the tunnel. Occasionally I had to stop and clear a side passage while making sure the goblins didn't sneak up behind me. Fool me once shame on me, fool me twice and I'll get angry. I bashed and jabbed my way further into the dungeon until I finally made it to a large open cave.

I stopped just shy of the cave entrance. One reason was to look around and also to recover my mana and health some more. I must have slaughtered sixty of the little green bastards by now. Deciding it was a good time to refresh my buffs. This dropped my mana to 20 and I was sorely tempted to use my mana potion but held off. I figured if the monsters in here were content to let me sit and recharge, who was I to complain?

In the cave, I could see half a dozen goblins. These appeared to be larger than the rest I fought. There was also a goblin holding a staff, sitting on a throne of bones. They were close enough to use identify on, so I did.

Goblin | Brute | Level 2

Goblin | Shaman | Level 5

Not good. I needed to get rid of the Shaman as quickly as possible; I could probably take the six brutes on easily enough. I formulated a quick plan in my head, that I hoped would work. A quick glance at my mana showed it to be at 251. 'That should be enough,' I thought as I cast my strength buff and moved into the cavern.

As soon as I crossed the threshold I got a notification.

You have entered the Goblin Lair, Level 1 dungeon, recommended level '6', or party of 3 of any lower level

Odd that the System would wait until I entered this room to notify me that I was in a dungeon. Oh well. I rushed towards the closest brute, twirling my staff now that I had enough room to move and cracked him hard against the shield that he managed to put up in time to block. The blow left my hands stinging but sent the monster sprawling to the ground where he dropped his sword. I kept my eyes on the rest of the creatures and when I saw the Shaman casting a spell I Earth Fisted him right in the baby maker. I swear he shrieked into the ultrasonic range as his spell flew wide.

I wasn't sure what type of spell it was, some sort of black miasma. No thanks. I imbued my next attack with Aura Strike and feigned a strike to the other shield bearer. Predictably he covered his body with the shield and I changed the angle of my strike to his leg. The leg buckled and cracked under the blow sending him down in a heap.

I leaped back as two more slashed and stabbed at me. One sliced my leg and the other hit me in the torso but didn't have enough force to punch through my armor. The pain in my leg was muted by the battle lust and I only winced a little as the wound bled freely. I grabbed the offending goblin's spear pulling him off balance while kicking his leg out from under him. As he went down I reared back slamming the end of my staff into his back. I saw my experience tick up as I leaped back to avoid another strike. The downed and injured goblins were beginning to recover.

A glance over showed even the Shaman was recovering. 'Shit, my Earth Fist spell was still on cooldown,' I thought frantically, knowing I had to keep the Shaman occupied.

"Hope you assholes like gunfire," I said pulling the pistol out and firing three quick rounds at the Shaman.

Of course, my accuracy was shit with one hand, and with him being across the room I missed two of the shots. The third hit him in the leg but the wound was minor, the big benefit of firing off the gun was they had all stopped to grab their ears. Bigger ears more sensitivity I guess. I fired off the last of the magazine into the closest shield wielder, who had dropped his defense. It wasn't enough to kill him but he lay on the ground bleeding from 4 gunshot wounds.

I re-holstered the pistol taking my staff in both hands and dashed forward, knocking aside the sword thrust and backhanding him with my staff. He fell over with a grunt and I had a clear path to the Shaman. I rushed at him even as he began to cast another spell.

'In for a penny in for a pound,' I thought, casting Rejuvenate. The shaman's spell hit me hard, this time a green glob struck me right in the torso. It wasn't quite enough to knock me over but I did stumble. I could hear a sizzling sound.

"Fucking acid," I roared closing the distance to the shaman as he tried to cast yet another spell. I swung my staff and he stepped back managing to avoid the strike but it seemed to disrupt his casting. He quickly tried to cast again but I was upon him now. With a jab, and a slash I had him on the defensive.

The acid had finally eaten through my armor and was dripping down my skin. It was taking all my endurance and will to focus on the battle at hand and not drop into a screaming pile of agony on the ground as that would surely end with my demise. I just had to trust in my healing to numb the pain and get me through this battle.

I needed to end the fight between the Shaman and I soon so the other goblins wouldn't stab me in the back. I cast Healing Touch on myself as I swung wildly at the creature, my blows being fueled by the pain now more than the battle high I experienced before. Slowly whittling away its health. I doubt it had a large health pool but it kept deflecting my attacks completely or partially. My focus wavering as I endured the burning pain in my chest and stomach.

That was fine, I had managed to hold out long enough for my Earth Fist spell to come off cooldown and I cast it again. The Earth Fist hit the goblin Shaman in the side and as it bent over in pain I slammed my staff down on its collarbone crushing its neck. I quickly spun around just in time to deflect a spear from one of the Brutes.

I was in so much pain from the acid that slowly dripped down my chest that I nearly fell over. I grit my teeth and fought on. Pain is the mind-killer, I shall feel no pain. All of the mobile brutes were on me now and I spent most of my time avoiding attacks and trying to deflect them. I was starting to run out of steam and knew if I didn't change the course of battle I was going to die. The one upside was that the acid had finally stopped burning as my spells worked to heal the damage wrought on my sensitive skin.

I stepped back and quickly jabbed the mana potion into my thigh before the goblin could take advantage of my moment of weakness. I immediately recast Rejuvenate and Healing Touch and ran into the closest goblin-like a linebacker on a mission. I felt the goblins sword slide through my hip but the pain was nowhere near as excruciating as the acid burn, I gritted my teeth as I used my staff like a cudgel. Bash and thrust and swing. I lost myself to the battle.

I sat there among the remains panting from exhaustion and bloody, a large hole in my hoodie and leather jerkin where the acid orb impacted. I got the name of the spell from the damage notification. I was sore all over despite all of my healing. 'Programmers weren't designed to move this much,' I thought, a little bit of my previous life slipping through. After looking around I decided this was a safe enough location to finally go over my notifications and adjust my H.U.D. properly. I piled up all the bodies in the entrance to the cave after looting them.

I cleared out the notices from the bear and the wisperlings, I guess that's what those forest creatures were called. I lucked out and they were all level one. Well, all except the Bear. One thing I did note about the bear fight was my final blow. It was way more damage than should have been possible for me even with the critical damage. I guess the system took velocity into account when calculating damage. I would keep that in mind that might come in handy later.

I also cleared out the notices from the goblin outcasts, and goblin fodder. They had all been level ones. The Goblin Brutes had done a decent amount of damage when they hit me. One strike had taken nearly forty hp from me. That paled in comparison to that damn Shaman. That one acid orb did 100 damage and an additional 5 damage per second for 20 seconds taking off nearly two-thirds of my health. If I hadn't disrupted two of his spells I would likely be dead even with my healing. Then I looked at my next notification.

Congratulations you are the first solo adventurer on Earth to clear a dungeon. For this epic feat, you have been awarded 1 free skill slot

*Error: level too low* your free skill slot will be held until level 7

For clearing this dungeon solo you have been awarded 300 credits, for being the first person to clear this dungeon you have been awarded 200 additional credits.

You have earned the title Goblin Scourge 15% additional damage when fighting goblinoids.

The title was nice but the credits were nicer. I even still had some leftover from my barter session with Frathsar. This was more credits then my entire item sale ended up being. I also looted an additional 25 from the goblins. There was only one other noteworthy item.

Magic stick

Weapon type: Rod

Quality: Low

This rod grants the user 20% additional magic damage

I stuffed it in my pack since it wouldn't help me all that much. My last notification was the best.

You have reached level 5, modifiers increased by 1

5 free attribute points available

Rock skin: Defense up by 10% for 60 min 25m range, Cost 50 mana, cooldown 1min

Lesser Rejuvenate: Heals 80hp over 30s 25m range, cost 25 mana, cooldown 30sec

Shield: Grants a shield that absorbs 15% of damage for 5m, cost 40 mana, cooldown 1min

I only received one new spell but the increase to Rejuvenate and Shield was nice. Now what to do with the attribute points? From using my skills and weapon I learned that Strength wasn't all that important for my class. Mana and regeneration rate were becoming far more important along with agility. I decided on putting 2 in intelligence, 1 in wisdom, 1 in agility, and 1 in endurance. This way I would boost my only ranged ability's damage as well. A quick look at my stats and I was happy.

Strength: 11(+2)

Endurance: 16

Agility: 13(+2)

Perception: 12(+1)

Intelligence: 16

Wisdom: 14

Charisma: 11

Luck: 12

HP: 384(423)

Mana: 384

Mana Regen(min): 84

After I assigned my points I dithered about in the cave for another twenty minutes or so, adjusting my interface and making it only show the information I needed. I didn't really care about damage stats unless they went above a certain threshold. This way if I managed to cause a massive amount of damage with some action I could try to repeat it.

My Area of Denial spell was finally reset from my battle with the bear. Hard to believe it had only been three hours since that battle. It was hard to figure out the exact experience needed to level since the bar had no numbers associated with it and I only ever got exact experience notices from doing something unique. Would farming goblins raise my level quickly? Somehow I doubted that. So that meant looking for stronger opponents to fight or more dungeons to clear. Both options had their positives and negatives.

Obviously, if I could find more creatures like the bear to fight I would level faster. Fighting that monster brought me almost three-quarters of the way to level 3. With my skills and ability to heal I should look for more solo monsters of higher levels to fight. It's too bad I had no way to find monsters. I had to be careful though. I didn't know if there were specified level-specific zones like RPG's or if monsters of any given level could be around the corner. While this option was the most controllable if I could find a solo creature to fight. It would do me no favors to run into a monster of level 10 or above, or a large pack of monsters my level.

The dungeon route was easy since I could control the flow of enemies with the tight tunnels. Although, there were no guarantee future dungeons would be tight tunnels. Looking for more dungeons in the near future might be an option, or maybe I could find some friends. Someone willing to party up and explore dungeons with me. That was for the future though. Right now I needed to get to the next town, maybe I could catch up to Frathsar. It would be nice for someone to have my back even it was just a merchant.