Noa had no weapons or gear in his hand.
The Academy provided them before the students were led into the First Abyss, but Klaus took them from him.
It meant he had to kill goblins with his bare hands.
Thankfully, Noa knew how to fight.
After spending 10 years researching the game, he practiced various martial arts, such as Silat and Krav Maga, mastering sword skills and basic defense at an intermediate level.
Starting because of an obsession, it quickly became something he enjoyed.
But it wasn't something that would work in this world.
Magic, skills, and monsters existed on Velrox, and his ordinary fighting capabilities wouldn't last for long.
Even the original Noa practiced with swords here and there.
Yet he was trash and talentless, as his memories didn't help Noa one bit.
At least his physical shape was passable.
One was an average human stat, and he had 1.3 in Vitality, meaning his stamina and health were slightly better.
Now Noa waited for the goblins to arrive.
His strategy was to strike them, expecting to gain EXP, level up, and gain some attribute points.
However, he was hoping for something else.
In theory, every Ember could possess up to six skills, and all of them were based on their talent.
Each skill was given at each grade, but there was a sixth ability one could attain pretty easily.
The class had a role in this, along with allocating their stat points.
In general, if one had a wizard class, their talent, and skills were mana-based—no exceptions existed—and as Noa listened to the sounds, he aimed for the second skill.
'Here they come.'
He could tell they were getting closer.
A bunch of stupid goblins roamed around, searching to slay him again.
Noa had other plans. Peeking through the hole where he was kneeling, he saw them and used the inspect function.
It was almost a skill that every Evolved received upon awakening.
But it solely worked through the system, and no mana was required.
[ Green Goblin Lv. 1 ]
[ Grade: Primitive Frail ]
Monsters, Embers, items, gear, and everything else were divided into five similar grades.
From Evolved to Eclipsed.
Yet some monsters and items could be even lower grade, such as Primitive.
As for the second modifier, it was a potential and rarity indicator, starting with Frail and followed by Challenger, Elite, Overlord, and Ender.
Noa didn't want to waste time.
It was unnecessary and might create unforeseen issues, compelling him to take a step back.
He was excited about the first kill and didn't dwell further.
With swift and gentle steps, Noa neared the closest goblin, escaped its radar, and brought his hands to its neck, snapping it in one motion.
The monster died instantly, dropping to the ground.
Ding!
Ding!
System notifications rang in his head, but Noa didn't pause, too excited to halt his just-started killing spree.
After the first goblin died, the others quickly realized they were under attack.
Unfortunately for them, it wasn't nearly enough time for them to kill him on the spot, which gave Noa momentum to continue his offense.
As much as he wanted to take the dagger, he knew it would require him to make some awkward movements, and he would lose precious seconds.
So, with confidence and power in his hands, Noa struck at another opponent, broke its nose, and then knee-bashed its face.
"Next one!" he murmured, prompting the subsequent killing, and slammed a nearby goblin in the neck.
It was a deadly chop, and knowing the weak points, he never missed the target.
Three armed goblins died at the hands of the young man.
He had no need for weapons, as his body was a weapon of its own.
Though it was a weak one.
Only one slash from the side was enough to break his rampage.
The dagger sliced his flesh and drew blood with a scream that reverberated in the hall.
It was a deep gash, but adrenaline helped him battle through the pain.
He managed to take down one more monster before another wound appeared on his back.
"It hurts like hell."
Yelling as his knees and hands became weak, Noa smiled, remembering the first time he was summoned into this world.
He was even more helpless back then, dying with tears in his eyes.
This time, it was different.
As the blade descended toward his face, Noa grinned and whispered,
"This is not the end. I will be back in a second."
Then the darkness overwhelmed first his vision and then his entire being.
[ You Died ]
Soon, he appeared in the white nothingness, with system messages covering his vision.
"Let's see what I get for slaying four goblins."
Hoping that his first proper battle would be enough to level up, Noa read the notifications.
[ You killed a Primitive Green Goblin Lv. 1 ]
[ You've gained 20 Experience Points ]
[ You killed a Primitive Green Goblin Lv. 1 ]
[ You've gained 20 Experience Points ]
…
…
…
[ Level: 1 ]
[ EXP: 82/100 ]
These were his kill notifications and current progress.
'Even the EXP distribution hasn't changed from the game.'
It also seemed like even death gave him experience points.
'Would I get more after advancing to the next grade?' Noa mused, glancing at the most important system panel.
[ You've gained the skill Corpse Puppet ]
'Corpse Puppet? It sounds ominous.'
The condition to unlock the class skill was fairly easy—killing a monster of any kind.
Noa met the requirements and read the description.
[ Class Skill: Corpse Puppet (Proficiency: 0%) ]
— You can send yourself into the beings you have slain. You can control them however you want, essentially turning them into your puppet and becoming a puppet master.
There was no mention of cooldowns or mana usage.
Yet Noa felt how steeply priced it would be, but based on this vague description, he guessed it was one of the best skills in this world.
If that wasn't enough, it was upgradable, meaning the better he mastered the skill, the stronger it would become.
Then the familiar headache assaulted Noa.
"Now let's kill those bastards!"
He said, embracing the darkness and the pain of being reborn.
[ Echo: 998/1,000 ]