Jin-woo stood in the goblin camp at 3:47 PM. He had just reached level 7. Three more levels to go.
He looked at the goblins wandering around the camp. He looked at his sword. Then he started walking toward the nearest goblin.
The next eight hours were simple. Find goblin. Kill goblin. Take loot. Find another goblin. Kill it. Take loot. Sometimes he fought wolves when the goblin camp was too crowded. Sometimes he went back to the city to sell materials. Then he returned and started again.
At 6:23 PM, a notification appeared:
LEVEL UP!
You have reached Level 8!
+5 Stat Points available to allocate
Health increased to 215/215
Stamina increased to 160/160
Jin-woo opened his character sheet. He put 4 points into Strength and 1 point into Vitality. His stats updated:
Strength: 33
Vitality: 21
Agility: 11
He closed the menu and continued grinding.
Three more hours passed. Jin-woo killed forty-seven more goblins and twenty-three wolves. His inventory filled with goblin ears and wolf pelts. His copper count went up. His experience bar climbed slowly.
At 9:41 PM, another notification appeared:
LEVEL UP!
You have reached Level 9!
+5 Stat Points available to allocate
Health increased to 230/230
Stamina increased to 170/170
Jin-woo allocated his points: 4 to Strength, 1 to Vitality.
Strength: 37
Vitality: 22
Agility: 11
But this time, another notification appeared right after:
NEW QUEST AVAILABLE: Warrior's First Strike
Difficulty: Class Quest
Level Requirement: 9
Description: A true warrior learns to focus their strength into devastating attacks. Prove your mastery of power.
Objective: Deal 100 damage in a single attack
Reward: Skill - Power Strike
Jin-woo read the quest twice. Deal 100 damage in a single attack. His normal attacks dealt about 25-30 damage now. His critical hits dealt 35-45 damage. He had never seen a damage number over 50.
He needed to figure out how to deal 100 damage.
Jin-woo left the goblin camp and walked back to Havencrest City. The walk took twenty minutes. When he arrived at the plaza, he headed to the training yard where Knight Marcus stood. The same training dummies from Tutorial Island were there, arranged in neat rows.
Jin-woo approached the nearest dummy. He raised his sword and swung. The blade hit the dummy's chest.
-27 damage
Not even close to 100.
He tried a critical hit by aiming for the dummy's head. His sword connected.
CRITICAL! -41 damage
Still far from 100.
Jin-woo lowered his sword and thought. The quest said "focus their strength into devastating attacks." Focus. Maybe that meant something specific.
He raised his sword again, but this time he didn't swing immediately. He held the position, his muscles tensed, the sword above his head. He waited. Two seconds passed. The sword began to glow with a faint red light.
Jin-woo brought the sword down. The blade hit the dummy with a heavy impact. The sound was different—deeper, more solid.
-67 damage
Better. Much better. But still not 100.
Jin-woo tried again. This time he held the attack position longer. Three seconds. The red glow got brighter. He released the attack.
-82 damage
Closer.
Jin-woo practiced for the next hour. Hold for two seconds—67 damage. Hold for three seconds—82 damage. Hold for four seconds—89 damage. Hold for five seconds—the glow faded and the attack became normal again.
The sweet spot was somewhere between three and four seconds.
Jin-woo adjusted his timing. He held for three and a half seconds. The red glow was very bright now. He released.
-94 damage
Almost there.
He tried again. This time he aimed for the dummy's neck—a critical hit point. He held for three and a half seconds. The red glow pulsed. He brought the sword down.
The blade hit the dummy's neck perfectly.
CRITICAL! -103 damage
Quest Complete: Warrior's First Strike
Reward: Skill - Power Strike
A new notification appeared:
NEW SKILL LEARNED: Power Strike
Type: Active Ability
Effect: Charge your attack for 2 seconds, then release for 150% damage
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Cost: 20 Stamina
Jin-woo opened his skill menu. Power Strike was there, glowing with a red icon. He read the description carefully. Charge for 2 seconds. Release for 150% damage. Ten-second cooldown.
That meant every ten seconds, he could deal 150% of his normal damage. Against a goblin with 80 health, that would be... Jin-woo did the math. His normal attack dealt about 27 damage. 150% of 27 was about 40 damage. Not enough to one-shot a goblin.
But what if he got a critical hit with Power Strike? 150% of a critical hit...
Jin-woo needed to test it.
He left the training yard and headed back to the northern goblin camp. The walk took eighteen minutes. When he arrived, the camp was quiet—only two other players were there, fighting goblins on the far side.
Jin-woo found a level 5 goblin near the fire pit. The creature noticed him and shrieked. It raised its club and charged.
Jin-woo activated Power Strike. He held his sword above his head. The red glow appeared immediately—the skill made charging automatic. Two seconds passed. The goblin was almost at him.
Jin-woo released the attack. His sword came down on the goblin's head.
CRITICAL! -112 damage
The goblin's health: 0/80 HP.
The creature exploded into light particles without making another sound. The entire fight lasted three seconds.
Jin-woo stood there, his sword lowered, looking at where the goblin had been.
"This changes everything," he said.
He found another goblin. A level 4 this time. He used a normal attack—the Power Strike cooldown was still active. Three normal swings killed it in forty seconds.
Then he found a level 5 goblin. Power Strike was ready. He charged the attack and released. The goblin died in one hit.
Jin-woo continued grinding. Normal attacks on weak goblins. Power Strike on strong goblins or when it came off cooldown. His kill speed increased dramatically. Level 4 goblins died in two hits—one Power Strike plus one normal attack. Level 5 goblins died in one Power Strike critical hit or three normal attacks.
His experience bar climbed faster.
The hours passed. Jin-woo killed goblins and wolves without stopping. He went back to the city once to sell materials and vendor trash. Then he returned and continued grinding.
At 11:52 PM, he killed a level 6 wolf with Power Strike. The notification appeared:
+31 Experience
His experience bar filled completely.
LEVEL UP!
You have reached Level 10!
+5 Stat Points available to allocate
Health increased to 245/245
Stamina increased to 180/180
Jin-woo stopped walking. He stood in the middle of the plains, wolves wandering nearby, and opened his character sheet.
Level 10.
He allocated his points: 3 to Strength, 2 to Vitality.
Name: Jin Park
Level: 10
Experience: 0/2,500
Attributes:
Strength: 40 (was 37)
Agility: 11
Vitality: 24 (was 22)
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 10
Luck: 10
Health: 250/250
Stamina: 180/180
Gold: 0 gold, 3,241 copper
Skills:
Power Strike - Active (150% damage, 10s cooldown)
Jin-woo closed the character sheet. He checked his real-world phone. The time was 11:58 PM. He had been grinding for twelve hours today. His eyes hurt. His neck was stiff. His headset battery showed 8%.
But he was level 10.
He could attempt Goblin Cave now. He could mine iron ore in Ironforge Mountain. He could access better grinding zones with better drops.
Everything he had been working toward for the past four days—it was now available.
Jin-woo logged out. The VR interface disconnected. He removed the headset and sat in his dark apartment. The only light came from his phone screen.
His bank account showed -$73.12. He had converted another 15 silver to real money earlier today. The overdraft was shrinking, but he still owed $1,232 for the loan in 24 days.
Tomorrow, he would try the dungeon. Tomorrow, the real money would start coming.
Jin-woo plugged in his headset to charge and walked to his futon. He lay down without changing clothes. Sleep came immediately.
His last thought before unconsciousness was simple: Level 10. Finally.