Chapter 11 – The forest swallowed Nolan whole.Tall trees pressed in from every side, their branches weaving a canopy so thick that only scattered shards of sunlight made it through. The air smelled of wet dirt and rotting leaves. Every step sank slightly into the damp earth, soft and giving beneath his boots. He walked with a strange calmness, as though the dangers lurking in the shadows were merely background noise. His hand rested on the hilt of his dagger, ready.Then he stopped.A small creature bounced into view, wobbling across a patch of moss like a living drop of jelly.A slime.Its translucent body caught the faint light, shimmering with pale blues and greens. It moved without purpose, without thought, simply existing. Nolan tilted his head, studying it. This was his first real monster. The first thing that stood between him and getting stronger.His fingers tightened around the dagger's handle. A strange mix of excitement and nerves fluttered in his stomach."System… stat

Chapter 13The five large goblins stared down at the dead bodies of their kin, their yellow eyes narrow and cold. For a long moment, none of them moved. Then, without a word, they split up, one heading east, one west, one north passing by Nolan without notice and the last south.Nolan pressed his back harder against the tree, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might crack his ribs. His breath came in short, silent gasps. Every instinct screamed at him to run."All those goblins are warrior types with their levels over thirty..." he thought, his mind racing. "Am I going to survive even if I attack one at a time?"The goblins vanished into the trees, but Nolan didn't move. His legs felt like water. His hands shook against the bark."Even if I use all the tokens I have now to boost my stats, matching one of those beasts would be death for me," he muttered, sliding down until he sat on the damp earth. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the strands. "I need a strategy. No

Chapter 13 The five large goblins stared down at the dead bodies of their kin, their yellow eyes narrow and cold. For a long moment, none of them moved. Then, without a word, they split up, one heading east, one west, one north passing by Nolan without notice and the last south. Nolan pressed his back harder against the tree, his heart pounding so hard he thought it might crack his ribs. His breath came in short, silent gasps. Every instinct screamed at him to run. "All those goblins are warrior types with their levels over thirty..." he thought, his mind racing. "Am I going to survive even if I attack one at a time?" The goblins vanished into the trees, but Nolan didn't move. His legs felt like water. His hands shook against the bark. "Even if I use all the tokens I have now to boost my stats, matching one of those beasts would be death for me," he muttered, sliding down until he sat on the damp earth. He ran his hands through his hair, pulling at the strands. "I need a stra

'Chapter 17Back at Nolan's home, Layla stood by the front door, her hands clasped so tightly her knuckles had gone white. Behind her, the maids huddled together like frightened birds, their whispers barely audible over the howling wind outside. Every creak of the old house made them flinch. Every shadow seemed alive.They had been waiting for hours.The door slowly opened with a groan of rusted hinges.Isabella entered first. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, her shoulders slumped, her face drawn and pale, the face of someone who had seen too much and couldn't unsee it. She looked like a mourner at a funeral.Hilda followed, her expression unreadable as stone, but her jaw was clenched tight enough to crack teeth.Then Ralph stepped inside, and Layla's heart stopped.He carried a large sack over one shoulder, something heavy and wet dragging behind him. Blood trailed down the canvas in thick, dark ribbons, pooling on the marble floor with every step he took. The smell hit them first,

Chapter 19"Impressive..."Victor's voice cut through the silence like a knife through silk. He began to clap, slow, deliberate, each impact of palm against palm echoing in the stillness. "Bravo. That was truly a spectacle."Isabella and Victor glared at each other across the wreckage of the room. Killing intent crackled between them like lightning seeking ground. Her eyes burned with anger and rage, hot, alive, desperate. His eyes were flat. Dull. Empty as a dried well. He looked at her like she was a painting he was considering buying."If I don't get answers right this moment, then death will follow..."Layla's voice was soft. Too soft. The kind of softness that came before a storm broke everything apart. Her gold aura began to flare again, not bright this time, but deep, heavy, pressing against the air like a physical weight. The chandelier above her swayed though there was no wind. The floorboards groaned.Isabella stepped back, her body shaking uncontrollably. The aura wasn't di