Reborn as a side character with a system

????class goblin.

Chapter 12

Deep in the forest, Nolan pressed his back against the rough bark of a fallen tree, his heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird. The damp earth soaked through his clothes, cold and unforgiving. Through a narrow gap in the bushes, he watched five goblins tear through a pack of beasts with chilling efficiency. Each monster moved like a trained killer, slaughtering two beasts apiece without hesitation.

Nolan's mouth went dry. These weren't the mindless creatures he'd faced before. They were organized. Deadly.

"Status," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rustling leaves.

A glowing blue window flickered to life before his eyes.

[Monster Status]

[Monster: Goblin]

[Level: 25]

[Class: Goblin Warrior]

[Abilities: None]

Twenty-five. Nolan swallowed hard. He was only Level 15. The gap felt like a canyon.

He shifted his gaze to the second goblin, hands trembling against the dirt.

[Monster Status]

[Monster: Goblin]

[Level: 20]

[Class: Assassin]

[Abilities: Speed]

An assassin. Nolan's stomach twisted. Speed was the worst thing to face when you were outnumbered.

Then the third.

[Monster Status]

[Monster: Goblin]

[Level: 18]

[Class: None]

[Abilities: None]

The fourth matched the first — another warrior, Level 25. Nolan's hope of an easy fight crumbled like ash. But when he looked at the fifth, his breath hitched. His blood turned to ice.

[Monster Status]

[Monster: Goblin]

[Level: 26]

[Class: ???]

[Abilities: None]

Nolan froze, staring at the question marks where a class should be. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. "What does that even mean?" His mind raced, panic clawing at the edges of his thoughts. "A goblin with an unknown class? Is that even possible?"

The fifth goblin moved differently from the others. Smoother. Like it was watching. Learning. Waiting.

Nolan's hands shook harder. He clenched them into fists, digging his nails into his palms until it hurt. "System... show my status."

The familiar chime felt hollow. His window opened.

[Status Window]

Name: Nolan Weldon

Age: 18

Class: Mage (4 Element User)

Level: 15 (Tier 1)

HP: 250/250

Mana: 170/170

Abilities: Fire Lv.5 | Earth Lv.5 | Wind Lv.5 | Water Lv.5

Skill: Dagger Mastery Lv.6

Strength: 28 | Speed: 28 | Agility: 28 | Intelligence: 28

Free Tokens: 17

Fifteen against twenty-five. Against five of them. Alone.

Fear curled in Nolan's chest, heavy and suffocating. But beneath it, something else stirred — a stubborn, burning ember. He thought of Hilda waiting outside the forest. Of Ralph's quiet trust. Of Isabella and his promise towards her.

He couldn't die here.

Nolan's eyes locked onto the goblins with a fierceness that surprised even himself. He stopped blinking. Stopped breathing. The world narrowed to the space between his dagger and their throats.

The moment one goblin turned its head — a split second of distraction — Nolan exploded from the bushes.

Time seemed to fracture. His legs burned. His dagger sang through the air. The first goblin never even turned around. Its head flew clean off, spraying dark blood across the forest floor, the body collapsing before the head hit the ground.

Nolan landed in a crouch, adrenaline surging through his veins like liquid fire.

But the other four didn't panic. They didn't scream. They spun around with terrifying coordination, closing the distance between them in an instant, forming a tight circle. Their eyes weren't filled with rage. They were calm. Calculating.

Nolan's confidence wavered. "They're not afraid," he realized, a chill running down his spine. "They don't care that I killed one of them."

He shot toward the fourth goblin, dagger raised — but halfway there, instinct screamed at him to stop. He leaped backward, barely in time. The fifth goblin had lunged from the side, its blade slicing through the air exactly where his chest had been. If he'd been a heartbeat slower, he'd be dead.

Nolan's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. He charged the fifth goblin, rage and fear mixing into a desperate cocktail. But just as he was about to strike, a shadow fell over him from behind.

He whirled around, terror flooding his system.

The third goblin was right there, claws raised to strike, inches from his face.

Nolan threw himself to the side, the attack missing him by a hair's breadth. He hit the ground hard, rolling through dirt and leaves, scrambling back to his feet. He spat on the ground, his chest heaving, and glared at the four remaining monsters. His hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Damn..." he muttered, his voice cracking. "Their teamwork is off the charts."

His eyes stayed locked on the fifth goblin — the one with the ??? class. It hadn't attacked again. It was just watching. Studying him.

"I should have killed that one first," Nolan thought, self-loathing bitter on his tongue. "I was stupid. I got greedy."

"No matter," he growled out loud, trying to convince himself as much as them. "I don't need to..." He burst forward at blinding speed, desperation fueling every muscle. "Keep dueling in the past!"

He leaped into the air, dagger aimed at the fifth goblin's head — but his eyes shot wide with sickening realization.

The second goblin had appeared in front of him. It had predicted his move.

Time slowed. Nolan saw the kick coming, saw the goblin's leg driving toward his stomach with brutal precision. He couldn't dodge. Couldn't block.

The impact was devastating.

Pain exploded through Nolan's abdomen. The force sent him skidding backward, his boots tearing grooves in the earth, until his back slammed into a tree trunk with a sickening crack. He collapsed, coughing up blood that tasted like copper. A red warning flashed in his vision, burning into his retinas.

[HP: 150/250]

One hit. Just one hit, and he'd lost almost half his health.

Nolan forced himself up, every movement agony. He wiped blood from his lips with the back of his hand, staring at the crimson stain. His vision swam. He spat again and looked at the goblins.

They were playing around. Laughing. Joking with each other as if nothing had happened. As if he hadn't just killed one of their own. As if he wasn't even a threat.

Nolan's hands trembled violently. He looked down at them, confused, horrified. "Damn... how can they be so relaxed after what I did to their friend?"

His body shook uncontrollably. "And why am I shaking so much..."

He stared at his trembling fingers, the dagger barely held in his grip. The truth crashed over him like a wave.

" more hit and I'm dead?"

The thought should have paralyzed him. Instead, something inside him snapped.

Nolan looked up at the goblins, his dagger hand tightening until his knuckles turned white. His fear didn't disappear, it transformed. It hardened into something sharp and dangerous.

"No..." he whispered, his voice steady despite everything. "I'm going to win... no matter what..."

"System," he gasped, his breath coming in ragged bursts. "Put twelve tokens into agility and speed. Split them evenly."

[System Activated]

[12 tokens distributed evenly between Agility and Speed]

[Speed: 34]

[Agility: 34]

"Let's see if you can keep up now," Nolan said, dropping into a sprinter's stance. His legs coiled like springs. His fear was still there, but now it was a weapon.

The goblins tapped each other and pointed at him. One laughed, a high, mocking sound.

Nolan took his first step.

And the world blurred.

His speed exploded beyond anything he'd felt before. The forest became a green streak. He crossed the distance in seconds, too fast for the goblins to react, too fast for their eyes to track. In one fluid, beautiful motion, he slashed two goblins across the chest and passed right by them, stopping behind the group in a cloud of displaced leaves.

The attack was so fast they felt nothing.

They turned and stared at him, confused. Then kept laughing, thinking he'd missed.

The second goblin suddenly crumpled to the ground, blood pouring from a chest wound that finally registered. The laughter died. That's when the others realized something terrible had happened. As they turned to look, the third goblin sprayed blood from its chest in a perfect X-shaped wound and dropped dead, eyes wide with shock.

Two down. Two left.

The last two spun toward Nolan, their eyes wide with something new.

Fear. Real fear.

The fifth goblin dashed at him with the same blinding speed Nolan had just used.

Nolan dodged, sliding backward, his dagger clashing against the goblin's weapon with a scream of steel. His eyes widened in disbelief. "How did it get that fast? No — it didn't get faster. It copied my speed. It can copy anything I do..."

The realization should have terrified him. Instead, Nolan felt a wild, reckless grin spread across his face.

"Then let's see you copy this."

Nolan raised one finger. Raw mana swirled around it, crackling with heat. A beam of fire burst out, piercing straight through the fourth goblin's chest. The goblin didn't even have time to scream. It just collapsed, smoke rising from the hole in its torso.

Now only Nolan and the fifth goblin remained.

They charged at each other simultaneously. The sound of clashing steel echoed through the forest, ringing off the trees, as they fought blade to blade. Sparks flew. Nolan's arms burned. His lungs screamed. But he didn't stop. Couldn't stop.

Every time the fifth goblin copied his speed, Nolan changed his rhythm. Every time it matched his strength, Nolan found a new angle. He was running on pure instinct now, his mind blank, his body moving faster than thought.

And slowly, agonizingly, the fifth goblin began to tire.

Nolan saw the opening — a microsecond of hesitation, a twitch in the goblin's shoulder. He drove his dagger through the gap, straight into the goblin's heart.

The fifth goblin stared at him, eyes wide with something that looked almost like respect. Then it collapsed.

---

At the goblin village, the chief paced back and forth, his ancient face etched with worry. Hours had passed. None of his warriors had returned. Not the hunting party, not even the ones sent to fetch water.

The chief was old, his green skin wrinkled and scarred, covered in jewelry — gold earrings, rings, and necklaces that clinked with every step. He gripped his magical staff so tightly his knuckles turned white.

He let out a furious roar that shook the village huts. Ten goblins arrived beside him instantly, heads bowed low, sensing their chief's rage. He pointed toward the village gate with a trembling finger, ordering them to search. They nodded and sprinted out into the darkening forest without a word.

---

Outside the forest, Hilda, Ralph, and Isabella stood in tense silence, watching the tree line for any sign of Nolan. The sun was beginning to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and blood.

"Do you think he went too deep?" Isabella asked, her voice small and worried. She hugged her arms around herself.

"Hard to tell," Ralph replied, his jaw tight, still staring at the forest entrance as if willing Nolan to appear. "That kid has become something even more unpredictable."

Hilda said nothing. Her eyes slowly narrowed, her lips pressed into a thin line. "Hmm."

She didn't say what they were all thinking: that the forest had gone too quiet. That something was wrong.

---

Back with Nolan, the fight was finally his. He lay on the ground beside the fifth goblin's corpse, chest heaving, mouth open, gasping for air like a drowning man breaking the surface. Every muscle screamed. Every bone ached. His clothes were soaked in blood — some his, some theirs.

"So that's why it had an unknown class," he breathed, his voice raw. "It can become any class it wants — temporarily. It was copying me the whole time."

The thought was terrifying. If he'd been slower to adapt, that goblin would have killed him.

Then his system chimed, bright and triumphant.

[System Activated]

[Host EXP: 2100/100]

[Host leveled up ×8]

[Remaining EXP: 10/2000]

[Status Window]

Name: Nolan Weldon

Age: 18

Class: Mage (4 Element User)

Level: 26 (Tier 2)

HP: 10/560 (+550)

Mana: 6/560(+554)

Abilities: Fire Lv.8 | Earth Lv.8 | Wind Lv.8 | Water Lv.8

Skill: Dagger Mastery Lv.15

Strength: 32 | Speed: 38 | Agility: 38 | Intelligence: 32

Free Tokens: 13

Nolan smiled weakly, his cracked lips tasting of blood and victory. "Heh... worth it. But next time, I need to be more careful, or I might actually die."

The words felt hollow. He'd almost died. He'd been terrified. And yet...

In that instant, golden energy surged through his body like warm sunlight, healing his wounds, restoring his health and mana. The pain faded to a dull ache. He stood up, his legs still unsteady and heard rustling footsteps crushing grass nearby.

Not one set. Many.

Panic shot through Nolan's veins. In a rush, he dove behind a tree and peeked out, his heart in his throat.

Five large goblins appeared, their two fangs hanging from their mouths like daggers. They were bigger than the ones he'd fought. Stronger. They stopped at the scene, staring at all their dead friends lying on the ground.

Nolan's heart pounded so hard he thought they might hear it. But his smile grew wider, wilder, almost feral.

"Leveling up with those guys was a good choice," he thought, adrenaline and mana surging through him in equal measure.

"But now let's see what else I can do with my magic."