The Adventurer Guild of Drakenridge was loud, chaotic, and filled with the kind of energy that only people who fought monsters for a living could produce. Wooden mugs slammed against tables, chairs scraped across the stone floor, and adventurers shouted exaggerated stories of their victories while cheap ale flowed like a river. The air smelled of roasted meat, sweat, and steel. Every corner of the hall carried the noise of laughter and pride.
Except one.
In the far corner of the guild hall sat a young man alone at a small wooden table, quietly staring at the quest board across the room as if it were mocking him. His name was Eren Thorne, and within the guild he was known for exactly one thing.
He was the weakest adventurer in Drakenridge.
A group of armored adventurers nearby noticed him watching the quest board. One of them, a large man with a scar across his cheek, leaned back in his chair and pointed his mug toward Eren.
"Well look who it is," the man said loudly. "The legendary hero himself."
The table burst into laughter.
Another adventurer snorted. "Careful. If Eren hears you calling him a hero, he might faint from the pressure."
More laughter followed.
Eren didn't react at first. He simply rested his chin on his hand and continued staring at the board. After two years in the guild, he had heard every joke they could possibly make.
The scarred man wasn't finished. He stood up and walked closer, his heavy boots echoing across the hall. "So tell me, Thorne," he said with a smirk. "Did you finally kill that rat in your room last night, or did it beat you again?"
The surrounding adventurers laughed even harder.
Eren sighed slowly and finally looked up. "Actually," he said calmly, "we made peace. He agreed not to kill me if I agreed not to embarrass him in combat."
The scarred man blinked for a moment before shaking his head and chuckling. "You've got jokes, I'll give you that. Shame you don't have skills."
The laughter slowly faded as the man returned to his table.
Eren looked back toward the quest board.
Two years.
Two years of training, missions, and constant humiliation.
He had tried everything. Sword practice. Magic training. Physical conditioning. No matter how hard he worked, the results were always the same.
He was terrible.
His sword swings were slow. His magic barely worked. Even beginners passed him in skill within months. Eventually the guild had given him the lowest rank possible.
F Rank.
Among adventurers, that rank had another nickname.
Failure.
Eren stood up and walked toward the quest board anyway. He still refused to quit.
The board was covered with dozens of papers describing missions. Dragon sightings, bandit raids, dungeon explorations, escort requests. Most of them were already gone, torn off by stronger adventurers eager for gold and glory.
Only one paper remained near the bottom corner.
Eren pulled it free and read it carefully.
Quest: Goblin Elimination
Location: Blackthorn Forest
Reward: 5 Silver Coins
Danger Level: Low
Eren stared at the paper for a moment before smiling slightly.
"Finally… something I might survive."
A voice behind him suddenly spoke.
"You're taking that quest?"
Eren turned around and saw Bram Calder, a muscular adventurer with thick armor and a sword nearly as tall as Eren himself. Bram was one of the stronger fighters in the guild and someone who had never taken Eren seriously.
Eren shrugged casually. "It's goblins."
Bram folded his arms. "And?"
"And goblins are weak."
Bram stared at him for a moment before laughing. "Weak compared to normal adventurers. Not compared to you."
A few adventurers nearby chuckled.
Eren raised an eyebrow. "Encouraging as always."
Bram leaned closer and lowered his voice slightly. "Listen, Thorne. I'm serious. If you run into more than two goblins at once, you're dead."
Eren gave a small shrug. "Then I'll try not to run into three."
Bram shook his head and walked away, still laughing.
Eren walked toward the guild counter where the receptionist stood organizing quest records. Her name was Lyra Daven, and she was one of the few people in the guild who treated Eren with basic respect.
She looked up as he approached.
"Another quest?" she asked.
Eren handed her the paper.
Lyra read it and frowned slightly. "Blackthorn Forest…"
Eren tilted his head. "Problem?"
She tapped the paper thoughtfully. "Hunters reported strange goblin activity there recently."
"Strange how?"
"Larger groups than usual," she replied. "Almost like they're organizing."
Eren forced a confident smile. "Goblins organizing sounds terrifying."
Lyra didn't smile back. "I'm serious."
Eren sighed softly. "It's the only quest left."
She hesitated for a moment before stamping the paper and handing it back.
"Just be careful," she said quietly.
Eren took the quest and gave a small grin. "Don't worry. I plan on coming back alive."
Lyra crossed her arms. "Please do. I'm tired of filling out death reports."
Eren laughed and walked toward the guild doors.
The sun was beginning to set when Eren reached Blackthorn Forest.
The forest was darker than he expected. Tall twisted trees blocked much of the remaining sunlight, casting long shadows across the ground. The air felt strangely heavy, and the usual sounds of wildlife were absent.
Eren stepped carefully along the dirt path, gripping his cheap iron sword.
"Alright," he muttered. "Just a few goblins."
A rustling sound came from the bushes.
Eren turned.
A small green creature stepped into view.
Large ears. Crooked teeth. Yellow eyes.
A goblin.
Eren exhaled in relief. "Okay… good start."
He raised his sword.
The goblin stared at him for a moment.
Then it screamed.
The forest suddenly erupted with movement.
More goblins jumped from the trees. Others crawled from the bushes. Within seconds, Eren found himself surrounded by seven goblins.
He froze.
"…that's more than two."
One goblin charged first.
Eren swung his sword in panic and somehow managed to slash its arm. The creature shrieked in pain, green blood splattering across the ground.
For a brief moment, Eren felt proud.
"I actually hit one—"
A dagger slammed into his side.
The pain was instant and overwhelming.
Eren gasped as another goblin jumped onto his back and drove a blade into his shoulder. His sword slipped from his hand as the monsters overwhelmed him.
"Wait—stop—!"
But the goblins only laughed.
One of them pushed him to the ground while another slowly raised its dagger and plunged it directly into his chest.
Eren felt his body growing cold as blood spread across the forest floor.
His vision blurred.
"…seriously?" he whispered weakly.
The goblin twisted the dagger.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Suddenly—
Eren opened his eyes.
He was sitting in the Adventurer Guild again.
The same noise. The same laughter. The same smell of ale.
Eren stared around the room in shock.
His heart was racing.
Slowly, his hands moved to his chest.
No wound.
No blood.
He looked toward the quest board.
The Goblin Elimination quest was still hanging there.
Untaken.
Eren's voice came out as a whisper.
"…did I just die?"
And somewhere far beyond the walls of the guild…
Something unseen began to laugh.