Staggering up, I rode the high of victory, I was a beast, a monster. I had to hold myself back from clapping my chest and roaring like the hobgoblin I had just slain.

  Immediately I could feel the power of my boosts to wisdom and intelligence tempering my reaction. It was a sense of the world around me, of the balance in all things. The ground felt steadier beneath my feet, the air more meaningful as it filled my lungs. It was as though I could see further down each path, understanding the consequences before I took a step. There was a calmness now, a quiet in my mind, where instinct and insight merged, guiding me. I saw not just the way things were, but the way they ought to be. Connections were being made that eluded me before, my mind presenting them to me.

  Yet I did not relax, it only alerted me to the way something in the air seemed off. Pointedly picking up the chief's stone axe, I noticed the goblins stood strangely quiet for the first time. Some began to cheer and thump their chests, others eyed the dead chieftain, their eyes wandering back to me, and back to him. Cogs were turning in their little cunning minds, greed evident in their eyes, the way they licked their lips, the way they shifted back and forth and clenched their fists. A dread sense of unease crept over me, I had decapitated the proverbial hydra, but what would sprout in its place? In the game, this act would crown me the new goblin king, yet here, nothing seemed certain.

  Whilst I still had the chance, I considered my class options. It is the standard three, the rogue, mage and fighter archetypes all available to me, and one more special type. To be a rogue or a squire in a world where magic was real seemed a waste to me. Visions of a great grimoire, thunder from the heavens, the world aflame at my behest, power billowing around me as I stood tall, tapping the arcane and ethereal for untold power, it spoke to me. I wasn't that in the game, but I could be now. However, my eyes couldn't leave that word.

  WARRIOR

  I felt like on the edge of its borders whispering promises of blood and dominance, glories a thousand fold more than slaying the hobgoblin. Strength. Pushing the hobgoblin back. It felt good.

  It was instinct that guided my hand in that moment. I had to hope my boost to wisdom wasn't misleading me.

  Battle trance has evolved -> Warrior flow

  The battlefield bends to your will. Combat flows through your veins like liquid fire, each heartbeat a war drum calling forth ancient knowledge. Your eyes see beyond mere flesh, perceiving the threads of combat itself.

  Ancient warriors spoke of a state beyond exhaustion, beyond pain - where the body breaks but the spirit refuses to yield. You have found this truth.

  The battlefield bends to your will. Combat flows through your veins like liquid fire, each heartbeat a war drum calling forth ancient knowledge. Your eyes see beyond mere flesh, perceiving the threads of combat itself. Yet now, something more primal awakens - the sheer, unstoppable force of a warrior's will.

  As the effects hit me I also apply my spare points to endurance and strength.

  Golden light flooded the meadow, I felt my damaged muscles contract, drinking in the pain and damage, only to be born anew, filled with destructive force itching to be unleashed. It was strange, to feel so fatigued, so tired, yet to know you could fight for hours, your body a bastion, and the world would break upon its mighty walls.

  It’s like something ancient and powerful awakens within me. I feel grounded, rooted in the earth as if my body is an extension of the soil beneath me, solid, immovable. Every breath feels deeper, more intentional, as if I’m drawing strength from the world itself.

  A cacophony of sounds begin to spread. Squawks of outrage, emphatic cheers, snarling and spitting. As the circle broke up and I tried to edge away, the goblins began bandying together in groups.

  Suddenly, a wild yell from behind me forced me to turn. Steps away, a goblin was pounding down the earth at me, another equally aggressive yell came from my right, and a blur of green slammed into my would-be assailant.

  It happened so quickly I was left stunned for a moment before I realized the cacophony had grown into a chaotic roar. Goblins smacked at each other, sprinted at nothing, formed into gangs, led by particularly nasty, larger goblins. Those ones had their eyes on me. So it was a fight for dominance, who got to be the next big boss, and apparently just killing the last one wasn’t going to cut it.

  Large swathes were knocked away as I walked through the mass like an icebreaking hulk, my prow the axe. My strength had grown so much that each swing disintegrated goblin bones.

  Some dived at my ankles, cutting at my legs, but I twisted out of reach, kicking them off me. Their speed was becoming an issue. I hadn't put any points into dexterity, and it was showing. I was strong, but not as agile as I needed to be. Fortunately, some of the goblins had rallied to my side, seeing me as the new force to back. They formed a crude entourage behind me, fending off others.

  I hacked my way through the chaotic mass, using the Chief's Axe to carve a path. At close range, when goblins swarmed me, I switched to the Shadow Spider Fang—its venomous bite sank into green flesh, leaving my attackers writhing in pain. It felt natural, deadly, an extension of myself.

  Finally, the edge of the meadow was in sight. The dense forest loomed ahead, the underbrush thick and tangled, but it was my best chance of escape.

  With a wild roar, I swung the axe one last time, clearing a path through the goblins. I threw it with all my might, sending it spinning into the pack at the edge of my reach. It ploughed through them, toppling several to the ground.

  Leaping over the downed goblins, I sprinted toward the forest, the Shadow Spider Fang still clenched in my hand. The additions to my strength had made my steps more forceful, my endurance making me an inescapable wall. The ground seemed to shake beneath my feet, and even the slightest impact with a goblin sent them sprawling.

  Goblin slain!

  I crashed into the thick underbrush, finally escaping the melee. The forest welcomed me with uneven terrain, twisted roots, and winding paths, but none of it slowed me down. My endurance pushed me forward, my strength propelling me over obstacles that would have left me gasping before.

  A bubbling stream appeared ahead, its frothy white foam swirling over sharp rocks. It was a perilous jump, but I had no choice. Gathering every ounce of power left in my legs, I launched myself from the embankment.

  Time seemed to slow. I soared through the air, feeling the weightlessness, the freedom. But I wasn’t going to make it.

  The earth rushed up to meet me, and my feet slammed into the opposite bank. The mud gave way beneath me, and I sank into the muck. Gritting my teeth, I clawed at the roots, dragging myself up and out of the mire. My muscles screamed in protest, but I forced myself forward.

  The forest was eerily quiet now, the only sound being the distant chirps of insects and the rustling of leaves. I wiped the sweat from my brow, trying to calm my breathing. My hands trembled slightly, the adrenaline slowly draining away, leaving behind a familiar soreness in my muscles. The light of the setting sun filtered through the canopy, casting long, golden shadows across the forest floor.

  I knew I couldn't stop for long. The goblins were still out there, likely fighting amongst themselves, but they could regroup. They would hunt me down if they had the chance.

  Taking a deep breath, I stood once more, pushing forward, my steps slower, more measured now. The forest thickened around me, the dense undergrowth threatening to slow me down, but I kept moving.

  A sudden rustle in the undergrowth made me freeze. Through the branches, I caught sight of a massive wild boar, its tusks gleaming in the filtered sunlight. The beast was enormous, easily twice the size of any normal boar, with muscles rippling beneath its bristled hide and tusks as long as my forearm. In the game, these would've been mid-level monsters, dangerous but predictable. But something felt different now.

  The beast's beady eyes locked onto mine. Warriors spirit! Where there should have been fear, I found only calm certainty. My enhanced perception picked up every detail - the way its weight shifted, the tension in its haunches, the slight tremor of anticipation in its bristles. Time seemed to flow like honey, each moment crystalline and perfect.

  I gripped the Shadow Spider Fang, and it felt alive in my hand. My body moved with a fluid grace that would have been impossible before the warrior class transformation. My muscles weren't just stronger - they were smarter, more precise, guided by an ancient knowledge that whispered through my veins.

  With a guttural squeal that shook the leaves, it charged. The old me would have seen only a blur of fury and muscle. But now? Now I saw everything. Each thundering hoofbeat, every twist of sinew, the exact arc of its tusks as they sought to gore me. My enhanced perception stretched the moment into eternity.

  I didn't just dodge - I flowed. Like water around stone, my body shifted with perfect economy of movement. The boar's charge, which should have been terrifying, seemed almost sluggish. As it passed, I brought the fang down in a perfect arc, my enhanced strength driving the blade deep. These stats, they made me so powerful. So much more than I ever was. I could've left the boar, let it bleed out. Instead, I got in front of it, grasping the tusks as it shoved towards me, I felt that incredible weight. Knew it was overwhelming. Too much. Yet I pushed, heaving and roaring. The boar careened, flipping and crashing back down onto the earth.

  They say the same man never crosses the same stream twice. Because he is not the same man. Well looking down at my newfound muscle, the way things were lighter, easier. Thoughts flowed and my body responded. It was true.

  Looking at its bulk, I realized this could be valuable—if I could find civilization, meat would be worth something. Despite my exhaustion, I began the laborious task of dragging it with me. My enhanced strength made it possible.