"Don't tell me we're all just meatheads?" Ronan asked the group, silently hoping that wasn't the case.

At the very least, the fact Dana used a whip meant they wouldn't be filling an identical role. However, Terry's answer was a pleasant surprise.

"Actually, I took the tinkerer class. I always used to love building legos and I'm pretty good with my hands. It sounded a lot more interesting than the others. I modified this bow I got from the goblin archers and it packs a hefty punch," he explained, taking a bow from his inventory and holding it up for them all to see.

As he lifted it above his head, Ronan spotted something that made him want to slap himself in the face. Terry's system tag.

[Human Tinkerer Lv.10]

Then again, knowing someone's class didn't necessarily tell you everything about how they fought. Looking at Terry he could probably pack a harder punch than Ronan, but you wouldn't know it if all you focused on was his class.

Even so, he took the time to have a look at Dana's tag. He had expected the woman to have picked the fighter class like him, but was somewhat surprised to see she had taken a different route.

[Human Ranger Lv.11]

He was curious about her reasons for it, but she seemed like a smart woman. A whip was a one handed weapon after all and that class skill it had mentioned probably helped with her aim. He could always ask once they headed into the tunnel and find out.

As for the bow he held up, it wasn't some crazy feat of inventing, but Ronan could definitely see the improvements the man had made. The string wasn't frayed or tied weakly to the wood, the way the goblins' were. Plus, the wood had been coated with some substance, but he didn't know what the effect of that was.

"How do you get arrows?" Dana asked. "I don't see a quiver or anything to store them in."

Ronan wondered the same thing. Terry smirked and tapped the side of his nose. "Just wait and see," he teased.

She groaned but didn't press the matter further. Ronan was really curious now, but he suspected the answer was a skill. What else could it be?

Next up was Terry's son, who was also level 10 and had picked the mage class. Ronan had a pang of jealousy when he'd seen that. Hearing the boy explain his abilities almost made him regret his choice of class.

Almost.

Punching things was still fun as hell. And he wanted to survive, so it was the smart choice. Anyway, the kid was a man of few words.

"The class skill mana bolt lets me shoot mana at things. It hits pretty hard. That's about it," he'd said.

"Can you show us?" Ronan asked immediately.

"Sure," Jackson replied with a nod, raising a hand and pointing at a nearby tree.

Ronan saw a flicker of light gathering in the boy's hand and then suddenly shoot towards the tree. It struck the trunk and exploded in a shower of bark and splinters.

"Not bad," Ronan appraised with an approving nod of his own. Fuck, magic is cool. I'll just have to be satisfied with magic strike, he told himself, though he secretly hoped for another, cooler magic skill.

Keith was still keeping his distance, so Ronan decided to answer for the guy. He knew everything about Keith's abilities anyway.

"That's Keith. He uhh… He just kind of sits there and screams while the monsters chase him," he said with a laugh.

Keith threw him a venomous glare, but didn't speak up. Ronan did feel a little bad. Keith had killed two of the lesser goblin warriors on his own.

"Well, he can handle some of the weaker monsters I guess. He's not completely useless," he amended.

"That tracks," said Dana.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Okay, that's good. So, Ronan you can be our main frontliner with Dana as your backup while me and Jackson will be in the backline as ranged damage. Keith can do his best," Terry announced, clapping his meaty hands together as he explained their roles.

It was honestly really simple. They would need time to get used to working with one another but Ronan was sure it wouldn't be too hard.

I thought it at the beginning but this is a lot like a video game. There's even classes and parties. Don't tell me this is going to be like a raid or something? he wondered to himself.

The system hadn't been very forthcoming when it came to the objectives of each stage of the tutorial so far, but perhaps it might start now. Ronan stepped into the tunnel, but no notifications flashed in his face. Yeah, as if.

The others followed after him. Keith stood at the entrance, looking nervously into the dark tunnel but once he realised they would just leave him there he rushed in and stuck close to Ronan.

Honestly Ronan couldn't deny that he was excited. It was perhaps selfish to think, when he knew that probably millions of people had died in this tutorial already, but he was really starting to enjoy the feeling of battling and growing stronger.

Every kill was a fight for his life that rewarded him with tangible progress. Unlike his job where he had to put in dozens of hours of work for uncertain results with temperamental bosses like Keith breathing down his neck, this was simple.

And it was fun.

Luckily for Ronan his wish was granted sooner than he expected. They rounded a corner in the tunnel, the 'natural' light fading and replaced by the dim orange glow of torches in metal clasps. The moment he turned around the corner he was greeted with a garbled screech that rattled his eardrums and a spear shoved in his face.

He threw himself to the side and avoided the thrust. Ronan threw his gaze down the tunnel and grimaced at what he saw.

Goblins.

Well, lesser goblins, but that was more of a semantic difference. The only actual goblins he'd fought were the shamans. The spear wielding goblin was a warrior, the first he'd seen without a sword and shield.

There were six more goblins with it. They all stared at Ronan as if he'd murdered their parents in front of them.

Dana rounded the corner a second later and groaned loudly. "Of course it's more fuckin' goblins," she cursed, immediately reaching for her whip.

A quick look told him the levels and classes of the goblins. He had to correct himself as one of them actually wasn't a lesser goblin. That one looked nasty. He wanted to fight it.

[Lesser Goblin Warrior Lv.12]

[Lesser Goblin Warrior Lv.13]

[Lesser Goblin Warrior Lv.13]

[Lesser Goblin Archer Lv.12]

[Lesser Goblin Archer Lv.12]

[Goblin Berserker Lv.15]

However, now that he wasn't fighting alone he couldn't rush off to fight the strongest monster straight away. He was the frontliner so he had to stop them from reaching the others.

He was certain that Terry could handle himself even if one of the little green bastards broke through, but it was better to build good habits. Jackson wasn't as tough as his massive dad.

So, he rushed towards the spear wielding goblin which had tried to turn his face into a kebab. He didn't bother using magic strike. Preserving his mana for stronger enemies was the smart choice.

It hadn't quite recovered from its missed thrust and he rushed in while it was pulling its spear back. He planted his foot and smashed a wild haymaker into its jaw.

He felt the connection and the crack of its jaw breaking. Its head snapped to the side. To his surprise however, it didn't drop.

Ronan only saw a flash of silver as its spear sliced through the air towards him. Right before it sliced his neck he heard a sharp crack and felt a gust of wind on his cheek.

Dana had intercepted the slash with a flick of her whip. She was damn accurate. I better not piss her off. Ever, Ronan told himself.

"Thanks," he said. She just nodded and yanked the spear out of the goblin's hands. It stumbled forwards and screeched.

Ronan grabbed the top of its head and smashed his knee into its face. Somehow it kept screeching, so he kneed it again, a little harder.

You have killed [Lesser Goblin Warrior Lv.12]!

+21 Copper Credits

+1 [Pugilist] Mastery

+Lesser Goblin Ears (Common)

He grinned. That felt good. Then he grunted in pain as a shield smashed into his ribs. Ronan stumbled sideways, a little winded.

However, the shield bash had been too weak to deal any lasting damage. It hadn't even inflicted the bleeding effect. He heard a crackle that sounded like someone opening a crisp packet as a flash of blue light whizzed past.

It struck one of the archers in the face and it yelled as half its face exploded. It was gruesome. Damn it! I wish I took mage, I'm such an idiot, Ronan cursed.

The fight had begun moments ago and already two of the goblins were out of action. He heard another whip crack and glanced over to see one of the warriors under Dana's leather boot, grasping at the leather wrapped around its neck. Then it fell still. Make that three. And definitely don't piss Dana off, he reminded himself.

The last three goblins looked nervous with half their number dead, but in typical goblin fashion they just started yelling in their hideous screeching tones and rushed at him.

Ronan raised his fists and stepped forward to meet them. As his fist smashed into another goblin's chest, he relished in the sound of breaking bones. Maybe being a fighter isn't so bad.

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