An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

Arthur drew his sword without hesitation and sprinted straight toward the hobgoblins.

"Kirik?"

"Kerik?"
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Noticing him, the two creatures tilted their heads in confusion. Despite locking eyes with them, Arthur didn't slow down, causing them to hesitate for a brief moment.

But instinct quickly kicked in. Their expressions hardened as they raised their weapons, preparing for battle.

Good. That's exactly how I wanted you to react.

Arthur's eyes flicked up to the glowing text above their heads:

Hobgoblin Lv.10Hobgoblin Lv.12

Unlike the goblins he had just massacred, these ones had double-digit levels.

But so what?

Whether their levels were in the single or double digits, they were still just goblins. Whether they were ordinary goblins or hobgoblins made no difference.

To Arthur, they were all just insects.

Without missing a beat, he lunged at them.

The startled hobgoblins reacted instantly, thrusting their weapons forward to intercept him.

But Arthur was already a step ahead.

Mid-charge, he abruptly planted his left foot into the ground, halting his momentum. At the same time, he kicked off and leaped backward, creating a small gap.

A feint.

The hobgoblins had committed to their attacks, leaving an opening. Arthur wasted no time. He thrust his sword forward like a spear, aiming for the weakest point.

The blade pierced clean through one of the hobgoblin's eyes.

"Kreeegh!"

The creature shrieked, writhing in agony. Arthur didn't stop. With a firm grip, he twisted the blade in a full circle.

My sword might not be strong enough to slice through their thick skin with raw force.

That's why he targeted an area with no defense—the eyes.

If the gap in strength was too vast, this tactic wouldn't work. But against mere hobgoblins?

Please.

Arthur twisted his sword once more before yanking it free.

"Keeeeee!"

The hobgoblin shrieked, clutching its ruined eye. It staggered back, dazed but still alive. Gouging out an eye wasn't enough to kill it.

But that didn't matter.

Now, Arthur had a one-on-one fight.

The second hobgoblin, startled by its comrade's suffering, quickly withdrew its weapon and swung at him in a panic.

But—

Too slow.

Arthur's eyes tracked every movement. He sidestepped the first attack, then the next, effortlessly weaving through the wild swings.

Yet, he didn't counterattack.

He had a goal in mind.

The hobgoblin continued its frantic assault, trying to land a hit. And after several well-timed dodges, it finally happened.

[You have a high understanding of evasion.]

[The system is assessing your talent.]

[Congratulations! You have mastered Dodge (C).]

Arthur smirked. Got it.

Dodge was exactly what he needed—a skill that allowed him to evade incoming attacks instantly upon activation.

Now that he had what he wanted, it was time to end this.

Arthur gripped his sword and stopped dodging. Instead, he met the next attack head-on, parrying the hobgoblin's blade with ease.

"Kirik?!"

The creature let out a confused screech. It had put its full strength into the swing, yet somehow, every attack kept missing its mark.

It was bewildering.

Frustrated, it growled and swung harder, faster—desperate to land a hit.

But the result was the same.

Arthur remained rooted in place, effortlessly deflecting each strike with precise, minimal movements. His sword barely seemed to move, yet every attack was redirected with ease.

And then…

[You have a high understanding of parrying.]

[The system is now assessing your talent.]

[Congratulations! You have mastered Parry (B).]

Arthur's smirk deepened.

Parry.

A fundamental skill that allowed him to deflect incoming attacks. It had a long history—there were even weapons designed specifically for it. More importantly, parrying served as the foundation for countless advanced techniques.

Not bad.

With this, he had gained two skills from his first encounter with a hobgoblin. But pushing for more seemed pointless.

The creature was exhausted.

Its attacks had slowed. Its breathing was ragged. Its movements sloppy.

Arthur exhaled and adjusted his grip on his sword.

"It was fun."

Stab!

Arthur sidestepped the hobgoblin's desperate swing and drove his sword deep into the side of its neck.

The blade pierced clean through, emerging from the other side. Without hesitation, he twisted it sharply, maximizing the damage.

"Krrrgh—!"

The hobgoblin's body convulsed before it crumpled to the ground.

[You have defeated a hobgoblin.]

The system's notification rang in his mind, but Arthur barely acknowledged it. His eyes had already shifted to the second hobgoblin—the one still writhing on the ground, clutching its ruined eye.

He walked over without a word.

Stab!

The blade sank into the back of its neck, silencing its pained groans instantly.

[You have defeated a hobgoblin.]

Arthur pulled his sword free, flicking off the blood.

There was no need to waste time.

Arthur plunged his sword into the back of its neck, ending its misery.

He turned to leave.

Or rather, he started to—but then paused.

His gaze flickered back to the fallen hobgoblins. A thought crossed his mind.

Do these things drop loot?

Without hesitation, Arthur stabbed his sword into the chest of one of the corpses, digging around until he felt something solid. He pulled out a small, glowing crystal.

A mana stone.

More specifically, a D-grade mana stone.

His eyes widened slightly. Huh. Didn't think monsters created by the system would contain mana stones.

Adventurers made a living by collecting loot from monster corpses, and mana stones were among the most valuable resources. Their worth depended on size, with thumbnail-sized ones typically classified as D-grade.

Anything smaller would be E-grade.

Arthur weighed the stone in his hand. At this size, it could fetch around 50 silver coins—not bad at all.

A smirk formed on his lips.

"This is basically a mana stone mine."

The grin stretched wider.

"I'm gonna be filthy rich."

Ha HA HA!

Just as he was reveling in his newfound fortune, a system notification popped up.

[Don't get delusional. They have mana stones for more realistic experience. The moment you take it into the real world, it will turn into a normal stone.]

Arthur's expression immediately soured.

"Tch—talk about a bummer."

Clicking his tongue, he tossed the mana stone aside. Useless.

With that, he resumed moving forward, encountering more hobgoblins along the way.

And so, the massacre continued.