"They're coming," Texas warned, a tense expression on her face.

[Alert: Unique Skill, Survival of the Fittest, has been activated due to perceived threat of a horde of Goblins incoming. Movement speed has been greatly increased. Recommended course of action: run]

She gripped her sword tightly in one hand, and my arm in the other, hastily dragging me out the subway cart. Makes sense I guess. Staying inside would only serve as our death trap.

"So where are we going?" I was lost—Lungmen was a completely foreign place to me.

"Too meet up with some friends," Texas answered, still hurriedly dragging me along. Her body was on edge, her ears twitched from side to side, her eyes furiously scanned her surroundings and her nose worked overtime sniffing out potential enemies. She was fast. And really strong too, despite her slim and lithe frame. It was a good thing my skill activated or I'd have been left in the dust by now. "There aren't too many Goblins following us right now. Probably because it's still early on in this 'game' of theirs. So if we can—"

She stopped suddenly, nearly causing me to run into her.

"Why'd you stop?" I asked before I felt it. A suffocating oppressiveness in the air. "Oh."

"We're surrounded," Texas observed, her voice remaining neutral and firm. Freeing her hand from gripping my arm, she pulled out a second blade. For some reason, without the comfort of her slender hands gripping me, I felt a tidal wave of fear crashing down on me.

"W-Where'd they come from?" One minute we were running through an empty subway station, the next, we're surrounded by Goblins. "It's like they popped out of thin air."

Texas gave me an odd look.

[Notice: Unique Skill, Survival of the Fittest, has been activated. The emotion, fear, has been toned down to tolerable levels.]

Oh come on! Couldn't you have activated a bit earlier? You're making me look scaredy-cat!

[Notice: Unique Skill, Survival of the Fittest, has deactivated.]

No wait! Come back! I take it back! I take it back!

[Notice: Unique Skill, Survival of the Fittest, has been activated. The emotion, fear, has been toned down to tolerable levels.]

"Think you can fight?"

Pulling out my [Beginners Blade (E)], I answered as confidently as I could. "Yeah. Yeah I can… Probably."

[Alert: Unique Skill, Survival of the Fittest, has been activated. All stats temporarily increased.]

"Try not to die."

They numbered in the hundreds, increasing by the second. Most were no stronger than a child, but Texas could sense that there were at least a handful of powerful Goblins hidden among the horde. If only she had Exusiai covering her.

"Hah!" Texas cried out, bringing her sword down on a Goblin. Yet, instead of its head flying off its shoulders, her blade broke. Good thing she always had multiple on her body, but it was concerning how easily her sword broke. Texas always made sure to maintain her gear properly, only ever breaking against dangerous and powerful enemies—something a Goblin was not.

Concerned about your weapon breaking?

The creature appeared, as if he had been watching her the whole time.

Texas nodded. From her peripheral, he saw the boy fending off multiple Goblins at once with a poorly crafted sword. Unlike hers, the blade didn't break as it sliced through the horde of green.

That's because so far, we've allowed you to use your weapons. But now, you're only going to be using the ones we provide.

She held out her hand, expecting the creature to drop a sword on it.

No! I mean as in through progressing. Either through Dungeons, hidden loot around the city, monster drops, stealing from other Players, or even receiving it from your sponsored Constellation.

So she was expected to fight this horde of Goblins with her fist only? "Fair enough." Wasn't the first time she'd had to improvise.

'Besides,' Texas thought to herself, eyeing the many crude weapons the Goblins possessed—bow and arrows, spears, swords, axes, 'I could always take one of theirs for myself.'

"Raargh!" A Goblin cried as it charged at Texas with bloodstruck eyes, ax in hand, and spittle flying out of its mouth. The movements were linear, laughably easy for her to read and dodge. Their mental state on the other hand, was something else entirely. A shiver ran up her spin. Texas knew what those stares meant. She could feel the desires in their eyes, emanating from their body—not a completely foreign feeling but also not a feeling you could get used to easily.

Especially when they originated from something not human.

[Item: Worn and Torn Crude Goblin Ax (F-)]

"This will have to do," Texas muttered quietly to herself as she picked the weapon up. The reach was too short, the grip was rough and unbalanced, the head too heavy, the edge way too blunted, and the weapon itself seemed to be one swing away from falling apart. But beggars can't be choosers. She'll have to make do with what she had.

From what little intelligence the creatures possessed, the horde came to the conclusion that going one at a time wasn't the brightest of ideas. So collectively, they all charged at the lone Lupo, hunger in their eyes, clawing, scratching, and biting through their own kind to be the first to reach her.

Making the best of her situation, Texas cut through the horde. Dashing and weaving, slicing and cutting, everywhere she went, a pile of dead Goblins followed. Blood splattered everywhere, limbs were severed, and heads rolled, yet the Goblins weren't deterred in the slightest—likely something to do with the Crown's effect.

"I'm surrounded by mindless imbeciles."

Texas halted in her tracks. In front of her wasn't any ordinary Goblin. The fact that it could speak spoke volumes of its intelligence. The armor it wore and the way it carried itself, all these were factors telling Texas that this foe wasn't like any of the fodder she fought previously.

And she sensed plenty more incoming.

"Hey! Catch!"

Two swords were thrown her way. Without missing a beat, she caught them.

[You have received an item, Hunter's Blade (E), from Hellastic.]

[You have received an item, Dull Blade (D), from Hellastic.]

Hellastic… So that was his name. While nothing to write home about, the swords were better than anything she could steal from the Goblins.

'But why does he have three swords? And where did he get them?' Texas couldn't help but think to herself.

The Goblin cracked his knuckles, walking towards Texas in a cocky, overconfident manner. Everything about his body language screamed that he thought himself superior to the low tier mobs surrounding him. "Just a heads up, but I'm not as weak—"

Clank!

Forced to block her incoming blade, the Goblin didn't have time to finish his sentence.

"..."

They traded blows evenly. Texas with her nimble and lightning fast attacks and the Goblin with his strong, overpowering strikes.

"Haah…" The Goblin struggled, but held firm. The shallow cuts Texas managed to inflict on him didn't seem to deter him much. "Not one to talk, huh? Don't worry. You'll be screaming and begging for mercy after I'm done with you."

It was then that more Goblins showed up. Each as powerful, if not more, than the last.

"Not good…" Texas mumbled to herself. And behind them all stood their leader. With a crown on his head and a staff in his hand, he stood head and shoulders above every other Goblin present in terms of power and presence.

An arrow was shot at her. She deflected with her sword. Another arrow came flying her way. She leapt to the right, taking cover behind a concrete column. It was there that Texas spotted a couple of swords scattered on the ground, which gave her an idea.

She threw one of the blades, and dashed in right after. The Goblin was forced to block the incoming projectile, leaving himself open for Texas to cut him down in one strike.

"Arghhh!"

That move was met with immediate retaliation as two Goblins immediately closed in on her, while a third shot an arrow her way.

Clink!

Block. Weave. Parry. Sidestep. Despite the numbers disadvantage, she still had the upper hand. Why? Because these were Goblins. In the games that Exusiai liked to play, they were low tier, trash mobs meant for newbies to get a bearing of the combat system—not quite as weak as a slimes, but not exactly much stronger either.

They lacked coordination and proper teamwork. Coupled with the effects of the Crown, Texas was easily able to manipulate the battle to her advantage.

"Arghhh! Don't hit me you idiot!"

"She's the enemy, not me!"

"Watch where you're firing that arrow!"

Heh. They were doing most of the work for her.

[Notice: Sufficient requirements met. Unique Skill, Blade Mistress, has been acquired.]

She brandished her blades. This time, a different feeling enveloped her—almost as if an aura of destruction manifested itself. From that moment on, it was a breeze for Texas as she sliced through the remaining Goblins like they were made of paper. She was a whirlwind of death, cutting anything that dared come close into mincemeat, despite her blade's limitations.

All that was left for Texas to deal with was the Goblin leader…

The Goblin leader…?

"Huh. He's gone…"

[Congratulations! You have leveled up! Would you like to claim your rewards?]

Can't, I'm in the middle of something.

A Goblin, no bigger than a toddler, charged me with a feral look in his eyes. I did what any sane person would do and punted that sucker like a football, straight to the after life.

Homerun! Wait, wrong sport.

[You have seven unclaimed rewards. Would you like to claim them?]

No! Like I said, I'm in the middle of a life or death scenario here. How do I mute these notifications? Usually there's an option to stop displaying pop ups.

Two more goblins, about half my height, came lunging at me, wielding daggers and a nasty grin. I managed to dodge the first one as I barely parried the blow from the second with my Dull Blade, narrowly avoiding being stabbed in the gut.

[You have five new shop offers available including: Level Up Pack, Start Newbie Pack, Goblin Slayer Pack, and many more. Would you like to check it out?]

For fuck sake! I would not—

Wait, did you say Goblin Slayer Pack?

[Would you like to check it out?]

A muscular Goblin, about a head shorter than me, came barreling at me with his fists swinging wildly. Not a wise idea considering the sword I had.

"Raargh! Arghh!?"

I made short work of him.

Show me the Goblin Slayer Pack!

[Limited time offer (50% off!), Goblin Slayer Pack!]

[Items: Sturdy Leather Chestplate (E), Traveler's Handy Boots (E), Evergreen Blade (E+), Slightly Green Tinted Potion (E), Goblin Weakening Incense (D-)]

[Cost: 25 gems]

Gems? But I only have Gold. Don't tell me I have to spend money for premium currency.

[Notice: You have seven unclaimed rewards. Would you like to claim them?]

I already said—wait a second… Claim everything.

[Obtained: 30 gems, 5,000 Gold, Double XP card, 10 pull ticket, Weapon Selector (F), Ribbon Tied Gift Box (D), BLT Sandwich, Starter's Special Discount Card.]

That's a lot of rewards. But nevermind that, I need to buy the Goblin Slayer Pack as soon as possible. I'll look over everything I got later.

[Confirm Purchase?]

Yes please.

[Items received: Sturdy Leather Chestplate (E), Traveler's Handy Boots (E), Evergreen Blade (E+), Slightly Green Tinted Potion (E), Goblin Weakening Incense (D-)]

[Mission Complete: Make your first purchase.]

Mission complete? Hold on a minute. Did this have to do with my Gacha Gaming skill? I bet all those other rewards I claimed had to do with my Ultimate Skill as well. Once everything settles down, I really need to test of Skills out and organize things.

[Would you like to equip all available items?]

Is that even a question? What do you think I spent my premium currency for? Of course I want to equip everything.

[All eligible items have been equipped.]

[Evergreen Blade (E+): The Evergreen Blade has lower stats than other weapons of similar caliber in exchange for high effectiveness against Goblins.]

I tested my newly purchased weapon out, cutting the nearest Goblin I could find cleanly in half.

"Sweet!" The blade made killing Goblins so much easier. "Alright! It's Goblin Slaying time!"

I pointed my newly obtained sword at an incoming horde of green, and charged.

"Man… what's taking Texas so long…" Exusiai grumbled impatiently to herself. "She didn't run into trouble, did she?"

If there was any concern in Exusiai's voice, it was quickly stamped out. The reason? "It's Texas. I'm sure she'll be more than fine~"

"..."

Exusiai had no doubts about it. Doesn't mean she won't worry though. And pacing around doesn't help with staving off boredom.

"Might as well browse the huge amount of offers from these Constellations." So she did. There were a lot, and most of their names could be described with one word: lame. And also boring. Okay, so maybe not one word, but two. Lame and boring. Add in unoriginal as well actually. So three words, probably more.

[Constellation, The White Death, would like to form a contract with you.]

Reading that made Exusiai do a double take. Was there a particular reason those words were highlighted or was she just imagining things…?

[Constellation, Mundane Mann, would like to form a contract with you.]

Nope, she was not imagining things.

"Hey fluffball!" she called out, hoping the creature would hear her. It did, though it didn't seem to be in the happiest of moods.

What am I? Some kind pet or servant you call upon whenever you desire?

"Huh? But you answered my call, didn't you?" Exusiai replied with a question. Dragging out her 'huh', she put on an air of sounding as innocent and clueless as possible.

That's…!

"Don't worry about it! I won't call you that much~" She smiled, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture, angering the fluffball with her attitude. For some reason, it only made the creature look more cute in her eyes.

You're quite arrogant, Angel. Especially considering I could end your life in an instant.

Exusiai grinned, her cheerful expression morphing into a smug one. "But you won't And you can't."

And what makes you so sure?

"I've attracted a lot of viewers, haven't I?"

[Multiple Constellations would like to form a contract with you.]

[Multiple Constellations are watching your actions with interest.]

[A few Constellations are moved by your actions. You have received 100 Gold.]

"And while the Starstream may be different from the social media platforms I know, the theory behind running a channel should still remain more or less the same."

…

"If something brings you in views, you keep that something alive and milk it to the max. Am I wrong?"

…

"Cat got your tongue?" Exusiai asked with a smirk powerful enough to make any heart skip a beat. "Or was it an Angel that stole it?"

…What do you want?

Bullseye. What started off as a bluff intimidation attempt to turn her more obedient has backfired on the creature badly.

"So was I correct?"

Yes. Yes you are. I'm a low ranking Dokkaebi who's channel rarely gets attention—buried along with the millions of other channels on the Starstream. You're right. Your presence has attracted a lot of curious eyes. My channel's views have skyrocketed.

There was a resigned look on the Dokkaebi's face as it spoke. Truth be told, Exusiai was not expecting a whole sob story from the creature. But she can use it to her advantage.

I've made more money in the past few hours than I have in my entire life. Finances will soon no longer be an issue and my family…

Now it was Exusiai's turn to fall silent.

The other Dokkaebi who laughed at my channel's poor analytics will be eating their words now. No longer will I be the butt of every joke, the laughstock of every meeting, the example of a Streamer not to be. Oh I can't wait to show them…

The creature went on and on. It definitely has some pent up frustration it needed to let loose. Unfortunately, she was not the right person to trauma dump on. She sent an unamused stare the Dokkaebi's way until it finally, sheepishly, stopped its tangent.

…So uhm, what was the reason you called me?

"Just a question," Exusiai answered. Had the Dokkaebi gone on any longer, she might've switched stances and shot it. "Why are some messages bolded?"

[Constellation, The White Death, would like to form a contract with you.]

The Dokkaebi's eyes widened. If Exusiai's eyes weren't fooling, she could have sworn she saw dollar signs in them.

That means a high level Constellation has taken interest in you! Something which usually doesn't happen until much later on after multiple Main Scenarios have happened and Players have had a chance to attract the attention of more powerful Constellations. To think you'd be able to garner the attention of one so quickly…

Exusiai shrugged. "What can I say? This Constellation has an eye for talent."

Now, there was nothing left for her to do except accept.

AN: Sorry for the long wait. Thanks to all those who favorited, followed, and reviewed.

Oh and also, a lot of this fic has been inspired by manga/manhwa/webtoons I've been reading recently. If you guys have any recommendations, I'd love hear them and potentially incorporate those concepts into the story.